Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Nutritional Yeast (Gluten/Dairy free)

This is a new twist on an old favorite. It was over a year ago that I originally wrote about Roasted Garbanzo Beans and our consumption has not changed around here except for a slight hiccup during my first trimester when all-things-not-hot-and-sour-soup were off the list.  Since clearing that hurdle, we are all in again.  I rarely deviate from my favorite mix of Old Bay seasoning and Curry powder, but on a whim the other day, I used some Nutritional Yeast I had in the drawer and it was DYNAMITE! 

I keep hoping I will magically drum up the courage to make Nutritional Yeast 'cheese' sauce, but somehow I just keep forgetting.  I know it is all the rage in vegan cheese sub-in's but I am a little scared.  Mostly because its called nutritional yeast. I mean, really.  The name's a little rough.  Even so, its delicious on popcorn, so it must be delicious on garbs, right? 

Because of the shear volume of consumption of these around here, I always make these from dry beans, but you can use canned beans if you want, just try for a lesser sodium brand and start in step 2.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1lb dry garbanzo beans or 2 cans, drained and rinsed
• 2-4tbls olive oil (use how much you want or are comfortable with, I just drizzle it out of my bottle and coat the garbs)
• ~1/2tsp salt
• ~1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
• ~1/4cup Nutritional Yeast

Directions
1. Toss your dry garbs in a pot of water with at least 3 inches water over the top of the beans and bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, then drain. 

2. In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the S, P and NY.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately 25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping them every 10  minutes or so.  They should generally be firmly chewy when done.  I like it when I occasionally over cook a batch and have garbanzo nuts, but Mike and I differ there...

* You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

Sesame Caesar Dressing (Egg-free! Anchovy-free!)

I am a crazy Caesar Salad freak.  Anyone who knows me will easily agree.  Actually, the only thing better than a Caesar Salad is a Caesar Salad with capers all over it.  Gratefully Mia shares with me my love of the caper.  For anyone who knows her, this is the only true proof she is actually my kiddo, as her looks and personality are 100% Mike. 

Finding out I was allergic to eggs and cheese have put a major damper on my Caesar consumption.  I am delighted to have seemingly grown out of a strong egg issue, but still choose to take my hits when it really counts.  So this dressing is a total bonus.  On top of  being egg free, it is fish-free, too !  This is only because I was just too lazy to put anchovies in the salad and used Kalamata olives instead and it was flippin' dynamite.  My favorite Caesar dressing ever used to me adapted from a Cook's Illustrated Light recipe in which they incorporated buttermilk vs. oil.  It was amazing, but a major dairy bummer these days. 

So this recipe uses silken tofu and it works great!  I have been really enjoying how much the silken tofu adds to various recipes and with no offensive tofu-ness for the tofuphobics in the crowd.  It is super-smooth, much lighter vs. oil, and full of protein.

Sesame Caesar Dressing (makes about 1-1.5 cups)

• 8-10 Kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 heaping Tbls Dijon mustard
• 6 oz silken tofu
• 1/4-1/3c olive oil
• 1/2 medium juicy lemon juice
• 1 scant Tbls toasted sesame oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
In blender (I used a Magic Bullet), blend the heck out of the olives, garlic and mustard to make a paste, then plop in the tofu, lemon juice, olive and sesame oil and a dash of S & P.   Blend for several seconds until fully combined- adjust the flavor with more S & P and maybe lemon juice as you see fit.  It should have the texture of fluffy sour cream.

For Caesar Salad
Toss generously with romaine lettuce, Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and croutons!

That's right, it is a strange purplish color.  Don't be scared, it is darn tasty.

It is inspired by "Sesame Tofu Caesar Dressing" out of Simply Ming.

Simple Split Pea Soup

We recently spent the weekend enjoying copious amounts of indulgent, delicious food and (plenty of) drinks while celebrating a friend's wedding here in town.  On the heels of such debauchery, a simple meal was required.  The following 'recipe' is really just a simple way to put together a few ingredients that are easily stored in the kitchen for a quick, healthy and filling meal. 

In addition, this makes an excellent Friday meal for those observing Lent....

Ingredients:

• 1tbls olive oil
• 1 medium shallot or small onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 4-6 cups of water or low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
• ~1 tsp salt, divided
• ~1 tsp freshly ground pepper, divided

Directions:
1. In large pot over medium-high, heat olive oil and add the shallot or onion with about 1/2tsp salt and 1/2tsp pepper. Saute until transparent, about 5 minutes.  Then add the garlic and saute for a minute or so more.
2.  Add the split peas and 4 cups of the water or stock, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring periodically.  You may need to add additional water/stock if the peas absorb it too much.
3.  Once cooked, adjust the flavor with salt and pepper to taste and adjust the consistency with additional stock or water as you like. 

Serve with a good crusty bread (try this one) and if you like, sprinkle with pecorino or parmesan.  Also, I often make it very thick so we can scoop it over a bowl of rice.  Yum!

Shallots here.  I prefer them for their sweeter and more delicate flavor vs. the mighty onion.

Ready!

Roasted Tomato Sauce

 

This is one of my favorite ways to  use huge quantities of tomatoes.  You can be as creative as you want, add whatever spices you want and it is always amazing.  The roasting process turns the sauce into an intense tomato-y delight.  It is nice to add things like pureed zucchini and whatnot to boost the nutrition as well.  I usually freeze in 1-2c batches and our family enjoys it all winter.  Since it is to dang flavorful and rich, I find we only need about 1c per 1/2 or 3/4lb pasta for serious sauce action.  Adapted from Marcella Rosene's recipe in Pasta and Co. By Request.

(Editors note added 9/24/14: Every batch of this changes with what is available, of course.  I have begun regularly using 2-4 carrots and 1-2 zucchini chopped in the pans to roast as well.  Also delicious and unobtrusive is to toss in a few leaves of kale!)

Preheat oven to 400.

In a 9x13 baking dish, combine:

~3-4# Ripe tomatoes, halved (any tomato you have is great here.  I use a combination of whatever is ripe, including cherry)

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

~1/4c olive oil

1/4 cup chopped basil or 4T pesto

~1/2t each salt and pepper

Toss,  cover with foil, roast for ~2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes to mash up big pieces.  Once it has reduced down to ~1/4-1/2 inch in the pan, remove and puree in blender (skin and all, yum!)

Yields approx 2-3 cups, depending on how many tomatoes and how reduced you go.

Note: all of these amounts are approximate and I encourage you to add whatever you like.  The last few times I have made it I added some red peppers and carrots that needed to be used and it took on more sweetness.

Here are mostly basic reds with a few cherry and heirlooms.  I used a few cubes of frozen broccoli/spinach/basil pesto vs. fresh basil and also a few cubes of pureed zucchini for good measure.





Toms 1hr in

  

Toms after 1.75 hr.  As you drag the spatula through it, it leaves a trail

Ready to go!

Simple Roasted Carrots (Mia's favorite)

 Mia can seriously get behind these.  MamaFawn likes them because they are great for delivering nutrients to a munchkin, but also are easier on the waistline than any of the other snacks that a parent is likely to participate in whilst their little one enjoys the post-nap/pre-dinner kcals.  I stumbled on this late last summer when I discovered that PCC sells Nash's Best organic carrots in a 5# bag.  For those who aren't hip to Nash's (or my history with carrots), these are amazingly sweet and juicy carrots that, for some, can be eaten by the pound or two in a sitting.  I was going through a 5# bag a week for quite a while until the orange hue of 1989 started to come back and I had to take a little time off. 

In the case of this household, I usually prep them up early afternoon (nap-time) and they are ready to go when the Peanut wakes up for a sweet and tasty snack.  The roasting process intensifies the sweetness of the carrots and they make great finger food.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Ingredients:
Carrots
Water
Olive oil (optional)

Peel as many carrots as you like and cut in half lengthwise.  Place flat side down into a glass dish.  Add some water to dish (just enough to cover maybe 1/4 of the carrot's height).  Drizzle a bit of olive oil around over the carrots if you wish.  Cover with foil and roast for 30-45 minutes depending on how soft you want your carrots to be and who your audience is.  The water should evaporate out and will help speed the roasting process along by steaming them some. This process is also great for beets and other squash or root vegetables, of course!  Delicious.

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

Adapted from Ina Garten via Smitten Kitchen. (Wheat-Free or Gluten Free Option)

I saw this recipe and couldn't wait to try it.  When we are finally getting our tomatoes in Seattle fresh in late September, you have to get creative to use them all as the bounty arrives.  I'd say any tomato will work fine here, but  I was lucky to have a boatload of heirloom tomatoes ready to go and I think that put this over the top in the intensity of its deliciousness.  I am not very good at 'exact measurements', so I don't think I put enough croutons in when I made it and it was pretty soupy.  Perhaps I will go a bit more bready next time.  I will also try using Gluten-Free bread to make the croutons next time without fear.  The flavor of this dish was absolutely amazing.  Once our guests left, Mike and I practically drank the left-over juice out of the dish. 

3T Olive oil
2C Bread of your choice (I used a hearty wheat bread, despite the original recipe calling for a French boule.  It is what I had on hand)
2 1/2 lb tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch dice (I used a mix of cherries and heirlooms.  Again, it is what I had)
3 cloves garlic minced
2T sugar (really!)
2t salt
1t freshly ground pepper
1/2 c thinly slivered basil leaves (or pesto sub ok, too)
1c freshly grated pecorino or parm

Preheat oven to 350F.  heat olive oil in large saute' pan over med-high.  Add the bread cubes and stir so that they are evenly coated with oil.  Cook bread, toasting on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper and a good pinch of the cheese in large bowl.  When the bread cubes are toasted, add the tomato mixture and cook them together, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in basil.  Pour into shallow (6-8c) baking dish and top with remaining Pecorino cheese.

Bake 35-40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.  Let rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.  Amazing!!!

Pre-cooking here.  I might use a shallower dish next time to allow the juice to evaporate more.