Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

I have eluded to this several times lately, but I've been working hard since July at losing some weight.  There are a hundred different ways to "diet" in this world, and I choose none of the trendy ones.  I prefer to eat healthy, high-quality, minimally-processed vegetarian food, chock-full of fresh, local, in-season produce.  Lately, I have been eating just a bit less than I typically would, and focusing much harder on getting in enough exercise on a daily basis.  (Lunchtime walks?  Check.  Weekend bike rides?  Check.  21-day yoga challenges?  Check.  Running errands on foot?  Check.)

I have been using My Fitness Pal to track my meals and exercise, and people, it's working.  Not as quickly as I would like, but well ... I'm 35 years old and have a job that is primarily sedentary.  Slow metabolism?  Check.  Lack of movement in my daily life?  Double-check.  Wah.  It's frustrating sometimes, but watching the number on the scale go down, feeling stronger, feeling more physically-fit, feeling healthier, is definitely winning out most days.

(Donut Crawls aside.  Yeah.  Sometimes you gotta splurge.)

What have I learned from using My Fitness Pal?  Well, for starters, I figured out why I gained so much before -- I just ate way too much.  Sometimes, it sucks being short.  My calorie needs are much less than a tall person's, (and MUCH less than a tall man's,) and well, on a 5'1" frame, there's only so many places where those extra calories can go.  (I was having a conversation with a coworker, who happens to be pretty tall, the other day, and stated, "if you gain 5 pounds I bet you don't even notice." She replied, "I don't."  I continued, "if I gain five pounds, my pants don't fit!")  The really crappy part about this is, a scoop of ice cream, or a chocolate chip cookie, or a bowl of popcorn has the same number of calories regardless of whether you are tall, short, or in-between.

So, yeah.  I have been paying attention.  I hate that I have to, because I would prefer to just eat and enjoy my food, but given my sweet tooth, propensity towards preferring carbs, my genetics, my age, and my sedentary job, I don't have much of a choice at this point in my life.  Boo.  (Anyone else out there feel me?)

What else have I realized?  I DON'T EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN.  Oh, yes, it's that horrible question every vegetarian dreads -- "but WHERE do you get your protein?"  See, thing is, it's really dead easy to eat enough protein as a vegetarian.  It's really easy not to, too, when your body tends to crave carbs.

So, I have been paying WAY more attention to my protein intake these past few months, and you know what?  It's working.  Protein does help you feel full.  Protein gives you energy, clear skin, healthy hair and nails.  So, I eat more protein.  My Fitness Pal wants me to eat upwards of 60 grams per day, (there's research about protein helping fuel weight loss out there, which is why I think the recommendation is so high,) but I consider it a good day if I go over 50 grams.  Some days are more, some days are less.

I have a whole new relationship with string cheese I never thought I would have.  Cottage cheese and I are BFFs (sometimes I go through two cartons in a week.)  I bought an all-natural, vegan protein powder for my smoothies.  (I don't much care for it, though.  Do you have one you like?  Please share!)  I eat eggs for breakfast ... often.  Sometimes I eat eggs for dinner, too.  I have consumed more hummus in the past four months than I think I have in the past four years.  And beans?  Heck yes.  Tofu.  (Super firm tofu, even, 'cause it has more protein.)  Tempeh.  Almonds.  Peanut butter.  Bring it on.  I can do this "protein thing."

I have realized that, as I have increased my protein intake, my intake of carbs has decreased.  No longer do I scarf down two slices of toast for breakfast.  I have one slice of toast with two eggs.  And you know what?  Breakfast #2 keeps me full much longer than breakfast #1 used to.  I will never, ever be "low-carb," but I definitely think "less-carb" is working for me.

In the quest for protein-rich snacks that are relatively low in calories and NOT string cheese, I have been crunching through batch, after batch, after batch of roasted chickpeas.  Not just any, ordinary chickpeas, mind you ... SALT AND VINEGAR ROASTED CHICKPEAS.  'Cause if roasted chickpeas can taste like my all-time favorite flavor potato chip, well, they should!

I started with this recipe from Oh She Glows, with good results initially.  I did grow frustrated, however, that sometimes my chickpeas on the outside edges of my pan would burn while the chickpeas near the center would still be soft, despite frequent stirrings mid-bake.  What's a roasted chickpea-loving gal to do?  Turn down the oven, increase the time, and work low-and-slow to her advantage.

Enjoy.

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
white vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt

Directions:
1. Pour your chickpeas into a small saucepan, and add enough white vinegar just to cover the chickpeas.  Bring to a boil, then remove the chickpeas from the heat, cover, and allow the chickpeas to sit in the white vinegar for 20 minutes (or longer, if you want a stronger vinegar flavor.)
2. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Drain the chickpeas, and toss with the oil and salt.  Arrange the chickpeas on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake the chickpeas, stirring every 20 minutes, until they begin to brown and dry out.  Keep baking, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the chickpeas are completely dry and crisp.  (This may take 45 minutes or over an hour, depending on your oven, your baking sheets, etc.)  Cool the chickpeas completely, then store in an airtight container.

What are your favorite flavor combinations for roasted chickpeas?  (Because I'm sure, eventually, I'll get sick of salt and vinegar.  That just hasn't happened yet.  Mmmmmm....)

And, what are your favorite protein-rich vegetarian snacks?

400-calorie dinners (ii)

Two more all-star recipes to add to the 400-calorie dinner collection this week:

Falafel-Stuffed Eggplant:

I bookmarked this recipe ages ago . . . what took me so long to try this?  Light yet filling, with a welcome burst of summery flavors to brighten up the bitterest of cold winter days.  (I can imagine how much tastier this would be when everything was actually in season!)  I did modify the recipe slightly, adding the eggplant pulp to the filling, instead of "reserving for another use."  (Huh?  What on earth would anyone do with just around a cup of eggplant goo?  Hm.)  352 calories, loaded with fiber, protein, A, C, calcium, and impressively high in iron.  John claimed he wasn't all that hungry prior to dinner this evening, but managed to gobble up his portion just fine.  Must have been good!

Sauerkraut & Sausage Casserole:

This dish is as warm and cozy as the previous was bright and summery.  (Hey . . . I crave variety!)  After making my own vegetarian kielbasa, this dish was a snap to prepare, and I love the combination of tangy, salty kraut, (homegrown, home-cultured, and home-canned at our house!), savory faux sausage, sweet onions and apples, and tender-crispy potatoes.  A bargain dinner at 297 calories, packed with protein and loaded with vitamin C, there's definitely room for a chunk of dark rye with butter alongside this entree, or alternately . . .

Dessert!

German Honey Cookies:

If you enjoy simple yet surprising sweets, this is a cookie you MUST try.  There is enough honey in the dough to be clearly present in the baked cookie, yet the copious amount of vanilla and ground ginger sneak in and hang out in the background.  The cookies are sweet but not cloyingly so, buttery without being overly rich, and friendly to the healthy eating plan at 97 calories each.  I made a few modifications to the original recipe, following a more traditional method of creaming the butter and sugar together by hand, then stirring in the honey, egg, and vanilla, before finally adding the dry ingredients, and I also subbed in half whole-wheat pastry flour for some of the all-purpose.  This is only the second time I've made these, but I much prefer this batch -- my first attempt (years ago) was soft, pillowy, and almost cake-like using the technique in the recipe; this batch is soft, toothsomely chewy, and dense -- a perfect cookie texture, in my opinion.  (P.S. watch 'em like hawks, and pull them out of the oven JUST as they begin to brown and are completely set -- over-baking these beauties turns them tooth-breakingly crispy in a heartbeat.  Or, if you like crispy cookies, by all means, over-bake away!  I bet they would make great dunkers, in that case.)  Someday, I'll try these with fresh ginger in lieu of the ground, and likely achieve cookie nirvana.  :)

just the eats

No clever introduction today . . . just the eats!

Buttermilk Waffles, Field Roast sausage, and strawberries:

Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes and Basil:

(This was phenomenal, by the way.  Easy, speedy, healthy, and fantastically delicious!)

Pinto Bean Stew with Jalapeno-Corn Dumplings:

(Another Crock Pot success! The only change I made to the original recipe was to double the dumplings . . . because you never really can have too many dumplings, now can you?

Eggplant Lasagna:

(I think I could have doubled this recipe, and we would have been just as happy.  Homemade ricotta added something extra-special to this dish, and take-and-bake baguette made the perfect side.  Rich and cheesy, but not TOO heavy, a stellar supper that got even better in leftover form!)

Vanilla Ricotta Muffins:

(My version of this recipe is found in Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe; this online version is pretty close.  Skip the white chocolate chips, and you've got it.  I subbed in whole-wheat pastry flour for the AP flour; a great, tasty excuse to use up that leftover ricotta!)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting:

(My favorite chocolate cake recipe just got better with the addition of coconut oil, instead of canola -- the cake turns out slightly more dense, and the improvement in structure just means there's more support for extra frosting.  :)  I ended up adding extra powdered sugar to the above frosting recipe, as it was a little too runny with just the amount called for.  We took these cupcakes to dinner on Saturday night, and the little girls belonging to the grown-ups we were hanging out with were very excited!  Sprinkle cupcakes for all!)

time for comfort food

I had been battling a migraine most of last week, and wasn't feeling very well when I sat down to do the weekend meal plan on Thursday night.  It was definitely time for some comfort food!

Breakfast burritos!

Even though a burrito might not seem like comfort food for a good little midwestern girl like myself, I can pretty much always eat beans and cheese.  Adding hash browns and eggs just gilds the comfort food lily, in my opinion.  :)

Chickpea Patties!

While the chickpea patty itself doesn't really fall into "comfort food" territory, at least for me, sweet potato tater tots sure do.  :)  (Side dish not pictured!)

Seitan and Dumplings:

I tried a new seitan recipe this time, which I was really happy with.  I find seitan can sometimes be too "strong" tasting for me . . . maybe too much nutritional yeast?  Anyhow, this recipe was quick and simple, offered lovely, light flavor, and worked beautifully in the Herbed Chicken and Dumplings recipe I frequently tweak for a vegetarian option.  (What do I do?  Sub cubed seitan for the chicken, adding it with the broth later in the recipe, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  I also double the soup base ingredients, and triple the dumplings.  One never can have too many dumplings, if  you ask me!)

Mushroom Potpie:

This was incredible.  Simple to prepare, smelled amazing when it was in the oven, and tasted fantastic.  (I subbed a pie crust for the puff pastry called for, as that was what I had on hand.)  Pot pies can sometimes be too heavy; not this one!  It was rich and satisfying without weighing me down.  (P.S. artichokes on the side!)

And cookies!

I made these Flourless Peanut-Chocolate Cookies to take to church choir rehearsal on Saturday morning, and it's a good thing there was plenty leftover!  John stated that these might be his new favorite cookie.  Rich and crumbly, with big peanut flavor and loads of melty chocolate chips . . . heaven.

How do you define comfort food?

how to recover

How to recover from a long weekend of too much?

Buddha bowls, of course!

Quinoa topped with chickpeas, shredded carrot, shredded purple cabbage, red and yellow bell pepper, green beans, cilantro, avocado, sesame seeds, and homemade peanut sauce.  (I really like the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, but using only half the water called for.)  The awesomest news?  Plenty leftover for work lunches this week!

weekend eat-a-thon, again!

Recently, I described my weekend as an "eat-a-thon," as I tend to do most of my cooking over the weekends while John is around, and live off leftovers during the week.  This past weekend was no exception!

Our weekend started a little early this week, as I had some downtime between jobs.  I decided to plan a fun Thursday night dinner -- baked potato bar!  I ended up coming up with so many ideas for toppings, I had to split my potato in half and "theme" each one.

Potato #1 -- the "traditional"

Following a bit of butter and salt, I piled on sauteed mushrooms, steamed frozen broccoli, homemade sour cream, Coconut Bacon, and minced garden chives.  A note on the coconut bacon . . . I really liked it, John didn't.  He doesn't care for coconut, so that makes sense.  :)

Potato #2 -- the "southwestern"

Plenty of seasoned black beans, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, salsa, and garden green onions.  I was really happy with how this batch of beans turned out, and that cheese sauce?  Awesome.  I think this was the first time that I've made a cheese sauce that hasn't broken!  Woo!  The trick?  Let the sauce cool a LOT longer than you think it needs to before whisking in the cheese.  We both loved this sauce -- it was light, creamy, cheesy, totally easy to make, and a budget-friendly way to stretch a small amount of cheese out into several servings.  I think I'll make this sauce again soon, and add it to some hot cooked macaroni for a healthier version of stovetop mac and cheese!

John had a long day working outdoors in the cold on Friday, so I figured he needed a pretty hearty meal at the end of the day:

Nutloaf, homemade-buttermilk-garlic mashed potatoes, Quick Gravy, and oven-roasted green beans.  Nutloaf, while neither inexpensive nor terribly healthy, is terribly tasty.  :)  I recommend leftovers sliced, with ketchup, in-between two slices of good wholegrain bread.  We both really liked the gravy, too, (and it really was quick!) although I think I'd add an extra tsp of flour next time -- it was just a little too thin in my opinion.

Breakfast Saturday -- Carrot Cake Pancakes:

Who doesn't want to sneak in a serving of veggies at breakfast?  :)  I didn't have quite enough carrots this time 'round, so I ended up using about half shredded carrots and half shredded garden zucchini, with good results.  John was out of whole wheat flour, so I used all-purpose . . . and we both decided we preferred the hearty, nutty flavor of the whole-wheat flour in this recipe.  The AP pancakes were too sweet and too plain tasting, in our opinion!

A picnic lunch Saturday:

Homemade butternut squash soup, Kalamata Olive Bread with Oregano, sharp cheddar, and an apple.  The soup turned out really well, and I was excited to use some of the squash we grew in our garden this year!  I also really liked the olive bread -- it was dense without being heavy, savory but not too salty, and held up well during backpack transport.  (I also got to use some fresh oregano from our garden!)

Breakfast today:

Cheesy scrambled eggs, Buttermilk Waffles, orange juice, and coffee.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love buttermilk?  Yeah?  Well . . . these waffles were another excellent use of my new favorite ingredient.  Crispy, light, slightly tangy, offset by a sweet drizzle of syrup.  Waffle perfection!

Dinner tonight -- Festive Chickpea Tart:

This was quite tasty, and very easy to make in advance -- I prepped the filling on Friday afternoon, stuck it in the fridge, and spooned it into the pie shell tonight before baking.  Superfast dinner in the oven!  However, I did make a couple of changes to the original recipe, including adding more oil and a couple of well-beaten eggs to the base.  My filling looked so dry after I mixed everything together, I wasn't convinced it was going to set up at all, and didn't want a crumbly mess on my hands!  Adding the eggs and extra oil gave the tart a beautiful structure, although it was no longer vegan.  Thoughts?  I might try this again using hummus as the base, adding some whole chickpeas for texture, and keeping the other veggies and seasonings basically the same.  Flavor-wise, this was fantastic, and surprisingly filling!

Better get to bed -- big day at the new job tomorrow!

Dragon Bowls!

As summer settles in with all of its heat and humidity, (I'm not a fan, can you tell?)  ;) I crave vegetables more than anything else -- I love how fresh, crisp, and hydrating a big bowl of veggies can be!

However, I don't find a big bowl of JUST veggies very filling . . . so I'm constantly searching for new and exciting ways to add veggie-heavy meals to my summer repertoire, without feeling constantly hungry.  Ali recently posted about one of her new-found favorite summer meals, the Dragon Bowl with Tahini Dressing, and I had to try it!

I cooked up a mix of red and white quinoa, (as John astutely pointed out, cheaper to buy some red and some white and mix them together at home, than pay the extra $$$ for the pre-mixed "rainbow quinoa" from the bulk bin!), topped it with some Sesame-Sauteed Kale, and then piled on the veggies -- avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, mushrooms, purple cabbage, chickpeas, shredded carrot, and some sugar snap peas and cilantro from the garden.  After making Ali's recipe for tahini dressing, I just wasn't sure about it . . . I really don't much care for nutritional yeast, and the sauce was so strong and heavy tasting on its own . . . but when drizzled cautiously over my bowlful of veggies, magic happened, people.  :)  We had HUGE bowls of this stuff a couple times this weekend, and I'm certain this recipe will grace our dinner table again and again!

What are your favorite hot weather meals?  I need some more inspiration, as all of the Dragon Bowl leftovers are at John's house, and I'm looking at one empty fridge right now -- time to go shopping!

back to it

I have fallen out of two very good habits in the past year or so, and I decided tonight would be the night I officially get "back to it" --

Good habit #1: using my reusable produce/bulk bags when buying groceries

Good habit #2: cooking dried beans and freezing in 2-cup portions

Good habit #2 seemed especially important to me, as money has been a little tighter than usual lately, and we all know how cheap beans are to start with, and how MUCH cheaper they are when you cook them from dried.  Also, I recently read an article in this month's issue of Whole Living that detailed a variety of environmental toxins that screw with female hormones.  I don't have any issues, but I figure it's good to be aware and possibly avoid issues in the future, right?  I'm not ready to give up canned tomatoes just yet, (and oh, how I wish the glass jars of tomatoes were cheaper!), but I figure, skipping the canned beans in favor of home-cooked is a win-win, right?  And I'm taking Michelle's advice this time 'round, and cooking 'em with a chunk of kombu each.

What are your feelings and/or opinions about BPAs?

Maybe we'll have a bumper crop of Roma tomatoes in the garden this year, I'll teach myself some basic canning, and I can actually say good-bye to canned tomatoes?  Fingers crossed!

chop-chop!

Work has been hectic lately, and on more than one occasion in the past few weeks, I've found myself with little to no time to eat, collect, and/or heat up my lunch.  (The toddlers keep me busy!)  I'm aiming for something quick and simple this week, that doesn't require heating -- enter the Greek Chopped Salad!

Cucumber, yellow bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, artichokes, and feta, dressed in a creamy vinaigrette made from red wine vinegar, olive oil, a little mayo, salt, pepper, and dried oregano.  I had a bowlful for dinner tonight as a "preview," and let's just say, I'm excited for lunch tomorrow!  I'll smear a wholegrain pita with some hummus in the morning, and be good to go.

Any other brilliant make-ahead, easy cold lunch ideas?  My other alternate for this week is egg salad on Dr. Kracker flatbreads.  (I can't STAND packed sandwiches, as they get soggy.  Is that weird?)  I should spend some time next weekend looking through Lunches, Picnics, and Appetizers for more ideas, too.  That's one of those cookbooks I forget I own, and then have an "oh, YEAH!" moment, and get excited for it all over again.  ;)

food, and a hiatus

First, in no particular order, here are some things I cooked or baked this weekend:

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

John had a potential tenant coming over on Saturday evening to look at a room he's renting out, and thought it would be good if the house smelled good. I suggested we bake something; after a quick trip to Target for flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and measuring cups, we made cookies! They were delicious, and the potential tenant took the room! Win win for all!

After John ate four cookies, we decided it was about time we made dinner, before cookies became dinner:

Swiss Chard with Chickpeas and Couscous is speedy, healthy, and almost always a hit. We used dried cranberries instead of raisins, (per John's request, as he's opposed to raisins almost always,) and I always reduce the amount of salt called for in the original recipe. Another hit!

Thursday night was a simple pasta and salad:

Homemade puttanesca sauce, sans anchovies, over bowties, with a "clean out the crisper" salad on the side. I even managed to use up some stale bread and made croutons! Delicious.

Sunday night pho:

Persuaded by a coupon, I decided to try Pacific Food's Vegetarian Pho Soup Base to make life a little easier this week. :) The boxed broth definitely made the whole homemade pho process speedier, and the broth is actually pretty delicious! My only complaint is that the broth is pretty high in sodium, and doesn't actually taste all that salty. John and I each added a few dashes of soy sauce to our bowls after our first couple of bites; processed food is always higher in sodium than homemade, and I guess that's a "hit" I'm willing to take in the future for speed and ease of meal preparation, at least in this case! What do you think? Have you tried any of the pho broths yet?

And now, it's time for a hiatus. Work is EXPLODING right now, and to top it all off, I'm taking an online class, which starts today! Really, really bad timing given how late I've been working these past couple of weeks, but I'm certain the class will be really good and I'll learn a lot. It's going to be weird . . . I haven't had reading assignments, lectures, and homework for YEARS! (Flashback!) Wish me luck staying on top of everything, and I'll be back when things slow down.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you know what's awesome about making Thanksgiving dinner just for yourself? You don't have to make anything you don't really care for, and can focus on creating your "ideal" meal. :) Every cook should make Thanksgiving dinner just for him/herself at least once, even if it's not actually Thanksgiving!

This year, here's what I wanted on my plate of plenty:

Clockwise from the top: "Chickpea Cutlets" and "Mustard Sauce," both from Veganomicon, Caramelized Onion and Herb Stuffing, Double Cranberry Chutney, a Hasselback Sweet Potato, and roasted brussels sprouts.

I did discover, however, the best part about a solo Thanksgiving -- if you don't overeat and actually save room for pie, you don't have to wait for everyone else to digest before you can eat pie! (Some years, I feel like that lag time is going to make me crazy! I like pie so damn much, it's hard, being polite!)


I love pie.

:)

vacation food

My goodness, I have barely been blogging lately! Is anyone still reading? :)

I was off last week for a vacation, of sorts -- a little traveling, and a little stay-cationing, but very little cooking. :) I am still going through the pictures from my vacation, and will post about what I did soon enough, but for now, here are a few things I've been eating, (besides more tempeh reubens . . . I'm still on a major sauerkraut kick!)

After being out of town and eating out too much, my body seemed to be craving two things: produce and protein!

Breakfast burritos definitely increased my protein intake for a few days:

Refried black beans, cheese, hash browns, scrambled eggs, guacamole, and salsa this time, stuffed into a whole-wheat tortilla. Sigh. Too bad I don't have time to make this breakfast this morning!

My need for more produce was met with giant, meal-sized salads:

I went the Greek-ish route this time, topping mixed baby greens with chickpeas, cucumber, artichoke, tomato, kalamata olives, red bell pepper, feta, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

And more produce combined for a giant pot of homemade minestrone:

Thank you to Ann, who kindly joined me for dinner (and took home some leftovers) so I didn't have a gallon of minestrone to get through on my own!

~~~~~~~~~~

Vacation re-cap soon!

an obvious choice

With all of the gorgeous, fresh, local veggies in season right now, and the cooler temperatures we have been enjoying in MN as of late, I needed to make a massive heap of roasted veggies, wouldn't you agree? I followed the "Roasted Ratatouille" recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, adding 2 cups of cooked chickpeas for a little more protein/staying power. Now, what to do with those veggies, you ask?

Why, stuff them into crepes, of course -- isn't that the obvious answer?? ;) I haven't made crepes since Mardi Gras, and I was starting to feel like it was about time! My crepe recipe is so simple, (2 cups flour, 2 1/8 cups milk, 1 stick butter, melted, and 4 eggs,) and so delicious, (must be all that butter, plus then turning around and cooking them in more butter!), I felt like it was the obvious choice. :)

Thanks to French classes in high school, I have been making crepes for over half my life, so they feel like the easiest thing in the world. I also have a crepe pan . . . I know, I know. I don't make much room for unitaskers in my kitchen, but it's just so much easier to cook crepes in a crepe pan, as opposed to a nonstick frying pan. (No "tails" of batter shooting out of the edges when I use a crepe pan.) How 'bout you? Have you ever made crepes before?

soup: a love letter

Oh, soup, how much do I love thee? I was sitting on the couch the other night, when I was suddenly chilled by a cool breeze through my open windows. My first thought? "I need to make soup!"

Now, while it's still very much summer in our neck of the woods, the nights have been cooler this week, which has made me feel a-ok about making -- and eating! -- soup. Soup is definitely one of my favorite meals, and I eat it often during the cooler months.

Thankfully, I had nearly everything on hand to make this batch -- a quick trip to the co-op for egg noodles was all this bowl of warmth and comfort required. :) Living a block away from the co-op means spontaneous cooking inspiration can strike at any time these days!

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Yield: 4 substantial servings



Ingredients:
4 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (use your favorite kind!)
2 cups cooked chickpeas
pepper to taste
4 to 6 ounces dry egg noodles

Directions:
1. Saute the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in the olive oil until soft.
2. Add the broth, chickpeas, and pepper, and bring the soup to a boil.
3. Add the egg noodles; return the soup to a boil. Continue cooking until the noodles are al-dente. Cool slightly, and serve immediately!

I used to think I needed to "fancy-up" chickpea noodle soup with lemon, fresh herbs, etc. I've come to realize that what I really want, when I want chickpea noodle soup, is something glaringly simple and full of noodles. And seriously, use your favorite kind of vegetable broth, because two things carry this soup -- the broth, and the noodles. :) I don't typically make homemade broth, just because I lack storage space for the finished product, but if you have some on hand, by all means, use it! My favorite veg broth is the Rapunzel powdered base -- I use less of the powder than they direct, (about 1 tbsp per quart of water, instead of the full 4 tsp they direct,) and that's still plenty flavorful and salty for me. But by all means, use whatever you like best!

rescuing chard

I picked up the most gorgeous bunch of chard at the Farmer's Market . . . nearly two weeks ago! Bad! It was looking a little worse for the wear when I finally unearthed it from my produce drawer last night, but never fear -- cooking greens seems to hide a lot of those cosmetic blemishes, anyhow. :) I turned to an old favorite of mine: Swiss Chard with Chickpeas and Couscous:

Yum! I love this dish's simplicity, but also surprises in the pine nuts and raisins. (Yes, raisins do sound weird with greens, but it's surprisingly good! Try it.) Note that I do make a few changes from the original recipe: I cut the oil down to just a teaspoon or two, (otherwise, I find the finished greens a little too "glossy" for my palate,) and definitely cut the salt down -- I add just a pinch or two, instead of the full amount the recipe calls for. I also add a few pinches of red pepper flakes with the garlic, and a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice near the end -- brightens things up a bit. :) And definitely use whole-wheat couscous -- I swear I can't tell the difference!

What are your favorite uses for chard? I believe it has earned its place as my favorite cooked green . . . how about you?

re-thinking pesto

One of my scores at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning was a big, inexpensive bunch of garlic scapes -- and after throwing a few, chopped, into my stir-fry on Saturday night, I was sill left with most of a big bunch of garlic scapes . . . what to do?

My friend Courtney suggested I turn the scapes into peso, so after a quick google search and glimpses at a few different recipes, I started chopping, blending, and devised this gorgeous sauce:

Yum! The light, lemony garlic flavor and gorgeous, pale-green color were definite winners in my book . . . but now, what to do with my scape pesto?

I wasn't really feeling like pasta, and wanted something healthier . . . (I only have refined-flour pasta on hand at the moment,) . . . and I glanced at my rows of grains and lentils lining my kitchen shelf. Maybe if I made a sort of bland bean-grain dish and topped it with the pesto, that would work?

Barley and Chickpeas with Garlic Scape Pesto was born:


INGREDIENTS:
For the Pesto:
1 cup garlic scapes, chopped (remove flowery tops first)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
water as needed to thin the sauce

For the Barley and Chickpeas:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
freshly-grated pepper to taste
1 cup pearled barley
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if from a can
3 cups water
1/2 cup thinly-sliced dried tomatoes
5 cups fresh spinach

DIRECTIONS:
1. Make the pesto: add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree. Continue to thin with water until the sauce is well blended, still thick, but pourable.
2. In a 3 to 4 quart pot, saute the onion in the olive oil until soft. Add the salt, pepper, and barley, and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add the chickpeas and water, and bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer the barley for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the dried tomatoes, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
5. Stir in the spinach, cover, and steam for 5 minutes. Serve the barley with the pesto

I'm glad I decided to choose a different avenue for my pesto than the traditional pasta, because this worked beautifully! The healthy, somewhat bland bean and grain dish was the perfect avenue for the flavorful, assertive sauce. Yum! A definite winner.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my pesto . . . maybe I'll toss it with some pasta after all! :)

dinner party, packing party

I have been excited to throw impromptu "dinner and games" parties lately -- basically, I call all of my friends, see who is free that evening, cook something, and everybody hangs out, eats, and plays board games. My friends Tiffany and Christine came over last night, and we had a great time!

I made a triple-batch of chickpea pancakes, just to make sure there were enough to go around :)

We topped our pancakes with copious amounts of roasted asparagus, and plenty of herbed yogurt, too!

After dinner, we played a few games -- "Where's the Beef?" (an old game of Christine's from the 80s, which appropriately, the vegetarian (me!) won!), "Apples to Apples," and "UNO." I'm so glad my friends enjoy board games as much as I do!

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Today, my friend Dora kindly brought several boxes for me to church with her; I couldn't help but fill them up! It was a productive afternoon -- I sorted, purged, and cleaned the bathroom, my storage locker, and "junk tower" in my living room closet, took out a bunch of trash, added to the Goodwill pile, and packed 5 or 6 boxes, as well as all of my out-of-season clothing! Books are easy to pack, so I practically emptied the bookshelf; Oliver was confused:

"Uh, mom, where did all the books go? Not that I'm complaining or anything . . . it's much easier to reach and destroy my favorite toys, now." :)

Hope you had a good weekend!

major kitchen action

I have eluded to the overly-busy schedule I have been keeping up with these past few weeks, and coupled with plenty of stress, let's just say I haven't been feeding myself as well as I could have been; too much eating out for me! I was long overdue for a weekend full of cooking, and boy, was it fun!

Here are the results of all that action in my kitchen . . .

I haven't had much dessert on hand at home or at work, and I was craving something warm, homey, and tart-sweet. Enter, rhubarb-peach crumble:

Although peach is a nontraditional partner for rhubarb, this is quite good! I should have added a little more extra sugar to the fruit, since it is still VERY tart, but I love the contrast with the sweet-crispy-toasty topping. It's always a bonus when I can clear TWO bags of frozen fruit out of my freezer, and get a dessert out of the deal, too!

At the time of purchase, I had no plan for the parsnips I picked up at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. The more I thought about those parsnips, the more Shredded Parsnip and Beet Salad in Pineapple Vinaigrette, from VCON, stuck in my mind -- and I figured, I better oblige!

The first time I made this recipe, I found it called for WAY too much dressing. I cut the dressing recipe in half this time, and am much happier with my salad. It's less soup-like, more slaw-like!

I should try this recipe with orange juice instead of the pineapple juice sometime. I always seem to have OJ on hand, but have to slap down four bucks to purchase the pineapple juice for this recipe. Anyone out there ever subbed OJ with good results? Do tell!

Lately, I have been mildly obsessed with the blog Anja's Food 4 Thought. Her writing is clear and concise, her photos are breathtaking, and her style of cooking seems perfectly aligned with my own. (Plus, she seems to be as obsessed with baked goods as I!) Even though I'm super anxious to try her Almond Butter Granola Bars, I found myself whipping up Herbed Chickpea Pancakes for dinner last night:

OK, someone please help me figure out WHY I have never made savory chickpea pancakes before? They are dead easy, super-cheap, and SOOOOOOO good -- I especially love the herbed yogurt recipe she includes. It took me a couple of tries to find my mojo with this recipe, learning that I needed to use a little more oil and a little higher heat than I thought, and I just couldn't help but flip them, even though she calls for them to be cooked on only one side. Since I destroyed most of my first batch on the learning curve, I sort of HAD to make a second batch for dinner tonight, right? At least now I have leftovers for lunches this week! MMMMMMMMMMMMM.

To continue on my quest to return to eating a more colorful, produce-rich diet, I tossed together a simple roasted red pepper soup for lunch today:

I really should have written down at least the measurements for ingredients, because I may never be able to replicate this one! (Lunch was a long time ago, you see.) Hmm . . . here's what I think I did:

1. Saute about 3/4 cup finely chopped onion in olive oil
2. Add 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped roasted red bell peppers, (I bought the hugest jar at Costco not too long ago, so I didn't feel bad about blowing through an expensive ingredient on this soup,) 3 cups vegetable broth, 1 tsp agave nectar, and salt (about 1/2 tsp?) and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat and simmer the soup for 10 minutes, or longer, if you are busy doing something else.
4. Add 1 cup Greek yogurt to the pan, and puree. Garnish with any fresh herb you like -- I'm on a chive kick this week, so that's what I used. Simple and delicious!

Alongside my soup, I had a couple of tiny quesadillas:

I slathered homemade corn tortillas (!) with homemade refried beans (!) and queso fresco, and fried 'em up in my cast iron until crispy. It's been ages since I've made tortillas, and I forgot how EASY they are to whip up -- and how vastly superior their flavor and texture is to storebought corn tortillas! Homemade tortillas actually taste like CORN, not like dry paste. :) I used four for my quesadillas this afternoon, and stuck the other four in the freezer, to be enjoyed at a later date.

And last but not least, after a long, cold walk around the neighborhood I want to move to this summer, I felt like baking again! So, now I have a lovely batch of Tuscan Lemon Muffins for breakfasts and snacks this week:

I haven't tried these guys yet, but if the baked version is as good as the dollop of batter I licked off the spatula earlier, they will be a HIT! I made a few changes to the original recipe, as ever: I subbed Greek yogurt for the ricotta, omitted the lemon juice (figured the yogurt would provide enough acidity,) added 1 tsp lemon extract (to make up for the missing lemon juice,) and used 1 cup AP flour plus 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, instead of all AP flour. I really wanted to use all whole-wheat flour, but lemon is such a delicate flavor, I was afraid it would get lost in the whole grainy goodness . . . this split seems to work well. I ended up with 8 standard-sized muffins and a dozen minis for the kids, too! (I thought I'd shower them with treats this week, since it's my last as their teacher.)

Hope your weekend was filled with good food, too!

taking it to the next level

Oh, snow! There's quite a bit on the ground this morning -- and right now, I can't tell you how glad I am that I don't have a car, (don't have to worry about driving/parking in it,) don't own a house, (don't have to shovel,) and don't have to go to work today! Woo!

Since Dan didn't get home until 10:00 last night, (sigh,) we had dinner extremely late. But it was still awesome!

"Chickpea Cutlets" and "Mustard Sauce," both from VCON, with garlic-mashed potatoes and Kale Slaw! Oh kale slaw, how I love you so! I think I could eat an entire plate of this stuff as a meal, it's so good! (I also think I've realized that I prefer kale raw -- if I'm wanting cooked greens, I like chard or spinach or beet greens better. Who knew?) I also chose to bake the chickpea cutlets this time 'round, instead of glopping up my stovetop pan-frying them, and I think I prefer them this way! They get firmer and crispier in the oven, and there's no chance of having a gummy, glutinous center with the oven-baked method. Yummmmmmm!

I had to take an already awesome dinner to the next level, with an extra-awesome dessert:

Blueberry crumble with vanilla ice cream . . . easy and delicious! Even though this used up nearly all of the blueberries left in my freezer, it was totally worth it. Mmmmmmmmmmm!!

Off to enjoy my snow day! Wahoo!