Roasted Broccoli, Kale, and Chickpeas with Ricotta

Kale has been one of those iffy veggies for me. I have mentioned that I was really nervous to try kale, since the very first time that I was ever exposed to it was preparing food for animals at the Bronx Zoo. Meat eaters would surly turn their noses away from the ground beef and horse mixture that we fed to the lions, and I felt the same way about the food I was used to feeding to gorillas and gazelles. To me, kale was animal food, not human food.

Kale has been getting pretty popular recently, and I finally took the plunge and tried it. I didn't fall head over heals for it, but I did love adding another dark leafy green into my diet. When you cut out meat from your diet, adding a variety of veggies is the spice of life.

I have been eager to find kale recipes. It took a lot of effort for me not to swap kale for spinach (my favorite dark leafy green), but I found a winning recipe that is my new favorite way to eat kale!


Recipe from Sunday Suppers

What you need:



1 Bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
2-3 Heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
2 Cans of chickpeas
3-4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
4 Tablespoons of EVOO
2-3 Cloves of garlic, chopped
15 oz Container of ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste

What to do:
Preheat the broiler.
Toss the kale, broccoli, chickpeas, and garlic in the olive oil.
Lay out the veggies on a greased and lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on top.
Broil for 5 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the kale is crispy, broccoli is tender, and the veggies are just getting a char, but are still bright green.
Drizzle the lemon juice on top.
Serve with a dollop of ricotta cheese.













This was so garlicky and so delicious. I loved the flavor and crisp of the chard kale. The chickpeas had almost a meaty flavor, which went well with the veggie flavor of the broccoli, plus they added an element of protein. The lemon juice was a nice addition of tartness. There was just the right amount of heat from the red pepper to give it a little kick. And the contrast of hot veggies with the cold ricotta took this to the next level. The mild and soft cheese was almost like a cream sauce, it was the perfect way to top this dish.

What is your favorite way to make kale? Will this roasted kale dish be on your menu next?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Veggie Packed Minestrone

I have tried a number of canned soups, which are always warm, healthy, and comforting in the winter (or any time of year). Every time I review a canned soup, someone always tells me to try cooking it myself. I recently made corn and potato chowder, and was super happy with the result. One of my favorite soups is minestrone. While I love Amy's soups, I knew it was time to try my own!



Inspired by All Recipes.

What you need:



4 small (or 2 medium) potatoes, pealed and chopped
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
5 cups of veggie broth
1 can of green beans
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chick peas
about a 1/2 lb of carrots, pealed and chopped
oil for cooking
your favorite Italian spices to taste (I used basil and oregano)
pepper and celery salt to taste

What to do:
Heat oil over medium head in a large pot.
Saute onion, pepper, celery salt, and Italian seasonings for about 5 minutes.
Stir in canned tomatoes (with juice), chick peas, green beans, carrots and garlic.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 30 minutes.











I was really excited when I had noticed, again, that I made a completely vegan dish...until I added a side of cheesy garlic toast.



I was so pleased with this perfect blend of Italian flavors and tomato. I loved the bite of protein that the chickpeas added, it was almost meaty. The green beans and carrots gave this soup a great veggie packed flavor. The potatoes were nice and soft, and filled with the flavor of the soup. All the veggies made this soup so colorful and beautiful. This soup was so comforting. I'd call it Italian with a twist!

What is your favorite soup? Will your try out this minestrone?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Greek Beet Salad

I have had a strange relationship with beets over the years.  I used to hate them, or at least I thought I did.  They probably just weirded me out so I didn't want to try them (which is why I have never tried bamboo).  They looked squishy and are a weird color, and I was just so grossed out, even though I actually didn't even know what they tasted like.  All I knew is that they were the favorite food of Quailman.


source.

I remember the first time I tried beets was in Disney World.  My dad and I had lunch at The Land pavilion, and I got a salad that had beets in it.  I nibbled and picked around them, but I wasn't all that impressed.  After that, I decided that I was determined to try them for real.

Back in October, while visiting home, my dad and I went to our favorite Greek restaurant for dinner.  They had a beet and skordalia salad, and with some reassurance of its deliciousness from my dad, I took the plunge and ordered it. It was amazing! I had instantly become a beet lover.



Ever since that dinner, I could not stop thinking about beets. Lucky for me, last week Ben pointed out that our super market was having a really great sale on canned beets. Without thinking I grabbed two cans right away. (Maybe I should have thought more, because I got one can of whole beets, and one can of sliced. Oh well.)

Since my beet defining moment was Greek, I decided to make my own version of a Greek Beet Salad.

What you need:



2 Cans of beets
1 Bag of salad
Feta cheese
1 Can of chickpeas
Greek dressing

What to do:
Mix the beets, salad, chickpeas in a large salad bowl.


OMG look at the color on the feta cheese!

Add in the feta cheese, either sliced, cubed, or crumbled.
Mix in the Greek dressing.











First off, I want to say how incredible the color is.  Everything became a gorgeous, bright fuchsia color. It instantly made this fun to eat!  I just loved biting into these beets. They have a sweet and earthy taste with an indescribable texture.  The dressing was tart from the vinegar, and super flavorful from all the different spices. The feta was strong and salty, as always, and gave the salad that unmistakable Greek flavor. The chickpeas added a nice flavor, and also gave this meal a kick of protein.  This salad was so good and I was really happy that I got to enjoy more beets. I can't wait to see what else I can create with nature's candy.

What foods have you been too scared to try? Do you love beets as much as I do?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Garlic Roasted Chickpeas with Lemon, Mint, and Feta

You know you have cooked something amazing when you literally think about eating it all day when you are at work, and you can't wait to go home not to see your boyfriend, or watch TV, but to eat that dish. However, I don't feel fully validated until other people try the dish and love it too.  That is exactly what happened when I cooked this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen.  I really love cooking (and eating) foods with Greek flavors, and these Garlic Roasted Chickpeas were incredible!



What you need:



2 Cans of chickpeas
3/4 oz container of fresh mint
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 Cup crumbled feta cheese
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Drain all the liquid from the chickpeas.
Combine olive oil, garlic, red peppers, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
Put chickpeas into baking dish, and stir in oil mixture.
Roast for 15-18 minutes.
While chickpeas are roasting, wash and chop the mint leaves.



Once chickpeas are hot and just starting to crisp, take them out of the oven.
Stir in the mint, feta, and lemon and serve hot.











There was nothing bad about this dish. The first thing I noticed was the nice bit of heat from the red pepper flakes. The mint was so refreshing and the lemon added the perfect amount of tang.  I loved all the Greek flavors, and Ben even said it tasted like it could be right out of a Greek restaurant! Because there weren't many ingredients, each one stood out, I tasted all the individual flavors, but they all went well together too.  The chickpeas had a nice, meaty, flavor, which were really hearty and filling.  Oh wait, there was one bad thing, I didn't have enough!!

Are you going to try out this chickpea dish?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Chickpea Casserole

Fall! Summer! Fummer? I can't make up my mind. Do I want to hang on to the last days of summer, or jump right into fall? What an interesting time of year. While fall is my absolute favorite season, there is just something so fun about summer. Even though I have been obsessing over zucchini and squash this summer, I am ready for fall comfort foods. I knew it was time to try Amuse Your Bouche's Lemony Chickpea Casserole.

What you need:



2 Cans of chickpeas, drained
Parsley flakes
Onion powder
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled up
6 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 eggs
8 tbsp bread crumbs
ground black pepper (not pictured)

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the chickpeas, onion powder, parsley flakes, vegetable stock cube, lemon juice, and cheddar cheese into a bowl and mix it all up.



In a small bowl, beat the eggs, and then stir in the milk.

Pour the chickpea mix into a baking dish, and smooth it out evenly. Sprinkle the top with black pepper, and then pour the egg/milk mix evenly over the chickpeas. Top with the bread crumbs, also sprinkled evenly over the chickpeas, and bake for 35 minutes.









This casserole was so warm and filling. The chickpeas have their own unique flavor, which really gave it a nice bite. It seems like some of the ingredients would have a contradicting flavor: the egg and the lemon, the lemon and the cheddar, the chickpeas and the egg, but that just made them work together even better in the final product. The bread crumbs gave it a nice crust, and I loved that kick of lemon. The veggie stock cube was a brilliant idea! It has so much flavor, and all the spices you need, in one little cube. Overall this was one amazing dish, and I will definitely be making it again.

Recipe inspired by Amuse Your Bouche.

Will you be trying out this amazing casserole?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Creamy Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a nice week and are enjoying your weekend. I just finished my first week of work. I can't say its fun, but its going really well and I'm enjoying it so far.  Being back at work also means packing lunches. I have been scoping my Pinterest pins for perfect lunches for work. I came across Amuse Your Bouche's creamy chickpea salad sandwiches.

What you need:



2 Cans of chickpeas (I only had one in the photo, sowwy!)
1 Cucumber
6 tsp Mayonnaise
Pepper
Garlic powder
Basil
Fresh spinach leaves
Slices of bread

What do to:
Drain the liquid out of the cans of chickpeas and dump them in a big bowl. Chop up the cucumber in small pieces and add them to the chickpeas. Mix in the mayo, pepper, garlic, and basil until everything is evenly coated.



That's it! Just scoop a big spoonful on some bread and add a few spinach leaves.







I was a little skeptical of  trying this at first because I really am not a fan of mayo, but adding in the spices made it a creamy and delicious dressing! I thought that little bit of mayo wouldn't be enough, but it was actually the perfect amount. Every chickpea and cucumber was perfectly coated, and the mayo flavor wasn't super strong.  The only downside is this sandwich was incredibly messy. After about 2 bites, almost all of the chickpeas had fallen out the other side. I ended up taking a handful of the spinach leaves and a few scoops of the salad and mixing them together in a bowl and eating with a fork and some bread on the side.  I am so happy I tried this. I can't wait to make it again!

Do you want to try making this chickpea salad sandwich?

Bye from the Veggie Side!

Adapted from Amuse Your Bouche.

Couscous Salad

Hello everyone! Today I have a salad that is just perfect for spring!  It combines light and fresh flavors, with couscous, to make you forget you are even eating a salad. Not only is this easy to make, but it is vegan too!