“Go paddleboarding” has been on my list of goals for 3 years now. Every time I’d plan to go, something would happen that would stop me. Once I was very sick, another time they were shooting a commercial and closed our lake, and then there was a huge 3 day storm while we were in Canada. I didn’t think it would ever happen.
We had planned to paddleboard camp on Lake Minnewanka while we were in Banff, but the cold rain just kept coming. It had been raining all week, but Thursday was supposed to be the worst of it. We’d already made reservations, but called the very nice lady in charge at Bow Valley SUP, who helped us switch to a half day on Friday.We drove out to Canmore that morning, and the clouds parted. It became a perfect day.
They suggested we just drive up the road to the reservoir instead of heading back into Banff, since we now only had 3 hours. I was pretty disappointed when I heard that, but couldn’t believe how gorgeous just the little town reservoir was! A backdrop of the incredible Canadian Rockies and the glacial blue color of the water were still with us.
Paddleboarding was much easier and more relaxing than I expected. We rented inflatables, which were very stable, and took them up to a nice pullover point to have delicious falafel sandwiches for lunch. I wouldn’t recommend the chopping methods you see here, unless you’re desperate. Knives and inflatables usually don’t mix well. I had a LOT of supervision. You’d really “falafel” if you popped a rental board.
Falafel Sandwiches
Yield
4 sandwichesPrep Time / Cook Time
/Activity Guide
Day Trip, PicnicIngredients
- For this recipe, we used Yves Falafel Balls that we found at the market. Any instant mix that you have is great if you can make them at home.
- 4 pita breads
- 1 8-ounce container hummus
- 1 lemon
- 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed
- 1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
- 4 teaspoons Sriracha or similar style hot sauce (chile garlic paste would be delicious)
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
Method
- Smear hummus across your whole pita, leaving a litle space around the edges so it doesn’t squish out of the sandwich.
- Place 3 falafel balls in the center of your pita, and smash them a bit so the don’t roll out of the sandwich.
- Add slices of red onion, a handful of spinach, and a squeeze of lemon.
- Add some hot sauce (don’t forget the hot sauce!)
- Wrap in a bandana or napkin to hold the whole thing together, and enjoy.
