Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas

I started messing around with different cauliflower recipes a couple of years ago, but the two I continue to go back two are either mashed (a favorite in Kyle’s family) or roasted. Roasted cauliflower is so simple and is ready quickly, which makes it perfect for any weeknight or a quick snack. Normally I just break apart a head a cauliflower, toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil and roast off in the oven for half an hour or so. I love the way it gets crispy, but retains most of its shape, and is great for dipping. I’ve been on a curry kick for the past year or so, and I’ll usually make a quick curry dipping sauce (as in spicy curry powder and mayo or sour cream) to go alongside.

While tooling around on Epicurious I stumbled over a recipe for Spice-Roasted Chickpeas that really spoke to me. I am a huge fan of chickpeas in almost any application. My one grievance is on occasion they tend to get really soggy if out on a salad bar. I love the creamy texture of hummus, and the crunch of roasted wasabi peas, and spice roasted garbanzos sounded like the perfect middleman.

I started thinking about ways to roast the chickpeas and cauliflower together, and the end result was a mutant dish with so much flavor, I had to restrain myself from not eating it all in one sitting. Mixing the curry powder in with the oil gave the dish a lovely bright color, and helped spread the seasoning evenly over all components. The pine nuts were a last minute gamble, and I loved the secondary crunch they brought in addition to the chickpeas.

I ended up serving this alongside some outstanding striped bass Ky provided for dinner with a friend, and the combination was a knockout. Kyle had originally told me we had might have a last minute addition to dinner, and concerned that we wouldn’t have enough of the side, I par boiled off a couple of red potatoes and tossed in with the cauliflower-chickpea mixture (I had roasted it off the night before with plans to heat before dinner), and it was a great addition and budget friendly way to stretch the dish. I will for sure be making this on a pretty regular basis- no lie, I have the fixins in the apartment now, and plan on whipping it up over the weekend. My only point of caution would be to make sure that your chickpeas are as dry as humanly possible- drained in a colander after rinsing and pressed between two kitchen towels seemed to do the trick. Just make sure you have a good size batch made up, as it will develop legs quickly!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas (morphed from here and here on Epicurious)

- 2 lbs. Cauliflower, stemmed & broken into florets
- 15oz. can Chickpeas, rinsed, drained & well dried
- ¼ - ½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tspn. Cayenne pepper
- 2 Cloves garlic, well minced
- 4 tbspn. Pine nuts
- 3(ish) tbspns. Spicy curry powder
- 2 tspn. Hungarian hot paprika (optional)
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, pine nuts, garlic & all spices until well combined. Toss cauliflower & chickpeas with oil to coat and season with salt & pepper to taste. Spread evenly onto high lipped sheet pan in one layer. Roast off in oven for 35-25 minutes, until cauliflower is well browned & chickpeas are crispy. Stir occasionally throughout roasting time. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes & transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature. Great as a side, over greens or as a snack.

A True Lunch Break

Almost every day, I bring my lunch to work from home. Usually it consists of leftovers from a previous meal, and a lot of times it takes shape in the form of a salad. I do my best to keep my lunches relatively light and satisfying, since there is nothing worse than sitting at your desk feeling the creeping onset of a food coma- especially when your desk lacks any sort of privacy from the rest of the office! It also may sound a little silly, but I enjoy taking a few minutes to “time out” from my daily tasks and actually enjoy my lunch whenever possible- I bring cutlery from home, stash a cloth napkin in my work bag, and make an attempt to actually have a lunch break as opposed to wolfing down some non-descript take out item while scanning over spec sheets (not that this doesn’t happen on occasion!).

During my massive re-nesting/cooking marathon of the past weekend, I was attempting to figure out a way to combine items I had on hand that I could stretch out over a couple of lunches that was a little outside of my usual routine. I get daily email newsletters from one of my favorite publications, Real Simple, and I remembered seeing a tomato & garbanzo salad that had looked appealing, and decided to play off of the concept. I had made a HUGE batch of Slow Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic on Sunday (I really should not be allowed to go to the Farmer’s Market without adult supervision!) and I had done a long drag through the market’s olive bar- one of my favorite destinations- and had picked up some olives and balsamic marinated mushrooms. I swapped out the garbanzos for Cannellini beans, which I had on hand, and the end result was a perfect salad for lunch- packed with protein, tasty veggies and loads of flavor. I was able to get three full lunches out of the mixture, and will definitely be making it again. By using the slow roasted tomatoes, the salad can be made year round, since the roasting will get rid of any mealy texture or less flavorful tomatoes in the off-season. When fresh tomatoes are in season, adding ½ a rough chopped fresh tomato brings and interesting and appealing play on flavors in the two tomato style. The salad would also make for a great hors d’ oeuvres applying the same concept- allow guests to build their own bruschetta with toasted bread, ricotta, baby arugula (baby spinach works well also) and the bean salad- wildly easy, and a perfect flavor combination.

The longer the salad sits, the better, so I would recommend starting this the night before, and dividing it up in the morning, so the beans have a chance to meld with the other flavors, and the arugula will remain crisp until lunch time. If you’re looking for a single container lunch, omit the side of ricotta cheese and toss in some cubed feta with the salad. This salad is a great way to implement simple ingredients into a very satisfying meal using minimal prep time and effort.

Bellissimo White Bean Salad
(Recipe makes enough for 3 lunches, 2 dinners or as an hors d’oeuvres for a crowd)

- 1 Can Cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
- 6 Slices Slow Roasted Tomatoes, rough chopped
- 3 Cloves Roasted Garlic, chopped (garlic will break down when combined into salad)
- ½ Ripe Roma tomato, diced
- 6 Olives, pitted & quartered (I used kalamata and Moroccan green)
- 6 Marinated mushrooms, quartered
-2 Tbspn fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Fresh baby Arugula
- Cracked black pepper & sea salt
- Basil leaves (3-4 per serving)
- Part skim Ricotta cheese (1/4 cup per serving)
- 1Tspn. fresh grated lemon zest (per serving)
- Sliced rustic bread (2 slices per serving)

In a good sized container, combine beans, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, olives and mushrooms. Add a little of the oil from the roasted tomatoes and season with salt & pepper to taste. Mix ingredients well, cover and refrigerate overnight if possible before dividing.

Chiffonade basil leaves by stacking leaves into a neat pile, roll lengthwise and slice into thin rounds. Separate the ribbons with fingers & combine with ricotta & lemon zest in a small sealable container.

When dividing for lunches, place approx ¾ cup of bean salad into a sealable container and top with a hearty handful of baby Arugula (placing on top will prevent rapid wilting) and seal. Pack ricotta mixture & bread separately, and when ready assemble into lunch portion bruschetta and take a few minutes to relax and enjoy.

Curried Eggplant Delight

As we are now officially into the summer season, my menu planning takes a turn to lighter, more refreshing meals. I get a lot of daily recipe and cooking emails, and one such recent email fit the bill perfectly for using fresh summer produce, and employing fresh herbs from my windowsill. Real Simple is hands down one of my favorite magazines (I’ve been an avid reader and subscriber for the past two years), and a lot of their recipes ascribe to my cooking philosophy of keeping it simple (no surprise there!) in order to showcase the natural flavors of the ingredients. When the recipe for Curried Eggplant & Tomatoes with Basil popped up in my inbox, I knew it would be a smash success, and it was! I used the original recipe as a guide a tweaked for my own taste. My husband and I both really enjoyed it- the combination of eggplant and chickpeas made for a substantial vegetarian meal that left us both really satisfied. I used just a bit of light yogurt to add a little richness to the sauce, and the basil and curry played off of each other really well. Instead of serving it over rice (as suggested in RS’s recipe), we opted to use cauliflower mash, which cut out some of that heavy carb feeling and upped the veggie intake. I actually had the leftovers the next day for lunch, and the curry flavor was more saturated after a night in the fridge. It’s an easy weeknight meal to pull together, and I would even recommend serving it at a casual dinner party- it would be great for a homestyle dinner where large dishes are passed, and would go well with homemade pita chips on the side. All in all, a wildly tasty dish!

Curried Eggplant with Tomatoes and Basil
(Adapted from Real Simple, Cauliflower recipe my own)

For the Cauliflower Mash:
-1 Medium head of fresh cauliflower, broken into florets
-2 Tbspns salted butter (optional)
-2 Tbspns low fat Greek yogurt
-Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

Steam cauliflower florets over boiling water in a vegetable steamer until fork tender. Remove from heat & transfer florets to a large bowl heatproof bowl. Add in butter & yogurt and mash using a handheld masher, stick blender or hand beaters until smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Mash can be kept warm over a low simmering pot of water for up to 30 minutes. Give mash a good stir before plating.

For the Eggplant Curry:
-1 Large eggplant, about 1-1 ½ lbs. cut in 1 inch pieces
-1 Pint cherry tomatoes, halved
-1 Medium onion chopped (I recommend a sweet onion, such as Vidalia)
-3 Medium cloves of garlic, minced
-1 15.5-16oz Can of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
-3+ Tblspns good curry powder (I used Spice Island’s Spicy Curry Powder for a little extra kick)
-Good handful of fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ - ½ Cup of low fat Greek yogurt
-Olive oil
-Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
-Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Couple tspns fresh cilantro, minced (optional)
-Crumbled goat cheese (optional)

In a large sauté pan or wok, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until slightly translucent- about 3 minutes. Add in tomatoes and continue cooking for a few minutes, seasoning with salt & pepper. Add in eggplant, and cook until it begins to soften slightly about 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic, curry powder and red pepper (if using), and cook another few minutes until fragrant (adjust curry powder to your personal taste, I tend to be a bit heavy handed personally). Add in chickpeas and about 1- 1 ½ cups of water and stir to combine all ingredients well. Simmer, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender and chickpeas are heated through, about 15 minutes or so. Turn off heat, add in basil and yogurt and stir to combine well. Adjust salt & pepper seasoning to taste. Serve over cauliflower mash with chopped cilantro and goat cheese sprinkled on top.

Note: This dish would also be wonderful over brown rice, Israeli (or regular) couscous or any other hearty grain.

Satisfying & Light Weeknight

Once again, menu planning from The Book (as it will now be referred to) strikes with great success! My husband and I are heading to Philadelphia to see a dear friend from college get married this weekend, so I didn’t want to do a lot of grocery shopping this week since we would be on the road, and were some items that I wanted to use up before we headed out of town. I had flagged Mario Batali’s Spaghetti with Artichokes and Pancetta the second it graced the cover of Food & Wine’s April 2010 issue, and knew it was a flavor combination I wanted to work with. I have a lot of respect for Batali as a chef- he seems to really know who he is, both as a person and a chef, and he has a wonderful backstory to his rise to fame.
I love a simple pasta dish, especially something that can be thrown together easily on a week night without feeling like an afterthought. Following Batali’s flavor profile, I amended the components for what I had on hand, and the result was a perfect after workout spring supper that was wholly satisfying. By switching to an unrefined whole grain pasta, I upped the fiber and grain intake, and I thought he pairing of the light artichokes with the hearty fettuccini made for a great balance. I also switched out the pancetta for leaner prosciutto, helping to lighten up the dish further. The dish was only further confirmed a success when my husband not only cleaned his own bowl, but happily devoured my leftovers when I offered them up for sacrifice. Paired with a bright salad, Whole Wheat Pasta with Artichokes & Pancetta is a perfect spring meal.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Artichokes & Prosciutto
(inspired by Mario Batali’s Spaghetti with Artichokes & Pancetta)

- 6-8oz. jar marinated & quartered artichokes
- ½ Red Onion, sliced thinly
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4oz. Good quality lean prosciutto, sliced into ribbons (freeze the prosciutto for 10-15 minutes to make slicing easy)
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Zest of ¼- ½ a lemon
- Scant ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ Package of whole wheat fettuccini or spaghetti
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Chopped flat leaf parsley or fresh basil (optional)

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a rolling boil, and build sauce while water is coming to temp. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a high sided pan or wok (big enough to hold pasta when cooked) and add in prosciutto. Keep prosciutto moving & cook until well crisped, but not burned. Transfer to paper or kitchen towel to drain. Add in a little more olive oil and sauté artichoke hearts until warmed through, breaking up if pieces are large. Add in onion and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Introduce garlic, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant and softened. Pour in wine and lemon juice, stirring to combine and cook until slightly reduced. Drop heat to low, add in lemon zest, stir to fully incorporate and adjust flavor with salt and pepper to taste. Sauce can be set aside while pasta is cooked. Follow recommended cooking instructions for pasta, reserve about ¾ cup of cooking liquid and drain well. Add cooked pasta to sauce with cooked prosciutto and toss well, adding some of pasta cooking liquid to loosen sauce to a light consistency and have even coating on pasta. Sprinkle liberally with fresh parmesan cheese and herbs (if using) and serve immediately.

Artichoke

Fist 'Fel of Chickpeas

It’s been a very busy week in my little world- my husband and I spent the weekend up in Maine for Fisherman’s Festival with our family and friends, I drove down from Boston on Monday morning after dropping him off at his ship, my Mother-in-Law came for a visit, and work has been a zoo. As a result of all these happenings, I have had very little motivation to cook, at least until last night. I had thinned out our fridge stock before leaving for the weekend, and it finally got to the point where I had to go to the store yesterday and re-stock. I had spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to figure out what I wanted to make for dinner (nothing too time consuming, something relatively healthy and light), when it finally dawned on me: falafel!

I had been trolling one of the cooking chat posts I frequent and Josie of Pink Parsley had posted a recipe for baked falafel that suddenly struck a chord with me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had falafel, and knew it would be the perfect easy dinner, and it was! I made a couple of amendments (noted in italics) to Josie’s recipe for what I had on hand, and they turned out wonderfully. I was thrilled to be able to use some of the fresh herbs I’ve been growing, and the flavor of these little patties was on point. To serve with the falafel, I picked up some marinated olives, mushrooms, garlic and feta off of the olive bar, mixed up a quick batch of Fantastic World Foods tabouli from their mix (my go to for quick items when I just don’t have the energy, with wonderful organic ingredients!), made a quick zucchini Tzatziki sauce (which has been long evolving from various sources) and threw on a little Sabra roasted garlic hummus for good measure with some with some lentil & black bean pappadum snacks and had a perfect light meal! I found the papadum snacks in the world food aisle at our local grocery store (think bright blue Pringles canister, but much more tasty holdings), and I am already addicted to these crispy little lentil treats. They’re about the size of a silver dollar and packed with flavor. As an added bonus, they are already cooked, so you don’t have to worry about frying.

Although this wasn’t one of my usual “from scratch” meals, it was wholly satisfying without being overwhelming to make. I noticed in putting this post together that Josie’s recipe had been an evolution of a recipe from Kate’s World Kitchen, which had come from a recipe on Epicurious. I love that idea within the food blogging community, recipes can be passed down and altered along the way and shared with others, and each time the dish takes on a new personality and a new story. The possibilities for falafel are endless, and I know this will be a go to again and again!

Falafel with Fresh Herbs and Zucchini-Lemon Tzatziki

For the Falafel (adapted from Pink Parsley’s Baked Falafel):

- 1 Cup dried chickpeas or 16oz. can of Goya chickpeas, rinsed & drained
- 1/2 Large onion, roughly chopped
- 4 Tblspns. finely chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf)
- 2 Tblspns. finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 Tblspn finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 Tspn. Cayenne- I upped it to about ½ tspn or so, I like a little extra kick!
- 4 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 Tspn ground cumin
- 2 Tspn. dried coriander
- Juice of 1 lemon- also added in ¼ of a lemon’s worth of zest for brightness
- 1 Tspn baking powder
- Up to 4 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour- I used regular whole wheat flour as I had it on hand
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper
- Olive oil

Place chickpeas, onion, spices, lemon and salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse several times to form a paste (I used our Magic Bullet. Don’t laugh- it worked!). Transfer paste to a good sized bowl, check salt & pepper seasoning and adjust if necessary. Mix in baking powder until well incorporated. Adding 1 tablespoon at a time, mix in flour until dough comes together in large firm mass (if mixture becomes too dry, you can add a little extra lemon juice or water).

Set oven warm, and place a metal rack over a baking sheet in the middle of the oven. Using your hands form chickpea mixture into approximately 2” balls and flatten into patties (work quickly so that mixture does not fall apart). Place patties on parchment paper.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Just as oil begins to smoke, add patties in and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, working in batches. Transfer patties to rack in oven to keep warm. Add additional olive oil as needed between batches. Once all patties have been cooked, serve with your favorite accompaniments, either in pitas with fresh greens, Tzatziki sauce and veggies, or as part of a platter with marinated olives, hummus, feta and tabouli salad. Falafel patties also freeze well, as there is minimal moisture and heat up quickly on the stovetop or oven.

For Zucchini- Tzatziki Sauce:

-1 ½ cups plain Greek Yogurt
-1 Small zucchini, minced (you can sub with a small cucumber, seeded and chopped too)
-2-3 Tblspns fresh dill, minced
-1 Large or 2 small cloves garlic, minced
-Juice from ½ a lemon
-1-2 Tblspns fresh lemon zest
-Sea salt & cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and let sit as long as possible to allow flavors to come together. In addition to being an excellent falafel accompaniment, this sauce is wonderful when served as a dip with fresh vegetables or homemade pita chips. Also great on grilled lamb as well!

Curried Vegetable Soup

Winter time is a perfect time for a big, delicious pot of soul-comforting soup. It not only makes your whole place smell incredible (especially to husbands and loved ones coming through the door after a long day at work), but is so simple, and a great way to use up a lot of ingredients that may be getting a little long in the tooth. There's a long standing family joke about my grandfather's recipe for soup referred to only as "Old Delicious", based loosely on beef barley with a staunch "don't ask, don't tell" policy when it came to the actual ingredients. Grampie was a magician when it came to stretching his ingredients to feed his eleven (yes, you read that correctly) children, and it's a trait that has been passed down through the generations. This frugality is a personal point of pride for me, and I love being able to make excellent food out of seemingly simple and inexpensive ingredients. This recipe for Curried Vegetable Soup is extremely versatile and is a lot of fun to play with until you get the perfect combination of ingredients to suit your palate.

Curried Vegetable Soup

-2lbs. Assorted vegetables (such as onion, celery, garlic, carrot, eggplant, mushroom or whatever else you have hanging around, sweet potatoes are also a great addition!) chopped into uniform 2" pieces.

-Olive oil

-Cracked pepper

-Salt

-Curry powder

-Vegetable stock or water (stock will add more rich flavor)

-Hot sauce (optional)

-1 1/2 Cups grilled chicken, cubed or grilled shrimp (optional)

-Toppings: Greek yogurt, toasted pine nuts, chopped cilantro, roasted red pepper strips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss veggies in enough olive oil to coat (if using eggplant, use more, as it will absorb a lot!), and a generous amount of salt, pepper and curry powder. Personally, I toss ingredients together in a large heavy duty dutch oven, which cuts down on the amount of dishes used, as the dutch oven can be transported directly from the oven to the stove top. Roast veggies for 20-25 minutes in the oven, until flavors begin to meld, but veggies don't burn. Pull out of oven and transfer to stove top over medium heat. Add in stock or water to cover all veggies and bring to a low boil. Use a good sized wooden spoon to scrape off any "drippings" from the bottom of the pot- there's a TON of flavor in 'em! Adjust seasoning as needed, adding more curry, s & p or hot sauce, depending on your preference. At this point, I usually use an immersion blender to create a beautifully velvety texture, but if you prefer it chunky, leave it as is. A great aspect of blending the soup is that it creates a deceptively rich texture, and you can fool yourself into thinking it has some sort of cream base when it doesn't, sneaky! If using chicken, add in after blending. Allow the soup to sit and come together as long as possible (or as long as you can stand it!) to really get the most out of the final flavor. Top with Greek yogurt, roasted red pepper strips, toasted pine nuts, cilantro, extra curry or whatever suits your taste. Relax with a big ol' bowl, and watch the snow drift by.

This is also a great soup for freezing- since my husband is out to sea a fair amount, I usually make large freezer friendly dishes to portion out and freeze for later. I throw a good size portion of cooled soup into a freezer friendly zip bag, squeeze out the air and freeze. In the bags, they're easy to pull out as needed, are less likely to fall victim to freezer burn and take up less space than regular plastic containers.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Ok, so for these first couple of posts I've been focusing on some rich & tasty stuff, and since we are entering a new year, and I will be finding myself in a bathing suit at the end of the month (ah, come on!), I thought I'd toss in a recipe for something that does not involve cheese (sigh), cream (grumble) or any other of my favorite bad foods. In all honesty, I actually really love this salad, and eat it a lot for something quick and filling that won't destroy all those hours of sweatin' to the oldies. It was actually inspired by an awesome edamame salad that my hometown grocery store makes, but with a couple of tweaks. It's great as is, over a green salad, as a dip for tortilla chips or pretty much an other application you can think of.

Edamame Salad

-1 Package of shelled edamame (be careful to get the type with no additives, some companies will add funky stuff to maintain freshness which can really effect the taste!)

- 2/3 Cup of cooled corn roasted w/ cumin, olive oil, salt & pepper (roast @ 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring & checking often)

-4 Cloves of spicy marinated garlic cloves, minced*

- 2-3 of the hot peppers from marinated garlic, minced (adjust the spicy to your liking)*

-1/2 Cup of black beans (rinsed & drained if canned)

-Juice of 1/2 a lime

-Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and mix thoroughly (if you're having a bad day, toss 'em all in a re-sealable container, slap on the top, and shake the hell out of it. You'll feel better, trust me.). The salad will get better the more you allow the flavors to come together, so I would recommend letting it sit over night in the fridge. If you want to impress your friends, inform them that this dish is also vegan friendly. Cause you're so progressive.

*Hot pepper marinated garlic is pretty widely available off of those fancy olive bar/carts in most grocery stores. A word to the wise, it's got a fairly high level of spice, so exert caution if this is your maiden voyage into using marinated garlic & peppers. If you're feeling extra spicy, toss in some of the curing oil for some extra flavor kick. If you a bit of a Nancy, skip the garlic & pepper and sub in a little chopped red onion. Don't forget to pull down your skirt. :-)