My Meatless Monday Recipe On Tuesday

Here's a quick and tasty MEATLESS pasta salad recipe I found at PBS Food. Make a batch on Monday and have it for lunch all week (perfect to pack and take to the office). Or serve it as a side with grilled chicken or hamburgers. Think picnics. Yes, summer is coming. It's that season right after spring, which officially begins next week. Salad went together fast (always my favorite). Try substituting tri-color rotini pasta for more color. DE-licious!

GREEK CHICK PEA PASTA SALAD

The Ingredients.

1 cup dry elbow macaroni

¾ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 6-oz jar quartered artichoke hearts

½ cup chopped olives

1 tsp dried oregano

4 sundried tomatoes, chopped

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp black pepper

pinch of sea salt

The Directions.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, artichoke hearts (with oil from the jar), olives, sundried tomatoes, oregano, feta and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. Add the cooled macaroni and toss again.

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge for up to five days.

Yield: 4 servings

Meatless Monday Brown Rice and Veggies

I put this rice dish together with things I had on hand and it was delicious! Tom added cheddar cheese to his rice. The rice was warm enough so that it melted the cheese ... yummy! I opted for a little feta on my rice. You can prepare the rice ahead and keep it in your frig to add to the other ingredients when you get home from a day of work or errands.

Note:
Just wanted to say that I don't hesitate to use canned beans when I cook, if I am short of time. When grocery shopping, be sure you look for the brands in your grocery that you like and stick with them. This may take a bit of experimenting. It's probably better if you can use dried beans instead of canned, providing you have the time.

I ALWAYS rinse all the varieties of the canned beans I use. I also discard the bean liquid. I think there's a lot sodium in most major brands and I hope rinsing will help get rid of some of the salt. For some reason, canned organic beans seem to have less added sodium. You will notice that I don't add salt when using so many canned products. And of course, you should use low-sodium or no salt added products whenever possible.

Veggie Brown Rice
Ingredients:
6 cups cooked brown rice
1-16 oz package frozen broccoli flowerets, cooked
1 (14.5 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 (28 oz.) can Southwestern diced tomatoes, with juice

1 (10 oz.) can RoTel original diced tomatoes & green chilies, with juice
Shredded cheddar cheese or Feta cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large pan and heat. Serve hot with shredded cheddar or feta cheese sprinkled on top.

Meatless Monday and Happy Birthday ... to Aunt Shoe!

I almost forgot to celebrate Aunt Shoe's second birthday and the beginning of year three! It's been a fun journey and I have learned a lot about cooking and about myself! My sincere thanks to all of YOU, dear readers. I really appreciate that you come by my blog!

With the start of a new calendar year and a new blog year, I've decided to make a few changes in what I eat. I have resolved to - drum roll - cut out sugar, at least for a few weeks. I'll see how it goes and if I like it, I'll continue. My son, age 26, doesn't eat sugar. He's a pretty smart guy. If he thinks it's a good idea, there must be something to it! I'm going to try to stay away from processed foods and the harmful chemicals some of them contain. Turns out the best things to put in your mouth are 1-ingredient foods! WOW! What a great concept. But think about it. One ingredient. That's like a juicy orange or a ripe red Honey Crisp apple, or a plate of crunchy carrot sticks. How simple; one ingredient! And how easy! With that in mind, I put together a fresh, tasty garden salad. I added chick peas to boost the protein, plus they're chock full of fiber, keep your blood sugar levels stable, and last but not least, they provide iron. All that goodness in a little chick pea! My salad was delicious, it filled me up, it looked awesome and it was good for me! Woo-Hoo and happy new year!

Tomato & Cucumber Salad with Chick Peas
Ingredients:

5 tomatoes, diced
 (I used Roma tomatoes)
1 red onion, cut in slices
1 cucumber, sliced

1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 green pepper, chopped

handful chopped parsley

1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. 
Sea Salt

1/4 tsp. pepper
Directions
:
1. Combine all vegetables and the chick peas in a large bowl.

2. Mix oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Shake well and pour over vegetables.

3. Chill before serving.
PS - Green or black pitted olives would be a nice addition.

Summer Pasta for Meatless Monday

This recipe arrived in my email a few days ago from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table. She got the recipe from The Very Best of Recipes for Health: 250 Recipes and More from the Popular Feature on NYTimes.com (Rodale, 2010). Copyright © 2010 by Martha Rose Shulman. Whew! I think I gave all the right people credit. It's a great little recipe and I heartily suggest you make it, soon, while the local gardens are bursting with home-grown tomatoes and gorgeous fresh basil! This dish will only be as good as the tomatoes you use. Cherry or grape tomatoes, halved, would also work. The addition of my favorite chickpeas makes this colorful and festive one-dish meal perfect for Meatless Monday or any day!

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
4 servings
1-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled if desired and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon slivered or chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound fusilli or farfalle
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese or grated Parmesan

1. Combine the tomatoes, garlic, salt, black pepper, vinegar, basil, and oil in a wide bowl. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes, or longer. Stir in the chickpeas. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Salt generously and add the pasta. Cook al dente, until the pasta is firm to the bite, following the directions on the package but checking 1 to 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time. Drain, toss with the tomatoes and chickpeas, sprinkle on the cheese, and serve.

Advance Preparation: You can make the sauce a few hours before you cook the pasta.
Variations: Add 1/4 to 1/2 pound broccoli florets or green beans. Before adding the pasta to the boiling water, blanch the broccoli for 3 minutes, green beans for 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, then drain. Return the water to a boil and proceed with the recipe. Toss the vegetables with the pasta along with the tomatoes and chickpeas. A can of white cannellini beans can stand in for the chickpeas.

Here a chick, there a chick ...

Seems like I use a lot of these tasty little chicks in my cooking. Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, have a delicious nutlike taste and buttery texture. They provide a good source of protein that can be enjoyed year-round and are available either dried or canned. This simple salad is bright, colorful and full of flavor and makes a nice accompaniment for grilled chicken or pork tenderloin or even a sandwich.
CHICKPEA SALAD
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Salad:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cucumber (I left the skin on, but you could also peel it)
1 can black olives, drained
10 oz. carton grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh basil and parsley leaves, snipped, for garnish (optional)

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, pepper, basil, oregano and parsley in a small bowl and set aside.

Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dressing and mix. Chill at least an hour before serving.

Serve garnished with fresh basil and parsley.

Something new ...

I've read that Moroccan cuisine, a mixture of European and African cooking, is the last of the great undiscovered cuisines. It's definitely a style of cooking I'm not familiar with. Located in Northwest Africa, with Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines, Morocco is a land steeped in mystery and adventure, a place where the sun is warm and the people are enigmatic. To me it is a far away place where the exotic cities of Tangier, Marrakesh and Casablanca beckon with the lure of a camel ride across the desert or snake charmers in a crowded market.

Included in Moroccan cooking are the tasty dishes of the workers and peasants. In their daily meals, little meat is used. Grains and vegetables are combined with numerous herbs and spices to produce savory and satisfying fare. The herbs used: chervil, garlic, fresh coriander leaves, mint and parsley are blended with these spices: aniseed, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, paprika, pepper, saffron, turmeric and ras el-hanout (a blend of spices) to produce mouth-watering dishes. To give these non-meat creations even more zest, onions, olives, pickled lemons, almonds and sesame seeds are utilized extensively.

Soups are the mainstay of the Moroccan people and at times their only meal of the day. They're based mostly on chickpeas and lentils. Infused with herbs and spices, they become delightful creations.

I just got this easy recipe from my Gather friend, Shan. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it. I think next time, I'll add cumin and sweet paprika, but it was delicious just the way it is here. The cinnamon gave it a new and interesting flavor that I loved with the bite of the cayenne.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA SOUP
4 cups chicken broth (or use vegetable)
2 cups cooked chickpeas (I used 2 cans of chick peas, rinsed and drained)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t cayenne
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I didn't add any salt)
Couple handfuls fresh baby spinach
Bring everything to a simmer in large soup pot over medium low heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook another 5 minutes or so.
Serve with pita bread.