Showing posts with label chickpeas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickpeas. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Indian food craving.



When I crave Indian, I must have it! I went all weekend craving a good curry and even though I had a lentil dahl at a non-indian restaurant on Saturday, it didn't cut it. Came home and made my favorite: channa masala. I usually add peas to mine so I don't think that part is authentic. But the taste was amazingly authentic. I ate it with rice, mini chapati and tamarind chutney to complete my indian feast. Recipe here.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Chickpea Salad Melt


This takes me back to when I was living at my college dorm in the mid 90's. The decor was very dated as was the food in the dining halls. The starchy greasy food made me gain the Freshman 40. Awesome right? Well, one of those foods was the tuna melt. Toasty bread, mayonnaise-y tuna salad and melted cheese on top. I decided to re-create that dish today, vegan style.

The first thing I did was make the tuna salad equivalent. I made chickpea salad out of mashed chickpeas, chopped celery, red onion, vegan mayonnaise (Vegenaise brand), garlic powder, onion powder, a touch of mustard, salt and pepper. The proportions are up to you, taste as you go. If you want a "fishy" taste, you may add dulse or nori flakes. Next, I made the "cheese" sauce. The recipe I used is very similar to the "Cheese Sauce" recipe you'll find here. It's the 3rd recipe down. You don't have to make the whole amount, cut the recipe in half if you want. You can always store the rest in the fridge for later. Ok, so after that, I assembled the sandwich. I buttered a slice of whole grain bread with Earth Balance margarine, spooned some chickpea salad on top, dolloped a couple TB of cheese sauce and put it under the broiler for several minutes so the toast browned and the sauce got all bubbly.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

In To Lunch.

I haven't been out and about too much as I've been in search of a new job. So in between bouts of internet job searching and creative thinking time (painting or jewelry making), I whip up small meals for lunch and enjoy them here at home.


Yesterday I had this. Foul Muddammas (fava beans cooked with garlic, olive oil, lemon), za'atar dip (jordanian thyme, sesame and sumac with olive oil) and whole wheat pita. I know it's a bit of a beige looking meal but it was nothing but delicious, I tell you!


Today's lunch was more colorful. This is the Two Bean Salad with Tarragon Dressing from Vegetarian Times magazine. This was really delicious and quite filling too. Recipe here.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Mock Chicken Salad Sandwich and Dal Makhani


This was a quick lunch during the week. Mashed chickpeas combined with vegan mayo, celery, carrot, a touch of mustard, garlic powder and onion powder makes a delicious salad filling. I livened up the whole thing with a layer of Piccalilli relish.


I got the recipe for this tasty vegan Dal Makhani from the Holy Cow blog. It's sooo yummy! I used Earth Balance margarine and plain soymilk in mine for creaminess. I ate it with lavash bread instead of rice. Can't wait to make this again. Recipe is posted here.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Easy Weekend Food.


Today was all about simple, easy to prepare food. The risotto was oven baked which left me with not much to do as the oven did it for me! I threw in a few handfuls of bagged broccoli slaw in with the risotto for some color. The cauliflower was tossed in a bit of olive oil and I popped that in the oven on a sheet pan while the risotto cooked. The chickpea dish was simply canned chickpeas tossed with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, mint, parsley and salt. Everything came out delicious.
You can find the risotto recipe here. You may omit the nutritional yeast if you don't have it. Tastes just as good without it. I left out the margarine which didn't affect the flavor at all. Make this, it's so good!


The coconut pudding was from The Vegan Family cookbook and has silken tofu, rice milk, coconut milk, cornstarch and sugar which simply got blended together, boiled and then refrigerated until chilled.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Year's Day Lunch.


Spent all morning preparing this fantastic greek spinach pie. I was so eager to eat that I forgot to photograph the whole pie. This recipe is from "The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen". I added cremini mushrooms and red bell pepper to the spinach filling which was a nice change.


We ate this with dijon potato salad, chickpeas with yogurt sauce and a Bulgarian relish called Lutenica. Delicious food!

Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve Nosh.


I am spending NYE in with some good food, records on the turntable, wine and champagne later when the clock strikes midnight. Happy New Year to all of you and I hope 2011 is a healthy and happy year. I didn't want to be fussy tonight and decided to keep it simple with a few nibbles. I flipped through my "Tables of Lebanon" cookbook and picked out 'Chickpeas in Olive Oil', Yogurt Sauce with mint and 'Potatoes with Cilantro' served with roasted broccoli and pita.


Potates with Cilantro or Batata Bi-Kizbara in arabic. This was a very easy recipe where you saute potato cubes in olive oil and toss with sauteed garlic and cilantro. It smells heavenly and tastes even more so.


Simple roasted broccoli that is so much more delicious than you think. Cauliflower would have been even better.


My plate. The chickpeas were simply dressed with olive oil, garlic, lemon and dried mint. For the sauce, I used Wildwood plain unsweetened soy yogurt that I mixed with a touch of Vegenaise and stirred in garlic, salt and dried mint.

Monday, November 8, 2010

VeganMoFo: Revamping Lentil Soup into Chickpea-Lentil Fritters


I love turning boring leftovers into a completely different meal the next day. Last night I made a very simple greek style lentil soup (recipe I got from The Olive and The Caper cookbook) and had a bit leftover so I revamped them into fritters that I made into a sandwich. Worked out great.


Here's the soup which was flavored with oregano, thyme and olive oil.



Here are the fritters made into a pita sandwich. I simply drained the leftover soup in a sieve to get all the liquid out and mashed them with cooked chickpeas. I then added chopped onion, cilantro, breadcrumbs and flour to bind the mixture. I shaped them into patties and fried them in grapeseed oil.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Split Pea-Chickpea Burgers, Pear Upside Down Cake


Burgers I made out of leftover curried split pea soup and chickpeas. Also has onions, cilantro and cumin.


For lunch I had them in a pita with lettuce, tomato and tahini sauce.


For dinner, I had them as a burger in a whole wheat english muffin with Vegenaise and ketchup. This was yummy.


I made an upside down pear cake for dessert! It was really pretty and good except it didn't cook all the way through in the middle! I swear I did the toothpick test twice and it was fine. But when I cut into the middle, it was all gloppy! Good thing vegan cakes don't have eggs!

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Snacks.


We're going to the movies tonight and instead of buying popcorn and candy (which probably aren't vegan anyway), I decided to make homemade snacks to bring with me. In front are curried roasted chickpeas (YUMMY) and in the back, plain toasted sunflower seeds. Got the recipes from 'The Ayurvedic Cookbook'. I've only started reading about Ayurvedic holistic healing recently and from what I understand, there are three types of biological energy called 'doshas' that rule our physical composition as well as our reactions and sensibilities to our environments. The three doshas are 'vata', 'pitta' and 'kapha'. In order for our bodies to be in complete health and harmony, one must have a balance of the three. We all have unique proportions of the three doshas and will have one that dominates. According to my ayurvedic constitution, I am predominantly kapha in nature and certain foods will calm this dosha instead of aggravate it. These snacks are a good example. I've been reading a little bit about the right foods for kapha and it's a little alarming that a lot of my favorite foods are supposedly not good for my nature like bread, pasta, sweets, sweet potatoes, rice, kidney beans, tofu, bananas, dates!!!!! So I'm not sure how seriously I will take all this but it's good to have some healthy and mindful food choices if I need to feel "balanced". :) There are times when I crave simple, healthy, no-frills food and I think this cookbook will do me good during those times.

If you want to know more about Ayurveda, this is a good site.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Chickpea Pot Pie


Yummy pot pie with potatoes, turnips, chickpeas, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower and a puff pastry top! The gravy was a mixture of veggie broth, soymilk, thyme and white miso paste.



Recipe

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups broccoli florets
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small turnip, peeled and cubed
1 14oz. can chickpeas, drained
4 TB olive oil, divided
2 TB flour
1 TB cornstarch
1 tsp. white miso
1-2 TB veggie broth powder
1 tsp. thyme
splash of soymilk
1 TB soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet of prepared puff pastry

1. Cook the carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes and turnip by placing them in a pot and covering with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-12 minutes until they get soft.
2. Drain them but keep the water they were cooking in a bowl. Set it aside.
3. Saute onions, garlic and celery in 2 TB olive oil in another pot over medium heat until soft. Add the other 2 TB of olive oil. Take about a cup of the reserved water and dissolve the miso, veggie broth powder and flour in it. Add that to the pot and stir the mixture until it starts to get thick. When that happens, add the reserved veggie water little by little until you get the amount of gravy you desire. Keep stirring the gravy. If you want it thicker, dissolve the 1 TB of cornstarch in a little cold water and add it to the pot. When it has thickened the way you like it, add a splash of plain soymilk for creaminess.
4. Add the cooked veggies and the drained chickpeas to the pot and mix well. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Pour the entire mixture into a 9x12 baking dish and top with the sheet of puff pastry. Bake for about 30-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until pastry is golden browned and puffed.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Chickpea Tacos

Chickpea Tacos
Tonight's dinner was a quick chickpea filling made with one can of chickpeas sauteed with onions, garlic, taco spices (cumin, chili powder, oregano, paprika, onion/garlic powder) and then mashed. They were yummy on soft corn tortillas with chopped tomato, onions, salsa roja and guacamole.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

A Greek Lunch and Chickpea Blondies!

Ah hello weekend! I had a long week and was so looking forward to a weekend of cooking, reading, dvd watching and relaxing on my patio. So far I've done all of these and Saturday is not over yet! I decided to go Greek for lunch. I pulled out my 'Greek Vegetarian' cookbook and made a couple of delicious dishes.


Gigantes which are oven baked beans with dill and tomatoes. I've made this before and I normally use dried large lima beans from scratch but this time I was lazy and used frozen butter beans. I wished I hadn't because for some reason the beans didn't get as mushy and tender as they usually do when I make this dish. But it wasn't a total loss. The flavor was amazing still!


Plated with whole wheat bread and skordalia, a very creamy garlicky and slightly tangy potato dip. So heavenly!


Served alongside a colorful salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, assorted olives, pepperoncini, pickled turnips and fresh lemon wedges.


So much flavor!


I finally got around to making these beautiful chickpea blondies. Mine are not gluten free. I used spelt flour to make these. Instead of strawberry jam, I used a combo of fig jam and date syrup! Deliciously sweet, tender and chewy.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Chickpea-Dal Fritters!


Here's another re-vamp idea. Take about a cup of last night's leftover dal, drain it of all the liquid, add it to a bowl of mashed chickpeas (1 can's worth), a handful of chickpea flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 TB regular flour, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander and cumin. Shape into little patties and fry in canola oil. YUM! I usually hate to fry so when I do, I make sure it's going to be worth it. These were worth it! It's like falafel and you know how much I loooooooove falafel!


Delicious in wrap with tahini sauce.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Channa Masala


Stayed in today. Even though it's gorgeous out, I felt the need to be domestic today. In between bouts of laundry, scrubbing the bathroom, vacuuming and watching Doctor Who on 'On Demand' (I needed to catch up on Series 5), I whipped up this beautiful curry for lunch. Very very good and filling. Can't wait to have more for supper! I always use this recipe.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Harissa Spaghetti with Spinach, Mushrooms and Chickpeas


I am so in love with the homemade harissa that I made. I want to use it in everything! Luckily I know about this delicious spaghetti recipe that combines the wonderful flavors of spicy harissa, tomato and saffron. It is also cooked in a broth so there is so much flavor! Recipe here.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Channa Masala


When my husband is on his own for dinner, I like to make indian food for myself because he doesn't really care for it. I was excited to come home from work today to make my favorite channa masala recipe. I added peas to it and enjoyed it with rice and buttered pita bread (Earth Balance margarine). 'Twas delicious. Recipe to be found here.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Chickpea and Bulgur Patties (Kibbet Hummus)


Recipe from "Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East and N. Africa" cookbook. Golden brown patties of chickpeas, bulgur, onions, cilantro, garlic and spices fried in olive oil. These were pretty good. Next time though I might cut back on the bulgur and use more chickpeas. A very carb-errific lunch!


And just to up the carb content even more, I made baked fries to go with it.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Eggplant Chickpea Stew, Russian Salad and Lemon Cake


Munazalit Bathinjan or Eggplant and Chickpea Stew from "Classic Vegetarian Recipes from The Middle East and N. Africa". Origin of this recipe: Lebanon and Syria. It's wonderful both hot and at room temperature and served with pita and/or quinoa.


I made this delicious Russian Salad (from The Olive and The Caper cookbook) a few weekends ago and made it again today. It has potatoes, green beans, carrots, peas, baby lima beans and lemon caper mayo. This time I added lots of fresh dill.


Lemon cake!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Lunch on the Patio.


This was a valentine's gift to myself: a relaxing, leisurely lunch on the patio with the sun blazing overhead and me shaded underneath an umbrella reading a good book. I can't ask for anything better to do on this gorgeous Sunday. We're lucky to get this kind of weather here while snow storms ravage the majority of the country. I will enjoy it while we have it. So, on to my lunch. I had a platter of dips (hummus and baba ganouj) with pita bread and cucumbers, a Lebanese eggplant and chickpea stew, sweet little clementines and a beer and tomato juice. Yes you heard that right! I used to love Clamato y cerveza when I was omni and the only way I can kind of duplicate that is to use tomato juice instead of Clamato. Tastes great and works for me!


The two dips in the front are hummus and baba ganouj that was leftover from my lunch yesterday at Gaby's Mediterranean cafe. I also had a big thing of hummus that I made last week so I added some of that to my plate as well. Drizzled with olive oil and flanked by cucumbers, this was heaven.


The star of the meal. Mnazalet Al-Batinjan or Eggplant and Chickpea stew from "Tables of Lebanon" cookbook. Easiest recipe ever. It's beautifully fragrant with cumin and mint leaves. The eggplant is so tender, it melts in your mouth. I love this dish.


Scoop some on bread and eat!


Dessert was the chocolate beer waffles from Vegan Brunch cookbook. Yummy! I served them with blueberry/maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar.