Roasted Chickpeas

Oh chickpeas. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. Creamy in a hummus
2. Mixed into a salad
3. Smashed on a sandwich

And I'm adding a new one today.

4. Crispy and by the handful

Roasted Chickpeas (Cooking technique from A Spicy Perspective although it is all over the internet)
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt*
freshly ground pepper*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Spread the chickpeas on the baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper-- I think I used about 1/4 tsp of each. Mix to coat.

Bake for 15 minutes. Stir to mix well. Bake for additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before eating. They will crisp up a little bit.

*Feel free to try out whatever seasonings you would like.

Barley Salad with Chickpeas

Salads are perfect for hot, humid summer evenings. They come together so quickly. They require no heating source so your air conditioning doesn't have to go into overdrive keeping your apartment cool. However, lettuce topped with chopped veggies can get a little boring. Adding grains is a great way to step up your salad to that next level. If you really want to put it over the top, add some dried fruit and nuts. Make your way to the fresh greens section of your grocery store and try something new. Chickpeas make a great alternative to meat as your protein source.

This recipe is adapted from my cooking for one cookbook, Serve Yourself. Originally it was designed with farro but I subbed barley because I had that in my pantry. It was refreshing and delicious!

Barley Salad with Chickpeas (adapted from Serve Yourself cookbook)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp chopped pecans
1 cup cooked pearl barley, cooled
1/3 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup lightly packed arugula leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes including juice
2 tbsp dried cherries
1 green onion, thinly sliced
6 large mint leaves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until they turn dark brown and smell fragrant. Remove to a plate to cool.

Combine the pecans, barley, chickpeas, arugula, tomatoes, cherries, green onion, and mint in a bowl. Mix. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chipotle Hummus

I don't know what it is about warm weather, but it makes me want to make hummus. It makes me want to grill up some veggies, throw them on top of a thick slice of bread slathered with that homemade hummus, and jump in head first. Maybe it is the fact that the farmer's market is up and running and you can find lots of delicious and fresh veggies. Maybe it is because a hummus sandwich doesn't require turning on the stove. Maybe it is due to the fact that I've been working long and crazy hours and this comes together so fast.

Regardless of the reason, you should definitely dust off your food processor and make this chipotle hummus. The chipotle pepper gives it a nice smoky and spicy kick. If you aren't in too much of a rush, you should spend the time to peel the chickpeas. Like I mentioned in my last hummus post, this really does wonders for the creaminess.

Serve the hummus with tortilla chips, pita chips, or an assortment of raw vegetables. Or throw it on a pita or piece of bread, top it with some grilled peppers, onions, and mushrooms and enjoy the start of summertime.

Chipotle Hummus
Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large garlic clove
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tbsp tahini paste
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4-1/3 cup water

Directions:
Optional, but recommended: Peel the garbanzo beans.

Combine the beans, garlic, pepper, tahini, lemon juice, oil and cumin in a food processor. Pulse until mixed well and chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the water until you reach your desired consistency.

Smashed Chickpea Sandwich

Am I right that cleaning kitchen appliances is the worst thing about cooking? Especially the food processor and blender which have so many parts where little pieces of food can get stuck requiring you to scrub, rinse, scrub, rinse, repeat until finally clean.

Let's say you were craving the taste of hummus but didn't want the extra effort of cleaning your food processor. Then a smashed chickpea sammy is perfect for you! Totally adaptable like hummus itself to whichever flavors you are in the mood for, but only necessitating a fork and bowl to prep. This time I used some fresh veggies, a little bit of lemon juice and thyme. This little sandwich is great for lunch or even as a light summer dinner. Try it out (and let me know what other flavors you come up with!).

Smashed Chickpea Sandwich (inspired by Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chickpeas (cooked, rinsed if from can)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup finely diced cucumbers
1 tbsp minced red onion
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste
hamburger bun, toasted
2 green leaf lettuce leaves

Directions:
Mix the chickpeas, carrots, cucumbers, onion, lemon juice and thyme in a bowl. Use a potato masher or fork to smash everything together. Add the olive oil and mix to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Serve atop toasted hamburger buns with lettuce leaves. Open face is the way to go!

Chickpea Curry

It is time again to open up that spice cabinet-- we're making Indian cuisine!

This vegetarian curry is a nice blend of spices especially atop baked sweet potatoes. The sweetness of the potato balances out the spicy curry perfectly. Additionally, it is quite delicious mixed with rice. There are so many options for serving that I don't want to limit your creativity. Just do it-- make this hearty vegetarian dish (vegan, if you skip the Greek yogurt) and no one will miss the meat.

Chickpea Curry (adapted from Three Many Cooks)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (with as many seeds as you would like)
2 tsp finely grated ginger
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
10 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups of cooked chickpeas*
2 cups vegetable broth (homemade or low-sodium)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Baked sweet potatoes** or cooked rice, for serving
Greek yogurt, for serving, optional
Chopped parsley and red onion, for serving

Directions:
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and ginger and cook about 1 minute. Add the seasonings and stir to coat. Stir in the tomatoes, vegetable broth, and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes until thickened. Stir in the parsley.

Serve the curried chickpeas over baked sweet potatoes or cooked rice topped with Greek yogurt, red onion, and additional parsley, as desired.

Makes a large pot serving 4-6.

*Use 2 15-oz drained cans of chickpeas, or 3 cups soaked and cooked chickpeas.
**To bake sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400 F. Place potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for about 1 hour until fork tender.

Corn, Tomato, Avocado Salsa

"I put my hand upon your hip when I dip you dip we dip" -- that song reminds me of 7th grade-- the Red Hot Chicken Wings (our "team" name for the a third of the 7th grade class for these little competitions and stuff we had). For some reason whenever I hear (or think of) that song it takes me back to my end of the day class and the girls I used to sit with. To tell you the truth, I don't even know the rest of the lyrics just the hand and the hip and the dip part. Sounds awkward-- just like I was in 7th grade when I was trying to grow out my bangs and dealing with all the middle school drama.

Maybe if we had eaten more homemade dips at Northeast Middle School (instead of just singing about them) there would have been less of the wonderfuls vs the nerds. Who knows. But I can tell you that this salsa will make you happy now. It is so quick and easy to whip together, there is no excuse not to do it.

Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
1 8.5 oz can corn, rinsed and drained
1 avocado, diced
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (choose whatever kind you want, I used quartered grape tomatoes)
juice from 1/2 lime
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Mix together the corn, avocado and tomatoes in a bowl. Add the lime juice and stir to coat. Stir in the salt. Taste! Add freshly ground pepper and more salt, if necessary, to your liking.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grilled Balsamic Veggies and Hummus Wrap

The Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl last night. Holla!

And now here I sit wishing I had a great crab-based recipe to share with you in their honor. Unfortunately I have a number of options on that bucket list that have just not been accomplished. Here's my short term goal-- put a crab recipe on the schedule in the next few weeks, perfect it, and share it with you (probably won't happen this week because menu planning was this weekend). I'm counting on all of you to hold me to it!

Instead of Baltimore-inspired food, I'm sharing with you today a recipe to use of some of your leftover hummus from your Super Bowl party... if you have any left. If you don't, just make up another batch. Or purchase a tub from the grocery store. I don't know--- just make this happen. It is so quick and easy and perfect for lunch or dinner. If you aren't a big portobello mushroom fan, you could substitute some other vegetable like zucchini or eggplant.

You could skip the last step of shallow frying in the pan if you wanted to avoid extra oil or if you wanted it to be a cold sandwich, but I think the crunch of the browned wrap really makes it great. Plus your hummus is hot and creamy.

Grilled Balsamic Veggies and Hummus Wrap
Ingredients (for one wrap):
1 portobello mushroom, sliced
1/2 cup sliced peppers (mini sweet or bell work well)
1 slice red onion, cut in half and pulled apart
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbsp hummus (homemade or storebought, flavor of choice)
10 inch tortilla or wrap (I used a 100 calorie whole wheat wrap)

Directions:
Place the sliced mushrooms, peppers and onions in a bowl. Drizzle with vinegar and oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat completely. Marinate in fridge for 15-30 minutes.

Preheat George Foreman Grill or grill pan. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes until hot through.

Warm the wrap in the microwave for 30 seconds to make it pliable. Spread the hummus on the wrap. Top with the grilled vegetables. Fold in sides and roll up.

Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat in a pan. Place the wrap seam side down in the hot pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until browned. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until browned.

Sweet Potato and Peanut Tomato Soup

You guys, can you believe that it is one week until Christmas?!?!

I am definitely in the holiday spirit! I've found a Christmas station on the radio (which is a hard thing to do when you're celebrating your first holiday season in a new city), I've done a bit of baking and packaged up treats to give to my co-workers (you'll see that recipe tomorrow!) and my shopping is almost all done. I have even already wrapped most of my presents (this is the beauty of not having to fly home). Now I'm just counting the hours until I'm on vacay. ;)

The weather has finally reached winter temperatures and that has gotten me in the mood for comfort food in the form of soup. This past weekend I made this delicious creamy soup. Spoiler alert- it contains no cream! Which means that it is a LOT healthier than most cream-based soups. Instead, it is the combination of the pureed sweet potato and the peanut butter that gives that creamy feel. The flavor is reminiscent of tomato soup with an extra kick from the chilies and of course the peanut taste is prominent as well. It is almost like a Thai-inspired tomato soup. It tasted great the first day but may have been even better after flavors had time to meld in the fridge and I reheated it for lunch the next day.

Note that I used homemade vegetable broth (that contains no salt) and no salt added tomato juice. This allowed me to adjust the seasoning as I desired (and avoid excess sodium). Even if you purchase low-sodium broth and juice, you will certainly not need to add an entire tsp of salt. Make sure to taste and season!

Sweet Potato and Peanut Tomato Soup (adapted from Eating Well)
Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
3 cups tomato juice, no salt added
4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp ground all-spice
2 cups vegetable broth (homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
chopped peanuts, for garnish
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:
Rinse and wash the sweet potatoes. Prick them with a fork multiple times. Place them in a microwave safe container and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes until soft and cooked. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute. Add the ginger, tomato juice, chilies and all-spice. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

After potatoes have cooled, peel them and chop into bite sized pieces. Add half of the chopped potato to the pot. Combine the remaining half with the vegetable broth and peanut butter in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Mix into the pot on the heat. Add the salt and pepper, tasting and adding additional if you desire. Simmer for at least 5 minutes to heat through (you can keep it on the heat for longer if you want).

Serve garnished with chopped peanuts and fresh parsley.

Serves 4-5.

Homemade Vegetable Broth

A couple of weeks ago Meijer failed me... in three consecutive trips. For some reason, completely unknown to me, the chicken/vegetable/beef broth/stock shelves were completely empty. I mean no expensive organic kind, no fully sodium-ed store brand, nothing. It was so weird. It was at this point that I thought, I gotta make some homemade broth/stock for my freezer so I never have this problem again. I also thought to myself, why purchase a whole bunch of extra veggies to use up in stock when every day when I cut up vegetables for recipes, I end up throwing parts of them away. So at this point, I started collecting my vegetable scraps in the freezer. I collected a whole gallon sized freezer bag of potato skins, onion skins, mushroom stems, carrot ends, celery pieces and such. Then I threw them all into a big pot, covered them with water, added some herbs (thyme, parsley and peppercorns), and simmered away for 1 hour. After straining and cooling I had myself a bunch of vegetable broth to be used in so many dishes.

This is so easy that you should really do it! The skins of the onion give it the beautiful brown color, so make sure not to skimp on them. Also make sure that you do include carrots and celery (potentially cut up some extra to add in) because they will make the broth more hearty. I wouldn't suggest using any super strongly flavored vegetables like cabbage or brussels because they will probably take over the flavor. Also, make sure that you do not include any vegetables that have become rotten!

Homemade Vegetable Broth
Ingredients:
Gallon ziplock bag of vegetable scraps such as potato skins, celery, carrots, onion (red or yellow with skin), bell pepper, mushroom stems, corn cobs etc.
2-3 garlic cloves, whole and peeled
Fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley, basil, oregano, etc.
3 whole peppercorns
Cold water to cover vegetables

Directions:
Collect vegetable pieces over the course of a few weeks to months in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, dump it into a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Add the garlic, herbs and peppercorns. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered.

Strain the broth and cool to room temperature. Aliquot into freezer bags and ice cube trays and freeze.

Use in place of chicken or vegetable broth in whatever recipe you desire.

Sunchoke, Edamame and Quinoa Pilaf

I have spoken many times about my love for cookbooks and cooking magazines. Every month I look forward to reading through the new issues of the magazines but there are certain sections within each one that get me particularly excited. In "Everyday with Rachael Ray", she always has a section labeled "seasonal superfood". I love eating seasonal foods and I'm always willing to try out a new vegetable or fruit. So when the October issue donned my mailbox a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by these little guys:

They may look like ginger root, but, no, they are sunchokes! For those of you who have never heard of sunchokes before, you are not alone; they are new to me too! Sunchokes are the root of sunflowers and are also known as jerusalem artichokes. Their peak season is October to February. They are less starchy than potatoes and are loaded full of iron and potassium.

Imagine my excitement when last weekend I found sunchokes at the farmer's market! I immediately purchased a couple and added them to my menu for the week. Although Rachael had some interesting recipes in her magazine, I did some internet searching to see if there was anything else that jumped out at me. I came across a quinoa pilaf that contained sunchokes and I knew I had a winner. I changed a number of things around, added a little bit of garlic for extra flavor, removed the chickpeas and replaced the peas with edamame. Between the sunchokes, edamame and quinoa, I would say this is quite a nutritious and delicious meal. The sunchokes reminded me of softer water chestnuts with a sweeter flavor. I also used a combination of red and white quinoa because I had them both and they added a little extra color pop. :)

Try out sunchokes! They get my full endorsement.

Any vegetables or fruit you'd like to see me try and report back? Any unique seasonal vegetables that you love?

Sunchoke, Edamame and Quinoa Pilaf (adapted from about.com)
Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup quinoa (I used a combination of white and red quinoa)
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth (low sodium store bought or homemade like corn broth)
3/4 cup scrubbed clean and chopped sunchokes
1 cup frozen edamame
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Rinse quinoa thoroughly until cold water.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until it crackles, about 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add the sunchokes and edamame and bring back to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked completely. Fluff.

Serves 2-3 as a main dish or 5-6 as a side side.

Spicy Black Bean Burritos

You may be wondering “What type of foods can I expect to see on your blog, Julie?” Well, the short answer is ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. Ha. Actually, whatever I make (and like!) may possibly make an appearance on the blog. I just have to remember to take photos of the meal, before I scarf it down, so that I can entice you with the pictures. I predicting that I will focus mostly on main dishes and sides with minimal desserts. That’s because I do not make a lot of desserts. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy sweets, but I try not to make them often, otherwise I’ll eat them all…

I grew up in a meat-eating household (full of lots of yummy food, thanks Mom and Dad!). I really only remember one vegetarian recipe that would make regular appearances- stuffed shells. They were delicious and I have fond memories of those meals because my sister’s childhood best friend would be over almost every time we had them. Anyway, once I started cooking for myself, in college most specifically, I viewed a meal as some sort of meat with some veggies/beans/starches as sides. In the past few years, I started incorporating more vegetarian meals into my repertoire. When I was cooking for Scott in NC, I tried to slip in maybe one vegetarian meal a week. Not that we didn’t enjoy the more experimental dishes, but my mindset was still focused on meat-centric meals. However, after I moved to IL and have been cooking for only yours truly, I have been making a lot more meat-less meals. I think this stems from getting home from work later and wanting to eat as soon as possible. Quick and easy comes with dishes when you don’t have to worry cooking meat completely. Recently I came across an article that defined this choice of not eating meat every day as “flexitarian”. I’m not sure I want to place myself into this box; I would prefer if you just referred to me as “someone who will eat just about anything, as long as it tastes yummy”. 

So with that little introduction, here is one of those “quick and easy” vegetarian recipes. I would suggest you put it into the rotation when you don’t really feel like cooking and the Taco Bell on your way home is calling your name (or is that just me?). The quick pickled onion and pepper (you could certainly use sweet peppers instead of the banana pepper) pick up the citrus very well and the cumin makes them super yummy. The black beans are AMAZING (and so easy)! I got the idea of chipotle peppers and black beans from Cooking Light a few years back; they served them alongside some carne asado tacos (that were also delicious). Now the smoky spice of the adobo sauce is one of my favorite ways to jazz up beans. If you can’t handle the spice, leave out the chopped chipotle and just go for the adobo sauce. You’ll get the same taste without the large kick. You could certainly go all out and add some cheese, sour cream and/or guac to these burritos, but I prefer to not add too many extra flavors to the mix and so I just went for lettuce, tomatoes and plain avocado. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Burritos with Quick Pickled Onions and Peppers

Ingredients:

¼ red onion, sliced thinly

½ banana pepper, sliced thinly

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of ½ orange

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp ground cumin

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped and 1 tsp sauce

Lettuce, chopped

Tomato, chopped

½ avocado, chopped

2 tortilla shells, 9” burrito size

Directions:

Combine juice of the citrus with the sugar and cumin in a bowl and stir to dissolve completely. Add the onion and banana pepper to a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then drain and plunge into ice water. Add the onion and pepper to the bowl with the citrus and mix to coat. Chill in fridge until everything else is ready.

Add black bean, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and ¼ cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Mash the black beans to the texture you desire.

Assemble the burritos by splitting the bean mixture and veggies between two tortillas. Add lettuce, tomato and ¼ avocado to each. Roll up and enjoy-- preferably with the rest of the orange and some chips and fresh salsa.

Serves 2.