Roasted Chickpeas

Here are the roasted chickpeas we made last week. We did 3 cans and only doubled (not tripled) the spices. We decided there was a little too much cayenne, and they could maybe have a little more garlic taste--other than that, we liked the amount of spice. I didn't keep track of how long they really took to get crunchy. We did them on low broil and they took at least 50 min. Loved these as an alternative to popcorn during our movie.

So, next time I'll try (oven at 450--20-30 minutes first to dry them out):
3 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed

Combine the following:
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. (heaping) garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Spray the chickpeas with olive oil spray, toss them with the seasonings, and return them to the oven until desired crispness.

Tortellini and Italian Sausage Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage

2 cloves garlic

1 cup water (may need to add more later)

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 tsp. oregano

1 ½ cup sliced zucchini

1 cup coarsely chopped onions
5 or more cups beef broth

1 can cut-up tomatoes

8 oz. can tomato sauce

12 oz. cheese tortellini 

Grated parmesan cheese

Brown sausage in large pot with onions and garlic.  Drain grease. Add beef broth, water, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, and tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered at least 30 minutes.  Skim fat.  Stir in zucchini and tortellini, simmer covered 30-40 min.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on each serving.

Cauliflower (Mock Alfredo) Sauce

I love this sauce! It doesn't have the greasy feel of traditional Alfredo sauce; it's healthier, and it's full of yummy, creamy, garlicky flavor! 

Ingredients:
1 jumbo clove garlic, minced
2 TB butter
Cauliflower florets from 1 head of cauliflower
6-7 cups water or vegetable/chicken broth (or if just steaming, just amount of water needed for that--see 2. below)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup milk (or cream!), warmed
Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated (optional)

Directions:

1.Garlic: Saute the minced garlic with the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

2.Cauliflower--3 options: A) Bring the water or vegetable/chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain. OR B) Steam cauliflower until fork tender and use broth in the next step OR C) Steam cauliflower until fork tender, use 1 cup of the steaming water for the next step, and add 1 bouillon cube to the blender.

3.Puree: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup water/broth (from cooking cauliflower), sauteed garlic/butter, salt, pepper, milk, and cheese if desired. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot over cooked pasta.

Dill Veggie Dip

1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayo
1 TB parsley
1 TB minced onion
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 ½ tsp. dill weed

Stir and chill.

Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup

Pumpkin Waffles (makes enough for my whole family)
Beat together:
3 eggs
1 pound can of pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

Add:
2 1/2 cup flour (I did most w.w.)
1 2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. each nutmeg & cinnamon

Beat all ingredients together. Spray waffle iron heavily with oil. Pour scoopfuls into waffle maker (1/2 cup batter for mine). Serve with whipping cream & cinnamon or apple cider syrup.



Apple Cider Syrup
Combine all in saucepan and boil 1 minute while stirring:
3/4 cup sugar
2 TB cornstarch
1 TB fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh apple cider (or juice would work)

Remove from heat and add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter

Store leftovers in the refrigerator; use within a week or two.

Egg, Ham & Quinoa Muffins

When my friend Natalie makes a new recipe for her family, she asks them to give her a thumbs up or thumbs down about it. And she chooses to not be offended if they give her the thumbs down. This recipe got two neutral thumbs and the rest thumbs up from my family, so I'll be making it again.

Preheat oven to 350. 2 muffin tins--use 16 cupcake liners and spray them. The muffin tins are not fun to clean if you don't use liners!

Mix together: 

12 eggs, whisked
1 cup cubed ham (you could add sausage, chopped bacon or leave out the meat completely if you wish)
1/2 cup green onions, sliced (you can also add more veggies if you want)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or less cheese next time)
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Then add:
1 cup cooked quinoa* (you can add more quinoa if desired--up to 2 cups)

Place 1/4 cup of the egg mixture into each of the 16 cupcake liners. Bake for 25 minutes or more (until the centers are cooked through and the tops are slightly golden brown). My family likes them on the crispy side, like 40 minutes. Apparently these freeze well too--warm in the microwave to reheat.

*How to cook quinoa fast: cook 1/2 cup of raw quinoa in 1 cup of water. Let cook on the stove to steam for 10-15 minutes or until they are tender. Remove the quinoa from the heat and let cool.

Cooking Chicken

I am an old dog that has a hard time learning new tricks--or else, I forget that when one method of doing something isn't working well, sometimes the trick is to simply research new ways and try new things. I wasn't happy with how I cooked chicken for various recipes, so I found this post that has helped me produce more tender "whatever recipe" chicken. So, in case it would help anyone else, this is my post admitting that I finally learned how to cook chicken breasts better.