All about ChickPeas!

Mashed Chickpea Pitas

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  Ingredients:
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 tablespoons plain fat-free Greek yogurt, divided
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice $
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup diced peeled English cucumber $
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 carrot, shredded $
• 2 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
• 4 curly leaf lettuce leaves
  Preparation:
  1. Combine garlic, 5 tablespoons yogurt, and next 4 ingredients (through chickpeas) in a bowl; mash with a potato masher or fork until almost smooth or to desired consistency. Stir in cucumber and dill.2. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon yogurt and carrot in a small bowl; stir well to coat.3. Line each pita half with 1 lettuce leaf; fill with 1/2 cup chickpea mixture and 2 tablespoons carrot mixture.

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes

INGREDIENTS

Makes 12

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1/4 cup diced onion

- 1/4 cup diced green pepper

- 1 celery stalk, diced

- 1 28 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp paprika

- pinch of cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp hot sauce

- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tbsp flour

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- salt and pepper to taste

- oil for frying

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion, green pepper, and celery for 5-7 mins, until softened. Remove from heat.

2. Place chickpeas in a food processor along with the onion mixture. Pulse until chickpeas are no longer whole, but dont process them too much. Place chickpeas in a bowl and add spices, hot sauce, and parsley. Mix well. Add flour and cornstarch and mix well. Place in the fridge for 30 mins.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan over med/med-hi heat (around 350 degrees). Shape chickpea mixture into 12 patties and fry in batches, about 2-3 mins per side, or until crispy and browned. Flip a few times if they are browning too quickly. If you have trouble forming the patties, add some more cornstarch to hold it all together.

Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas
3 Tbls. extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, paprika, pepper, etc… (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Drain and rinse the chickpeas and scatter on a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Let stand 15 minutes.  Remove the paper towels and toss chickpeas with olive oil.

Roast until crisp and golden, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Toss with coarse salt and 1 1/2 tsp of desired seasoning, if desired and serve.  Store cooled chickpeas in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Mama T Not Fried Chicken

Mama T's Not-Fried Chicken

2 Eggs (lightly beaten)
2 cups Bread Crumbs - dried breadcrumbs - like Progresso Italian
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (to drizzle)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoon parmesan
2 sprigs fresh oregano (minced)

4 Bone-in Skin on Drums and Thighs
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350F.

Set up a station with a shallow dish of eggs. In another shallow dish combine breadcrumbs, chili flakes, parmesan and oregano.

Dip the pieces of chicken into the eggs and then into the breadcrumbs. Arrange on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and drizzle the chicken with olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Mama T's String Bean Salad

1 pound Thin Green Beans

1/2 pound Small Boiling Potatoes (halved

or quartered depending on size)

1/4 cup Black Olives (chopped)

2 Hard Boiled Eggs (chopped)

2 tablespoons Fresh Oregano (chopped)

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 cup Extra­Virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper

ingredients

Blanch green beans and shock in ice bath. Boil potatoes until

tender. Chop hard boiled eggs to desired shape.

Cut green beans into thirds and add to a large salad bowl along

with boiled and cooled potatoes, olives, eggs, and chopped

oregano.

Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil to taste. Season with salt

and pepper.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made ahead of time.

steps ingredient

Sriracho Mayo on French Fries

Creamy Chili Hot Sauce (Spicy Sriracha Mayo) on French Fries

ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons mayo
• 1 Tablespoon homemade Sriracha style chili sauce, Huy Fong Sriracha, 
• 1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce (optional)

directions:

1. In bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.

2. Use as dip or spread for your favorite dishes.

Oaxacan Chocolate Mole Sauce

Oaxacan Chocolate Mole Sauce

1. 6 total dried mulato chiles
2. 4 total dried pasilla chiles
3. 2 total dried guajillo chiles
4. 1/3 cup sesame seeds, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
5. 3/4 teaspoon anise seeds
6. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
7. 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
8. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
9. A pinch of oregano
10. 2 cloves
11. 12 black peppercorns
12. One 1/2 -inch cinnamon stick
13. 5 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
14. 2 1/2 tablespoons raisins
15. 20 whole almonds
16. 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
17. 1 corn tortilla, quartered
18. 1 slice of stale bread, toasted.
19. 6 medium plum tomatoes
20. 3 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
21. 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
22. 1 small onion, quartered
23. 1 ripe plantain
24. 6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
25. 3 1/4 ounces Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped (Abuela)
26. Sugar, about 1/4 cup (or little more)
27. Salt and freshly ground pepper
28. Rotisserie Chicken
29. 
    
30. 1. Pull out the steams and pods from chile's and place them on skillet (pressing down with spatula), do not burn.  In a medium bowl, cover all of the chile peppers with hot water. Let them stand for 30 minutes. 
31. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine the 1/3 cup of sesame seeds with the anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick. Toast over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and let them cool completely. Grind the seeds and spices to a fine powder. (You can put in blender at the end when mixing everything together as well)
32. In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of oil.  Stir in the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla. Cook the mixture over moderately low heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a large bowl.
33. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning, until the skins are lightly blistered on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer the blistered tomatoes to the bowl. Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the garlic and onions to the bowl and let cool. Empty the vegetables onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with the onions and tomatoes.
34. Cut plantains in pieces and fry, when done add to the bowl. 
35. Working in batches, transfer the contents of the bowl into blender and puree until smooth. After blended, put in skillet with  the chocolate. Season the mole sauce with salt and pepper.  

SUGGESTED PAIRING

A fruity red blend from California's Central Coast is a good partner for a rich, chocolaty mole sauce.

This recipe is a mixture of 2 recipe's:
http://www.latina.com/food/recipes/secret-rick-baylesss-oaxacan-mole
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/braised-chicken-with-oaxacan-chocolate-mole-sauce

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

2 slices bread (we used a white bread, but one filled with lots of different whole grains and seeds would be *awesome*)
2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)
2 slices mild white melty cheese like mozzarella
handful fresh baby spinach
¼ avocado, sliced
2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
olive oil (and butter if you’re so inclined)

Directions

Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).

On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.

PESTO:

• 4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/3 cup roasted pine nuts (pignolias)
• 2 garlic cloves (roasted)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Start by adding your basil to the bowl of a food processor. If you have a good, heavy-duty mixer you can try to use that, but I much prefer a food processor. 

Add your toasted pine nuts. Speaking of substitutions, you can replace the pine nuts with almonds (a common Sicilian variation) or even walnuts. I personally love the smooth, rich, buttery taste the pine nuts add, but if you find that you're out, you can substitute other nuts with good results.

Now add those peeled garlic cloves..

...the olive oil...

...and the lemon juice--freshly squeezed, please! The beauty of pesto is that it is so simple, all of the flavors shine through, so you want to use the best and the freshest ingredients you can.

Now start blending the pesto together, pulsing it in 5- to 10-second bursts. At first it will be pretty chunky, with bits of unincorporated nuts and garlic, and stringy pieces of basil leaves.

Continue to pulse and blend, and you will see your texture growing less chunky and more smooth. If you are having trouble getting things to blend evenly, you can add a spoonful or two of water or oil to help smooth things out.

Stop when your pesto is your preferred texture. Some people like to leave it a little chunky, with discrete pieces of leaves, but I prefer a smoother texture, closer to a sauce.

Finally, add your grated Parmesan cheese, and pulse the processor again until the cheese is entirely mixed in.

Taste the pesto, and if you think it needs salt and pepper, add it a little bit at the time, to taste, until you're happy with it. The Parmesan cheese adds quite a bit of salt, so you many not even need to add any to suit your taste.

Your pesto sauce is now finished! My favorite way to enjoy this is simply tossed with hot pasta--try sprinkling some extra Parmesan and pine nuts on top of the pasta for an extra flavor boost. This pesto sauce is also incredible as a dipping sauce, a sandwich spread, or a chicken marinade. You can use it anytime you want to add the fresh taste of summer to your meals.

Taco Chicken

Taco Chicken
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs (I can tell you right now that I’m a breast girl and Sara prefers thighs.)
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn’t lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

Indian food with Alamelu

Love, love, love Indian Food. 

Recipes are from Alamelu (Southern Indian)

Green Beans Poriyal
1/4 cup of yellow split peas
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
olive oil
4-6 curry leaves
1 tsp of black mustard seeds
2 tsp of urad dal
1 pound of green beans
1 tsp of minced ginger
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of chutney powder
1/4 cup of unsweetened powdered coconut

Directions

1. Boil 2 cups of water. Add split peas and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder. Cook split peas over medium heat, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat with curry leaves. When oil is hot, but not smoking, stir in mustard seeds and urad dal. Cover and heat until mustard seeds burst (listen for popping sound) and urad dal is golden.
3. Add beans and stir well. Add ginger and cook over medium heat for about a minute.
4. Add salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Add chutney powder. Stir well.
5. Cover beans and cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Note: a sprinkle or two of water may, however, be added on top of the green beans to facilitate the cooking process.
6. When beans are tender but still crisp, add cooked split peas and coconut. Stir well. Serve immediately or remove from heat and keep covered until serving time. Be careful not to overcook beans.

*** Serves 6

Cauliflower Masala Poriyal
2 tablespoons of oil
2 -3 slivers of cinnamon sticks
1 tsp of black mustard seeds
1 tsp of urad dal
1 small onion chopped
1 small tomato chopped
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp of cayenne powder
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1 tsp of salt
3 cups of cauliflower
2 tsp of unsweetened powdered coconut

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, but not smoking, add cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, and urad dal. Fry, covered, until mustard seeds burst (listen for popping sound) and urad dal is golden brown.
2. Add onion and tomato. Stir-fry for 1 minute over medium heat.
3. Add turmeric powder and cayenne powder. Stir well over medium heat for a minute. Add tomato sauce and salt. Mix well to obtain a thick paste-like consistency.
4. Add cauliflower florets and blend carefully with sauce. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in coconut powder. Continue cooking until cauliflower is just tender, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to overcook!

Health benefits of Cayene pepper:
Cayenne pepper has been used for a variety of ailments including heartburn, delirium, tremors, gout, paralysis, fever, dyspepsia, flatulence, sore throat, atonic dyspepsia, hemorrhoids, menorrhagia in women, nausea, tonsillitis, scarlet fever and diphtheria.

Huevos Rancheros

A little mexican loving...

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about a half cup)
• 1 15-ounce can of Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilis (I have also tried the Publix brand and its just as good)
• 1 jalapeno
• Chili powder, adobo sauce, or ground cumin to taste (optional)
• 4 corn tortillas
• Butter
• 4 fresh eggs
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• Mozzarella cheese or Mexican cheese 

1 Make the sauce first by softening the onions in a little olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once translucent, add the tomatoes and the juice the tomatoes are packed in. Break up the tomatoes with your fingers as you put them in the pan. If you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them first, then add. Note that fresh tomatoes will take longer to cook as canned tomatoes are already cooked to begin with. Add chopped green chilies. Add additional chili to taste, either chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, regular chili powder, or even ground cumin. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and let simmer while you do the rest of the cooking, stirring occasionally. Reduce to warm after it has been simmering for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste if needed.

2 Prepare the tortillas. Heat the oven to a warm 150°F, place serving plates in the oven to keep warm. Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium high, coating the pan with the oil. One by one (or more if your pan is big enough) heat the tortillas in the pan, a minute or two on each side, until they are heated through, softened, and pockets of air bubble up inside of them. Then remove them and stack them on one of the warming plates in the oven to keep warm while you continue cooking the rest of the tortillas and the eggs.

3 Fry the eggs. Using the same skillet as was used for the tortillas, add a little butter to the pan, about two teaspoons for 4 eggs. Heat the pan on medium high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes for runny yolks, more for firmer eggs. 

To serve, spoon a little of the sauce onto a warmed plate. Top with a tortilla, then a fried egg. Top with more sauce, sprinkle cheese and sprinkle with cilantro if desired.

Serve either one or two eggs/tortillas per plate, depending on how much you want to eat. I'm a 2-egg 2 tortilla person myself.

Smoky Spice Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Black Beans and Corn

Smoky Spice Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Black Beans and Corn

Ingredients: 

For the salmon:

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 lime, juice of
• 4 (6 oz) Alaskan wild pink or chum salmon fillets
• olive oil spray
• lime wedges for serving

For the black beans and corn:

• 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels (fresh is fine)
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 3 tbsp finely minced cilantro
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• kosher salt to taste

Directions: 

Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Squeeze lime juice over salmon then rub in the spices to completely coat; set aside to rest about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté 2 minutes; add beans, corn and salt and cook until heated through, about 6 - 8 minutes.Remove from heat and toss in cilantro and lime juice. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Heat a clean outdoor grill (make sure the grates are clean and lightly oiled) or if cooking indoors a lightly oiled grill pan over high heat. When hot, grill the salmon for about 5 minutes on each side or until the fish is opaque throughout. Serve with black beans, corn and lime wedges.

Mario Batali Waxy Potatoes with red wine vinegar

Saw this today on The Chew and can't wait to try it.

• 2 pound Small Waxy Potatoes (such as Yukon Gold or Ruby Crescent)

• 1/2 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 tablespoon Celery Seeds

• 6 Scallions

• 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

• 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

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• DIRECTIONS:
  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.
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• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, bring back to a boil, and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
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• While the potatoes cook, preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
• Cut the potatoes into 3 to 4 slices each, about 1/2-inch thick.
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, celery seeds, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes to the bowl toss to coat. Serve immediately.
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• Place potatoes on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are lightly browned and tender, about 15 minutes.