Chickpea & Sausage Soup

This lovely (or should I say... "lusty") soup was from the Edmonton Sun:

CHICKPEA AND SAUSAGE SOUP
This lusty soup has with an aroma that greets you as you walk in the door.

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) olive oil
3/4 lb. (375 g) fresh Italian sausage or chorizo (we used gluten-free Italian sausage from the Italian Market)
1 large onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can chickpeas
1 carton (900 ml) sodium-reduced chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Salt
2 cups lightly packed shredded spinach

In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage; brown well, about 10 minutes. Let cool on cutting board. Slice thinly.

Meanwhile, drain off all but 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) fat. Add onion, garlic, thyme and pepper; saute for 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse chickpeas; mash half with fork. Add mashed and whole chickpeas to onion mixture along with sausage, chicken broth and tomato paste. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low; simmer covered until flavours blend and broth thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered in containers until cold. Cover; refrigerate for up to 3 days; reheat.)

Taste, adding salt if desired. Stir in spinach; let stand 1 minute.

Makes 6 servings.

Quinoa Salad, Falafel & Aero Garden

Although I have been cooking lots of great things lately, this week has just been so busy! Classes for work, doctors appointments and a leaky roof are just some of the things that have been occupying my time. Extra effort was put into making sure we had a healthy dinner every night however and I've got some great new recipes to share.

First of all - check out the Aero Garden on day 14:

It's a kitchen jungle! I still have not sampled anything but I've got my eye on that basil...

Now onto the recipes. Last week we had a little family get together and I brought a salad to share. Surprise, surprise - it was from my Quinoa 365 book! It's good for vegetarians, celiacs and those with lactose intolerance (all of whom were at this particular family get together):

Quinoa Chickpea Salad

2cups vegetable stock

1cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 pepper)

1/3cup dried cranberries

1/3cup chopped walnuts

3tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Bring the stock and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for 4 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and mix in the chickpeas, red pepper, cranberries, walnuts and parsley. Chill before serving. Stays fresh in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

The next recipe I wanted to share came from a book a co-worker brought to my attention called "The Gluten Free Bible":

While I have enjoyed the odd falafel pita in the past, I had never attempted to make them. This particular recipe also included a recipe for a tomato sauce to be served on top but I chose to just make the falafel:

Falafel Nuggets

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2cup rice flour

1/2cup chopped parsley

1 egg

Juice of 1 lemon (or squirt of lemon juice)

1/4cup minced onion

2tbsp minced garlic

2tsp ground cumin

1/2tsp salt

1/2tsp ground red pepper or red pepper flakes

1/2cup canola oil (*I did not use this as I used the "variation" method to reduce fat content. I will write both methods however)

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (or parchment paper).

Combine chickpeas, rice flour, parsley, egg, lemon juice, minced onion, garlic, cumin, salt and red pepper in food processor or blender; process until well blended. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls.

(This is not the method I used) Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry falafel in batches until browned. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet; bake 8-10 minutes. 

*Variation Cooking Method - Falafel can also be baked completely to reduce the fat content. Spray the falafel lightly with nonstick cooking spray and bake 15-20 minutes, turning once. 

Once I had made these, I wasn't too sure what to do with them. Apparently they're good in salads or even as a sandwich filler. I enjoyed just eating them as is for a quick snack. 

For one meal this week, I threw them in the wok for some protein with my veggies. Expecting them to just crumble, I was happily surprised when they held their shape and acted like a little meatball! There is such great flavor in these little things and they are a wonderful source of protein for those of us who don't get enough of it from meat. 

MY REVIEW: Two good recipes I know I will make again. 

JASON'S REVIEW: Jason is currently removing the iceberg featured in the major motion picture "Titanic" from our roof. Perhaps you've seen it? It's safe to say he liked both meals as they were both happily consumed. 

Spinach Chickpea Curry

Tonights meal SOUNDED really great but in reality it was mediocre. I got it from this book:


1tbsp canola oil (I used olive)
1tbsp curry powder
1cup chopped yellow onion
2 gloves garlic, crushed
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
salt & pepper (I didn't put salt in)
crushed red pepper flakes

In a large skilled, combine oil, curry powder, onions and garlic; saute for about 5 minutes. Add spinach, tomato sauce and 1 cup of the chickpeas. In a blender, puree remaining chickpeas with broth. Add to vegetables. Simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in seasonings.

MY REVIEW: This was ok... I don't know if I'd make it again. I will eat it again however because it made LOTS. And what's the deal with brown rice? Not even my rice cooker can cook it properly. I'd serve it with couscous if I could turn back time.

JASON'S REVIEW: It filled me up. 2 thumbs up. (Jason just says whatever)

JASON WAS THE 1000th PERSON TO VIEW MY BLOG!! OR MAYBE IT'S BEEN VIEWED 1000 TIMES BY THE SAME PEOPLE! I DON'T KNOW!

Crunchy Pickle & Vegetable Salad with Chocolate Mug Cake

2 new recipes tonight! First... the Crunchy Pickle & Vegetable Salad. This came from the KRAFT website. I made a few changes:

1 medium head cauliflower (1 lb.), cut into small florets (I used about 3/4 of a big one)

8 CLAUSSEN Kosher Dill Pickle Halves, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed (I used half a can)

20 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch green onions (about 5 onions), sliced (didn't have any)

1 bottle (8 oz.) KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing (instead of this and the dill, I just mixed some light mayo with my Lemon Dilly spice)

1 tsp. dill weed

MIX cauliflower, pickles, beans, tomatoes and onions in large bowl.

COMBINE dressing and dill weed. Add to pickle mixture; stir gently. Cover.

REFRIGERATE at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with fresh dill, if desired. (I only refrigerated for maybe half an hour)

So that was that... the mush in the background is the leftovers from last night. I just shredded the last chicken breast and made it like a stew. I must say, it was kind of a gross combo (the salad and stew) but on their own they both would have been good :)

I MADE DESERT TONIGHT! I never ever make desert. I found this great recipe for a single chocolate cake on this blog and thought it was a great idea. Jason has a sweet tooth but I don't really want to make a whole cake... or buy a whole cake. We don't need that sitting around the house! So I just made him one of these tonight - I had all the ingredients in the house and you probably will too:


1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour (that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

MY REVIEW: The salad was great... I love pickles and anything dill flavored. I made lots so we'd both have some for lunch tomorrow. I think a whole bottle of Caesar dressing would be disgusting on this! You only need a little bit. As for the cake, I only had a spoonful but what a great idea!! It has so much potential too... I didn't try tipping it out but you could also put some whip cream or sprinkle some icing sugar on the top. It could be as fancy as you like. Also, the consistency was moist and fluffy!! I thought it would be soggy but it was just like cake. Mom, dad could even make this for himself.

JASON'S REVIEW: He must have liked the salad because he accepted my offer to make a container for his lunch. More importantly, he was raving about the cake! He said it was the best thing that's ever come out of the microwave and couldn't believe it only took 3 minutes. He thought some cherry pie filling and whip cream would round it out nicely. Definitely a big hit!

Roasted Chick Peas & Energy Balls

I tried two new things today and it's not even noon!

First - roasted chickpeas. I found this recipe on http://allrecipes.com and made 2 batches. First batch I followed the recipe pretty much exactly and second I tried some different spices. Here's the recipe:

1 (12 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
2tbsp olive oil (that's a lot of olive oil... i just put one tiny squirt in there)
salt
garlic salt (i only had powder)
cayenne pepper
(i added fresh ground black pepper)

Blot chickpeas with paper towel to dry them. Toss chickpeas with olive oil and seasonings. Spread on baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes @ 450F until browned and crunchy.
Watch carefully the last few minutes to avoid burning (30 minutes exactly worked for me).

For the second batch (that is currently in the oven) I put some curry powder and ground cumin on them. Can't wait to try that!

Now for my other recipe of the day, I tried to make Jason some energy balls. I can't remember the website I got this from but I changed it quite a bit. Lets see if I can remember what's in these:



1/4cup molases
1/4cup honey
1cup peanut butter
1cup powdered skim milk
1cup dried cranberries and raisins
coconut for rolling

I just mixed everything (except the coconut) together and it made a really thick substance. I rolled it into balls and rolled through some unsweetened coconut. They are currently chilling in the fridge. I will have Jason try one when he gets home... I don't know if it was the smell of molasses but I couldn't bring myself to try one. You'd be amazed at the disgusting crap Jason eats on his bike rides though. This has got to taste better than "cola gel". I will post his review when I get it.

MY REVIEW: I LOVED THE CHICKPEAS! They are so addicting and can be seasoned with whatever spices you want. So easy to make too. Great snack food.

JASONS REVIEW: He said the molasses was pretty strong but he'll eat them. I guess there's 2 different kinds of molasses and maybe I used the wrong one? I won't make these again.

Vegetarian Shepard's Pie with Peppered Potato Topping

Got a new Vegetarian Cook Book from the library Saturday. I think I'll be trying a few things from this particular book. It is by Rose Reisman and I see her website has some pretty good recipes too.

I will type out the recipe as it appears in the book but I modified it quite a bit. It came out more like a vegetarian chili with potatoes on top! Also, just for the record, I didn't measure anything. I rarely do - sometimes this works and sometimes it fails.

Before I knew it, we had all dug in and I had not taken a picture of my lovely creation in it's prime! Promise to have more appetizing pictures in the future. This meal was enjoyed with a glass of our home brewed Merlot.


2tsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2tsp minced garlic
1cup chopped onions
3/4cup finely chopped carrots
1 1/2cups prepared tomato pasta sauce (I used organic basil sauce)
1cup canned red kidney beans
1cup canned chickpeas
1/2cup vegetable stock (I had homemade chicken stock)
1 1/2tsp dried basil
2 bay leaves (I used a pinch of dried/ground bayleaves)
4cups diced potatoes
1/2cup 2% milk (I used skim)
1/3cup light sour cream
1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Monterrey jack)
3tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (I just put this on the table)

1. In saucepan, heat oil on medium high. Add garlic, onions and carrots; cook 4 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in tomato sauce, kidney beans, chickpeas, stock, basic and bay leaves; reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 15 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove bay leaves (skip this if you just used ground leaves!). Transfer sauce to food processor; pulse on and off just until chunky (I completely didn't see that step and skipped it by accident!) Spread over bottom of baking dish.

2. Place potatoes in a saucepan; add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain, mash with milk, sour cream and pepper. Spoon on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until hot.

MY REVIEW: Seeing as how I totally missed the whole food processor step, I am very happy with how this dish turned out. To maximize your time, start the potatoes first and then work on the sauce. I didn't peel the potatoes either and it turned out fine. I cooked this for Jason and a friend after we all got home from the gym. It was definetly a comfort food - could have been served with bread perhaps or a salad. Jason and company got into the nuts/cheese/Christmas baking before this came out of the oven however so no side dish was required.

JASONS REVIEW: Jason gives it 3 out of 5 but thinks it will be a 4 out of 5 in his lunch tomorrow as it "ages" in the fridge.


On a side note - this is what usually stares at me while I type.