Tag: Chickpeas

Greek Pasta Salad

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Hi there! When I think of summer I think of barbecues and potlucks, and at these gatherings there’s often a pasta salad. But it’s usually covered in a heavier mayo based dressing, and contains little to no veggies. This Greek Pasta Salad is full of different textures and flavours, while being super healthy at the same time. Crispy chickpeas, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, and pasta all get tossed together with a delicious greek dressing. You can even toss in some feta and red onion if you’d like. This is the perfect recipe to bring to a barbecue, or to enjoy as a light lunch;)

Greek Pasta Salad

Serves: 4 as a meal, 6-8 as a side

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Chickpeas:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 tbs cumin
  • 1/2 tbs Chilli powder
  • 1/2 tbs paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 two allspice
  • 1/2 the garlic powder

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tbs dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad:

  • 2 1/2 cups cooked rotini ( I used pasta made from chickpea flour)
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 a cucumber, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 a can of black olives, sliced

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spices. Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.
  2. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients with the roasted chickpeas. Add in the dressing and toss until everything is coated.
  4. Enjoy!

I hope you like this summer recipe! I’ve posted a video of myself making it on Instagram if you need extra directions. See you Wednesday!

Your Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

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Hey peoples! I hope you’re having a great weekend;) To help you prepare for the coming week, this recipe falls under the “freezable” category, and I’m so excited about it because it is absolutely delicious! I would eat this curry for lunch every day if I could, but I force myself to ration it for days when I don’t have time to make anything else. That’s another great thing about this recipe; if you mix in about a cup of grains such as quinoa or barley (my personal favourite), you can freeze it and have a full meal that heats up real easy in the microwave, no cooking required. Also, this recipe is super easy, despite the long cook time. If you’re in a rush, you can cut the sweet potato into smaller chunks so that they cook faster. Finally, when the curry is finished cooking I use a potato masher to mash it up a little bit. This creates a thicker texture. Scroll down for the recipe.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

Serves: 4-6

Total Time: 70 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs avocado or olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 large sweet potato, cubed into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tbs curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp chile powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (or more, if you like your curry nice and spicy)
  • 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup water (optional)
  • juice of 1/2 a lime
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup cooked grains, for serving/freezing

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add in the garlic, cumin, curry powder, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is very aromatic.
  3. Pour in the tomatoes and chickpeas and sir. If the sweet potatoes are all covered by the tomato mixture, then you do not need to add water. If they aren’t, I suggest adding the water so that they cook faster. You can also add the water if you want to thin out your curry.
  4. Let the curry simmer for about 40-60 minutes. You want the sweet potatoes to be soft, but not mushy.
  5. Once the curry is done simmering, squeeze in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then mash it a little with a potato masher until desired thickness is reached. This step is optional.
  6. Add in the cooked grains, then cool completely before scooping into sealable plastic bags and freezing. It should keep for about 3-5 months in the freezer.
  7. Microwave and enjoy!

 

I hope that you enjoy this recipe! It’s not going to be the last curry recipe that I post- I absolutely love curry! Have a great week;)))))

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

Healthy Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

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Hello! Today is Monday (Ugh!) and I was craving something hearty after school. Usually I make a salad or something, but I just wasn’t feeling it. So, I looked up a sloppy joe recipe and totally made it my own- replacing the beef with chickpeas. After making it I discovered that it would probably go great over quinoa or even just by itself in a bowl! Here’s my recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, roasted (check out my Roasted Chickpea Salad recipe for directions)
  • 1/2 tablespoon avocado/ olive oil
  • 1/2 a medium onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 1/2 a bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 a can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp white vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

  1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add in the onions. Cook until translucent (6-7 minutes).
  2. Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, celery, pepper, garlic, mustard, vinegar and all of the spices. Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low and let the ingredients reduce for about 7 minutes.
  3. Add in the chickpeas and stir. Let the mixture simmer for another five minutes to let it reduce and build flavour. This is when you can taste it and see if it needs any extra seasoning. If you like your Joes spicy, feel free to add a 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper.
  4. Remove from heat and serve on sprouted wheat bread, over quinoa, or by itself! Store in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled.

And there you have it! Doubling this recipe would be great so you can have it on hand in the fridge for lunches and snacks. Hope you enjoy my Joes!

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;))