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.

Baked Feta and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Pasta

This is a fantastic way to use your bounty of cherry tomatoes just coming on right now.  The dish this was inspired by presented this as an appetizer to be scooped onto bread or crackers.  I have no doubt that would be amazing, but when I saw it, all I could imagine was generously pouring the flavors over a simple pasta. It did not disappoint and will be a staple this summer/early fall and many to come.  So easy and absolutely packed with fresh flavors.

 In a strange departure from my typical salt-tooth, I felt that the kalamata olives were too overpowering, but a jury of 3 tasters were equally split so I included them in the recipe as optional.  Notes~ If you want to make an appetizer out of it, I suggest you cut the recipe in half!  And in the picture above, there is pecorino cheese sprinkled on top as well.  Up to you!

Baked Feta and Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Pasta (serves 4-6, or 3 in our house.)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Kalmata olives, pitted and chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 8- to 10-ounce block feta, sliced ~1/2” thick


1lb pasta of your choice (I think linguini would be best, but we had it with gluten-free brown rice spaghetti and it was excellent)

Directions
In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, olives, shallot, garlic, basil, oregano, olive oil and a few grinds of pepper. 

In the oven: Heat oven to 400°F.  Place the pieces feta in the middle of your dish. Pile the tomato mixture on top of the feta. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes wilt. (The feta will not melt, just warm and soften.)

While mixture is baking, cook pasta to your taste, then drain and toss with olive oil.

Serve over freshly cooked pasta; eat immediately. As it cools, the feta will firm up again but it can be easily reheated or eaten cold for breakfast.

Adapted from this recipe on Smitten Kitchen.

Roasted Garbanzo beans (Chickpea poppers)

These have become somewhat of a problem around here.  Mike and I are going through them extremely quickly- like 1-2 cans a day - he says they taste like fried chicken.  I finally got around to making some from dry beans to have a little more say in the salt factor, cut costs and get away from the BPA in the cans with the rate we were consuming them!  At any rate, these are delicious, easy to make and very versatile.  Any kid except mine should love these.  They make a great packable snack full of great fiber and protein and are much more satisfying than other snacks I seem to stuff my face with until I feel some sense of fullness.  I have fallen love with making them using curry powder &/or Old Bay, but you can use any spice you think of that sounds tasty. 

If you are using canned garbanzo beans, keep an eye on the amount of sodium used in the brand you are choosing.  I have found they vary wildly and can quickly veer away from being quite as nutritious when you are eating 2g of sodium in a sitting.  Like baking with butter, I think it is best to use unsalted or lowest salted then add your spices as you like it. I will include a note about cooking your own from scratch below, but out of convenience, the recipe is written for canned.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed*
• ~1tsp-2tbls 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
• ~1tsp optional spice (curry, Old Bay, smoky paprika, cumin....)

Directions
In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the spices you want.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately25-35 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...

*If cooking from dry beans, simply 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.  I found that when I did it this way vs. from canned beans, they cooked a little more quickly and were a little crunchy, more like corn nuts.  You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:  YOU MUST TRY THESE TOSSED WITH THE TUSCAN KALE SALAD!!!

I don't want to sell this smoked salmon wonder salad short, but the Kale salad truly is over the moon.  I just lost my pictures with a computer crash.  boo.

Green Chili Enchilada/Lasagne (Gluten Free, Dairy Adaptable, Vegetarian Adaptable)

This recipe was one of a few that I had thought would be on the blog way back in the beginning.  I think I have been putting it off for so long since its initial inception was made for me by someone who had a devious hand in changing the course of my life many years ago.  At the time, I never thought I had space for gratitude for her, but now as I look at where my life is, who is in it and how much I still love these darn enchiladas, well...... I am grateful for many things. 

This is a favorite recipe by our family and all but one person who I have served it to has absolutely loved it (that person actually had a fairly violent and hilarious projectile vomiting reaction that we still talk about to this day.  I just think he was a real sport for trying it).  It is probably one of the most versatile and easy recipes you could make in all possible aspects.  Below will you find what I hope will be merely a suggestion on how to make these, but feel confident subbing in different cheeses, different veggies and whatnot.  I would actually call it "Tofu Enchiladas" if I thought anyone who wasn't a vegetarian wouldn't panic at the title.  The tofu hides incredibly well in this, but it can be easily made as veg, beef, chicken, pork, whatever.  I have made it in enormous batches and frozen them for months to be used in the future and it holds up very well, just maybe add a bit of extra sauce if it seems dried out after it thaws in the fridge.  Like the Baked Ziti, It is another great option as a meal to bring for a family who needs meal help to just stash in the freezer.  Just make sure it is thawed in the fridge for 2 days prior to the anticipated meal, then place on the counter for 1-2 hours from the fridge or it will take forever to get hot.
Yesterday, I was just way to lazy to go through the process of stuffing and rolling tortillas for the actual enchilada presentation and made it into a layered, lasagna-style affair and I am doubting I will ever take the time to make the rolled fashion again (although the enchiladas look better on the plate).

Also, yesterday I was sharing it with a family that I didn't think would groove on a full-on tofu dinner, so I made it half silken tofu and half chicken and only about 1c spinach since it was all I had.  The silken tofu just comes across as ricotta or something.  If they read this post, I suspect that this will be the first they learn that it was full of tofu, it just hides that well with the rest of the flavors and textures.  I will say that it was the first time I used chicken in this and I loved it.  Below will be a vegetarian version  as it is typically intended and the meat added as option.

Enjoy!

Green Chili (Tofu) Enchiladas (makes one 9x13 pan and one 8x8 pan)  Preheat oven to 400deg

• 2 pkg soft or medium tofu (or my new favorite- silken tofu)
• 2c chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 can artichoke hearts (optional but strongly encouraged)
• 1/2-1c pecorino, feta or parmesean cheese (optional, but...)
• 18-22 corn tortillas
• ~3c jack or pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 2-19oz cans of green chili enchilada sauce, you may have a bit left over 
• **if you want to add chicken, about 3-4c shredded will be great.  Turns out one of those fancy roasted chickens from the store works perfectly.

Note: if you need a great non-cow cheese option, use pecorino and this Feta cheese.  For full non-dairy, use your favorite soy or rice cheese.

Directions, Enchilada Style
1. Either use oil or a small amount of the enchilada sauce to cover the entire bottom and sides of the pans.
2.  Chop up the artichoke hearts if using and mix them well in a medium bowl with the tofu, spinach and non-jack cheese and/or chicken if using the optional options.
3.  Either steam or microwave your tortillas for a few seconds, a few at a time, to make soft enough to roll without crumbling into a million frustratingly dry pieces.
4.  Scoop about 1/4-1/3 heaping cup into each tortilla, roll it up and set it in the pan, seams down.
5.  Top liberally with enchilada sauce, then top liberally with jack cheese and bake for about 30-40 minutes.  I typically start with foil loosely over the top, then finish uncovered to brown the cheese for about  the last 10-15 min.

Directions, Lasagna Style
1. Either use oil or a small amount of the enchilada sauce to cover the entire bottom and sides of the pans.
2. Chop up the artichoke hearts if using and mix them well in a medium bowl with the tofu, spinach and non-jack cheese if using the optional option.
3.  Cut the tortillas into quarters, then line the pans fairly well across the bottoms.
4. Place the entire tofu + veggie mixture on top of the tort layer, then make a second tort layer on top that doesn't need to be quite so tightly spaced if you don't want.
5.  Put maybe 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over the tort, then add the shredded chicken and a sprinkle of the shredded jack cheese to make it interesting.
6. Top with a final tort layer as you did the middle, then top that with the rest of the enchilada sauce and finally cover with cheese, then

La Victoria is best by a mile. 

1st layer

Tofu stuffing.  Tastes great!