what are you people making?

It's summer and I don't ever feel like cooking.  What are you cooking lately?

roasted chick peas with garlic and chard

I know this little blog is all but dead, but I made this recipe tonight to finish off some chard we picked up from our food co-op last weekend and I loved it so much, I needed at least the perception that I was sharing it with someone, even if no one reads it (besides my sisters, whom I will coerce both to read and to make immediately.)

I got this recipe from Dinner with Julie (original link to this recipe here) who has posted some incarnation of this several times, and it finally stuck with me enough to try it out. but the basic gist is this: rinse 1-2 cans of garbanzo beans. throw on a baking tray with a whole head of peeled garlic cloves (not chopped - just peeled and left whole), toss with olive oil and roast in the oven at 450* until golden. meanwhile, tear up a bunch of chard (except the tough center stalk), saute it in more delicious garlic (chopped this time - 6 cloves! yum) and olive oil for a few minutes until it starts to wilt, toss some liquid over it (I used chicken broth, about 1/2 cup), cover it and let it cook down. Mix all together, and eat it all up.

this recipe makes me glad I bought the giant container of garlic from costco, because I'm going to have to make this a LOT more often, and I'm going to need a lot of garlic to do it. seriously, it's delicious. try it! (oh, p.s. I only actually had half a bunch of chard because Jim put the other half in our smoothie this morning, so I supplemented with spinach and it was still delish.)

Moroccan Squash

I made the following dishes for dinner tonight--both very yum.

From SMITTEN KITCHEN (link here)

Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash
Adapted from Gourmet

Cooking spaghetti squash in your microwave is super-quick, but roasting it isn’t much more work — I’ve made it both ways and it works equally well. This works great as a side, but I tried something different this time and bulked it up with canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed. We had it with couscous but if I had thought of it sooner, it would also be great with some sautéed greens.

Serves 4

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, if you’re cilantro-averse

To cook the squash in a microwave: Pierce squash (about an inch deep) all over with a small sharp knife to prevent bursting. Cook in an 800-watt microwave oven on high power (100 percent) for 6 to 7 minutes. Turn squash over and microwave until squash feels slightly soft when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool squash for 5 minutes.

To roast the squash, two methods: If you’d like to roast the squash whole, pierce it all over with a small sharp knife to prevent bursting and bake it in a 375°F oven for one hour. If you are good with a big, sharp kinfe, you can save some time by cutting the squash in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds and roasting the halves face-down in an oiled baking pan for about 40 minutes in a 375°F oven.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it is barely golden. Stir in spices and salt and remove from heat.

If you have microwaved or roasted your squash whole, carefully halve it lengthwise (it will give off a lot of steam) and remove the seeds.

Carefully halve squash lengthwise (it will give off steam) and remove and discard seeds. Working over a bowl, scrape squash flesh with a fork, loosening and separating strands as you remove it from skin. Toss with the spiced butter and cilantro.

and this from VEGAN YUM YUM

BROILED HARICOTS VERT WITH ROASTED TOMATOS (link here)

Slow Roasted Tomatoes
2-3 Pints Grape Tomatoes
Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Bake for 40-60 minutes until very soft and beginning to color. Can be made a day in advance.

Broiled Green Beans
16 oz Haricots Verts (or regular green beans)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
1 Pinch Sugar

Coat green beans in oil, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Place them on a baking sheet covered in foil.

Both yum and not very hard.

homemade pizza

so...this isn't the healthiest thing on this blog, but it's summer and it is what i am eating.

I found the recipe and pictures on smittenkitchen.com.

here is her recipe:

1 batch Simplest Pizza Dough or a store-bought pizza dough that will yield one small (approx. 11 to 12 inches across), thin pizza

1 lemon
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
Few leaves of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
1/2 medium yellow zucchini, sliced as thinly as you can pull off with a knife or your mandoline (I went for 1/8-inch thick with mine)
1/2 medium green zucchini, sliced as the same as above
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Roll your pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal.

In a small bowl, stir together the goat cheese with the juice of half your lemon. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, and spread it over your pizza dough. Scatter fresh basil slivers over the cheese.

Arrange your zucchini coins in concentric circles over the goat cheese spread, overlapping them slightly. You can alternate their colors, if you’re feeling fancy. Squeeze the juice of the second half of your lemon on top of you zucchini, then drizzle with olive oil and finish with more salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes (your baking time will vary, so please watch carefully), or until the edges of your pizza are golden brown and the zucchini looks roasted and a little curled up at the edges. Serve with a green or even simple tomato salad.

WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY:
my lemon was moldly, which was really too bad, so i added sauteed mushrooms and red onion. it was tres tres yum.

Barley, Black Bean, & Corn Burrito Recipe

A new-found favorite!

Ingredients:
1 can (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup dry and prepared)
1 can (10 ounce) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 cup uncooked fine barley
2 cups fat-free, less-sodiumchicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup frozen whole-kernal corn
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
16 totillas (6 1/2 inch)
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese,
2 tablespoons shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 cups thinly sliced curly leaf lettuce
2 1/4 cups salsa1
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sour cream

Place first 11 ingredients in a 3-1/2- to 4-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 4 to 5 hours or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in cilantro. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/3 cup barley mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle each with 1 Tablespoon cheese. Roll up. Place 1 cup lettuce on each of 8 plates; top each with 2 burritos. Spoon 1/4 cup salsa and 2 Tablespoons sour cream over each serving.

Bible Sandwiches

Whole Wheat Pitas
1 Head Cabbage, Shredded
4 Avacados, Smashed
Mayonaise to Taste
Sprouts
Sunflower Seeds
Tomatoes, Sliced
Monterey Jack Cheese
Spike Seasoning

Shred the cabbage or chop finely. Smash avacodos and mix into cabbage. Dab in some mayonaise to taste. GENEROUSLY flavor with Spike seasoning (key ingredient). Mix thoroughly. In pita pocket layer LIBERAL amounts of cabbage mix, sunflowers seeds, cheese, tomatoes, and sprouts. Enjoy!!! Definitely my favorite sandwich.

Olive Garden Soup Recipe--YUMMY!

Tried and True! Quick and easy!

2 T olive oil
1 c diced onion
2 ribs diced celery
2 c chopped italian plum tomatoes with juice
6 c chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans with juice
1 15 oz can white northern beans with juice
1 c ditalini or small pasta

In large stockpot, heat oil. Add onion and celery; cook for 2 minutes on low until soft. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add all ingredients but pasta. Simmer 30 minutes, add pasta and cook 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning. Remove bay leaves before serving and top with 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup fresh parsley.