Snack time: Roasted chickpeas

We've been working on the art of roasting chickpeas over here, and it's going pretty well. :-) They are a nice, crunchy snack and, so far, have been a big hit! Here's what we put together today. As you can see, all ingredient amounts are rough estimates. I've seen a number of recipes for "sweet and salty" chickpeas or "honey/cinnamon roasted" - I haven't tried anything sweet, so if you've got a winner - please share! I do think the hotter oven temperature is a must - we've tried some at 350 degrees and they didn't get crunchy, and a non-crunchy roasted chickpea just doesn't cut it. When John got home, the girls said: "Daddy, we had roasted chickpeas for a snack today. But we didn't save any for you." Hmmm... better do a double batch next time...

Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 can organic chickpeas - drained, rinsed, and patted dry
• 1 T (or so) olive oil
• 1 tsp (or so) kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp (or so) onion powder
• 1/2 tsp (or so) garlic powder
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Spread the chickpeas on a silpat-lined cookie sheet
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and seasonings; mix around with hands
• Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping/stirring the chickpeas every 10 minutes
• After 40 minutes, increase oven temp to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes

Whole-Lotta-Enchilada!

It's summertime. It's hot. And I'm boycotting use of the oven, except before 9:00am or on a cloudy day. No, I did not fix enchiladas for breakfast. It was, however, cloudy and cooler on Monday. I think John was pleasantly surprised to come home and smell dinner cooking in the oven! Nothing but the best for my man!

Sweet Potato, Chicken, and Black Bean Enchiladas:

• 2 local, antibiotic-free, free-range, chicken breasts
• I tossed these into the crockpot with a small can of green chilies and some olive oil around 2:30 (I think). Cranked the crockpot to high for about 30 minutes, then down to low for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Shredded the chicken and it was ready to go.
• 1 organic sweet potato - chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 organic onion - diced
• 1 can organic low-sodium black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can green enchilada sauce (again, make sure it has no MSG)
• 1/2 C sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Saute onion in olive oil
• Add sweet potato, cover and cook until tender
• Uncover and let sweet potato brown a bit
• Add black beans until heated through
• Butter the bottom/sides of a 9x9 oven-safe pan and pour 1/3 can enchilada sauce in bottom
• Mix remaining sauce with sour cream
• Assemble enchiladas - fill with black bean/sweet potato mix, add shredded chicken, sprinkle some cheese, pour in a bit of enchilada sauce/sour cream 
• Once enchiladas are rolled in the pan (I think I filled 4-5), top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheese
• Bake uncovered at 350° for 25-30 minutes

Then, as soon as dinner is done, run immediately to the bedroom, strip off your current outfit, and return decked out in glitter, frills, glass slippers, and crowns. That's what these enchiladas will do for you. Now get cookin'!

Roasted "Peachicks"

Ahhhh... it is that time of year when, if so desired, I can mess around in the kitchen with the oven on all afternoon and not think twice about it. That gives post-nap snacks a million more options, which recently included oven-roasted garbanzo beans. When the girls woke up, I told them that I'd made them some chickpeas for their snack and the following 15 minutes consisted of a snarfing-down of the "crunchy little peachicks" (Elise). Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are high in fiber, contain some worthwhile vitamins, and are the main ingredient in hummus (yum!).

Oven-roasted Chickpeas
adapted from here

• 1 can organic garbanzo beans/chickpeas
• 1 1/2 T organic olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of cumin
• Preheat oven to 350°
• Rinse and pat dry beans
• Roast plain for 20 minutes
• Remove from oven and toss with olive oil, salt, and spices
• Return to oven for 20 minutes, or until desired crunchiness is achieved (they do crisp a bit more once cooled)
• Before offering to others, save some for yourself because these crunchy little peachicks are irresistible to the little ones. Case in point:

Pie... savory, not sweet

Apple pie. Pecan pie. Pumpkin pie. Quesadilla pie? I warned you in the title of this post that we were talking savory not sweet, didn't I? 

During some internet browsing, I saw this recipe for quesadilla pie. It looked like a great addition to dinner staples that are simple, fairly fast to put together, and can fall into the "one pot wonder" category. "One pot wonders" are the best - grains/fiber, protein, veggies, dairy - brought together to create a party in your mouth! Here was what I came up with:

Quesadilla Pie

• Diced leftover grilled turkey
• Diced organic onion
• 1/2 - 3/4 can black beans (rinsed and allowed to air dry a bit)
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• 3/4 can green enchilada sauce
• 1/4 C. organic Greek yogurt (plain)
• 1 10 oz. package frozen organic spinach (thawed, water squeezed out)

Dice turkey, onion; Rinse black beans; Mix together enchilada sauce, yogurt, spinach; Butter glass pie dish; Place 1 tortilla in dish as bottom layer; Spread enchilada/spinach mixture, sprinkle turkey, onions, beans, cheese; Add tortilla; Repeat filling; Add top tortilla; Butter a bit and sprinkle with cheese. I followed the same baking instructions as the above recipe: 30 minutes covered at 350 degrees then 15 minutes uncovered at 400 degrees. 

Served with some avocado and lime juice, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and a splash of salsa - definitely a pie worth remembering, even if the dollop wasn't whipped cream...

"Beans and rice!"

I asked the girls yesterday afternoon what they wanted for dinner. "Beans and rice!". How could I say no to that? Healthy. Easy. Delicious. Yes, let's have beans and rice!

Beans and Rice

• 1 C. organic short grain brown rice (uncooked)
• 2 C. organic low sodium chicken broth + 1/2 C. water
• 1 can red kidney beans (drained)
• 1 can Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes without added salt
• 2 organic carrots; shredded
• 2 stalks organic celery; chopped
• 1/2 organic onion; chopped
• 1 organic zucchini; chopped
• 1/2 organic red pepper; chopped
• 1 big clove organic garlic; minced
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Apple cider vinegar
• Ketchup
• Cook rice in chicken broth/water combo for 40 minutes
• Saute onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, pepper in olive oil
• Add garlic until fragrant
• Add tomatoes and beans
• Season with: salt, pepper, spices, vinegar, squirt of ketchup
• Serve over rice, topped with sour cream and fresh avocado

They say you're supposed to eat the rainbow.... so pretty! 

Nothing beats fresh avocado and the Organic Valley sour cream is great!

Artichokes and apples... (not together, of course!)

I hold a strong personal belief that, in the Fall, one must include two particular ingredients in a portion of their baking: apples and pumpkin. I've got the pumpkin covered for now with the previous pumpkin pancake post. Let's move on to apples. We are dessert eaters. Dessert is a way of life in our family and we eagerly look forward to "lunch dessert" or "dinner dessert". On Monday night, there was not a single sweet morsel in this house. Dinner finished (seriously, this crock pot chicken is the way to go) and from the table, this dainty little voice said "Momma.... zert?" (translation: zert=dessert). Cheerios. Dry and plain. I served cheerios for dessert on Monday night. Epic dessert fail! 

Last night, I proved myself worthy by serving a beautifully delicious apple crisp.

Apple Crisp (recipe originally from my Mom, modified slightly by me)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease baking dish (I buttered an 8x8 pan)
• Peel and slice apples (for the 8x8 pan, I used 3 big apples - an assortment of organic varieties, not all the same)
• Place apple slices in pan and toss with fresh lemon juice
• Combine with pastry cutter:
• heaping 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 1/2 C. oatmeal
• 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
• 3 T. butter
• 1 t. cinnamon
• Crumble mix over apples
• Pour 1/4 C. apple cider over entire dish (we used John's fave: Louisburg, of course!)
• Bake for 40 minutes

Tonight, thanks to the leftovers in the fridge, I spent my dinner-making time playing in the kitchen with a dip recipe I've been wanting to try. I made this White Bean and Artichoke Dip, with a few modifications:

• I cut the recipe in half: 1 can great northern beans, drained/rinsed; 1 can artichoke hearts, drained; 1 garlic clove
• I added extra lemon juice 
• I added olive oil

All in all, it was a really smooth and creamy alternative to hummus. We ate it with these delicious Snyder's pretzel sticks - organic, with whole wheat flour and a very short ingredient list - always a perk! HUGE success with the gals! And when the pretzels ran out, fingers seemed to be a nice substitution. 

Black bean, spinach, and sweet potato enchiladas (#17)

I love sweet potatoes. Beans are a staple. Spinach kept Popeye strong. All together now: Black bean, spinach, and sweet potato enchiladas!

This was an insanely quick meal to put together - I made brown rice ahead of time so there wasn't the "Shoot! I've waited too long to start dinner, brown rice takes 40 minutes, what will eat on the side" debacle. And, as I typed that, I was reminded yet again why, whenever the girls drop something, they say "Oh shoot! Bummer!". Here you have it:

• Saute finely chopped onion in olive oil; add small chunks of sweet potato; cover until sweet potatoes are tender
• Add 1 can rinsed black beans
• Add 2 cups chopped fresh spinach; cover until spinach starts to wilt
• Season filling with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, salsa
• Sauce: Store-bought mild green enchilada sauce (make sure it's a brand with no MSG - they sneak that into some enchilada sauces)
• Pour 1/3 can sauce straight into bottom of dish (I used a casserole dish with a lid)
• Combine remaining sauce with 1/2 cup (or so) plain Greek yogurt
• Fill whole wheat tortillas with a scoop of black bean filling and a couple spoonfuls of sauce/yogurt mixture
• Pour remaining sauce/yogurt mixture over top of all assembled enchiladas
• Cover and back at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

Serve with brown rice and a fresh tomato and avocado salad!