I found a recipe for a really good cilantro salad dressing and I couldn’t wait to use it. But it needed a simple salad. I went with mixed greens and crispy chickpeas.
Crispy chickpeas are really good on salads, alone as a snack or even as a crunchy topping on soup.
(more…)
Monday night, my dinner situation was a mess. Let me start off by saying that my commute home was what started the domino that affected my night. My 30 minute commute took me an hour and 15 minutes. I was stuck in traffic with people who don’t know how to drive and thought they could get around the traffic and weasel themselves in front of me. I was practically at a standstill. Perfect. Just how I wanted to spend my Monday night. When I got to the source, there was no source. It was an obvious case of stupidity and inability to merge in high-traffic zones – whoever started this was obviously from out of town and had no experience whatsoever driving in and out of the city. Tourist season is over – or so I thought.
After using colorful words, shaking my head and waving my hands around in frustration of the subpar drivers around me, I finally made it home. My frustrations were not easily subsided.
I had been thinking about my baked chicken and Tuscan beans and couldn’t wait to have them for dinner. I started all the prep, put the chickens in the oven, started the mix for the beans and began sautéing the garlic. Then I went to get my white beans. They were nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere – I don’t have a large kitchen or a large pantry for that matter. I even got other family members involved searching the top shelves. Then came the questions, “Are you sure you bought them?” Am I sure I bought them?! Of course I did! I remember spending almost 15 minutes in the beans aisle searching for them and was so excited when I found them. They had to be here somewhere. We spent 20 minutes searching and nothing turned up. I was starting to think I was going crazy.
[Update: I found the white beans. They were sitting next to the other cans of beans.]
I gave up, and subbed the white beans for chickpeas and then heated the whole thing up and ended up with a completely different dish. At least the chicken turned out.
Skillet Chickpeas
Ingredients
2 cans Chickpeas ½ Red Onion, chopped 2 small Roma Tomatoes, chopped Basil, dried Garlic Salt Lemon Juice 2 cloves Garlic, smashedDirections
Sauté garlic with olive oil spray In a bowl, mix together red onion, tomatoes, chick peas and basil Add lemon juice Pour mix into a large skillet and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, add Garlic Salt and stir.
Tonight is girls night – and by girls night, I mean quality time with me, myself, and I. On a night like tonight, I’d probably be found at the mall or doing some online shopping. However, in an attempt to avoid shopping both at the mall and online, I thought why not cook myself an easy dish and give myself an at-home spa treatment? My at-home spa treatment is fairly simple: deep conditioning, manicure, and pedicure. Some spa, huh.
You either love her or hate her – Martha Stewart. Although, you have to admit she’s got the whole Suzy Homemaker thing down to a science, and a phenomenal business marketing plan. She has some great ideas, I’ll admit. This Spiced Chickpea and Zucchini Sauté caught my eye. It would make an interesting side dish on any other day, but today, I’ve made it a meal.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Canola Oil 1 large Onions, diced 2 cloves Garlic, minced 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin 8 Plum Tomatoes, chopped 2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces Coarse Salt and Ground PepperDirections
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, coriander, and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, zucchini, and 1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cover skillet; simmer mixture over medium-high heat, stirring, until zucchini is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as desired, and serve.Note: I found that adding 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce adds just enough spicy flavor.
Servings = 4
