Browsing Tag

chickpeas

Lemon Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

October 6, 2012
lemon-quinoa-chickpea-salad

Today I’m sharing a simple and satisfying lunch recipe that we prepare when we need a quick but tasty meal. This Lemon Quinoa & Chickpea Salad  is crisp and refreshing with crunchy radishes, chives, basil, chickpeas and quinoa with a lemony kick. It is guaranteed to please.

These kinds of salads have been on our table a lot lately. Throwing together a meal by using up whatever vegetables are at hand – bonus points if we don’t have to go to the store. So I’m going to keep this short. Get off the internet, go do something fun outside and enjoy the fresh autumn air. And make salad.

lemon-quinoa-and-chickpea-salad

Lemon Quinoa & Chickpea Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups of arugula or other leafy greens
  • 2 or 3 radishes, sliced
  • 1/2 cup chives
  • 1/4 cup basil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Lemon Dressing

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp. honey (or agave or brown rice syrup)

Directions:

  1. Rinse & cook quinoa.
  2. Whisk dressing ingredients together. Chop and prep the rest of your vegetables and herbs.
  3. In a large bowl, place minced garlic and salad followed by your cooked warm quinoa. Toss it until incorporated.
  4. Combine the rest of the veggies into the bowl of quinoa and pour dressing on top. Toss and taste. Add more salt & pepper if necessary.

(Photo Credit: my sister, Jenny Norris – jjnorris.com)

Wishing you all a lovely weekend! If you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign up for the figgy & sprout Newsletter. I’ll be sharing exclusive content, lots of fun recipes and little tidbits of what I’ve been up to.

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Baked Pistachio and Herb Falafel

September 18, 2012

baked-pistachio-herb-falafel

baked-pistachio-and-herb-falafel

There are Mediterranean dishes that I have become enamored with. With refreshing dishes like tabouleh and cucumber salads, bold use of garlic and onion, many vegetarian options, and of course, hummus, how can you go wrong?

Quick and easy weeknight cooking is something I try to focus on here. I quite enjoy the process of cooking, especially when I’m feeling inspired, but I think simpler is better. This is one of those meals that we’ve been eating a lot lately and not writing about because it always seems to get gobbled up before I get the chance to capture it in a photo.

These falafels are baked to perfection and burst with flavor from the nuts and herbs. Keeping ours gluten- free, we wrapped it up in some delicious and crisp white cabbage, but if you want a more hearty meal you could certainly wrap it all up in a good pita or flatbread. They received rave reviews in my house and I’m sure they will in yours.

healthy-falafel
Baked Pistachio and Herb Falafel
Adapted from Green Kitchen Stories
Makes about 12  falafels
Ingredients:
  • 4 sprigs of fresh parsley
  • 4 sprigs of fresh mint
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3/4 cup pistachio nuts
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Dash of cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. flour (I used gluten-free rice flour)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • Salt and Pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) .
  2. In a food processor, pulse the garlic and herbs together for a few seconds. Add in nuts and pulse until well combined. Add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse until mixture is almost smooth, but still a little rough in texture.
  3. Roll into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  4. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes until they are browned and warmed through.
Tahini Dressing
Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in the blender.
  2. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. If sauce gets too thick as it sits, stir in a little more water or lemon juice to thin out.

Assembling the falafel
1 head white cabbage (or any lettuce with big leaves)
falafels (recipe above)
tahini dressing (recipe above)

Hold one cabbage leaf in your hand, add 2 or 3 falafels, a spoonful of tahini dressing and top with some fresh herbs and whatever creations you may fancy. Fold it gently. Enjoy!

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Raw Hummus

May 18, 2012
raw-hummus
Hummus is much adored in the food community, and with good reason: it’s creamy, delicious, versatile, and high in protein and fiber. Raw hummus may sound like more effort than your usual cooked hummus, but in fact, the raw version is simple to make. Raw hummus is easily transportable and is a great dip for fresh veggies such as carrots. It also goes nicely with falafel, pitta pockets and wraps. It is my ideal snack for picnics.
Chickpeas belong to a food group called legumes – the French for vegetables – which also includes lentils, beans, peas and peanuts. When sprouted, the nutritional value of legumes increase dramatically. Sprouted chickpeas are rich in protein, heart-healthy potassium, B vitamins, calcium, enzymes and isoflavones. Isoflavones are calcium’s ally, which are particularly important for vegans. Sprouted chickpeas are also a great source of fiber with 12.5g per cup.

Raw Hummus

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sprouted chickpeas
  • 5-6 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 4 Tbsp. tahini
  • 2-3 Tbsp. cumin powder
  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • pinch of sea salt
  • ½ cup filtered water

Directions:

  1. Simply sprout your dried chickpeas by soaking them in water overnight (about 12 hours.) Drain them the following morning. Continue to rinse and drain them at least twice a day for the next 2 days. As soon as the tail of the sprout is a few centimeters in length, they are ready. Then you can whiz up this gem of a recipe.
  2. Blend everything in your food processor (or high speed blender) for a few minutes until smooth. Add more filtered water to help move it around if necessary.

Enjoy!

 

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