Month: January 2023

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Oven Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

From chewy spiced chickpeas in a rice bowl with veggies or a crunchy snack, canned chickpeas are versatile and affordable.

The recipe in this post is designed to show how you can get very different results using the same ingredient. Changing the cook time is the way to control the texture of the chickpea – 20 minutes results in a just slight color soft texture- to 50 minutes to get a dehydrated crunchy texture. For a sandwich or rice bowl I like the texture to be in the middle.

For authentic recipe techniques and spice blends I look to food bloggers sharing their wisdom. Richa, a food blogger from Bangalore India, shares well tested recipes her family loves. When roasting chickpeas she suggests adding spices in the last 10 minutes to develop a good crunch with a longer cook time while avoiding burning spices and losing flavor. You can see her recipe here:

. https://myfoodstory.com/crunchy-roasted-indian-masala-chickpeas-recipe/

Recipe: Simple Roasted Chickpeas – Choose your texture based on cook time.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, 1 TBS Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, curry powder to taste (curry powder may be hot or mild in your recipe kit)

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Rinse and dry chickpeas. They roast best if they have most of the liquid dried off.
  3. Mix chickpeas with 1 TBS oil and salt and pepper.
  4. Spread on a sheet pan or in a glass dish.
  5. Think about what texture you would like to achieve. If you plan to cook them for 35 minutes or less add the curry powder to the chickpeas and toss to coat. Put in the oven and set a timer. Give chickpeas a stir partway through. If you plan to cook them for longer than 35 minutes, set aside curry powder and 2 additional tsp olive oil. Cook chickpeas for 35 minutes stirring partway through. At 35 minutes, pull chickpeas from the oven, carefully add the oil and and curry powder. Return to the oven and cook till desired crunchiness is achieved an additional 10-15 minutes. Watch for them starting to smoke/get done faster, ovens vary.

Other suggested variations. If making a chewy chickpea, add sliced peppers and roast with the chickpeas. Serve with rice or on a sandwich : )

rinse and dry
spread in single layer to bake
for short cook times add spices and oil to start, save spices for last 10-15 mins and add a little extra oil for longer cook times
texture by cook time
consider adding chopped veggies like thinly sliced peppers or onions, -larger water containing pieces can make chickpeas less crispy- might want to cook veggies separately sometimes
Chewy chickpeas and peppers
serving suggestion: Chewy chickpeas and fresh chopped veggies
serving suggestion: chickpea sandwich
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Classic French Toast

Start your mornings off with this classic french toast recipe! It’s delicious, easy to make, and perfect for breakfast or brunch or just a sweet treat! This week’s dish features eggs, ground cinnamon, sugar, and brioche bread. With a few ingredients, this dish is great for utilizing pantry staples and can be even prepared and stored in advance. Pair with some fresh berries, bacon, or maple syrup for a delightful meal. 

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs or ¾ cup of liquid egg substitute

2 tablespoons of cup sugar 

1/2 cup of milk (optional, but recommended)

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

1 half loaf brioche – 8 slices

Vegetable or olive oil for frying

all ingredients
whisk ingredients together

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a shallow pan or bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract with a whisk. Stir well until everything is smooth. 
  2. Place bread slices into the egg mixture and soak for about 30 seconds to a minute. Make sure that the slice is completely saturated/soaked. 
  3. Heat a skillet over medium-heat heat and add some oil (a tablespoon or so) for frying. 
  4. Carefully place an egg-soaked brioche slice into the skillet and reduce stove heat to medium-low. 
  5. Fry for a few minutes on each side. You want the french toast to brown on one side before flipping, and then only flip once. 
  6. Once golden brown on both sides, remove from skillet. Repeat the frying steps for the remaining pieces of the brioche.
  7. Serve while warm. 
serve
enjoy!

TIPS & TRICKS

COOKING THE FRENCH TOAST

You want to cook french toast on medium or medium-low heat. This allows the egg custard mixture to cook all the way through without burning the exterior. Cooking it too high will yield a cooked crust and raw inside.

MILK

For an extra creamy egg custard mixture, use whole cow milk! You can also use alternative milk, such as almond, soy, coconut, and oat milk (I personally love this recipe with oat milk!). Just be careful not to add too much milk, as it can make the egg custard will make it soggy.

FRENCH TOAST TOPPINGS

Here are some ideas you can try as toppings for your french toast: whipped cream, maple syrup, fresh fruits or berries, chocolate chips, nuts, peanut butter, Nutella, powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce. 

VARIATIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

Try replacing the ground cinnamon with other spices, like pumpkin spice mix, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, apple pie spice mix, etc!

HOW TO STORE

Place in an air-tight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days or place in the freezer (place parchment between each slice if you’re going to stack them) for up to 3 months.

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Broccoli Cheddar Soup

For most of us, soup is an essential winter dish for a comforting and warm meal. Broccoli cheddar soup is simple, delicious, and can be eaten as a stand-alone, filling meal. This hearty, rich, creamy soup features fresh broccoli, cheddar cheese, heavy cream, and garlic– perfect for a quick and easy cozy meal at home. 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of broccoli  (cut into florets)

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

1 ¼ cups of chicken broth/bouillion (or vegetable broth, or bone broth)

½ cup heavy cream

1 ½ cup cheese

4 oz cream cheese (optional: for thicker & creamier soup)

all ingredients
freshly & finely chopped broccoli florets

DIRECTIONS

  1. Chop broccoli into small florets. 
  2. In a medium saucepan, add chicken broth, heavy cream, garlic powder, and chopped broccoli. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.
  3. Add shredded cheddar cheese gradually, stirring constantly until melted. Make sure to keep it on a low simmer to avoid clumping
  4. Remove from heat immediately once all the cheese is melted. Serve while warm. 
boil
simmer
serve

TIPS & TRICKS

BROCCOLI — Make sure to chop the broccoli into small florets. Smaller florets take less time to simmer, and the cheese won’t clump around it. 

CHEESE — Make sure the temperature is not too hot. This is important to ensure that cheese doesn’t seize and clump, so keep the heat very low. Also, make sure to only add a little cheese at a time and continuously stir to avoid further clumping.

ADDITIONAL VEGGIES — Add sauteed onions, chopped cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots, or any vegetable you prefer to create your own variation of this recipe. 

MAKE THIS DISH VEGETARIAN — You can make this vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth/bouillon with vegetable broth.