Rosted Lamb Shanks With Garbanzo Beans

 

Roasted Lamb Shanks With Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients:
2 to 4 lamb shanks with bone in
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 sweet onion sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 to 3 cups chicken broth
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
6 to 8 fresh carrots unpeeled with greens removed

Directions:
Generously season lamb shanks with salt and pepper before browning in olive oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven. Remove when done.

Sauté sliced onion in the same pot for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste, then cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low heat until tomato paste darkens slightly.

Add 2 cups chicken broth, shanks, and rosemary. Cover with tight-fitting lid, remove from stovetop, and bake at 325 degrees F for 2 hours 20 minutes. 

Add canned garbanzo beans and carrots, then cook for another 40 minutes. Add more chicken broth if dry.

Notes
This meal also can be made in a slow cooker. For this method, reduce liquid to about 1 inch. Brown the shanks before adding them to the 

bed of onions in the slow cooker. Add all the ingredients in at the same time and cook for about 3 hours on high..

Butternut Squash Salad with Feta Cheese and Olives

 Salty feta cheese and olives are the perfect flavor balance to sweet, caramelized butternut squash in this simple, satisfying side dish. Bulk the salad up with rotisserie chicken and serve over bulgur, rice, or couscous for a hearty fall entree.

Ingredients
8 cups diced butternut squash (from 2 medium squash)
1 red onion, diced
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/3 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss together squash, onion, 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper on rimmed baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven until squash is browned and tender, 20 to 25, rotating pan on rack after 15 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, honey, oregano, dill, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.

Garbanzo Beans And Tomato Stew ~ Vegan and Gluten Free

Garbanzo With Tomato Stew

Ingredients:

1 cup dried garbanzo beans

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

4 small potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes with juice

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup chopped parsley

Directions:
Sort beans and soak overnight in bowl using 3 times as much water as beans. The next morning rinse beans with cold water. Put beans in heavy saucepan, cover with two inches of water and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until tender (35-45 minutes).

In large pot, heat oil and sauté onions 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, potatoes and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, thyme, cooked beans, water, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve stew garnished with parsley.      Serves 4

Ultra-Creamy Hummus

Ultra-Creamy Hummus

And here’s the best part: Superlative hummus requires only a little more time and effort to make than that lunch box stuff. Here’s my component-by-component approach.


2 cans Chickpeas, drained and rinsed well. 

1/2 tsp baking soda, will help take skins off.

Cook in 6 cups water, bring to boil for 20 minutes

While the Garbanzo Beans are boiling 

4 cloves garlic, minced  

Measure 1 tablespoon minced garlic and add to 1/3 cup lemon juice

Add 1 teaspoon salt  

Stir and let set for 10 minutes 

Strain to remove garlic, dispose garlic

When ready, drain garbanzo beans.  Add cool water to pan.  Swish with hand in water which allows skins to release and scoop out released skins. Rinse 3 or 4 times to remove skins.

Save  2 tablespoons of chick peas for garnish

Place chick peas in food processor with marinated lemon juice, 

1/4 cup water (I would suggest starting with 3 

   tablespoons) 

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup Tahini. (light colored tahini is not bitter)

Stir in by hand, 2 T olive oil

Serve with:

Carrots cut at a diagonal 3" or 4"

Radishes

Persian cucumbers, quartered lengthwise

Pita bread (thick)

For Garnish:

Sprinkle of cumin

Couple of chick peas 

Parsley

Drizzle of olive oil

Notes:
How you treat the chickpeas impacts the consistency of hummus more than any other factor, because they are firm (even when cooked) and covered in tough skins.

My most effective tricks were overcooking them and removing their skins. It takes hours to soak and simmer dried chickpeas, but simmering canned beans took about 20 minutes. (There’s no shame here: Dried and canned beans are equally good in this recipe.) I also added baking soda to the saucepan, which raised the water’s pH and helped the skins break down and slip off. By the end of cooking, there was a “raft” of skins floating on the surface that was easy to remove by draining and rinsing the beans a few times.


Tahini
Tahini is hummus’s major source of richness and flavor and significantly affects its consistency. Brand and color matter here, since the tahini’s shade indicates how much the sesame seeds have been roasted. Lighter tahini, made with lightly roasted sesame seeds, tastes distinct but mild, whereas darker tahini, made with heavily roasted sesame seeds, is unpleasantly bitter.

One thing I discovered: It’s important to process the other hummus ingredients before adding the tahini. That’s because its proteins readily absorb water and clump, resulting in overly thick hummus. Processing the other ingredients without the tahini allows the water to disperse throughout the mixture; then, when the tahini is eventually added, its proteins can’t immediately absorb the water and clump, and the hummus doesn’t become stiff.

Water
Water is often added to enhance the spread’s creaminess. I started with 1/4 cup and, depending on the consistency of the tahini and the hummus itself (it thickens as it sits), added more water by the teaspoon.

Olive Oil
Typically, all the fat in hummus comes from tahini, but 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil made my version especially silky. To avoid overprocessing the oil, which can release bitter-tasting compounds, I added it with the tahini.

Lemon Juice + Garlic
Instead of incorporating garlic directly into the hummus as most recipes do, I briefly steeped a few minced cloves in lemon juice, strained and discarded them, and added only the infused juice to the dip—a technique from chef Michael Solomonov’s popular hummus recipe and one that we’ve used in the past for Caesar dressing. The juice’s acid neutralizes alliinase, the enzyme that creates garlic’s harsh flavor. That way, we capture some—but not too much—of the garlic’s sharp, raw bite and strain out the pulpy bits.

Chickpea And Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Chickpea And Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Ingredients:
15 ounce can Garbanzo beans

1 roasted red pepper, skin and seeds removed

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, leaves only

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Add a little water if it is too thick. Blend until smooth. Serve with fresh vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, celery, or whatever you desire.

Serves: 4; Serving Size: ¼ cup

Five Bean Salad

5 Bean Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 (8.75 oz.) can corn
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans
1 (15 oz.) can black eyed peas
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons oregano leaves, optional

Directions

Rinse and drain each can of beans and corn.

Toss the beans, corn and diced onion together with the olive oil in a large bowl.

Add salt and pepper, and mix well.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the sugar in the vinegar. Mix with the beans.

Toss well with cilantro and oregano, and serve at room temperature for maximum enjoyment.

Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas

2 15-oz cans  chickpeas rinsed and drained (approximately 4 cups)

3  tbsp canola oil
  freshly ground black pepper (about 8 twists of the pepper mill) 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F

Dry excess moisture from Chickpeas using paper towel.  Combine chickpeas, canola oil and spices in medium bowl.  Stir and spread onto parchment paper cookie sheet.

Roast for 30 minutes in oven.  Stir, roast another 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey (agave would be amazing too!)
1 teaspoon baking powder**
a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn’t have salt in it
1/2 cup chocolate chips

**If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.

*

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F 

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they’re combined.

Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.

With wet hands, form into 1 1/2″ balls. Place onto a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don’t do much rising. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Yields about fourteen 1 1/2″ cookie dough balls.

Lebanese Fattah: Chickpeas, pita chips, and labneh with garnishes

Lebanese Fattah:  

Chickpeas, Pita Chips, 

And Labneh With Garnishes

This dish comes together quickly when you have a well-stocked larder with labneh, chickpeas, and pita chips. I like to make these regularly and keep them on hand at all times! You can use peeled chickpeas, my favorite, but from dry or canned will work fine here too. Add fried eggplant, roasted chicken or lamb for extra oomph.

Serves: 2
Ingredients:
For the chickpeas:
2 cups chickpeas
½ cup water
Big pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the labneh:
1 cup labneh
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Squeeze of lemon juice

For the garnishes:
Pita chips
Scallions, thinly sliced
Radish, grated
Pine nuts, toasted
Fresh mint, finely chopped
Pomegranate seeds 

*

Instructions:
In a small saucepan, heat the chickpeas with the water and salt until warmed through. Strain the chickpeas and in a small bowl, stir in the olive oil

Mix the labneh with the garlic, salt, and lemon juice.

In two lovely bowls, mound the warm chickpeas in the center. Spoon a big dollop of labneh on top. Surround the chickpeas with the pita chips, scallions and radish, then garnish with pine nuts, fresh mint, and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.







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Chickpea Burgers

Chickpea Burgers

Chickpeas, a very versatile legume, are a good source of protein.  So whether you’re vegetarian or just want to try a new type of burger, this recipe, Chickpea Burgers, is a healthy alternative to your traditional burger.   4 servings

Ingredients:
1 19-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
½ cup diced onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
To prepare burgers: Place chickpeas, scallions, egg, flour, oregano, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, until a coarse mixture forms that holds together when pressed. (The mixture will be moist.) Form into four patties.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until golden and beginning to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip and cook until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes more.

Hummus With Whole Wheat Flatbreads

Hummus With Whole Wheat Flatbreads

The recipe I share today is from Alice Waters.  Alice is the lady who coined the term Nouvelle Cuisine.  She operates a small and very intimate restaurant in Berkley CA.  Reservations are a must and also if you are lucky.  Her menu changes daily due to what is fresh from the garden or at the market.

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Ingredients:

Hummus

3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked and 

    drained overnight

1/4 preserved lemon, rind only, chopped

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice  

2 garlic cloves smashed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt

*

Flatbreads:

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup warm water

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*

Directions:

Make the hummus: 

In a saucepan cover the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with 2" of water and bring to a boil.  Simmer over low heat until the chick- peas are tender, about 1 hour; add more water as needed to keep them covered.

*

Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and drain the chickpeas.  Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor.  Add the reserved cooking liquid and the remaining hummus ingredients and process until smooth.  Season with salt.  

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Make the flatbreads:

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt and baking powder.  Stir in the water and olive oil and knead to form a moist dough.  Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest 30 minutes.

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Heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Divide the dough into 16 blls.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball to a 6X3 inch oval.  Cook 2 flatbreads at a time in the skillet until they start to brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes.  Flip until they start to cook in spots on the other side.  Just before serving, turn each flatbread over an open flame until lightly charred, 1 minute.  Serve with Hummus!  

Falafel

Falafel

I always like to keep vegetarian recipes on hand.  This is a middle eastern classic.

***

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas
3/4 cup dried split fava beans
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, quartered
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon lemon juice or more to taste
grapeseed oil for frying

*

Directions:

Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 4".  Soak for 24 hours, checking occasionally to make sure you don't need to add more water to keep the beans covered.

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Drain the beans and transfer to a food processor with all of the remaining ingredients except the oil. Pulse until minced but not pureed. Add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to make sure the machine is able to work. You want to mixture is as dry as possible, though. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning to taste. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

*

Form the mixture into balls a little smaller than golf balls and flatten just a little. In a nonstick pan, heat 1/4" grape seed oil on medium high heat until it sizzles when  a small piece of falafel is added. Turn the heat to medium.

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Add just one falafel to begin with and fry until all sides are a deep golden-brown (about 6 to 7 minutes). If it browns too quickly, turn the heat down a little.  If the falafel sticks to the pan, dredge the falafel in a little flour. From there, cook the remaining falafel in the oil. Serve with pita bread and tahini sauce.

Summer Salad of Mini Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Bell Peppers.

Summer Salad of Mini Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Bell Peppers

A cool dish for those hot summer days!

Ingredients:

3 mini cucumbers

4 tomatoes quartered

1/2 each, yellow and orange bell pepper, finely diced

2 green onions, including firm greens

12 Kalmata olives, halved and pitted plus more for garnish

1/2 of a 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained

salt and pepper

*

Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon finely chopped dill

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

finely grated peel of one lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

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Directions:

In a roomy bowl, combine cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, green onions and halved olives. Put garbanzo beans in a small bowl and cover with water, gently swish around with fingers to loosen any skins. Pour off water and any loose skins, gently shake to dry and add to the salad. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper to taste.

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To prepare vinaigrette, place herbs, grated lemon peel and juice, and a few pinches of salt in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil.

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Pour the vinagrette over salad and toss gently with a wide rubber spatula. Taste for salt. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with olives, and unless you are serving the salad with a meat or fish or chicken dish, add any optional garnishes to turn the salad into a complete meal.

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To hold the salad more than 30 minutes before serving, toss the cucumbers with 1/2 teaspoon salt and place in colander to drain for 30 minutes before adding to the salad. This draws the water out and keeps them nice and crisp.