Chickpea Salad with Fresh Herbs, Tomatoes, and Carrots

(photo by Bradford Fishback)

I seem to come up with my favorite creations when I only have about five minutes to plan and thirty minutes to cook. This mediterranean-inspired dish is light, but filling at the same time. Also, it's a great use of fresh herbs! (Something I've been aiming to use more of lately.)

UPDATE (09.08.10): When I first made this, I was in a very garlicky mood apparently so I threw in five cloves of garlic. After eating this again as leftovers, I have realized that five cloves is far too much and I've changed the amount to two cloves of garlic.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chick peas, drained

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half and then quartered

2 carrots, peeled, quartered, and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 onion, chopped

1 big handful parsley, finely chopped

1 big handful cilantro, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When oil is glossy, add onions and garlic and cook until onions are transparent, about 2-3 minutes. 

Add carrots, cover with a lid and cook for about five minutes until carrots are just tender (but still with a bit of crunch). 

Add chick peas and cook for another five minutes. 

Next, stir in tomatoes, parsley and cilantro. Let all ingredients meld together for a few minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with a lemon wedge, or sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving. 

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Cheese Toast and Yogurt with Cucumbers: Place a piece of gouda cheese on slices of bread and toast in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes. Serve salad on top of the toast and use the toast to help scoop up juices from the salad. 

You may also include a side of plain yogurt with diced and skinned cucumbers...a true Mediterranean staple. Maybe someday, I'll make tzatziki. 

Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint (or Cilantro)

I do not like coleslaw. There is too much mayonnaise, in my opinion. But I do like mango slaw. This salad is perfect as a summer accompaniment to any grilled meal, including burgers, steaks, or chicken.

*adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and julienned

1 half head cabbage

1/2-1 red pepper, julienned

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from about two limes

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons oil of your choice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup thinly slices fresh mint leaves (I accidentally bought cilantro at the store, instead of mint so I used that instead--still great and maybe even better if you're making this to accompany a Mexican dish)

1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Toss mangoes, cabbage, red pepper and onion in a medium-size serving bowl. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle over mango mixture and serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to let flavors meddle for about an hour. When ready to serve, mix in mint (or cilantro) and cashews.

Enjoy!

Grilled Nectarine Summer Salad

When summer comes around, there is a lot of talk about grilling. I love it. There's nothing like a fresh meal that has been cooked outside in the open air. BUT...grills are for boys. BIG tools, BIG fire, and BIG slabs of meat. So, my feminine touch on grilling ironically involves a very masculine man...George Foreman. The George Foreman grill is perfect for small bites. Easy clean up. And you can use it year-round. This recipe, of course, can also be done outside--a great option if you're already heating up that fire-breathing bad boy.

INGREDIENTS:

(for the dressing--adapted from organicauthority.com):

1 nectarine, peeled and pitted

3 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (slightly less if you have a mild palette)

(for the salad):

6-10 oz. fresh greens (spinach, spring mix, or butter lettuce would all work well)

1-2 oz. fresh goat cheese (or fresh feta cheese)

2 firm, but ripe, nectarines, pitted

1-2 Tablespoons pine nuts (can also substitute almonds or pistachios)

DIRECTIONS:

Make the dressing. Blend all dressing ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Pour into a serving dish, cover, and let chill in refrigerator.

Prepare the salad ingredients. Slice each nectarine into 8 pieces. On a well-oiled grill (or George Foreman ;) ), place the nectarine slices. Let cook for about 2 minutes and flip, using tongs. Cook about one more minute. Set aside on a plate and let cool. 

Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add pine nuts. Let sit for a minute and stir around. Once toasted, remove pine nuts from heat and let cool.

Once pine nuts and nectarines are cool, mix all ingredients together and let the summer sizzling begin!

SERVING SUGGESTION:

For a more filling alternative, serve with sliced grilled chicken or blackened chicken on top.

Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

Sometimes Almost always, simple is better. The other day, I read something on CuisineNie about simple and whole foods that rings so true. I think this is one of the best bits of advice for anyone who wants to cook good food.

"It’s amazing how little one can do to screw up good foods in their whole form. For example it’s nice to behold each spoonful or forkful as it makes its way to my palate and be able to say, 'this is a beet because it looks just like it did when Jane plucked it out of the garden'."

With that, I give you a dish that is delicious because of the way these ingredients come out of the earth (or goat?). Read on.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

2-3 oz. goat cheese

Olive oil to taste (very little)

Balsamic vinegar to taste (very little)

DIRECTIONS:

Slice cherry tomatoes in half with a serrated knife. Place in a bowl and crumble goat cheese over the top. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and an even tinier bit of balsamic vinegar. Mix gently and enjoy.

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Lay 4-6 slices of sourdough bread on a baking sheet. Lightly butter the slices and sprinkle with garlic and parmesan cheese. Toast in a 350 degree until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve tomato and goat cheese mixture as a spread on the toast. Mmmmm.....

Blueberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

We are big fans of blueberries in this household. We've recently discovered dried blueberries, and they are the perfect pre-dinner snack. As Brad says, it's a party in your mouth. We also have a habit of stocking up on fresh blueberries when they're on special at the grocery store. So, I figured it would be a good idea to develop a cache of recipes that use this fine, fine fruit.

*adapted from twinberryfarms.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 6 oz. package fresh blueberries

1/4 cup canola oil

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

Pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pour into a creamer or gravy boat and toss with fresh mixed greens, cucumber, feta cheese, red onion, and dried blueberries.*

*Some other good salad choices are: fresh spinach, pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, goat cheese, sliced grapes, celery, red pepper, and snap peas.