Healthy Snack

Here's a healthy little snack I read about in Rachael Ray's magazine. I actually lost the recipe after seeing it but it's not one where you need exact measurement luckily.

The Goods:
1 can of chick peas
some EVOO
garlic salt
basil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (again, I lost the recipe so I just chose the trusty 350 degrees and it worked well). Drain and rinse beans then put on a baking sheet. Drizzle EVOO over beans (I used very sparingly so it would be healthy) then sprinkle however much garlic salt and basil you want on them and roast away. Super easy and so good.

Chickpea, Tomato and Eggplant Dish

I am not sure where I got this recipe, but it was probably from an Indian cookbook. The meal sounds and tastes Indian in nature. Having said that, I obviously did not write down the title of the dish. Oh well. It is delish. I ate it over whole wheat cous cous because I thought it needed a base, but next time I am eating it all by itself :)

*I halved the recipe (mostly) and it still made a TON of food, but for the sake of being true to the recipe I will post the original amounts.


Chickpea, Tomato and Eggplant Dish
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
6 Italian eggplants (or 1 large)
2 large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 large cans of 28oz whole, peeled tomatoes, UNDRAINED

Drain chickpeas, set aside. Dice eggplants and onion. Chop the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a big pot and saute the onions, eggplant, garlic and the spices over moderate heat for 10 mins or til onion is transluscent. Stir occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper, add the undrained tomatoes breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add the chickpeas, cover, simmer for 20 mins. Serve hot.

*As I said earlier, I halved the recipe, but I did add 2 cans of diced tomatoes with their juices( didn't have whole canned). I also added an additional 1/2 tsp of cumin because it's mighty tasty flavor. Also I only diced 2 small eggplants and with the whole onion it seemed like a TON of food, but remember it all cooks down a bit.

enjoy!!

A Tip for the Mamas-to-be*...

My midwife says I'm eating too much fruit and not enough vegetables. And that I should be eating the veggies raw. And that I need more Vitamin C in my diet. Unfortunately, I'd developed an aversion to raw veggies, and cutting out oranges meant LESS Vitamin C, so I had to get creative!

Bell Peppers (blech :P) have TONS of Vitamin C in them, apparently. And since we pregnant ladies also need TONS of protein, I've been snacking on "Hummus"-stuffed bell peppers!

For the "hummus" drain 1 fifteen ounce can garbanzo beans, reserving liquid. Add the beans with 1/3 c. olive oil to blender, with garlic to your taste (I used to be the Garlic Queen, but now I'm very sensitive to it!) and blend away until smooth, adding the reserved liquid as needed. Drizzle a little lemon, and salt to taste, over the top of the hummus and stir it in, and stuff it into your washed and halved peppers.

Vitamin C-Protein snackables!

*Well, and for anyone who needs more Vitamin C, less fruit, and more protein in their diet! :P

Lemon Chick Pea Dip (not quite hummus)

Lemon Chick Pea Dip (not quite hummus)
Rachel Ray

Mix in food processor :

1 can chick peas rinsed and drained
Lemon and juice of one lemon
2 large thyme stalks (pull the leaves off backwards)
1 large garlic clove minced
Hot sauce or pepper flakes to taste
pinch of salt

While processor is on, drizzle in 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil until hummus consistency is achieved.


* I have made this multiple times and it is delicious! the lemon flavor is there but not overpowering, it also works well as a sandwich spread. Light enough for appetizer, also good as a side dish.

It is not quite hummus because there is no tahini. I don't like the gritty texture of tahini so I don't add it. Also, if you're trying to watch your fat intake this is a good recipe because tahini has a high fat content

A Flight of Soups

So my mom asked if I wanted to make soup for dinner, and I had this brillant idea to make a flight of soups instead of just one. We always freeze our leftover soup in single servings in a round tupperware so we can take them to work. Soup is my favorite food to make. Probably because it's so easy and all goes in one spot, but also because I'm a sucker for anything that starts out "saute chopped onions, garlic and celery in olive oil or butter."

but I digress.

The following soups are from top to bottom, left to right: Pea soup (with chives on it) Black Bean soup (with jalapeno cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream), White Bean soup, and Pureed Chickpea soup. (Do I see a pattern here ? I love beans...) My favorite is definitely a tie between the White Bean and the Black Bean. (ha!!) My dad doesn't like beans, so we made the pea soup for him, but I did not particuarly care for it. The chickpea soup was sort of like eating hummus , but runny...sorry that sounds gross, it's not bad, if you like hummus..a lot. I'll take a poll: which recipe do you want me to post: I don't feel like typing them all up right now, but if requested, I certainly will!

The best thing about these soups, ladies..(and gents..if any read this) is they all took like lesss than 15 m ins each to make and have very few ingredients and similar seasonings. Super convenient for quick meals.

So you may be asking what you would eat with these soups for dinner? Aside from salad, the usual side in our house, INSTEAD, we made sweet potato biscuits (yum with honey!) Also my mom sliced up avocado and drizzled some balsamic vinagrette on them, that was SO good!! Or you could go the traditional route and get all Italian and buy French bread. Whatever you prefer. So let me know which soup recipes you want me to post and I'll do so!