Spicy Chickpeas and Greens - Greenslove Blog Hop

Greens of some sort make a daily appearance in the meals served at our house. I'm in the midst of planning my garden, and next to tomatoes, greens will have the largest presence. Right now we are planning what to plant where in the beds, trying to decide the best material to use to build them, and starting seeds. I'm so excited to have a garden again! I'll share pictures once we get things rolling.

Being a co-host of the #greenslove blog hop, I've got a virtual cookbook showcasing some of the most drool-worthy recipes from some of the best bloggers right at my fingertips.  And so do you.  That's a pretty cool thing, if you ask me. Be sure to check out the bloghop going on beneath this recipe to add to your collection of healthy greens based recipes.

In Spicy Chickpeas and Greens, nutty chickpeas mix with fresh greens in a spicy tomato sauce and are served over a bed of brown rice.  Yum!

Spinach is my favorite green to use when making this dish, but chard works well, too.  You may notice in the photo that this time I used collard greens because that's what I had on hand.  While it was still tasty, I don't really suggest using collard greens because they were a little more bitter than what works well with the spices.  If you decide to use chard, be sure to cut out the stems and use only the leaves.

Spicy Chickpeas and Greens
serves 5-6

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) *you can use the same amount of purchased chopped tomatoes
• 3 c cooked chickpeas
• 4-5 c fresh spinach or chard, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 c cooked brown rice
• Crumbled feta cheese and lemon wedges for garnish, if desired

In a large deep skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onion for about 10 minutes or until tender.

Stir in the lemon zest, cumin, chili flakes, salt and pepper.  Heat for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Cook for about 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Mix in the spinach or chard.

Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 8-12 minutes, or until greens are wilted and sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the lemon juice and adjust salt accordingly.

Serve over brown rice. Top with feta and more lemon juice, if desired.

March is #greenslove month!

Please join in the #greenslove fun by linking up any leafy green recipe from the month of March 2012.  Don't forget to link back to this post so that your readers know to come by the #greenslove event!  The twitter hashtag is #greenslove.

Check out the #greenslove co-hosts!

Al Dente Gourmet ~ Aldy ~ @AlDenteGourmet

ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan

Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl

Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins

BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker

Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth

CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog

Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess

Cheap Ethnic Eatz ~ Evelyne ~ @cethniceatz

Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies

Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes

Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica ~ @kbelleicious

Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk

My Twisted Recipe ~ Dudot ~ @mytwistedrecipe  

No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley

Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose

Queen's Notebook ~ Elizabeth ~ @Mango_Queen  

Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar

Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla

Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem

Soni's Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 

Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable

Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 

That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick

The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~@TAofCRF

The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd 

The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian

Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack

Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

Very Veggie Baked Ziti

This baked ziti is my Dead-of-The-Winter version, when there isn't a fresh tomato worth anything to be found for hundreds of miles and I've used up all of my stored summer sauces.  I'm perfectly content with purchasing a good quality, organic marinara sauce under these circumstances, especially because most of those sauces (as well as salsas) are packaged in glass jars versus BPA laden metal cans.

What I don't understand is the hold up for diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, plain old tomato sauce, etc, to join the ranks and be sold in glass jars.  It quite infuriates me, to be honest.  If pasta sauces and salsas have always been sold in jars, why in the world can't the manufacturers just make the move on the most basic tomato products already?  Pomi sells their tomato products in a "tetra pack", which is BPA free.  Eden Organic is trying to work out the kinks in their packaging to provide a BPA free product.  And Bionaturae already sells tomatoes in jars (just not in my neck of the woods).  Apparently some other companies have jumped on the bandwagon to rid our food of BPA contamination, too.  Where I live, the nearest Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is nearly 150 miles away, and the choices beyond the canned tomatoes is limited to Pomi, so that is what I use when I need to supplement my tomato stash.  And I'm pretty happy with the product (although, the tomatoes do come from the other side of the world). I do have to wonder, though, when the news will come out that some ingredient in that packaging is certain to cause some kind of detrimental health ailment.  It's kind of crazy that we have to question so many things about the health and quality of a package of tomatoes, don't you think?  I swear, this summer, I'm putting in a garden of some fair size to supplement what's available at the farmer's markets. Yes, this is they year, folks.

The nice thing about this ziti (in which I used penne because I didn't have any ziti) is that by using a pre-made marinara, the simmer time is reduced by a couple hours.  It's easy enough to jazz up the flavors of the sauce (because, let's face it - store bought pasta sauces are seriously lacking in personality), and by adding some more diced tomatoes to the sauce, we have enough total sauce to make a delightfully moist, flavorful baked ziti.

Very Veggie Baked Ziti can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Very Veggie Baked Ziti
serves 8-10

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3 large portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 green or red bell pepper, diced
• 1 24-26 oz jar meatless marinara
• 1 1/2 c (or 15 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c dry red wine, optional
• 1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano (or 1 1/2 Tbs fresh oregano, chopped), divided
• 15 oz whole milk ricotta
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded
• 3/4 c grated parmesan, divided
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lb dried ziti (or penne, or other tube shaped pasta)

In a dutch oven or large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute mushrooms, garlic, celery, onions, and bell pepper for about 8 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in the marinara, tomatoes, wine (if using), parsley, basil, and 1 tsp oregano (or 1 Tbs if using fresh).

Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer at least 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta until aldente.  Be careful not to overcook. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 c parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.  Mix well.

In a 13x9 baking dish, spread 1 cup of sauce.  Top with 1/3 of the pasta (about 1 cup).

Top the pasta with 1 cup sauce.

Drop 1/3 of the cheese mixture by teaspoons full over the sauce.

Continue layering two more times; sauce, pasta, sauce, cheese, sauce, pasta, sauce, cheese.  Top with any remaining sauce.

Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and oregano.

Cover with foil*.  Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

*If you want to make this dish ahead of time, cover and refrigerate after it is assembled.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.

Pizza 101 - Perfect Pizza Sauce and The Liebster Award

When most of us think of pizza, we think of it coming with oodles of cheese and toppings, and a red sauce made from tomatoes.  Some of us like it with a white sauce, which is thickened milk with butter, cheese and herbs, or just an olive oil glaze with garlic, or salsa, or beans, or ricotta with herbs, or...  Some of us like it with any one of those things.  I am one of those people.  So, while it was difficult to choose which sauce to cover, I decided to go with the traditional tomato sauce for the second portion of the Pizza 101 tutorial. I did toil, and I finally decided that I could be here for days and still not cover all of the best sauces for pizza.  Really.

This very flavorful basic red sauce is extremely simple to put together regardless of the season (I have an awesome fresh sauce recipe for summer tomatoes to share when tomatoes are back in season).  But since I'm presently out of said summer sauce (no fresh tomatoes worth a squat in the dead of winter where I live and I've used up my stored lot), I'll share a simple tomato sauce made from pureed tomatoes, dried herbs, fresh onion and garlic.  Some people like a sweet sauce (I am not one of them), and if this is you, add a little raw honey or a pinch of sugar to the sauce.

Perfect Pizza Sauce
enough for two 12-14 inch pizzas

• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce or tomato puree
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 Tbs onion, shredded (do this with a fresh onion and a cheese grater)
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together.

After you have rolled out your crust, use half of this mixture for each crust; spread with the back of a spoon over the crust to within a half inch from the edge.

If you do not use the whole recipe, this sauce will keep in the refrigerator for several days, and it freezes well, too.  We always have some on hand because my kids like to make little pizzas for lunch from the bread dough always present in our fridge (thanks to the awesome technique provided by the Artisan Bread in Five duo, who, by the way, have a new book entirely dedicated to pizza which is most definitely worth a look if you love pizza as much as we do).

And, of course, I will share more pizza recipes in the future that include some of those other delicious sauces.

Next up - Toppings (and how to make your own Italian sausage)!

But first, I'm so excited to share this news:

Yesterday I was flattered to be awarded the Liebster award from Mama F at Doggie at the Dinner Table.  Then, last night, I recieved another from Chris at Sweet Mornings!  What an honor!

The Liebster Blog Liebster is German and translates to "dearest" or "favorite". It is meant for up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

- Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog

- Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you

- Copy and paste the blog award on your blog

- Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed

- Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog

I feel extra fortunate that with both awards, I am able to award ten other blogs.  It was difficult to choose only ten because there are just so many fantastic blogs out there, but I've finally gotten my list down.  So, without further ado, I am awarding the Liebster to:

The Wimpy Vegetarian

GeorgieCakes

Vegetarian Mama

Badger Girl Learns to Cook

My Twisted Recipes

The Irish Mother

PassionEats

Table for Seven

Soni's Food for Thought

My Gingerbread Men

Thank you all so much for your support and for reading my blog.  And thank you Mama F and Chris for nominating me!  I feel so fortunate to be a part of such a warm, generous, and supportive community!

Pasta Puttanesca

This is seriously one of the easiest and fastest tomato sauces to toss together for pasta ever.  I suppose "easy" and "fast" are most apt descriptions, considering the translation (puttanesca being a derogatory term for a streetwalker sort of gal).  Personally, I think it's kind of funny - the spice from the crushed red peppers seems to denote and angry streetwalker, and the salty brine of the olives and capers gives her a bit of a bite, keeping her interesting, I suppose.  I like to think she may have needed a glass of wine to balance her out, so I add it to my version of the classic Puttanesca sauce.  The wine does take some of the spicy edge off the dish and makes it a little sweeter, but it also adds depth, which I quite like.

I believe a traditional Puttanesca contains anchovies, and if you would like to add them, simply add about 4-6 anchovies in with the garlic at the beginning, and saute until they have melted.

Pasta Puttanesca
serves 6

• 1/4 c olive oil
• 4 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 1/2 c chopped tomatoes*
• 1/2 c dry red wine, optional
• 1 tsp dried oregano (or about 1 Tbs chopped fresh)
• 1/2 c Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 3 Tbs capers, drained
• 1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
• 12-14 oz whole grain spaghetti pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.

Meanwhile, in a 12" skillet, saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in the olive oil over medium heat until the garlic is tender; about 1 minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, red wine, and oregano; reduce heat to medium low.  *If using fresh tomatoes, simmer for about 15 minutes, and if using pre-packaged tomatoes, simmer for about 5 - 6 minutes, or until it has a nice pasta sauce consistency.  Stir occasionally.

Stir in the olives, capers and parsley.  Continue to simmer another 5 minutes.

Toss with hot pasta.  Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.


Don't forget that during the whole month of January, the #citruslove blog  hop is going on!  Check out my Lemon Thyme Chicken Strips post for a constantly updating list of fabulous citrus themed recipes and links to all of my fabulous co-host's blogs for more great recipes!

Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Technically, eggplants, like cucumbers or tomatoes, are fruits, not vegetables.  But since they are eaten as a vegetable, I fully intend to refer them as such (plus, it's just easier and less confusing that way).  Honestly, I don't care what they're called; I just like to eat them.

Eggplant in season, much like a cucumber or tomato, is an entirely different vegetable from the eggplant shipped up from warmer climates during winter or spring.  Out of season, eggplant tends to be spongy, bruised, and bitter, and who would want to eat something like that?  If you've only ever eaten eggplant in that state, well, you have my deepest sympathies.  Right now, the farmer's markets are brimming with shiny, firm, sleek eggplant, and since it only comes once a year, I'm roasting, baking, frying, mashing, dressing and otherwise loving it.  It's so fresh that it doesn't need to be peeled or salted and pressed to help disguise the bitterness of age.  Baked, like the Eggplant Parmesan recipe I'm about to share, the eggplant takes on a creamy goodness that bears no resemblance to it's winter counterpart.  And it's a wonderful thing.

I love the traditional baked eggplant parmesan casseroles, layered with marinara and oozing with mozzarella.  But sometimes, I just want a lighter, but filling, pasta dish.  In this recipe, we'll bread and bake the eggplant cutlets, whip up a quick, fresh tomato basil sauce and serve it over pasta.  All those fresh ingredients working together on the plate make this dish heavenly.

When choosing your eggplants, look for ones that are about 3-4 inches in diameter, with shiny purple, taught, unmottled skin.  Try to avoid the larger ones for this dish if you can because those tend to have more seeds and seem to harbor more of those bitter qualities.  If for some reason you question the integrity of your eggplant, you might want to prep it with salt; after you cut your rounds, salt both sides of each round and place on a cooling rack or in a colander for about 30 min to allow the salt to bring out all the bitter juices.  Rinse the salt and pooled juices from each slice and squeeze the excess water by gently pressing them between your palms, and then pat dry with a towel.

Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Serves 6.  30-40 min cooking time.

• 2 medium eggplants (about 2lbs), peeled if desired, and sliced into 1/2" rounds (slicing on the diagonal makes for a larger cutlet, and is especially nice when you reach the narrow neck of the eggplant)
• 1 1/2 c dried bread crumbs (preferably homemade)
• 1 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• few pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbs water
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 
• Fresh Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
• 1 13-14 oz pkg spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine pasta 
• Grated Parmesan or torn pieces of fresh mozzarella for topping

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

On each of 2 15x10 jelly roll pans, spread 1 tsp olive oil with a pastry brush.  

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  In another shallow bowl, blend together the eggs and water with a fork so there are no gloopy chunks.  

Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg mixture, turning to coat.  Shake off the excess egg and dredge the slice in the Parmesan mixture (use your hands to add more, if necessary).  Place each slice of eggplant on the prepared baking sheets.  When all the slices are coated, slowly drizzle a little olive oil over the tops of the prepared eggplant (about 1/2 tsp per slice).  It should look like this when you are done:

Place the sheets in the preheated oven for 20-25 min, turn the slices and bake another 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden.

• Meanwhile, get your pasta pot and tomato sauce going.  Prepare the pasta according to package instructions.  The sauce only takes about 5 minutes, so plan accordingly so everything is finished at the same time.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

• 3-4 large tomatoes (about 2 lbs), diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• few pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c chopped fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

In a 12 inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the garlic for about a minute.  Add the diced tomatoes and juice, salt and pepper, and stir.  Reduce the heat and allow the tomato mixture to simmer uncovered about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in the basil and balsamic vinegar.  Stir well and remove from heat.  *If you are not ready to use the sauce right away, cover, leaving a vent, to keep warm.

Divide the pasta between 6 plates.  Top with 3-4 eggplant parmesan slices and a big spoonful of the sauce.  Top with either more grated Parmesan or with torn pieces of fresh mozzarella.

Cherry Tomato and Feta Crostini

I love those cute little multi-colored cherry tomatoes! They are so pretty,  so sweet, and for being so tiny, they sure do pack an abundance of flavor.  And because of all that flavor, not a lot needs to be done to enjoy what they have to offer.  One of my favorite ways to serve them (and eat them ) is in a lightly dressed salad and topped with some salty feta cheese.  Pile it all on top of little garlicky crostini, and they make a lovely, simple appetizer, or, in my case on the day I made the crostini in the picture, lunch for 4-6 people.

For this recipe, many of the ingredient measurements aren't listed because everyone likes a little more of this or a little less of that, and it's such an easy recipe that's it's literally impossible to ruin it.

Enjoy!

Cherry Tomato and Feta Crostini

• about 30-35 cherry tomatoes (preferably various colors)
• 4 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 12 basil leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• several  1/4" slices day old crusty bread (french, sourdough, etc)
• 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled
• olive oil for drizzling
• Feta cheese, crumbled

Quarter the tomatoes and place them (and all the juice) into a medium size serving bowl.  Stack the basil leaves, roll up tightly, and run a sharp knife through the roll to create thin ribbons.  Like this:

Add the green onions, lemon juice and olive oil to the bowl of tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Gently toss the mixture and set aside.

Prepare your toasts:  Broil each side of the breads until nicely brown.  Rub one side of each with a garlic clove, just to get that yummy fragrance onto the toasts.  Drizzle each toast lightly with olive oil.

Pile the tomato salad onto each toast and top with crumbled feta cheese.

Cucumber Salad with Dilled Yogurt

Cucumbers fresh from the garden are one of life's little pleasures.  The harvesting season is entirely too short, if you ask me; I wish it was all year long.  Of course, there are cucumbers available at the grocery store all year long, but just because they look like cucumbers, doesn't make them cucumbers.  Fresh summer cucumbers not only smell like cucumbers, they taste like them too (which isn't true for the winter cucumbers in the grocery store).

Because it is so crazy hot here right now (90 degrees Fahrenheit and oppressively humid at 10am) , I don't feel like fighting the air conditioning in the kitchen with the heat from my oven.  So, it's going to be a salad sort of day.  I've got some of those luscious cucumbers and some big, beautiful tomatoes resting on my counter, and I can almost hear them calling to me to dress them in yogurt and dill.  They like that.

This version of this salad is simply utilizing what I had on hand.  A squeeze of lemon in the yogurt sauce is nice, too, but I didn't have any.  If you've got a lemon, go ahead and give it a little squeeze.

Cucumber Salad with Dilled Yogurt
(serves about 4)

• 1/2 c plain yogurt (full fat)
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
• 1-2 big tomatoes, sliced about 1/3" thick    
• 1-2 cucumbers, sliced on the diagonal 1/3" thick
• very thinly sliced red onion, (about 1/4 of the onion, maybe less)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix the dill, yogurt, and a little salt together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes to give the dill time to flavor the yogurt.*

Layer 2 tomato slices on each plate, topped with 3 cucumbers and a few strands of onion.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Drizzle yogurt sauce over and top with a little more chopped dill, if desired.

Eat with a fork and knife.

* Note - the longer you allow the dill and yogurt to do its thing, the stronger the dill flavor will be.