Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta

I'm not going to lie.  The only thing on my little blogging mind right now is this book.  Just to be even more up front and honest, I preorder this book back in March.  MARCH.  As in 7 months ago.  And I have ever so eagerly (and patiently, I swear!) been awaiting it's arrival.

So of course, Amazon won't have it here till Friday.  And so-help-me-dear-blogosphere, if it is not here by Friday, I may snap.  I cannot wait a second longer.  People already have it and it is JUST NOT FAIR!

So, if you don't mind, I am going to excuse myself to go pout in the corner until Friday's mail comes.  I will leave you with a pretty little photo-montage of this absolutely fantastic breakfast.  It may look like eggs, dipping sauce and pita chips, well because that is what it is, but don't let that fool you.  It is very filling.  Ben and I had this on Saturday and didn't really have another meal to dinner.  It is protein-loaded, saucy, cheesy, dip-able goodness.  It should be your weekend breakfast.  That you eat while reading Deb's cookbook.  (I'm sorry, I'm obsessed, it is literally all I am thinking about).

It took roughly a few hours on Saturday before this was pasted lovingly into the big green cookbook.  I made the recipe in full (serves 4-6) all the way up till the very end.  I baked half the sauce with 4 poached eggs and the rest of the sauce is in my freezer for a rainy (or more likely, snowy) day.  When I thaw it out, I will let you know how well it froze!

Ok, I'm off to wait grumpily (oh, wait, I totally meant patiently...) for Friday.  So I can super heavy crush on Deb some more.  Enjoy!  PS - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta
from the Dec. 2011 issue of Bon Appetit

Again, this will feed 4-6.  Because the recipe didn't really halve well (what do you do with a half can of chickpeas?), I made the whole batch of sauce then split in two.  1 morning of work, 2 amazing breakfasts!  Also, watch out as you are hand crushing those tomatoes.  As both Ben and my poor camera found out, they tend to have quite a bit of juice to squirt!

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded, finely chopped
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
2 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
Salt and pepper
1 c. feta, crumbled
8 large eggs
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Pita chips to dunk

Preheat oven to 425.

In large skillet, warm oil over medium high heat.  Add onions, garlic and jalapenos and saute until onion is soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add chickpeas and spices and continue to cook another 2 minutes.

CAREFULLY hand crush the tomatoes over the pan, doing your best to capture all their juice.  Add remaining juice in the can and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer sauce 15 minutes or so, until it has slightly thickened.  Do a taste check and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and pepper.

Transfer sauce to an over-proof dish (if you are making into two meals, split here!).  Sprinkle feta evenly over top.  Using a spoon, dig little rounds for each egg in the sauce.  Carefully crack each egg into each hole.  Bake in 435 oven for 6-8 minutes to set the whites of each egg, but do not overcook!  You want the yummy, runny yolk!  Sprinkle cilantro over top and serve with pita chips to dip!

White Chicken Chili

It has started.  Did you notice?  It doesn't exactly sneak up on you, so I assume so.  Football season.  It is here.  It's starting.  Today!  Well, I guess college already started with a bang, my Fighting Irish taking care of Navy.  We won by quite the margin, even if I don't quite remember the end of the game, as might be expected by an 8 am kickoff time and an all you can drink special.  (Know what I do remember?  Hang overs that start at 6 pm are not fun).  And tonight?  The first NFL game of the season is tonight.

Are you ready?  Have you had your fantasy football draft?  And if so, do you have any clever left over fantasy football team names that maybe I could use?  Most importantly, are you stocked up on soup, chili and game-watching snack recipes?  Cause that is what football is.  A pot of chili on the stove, chips and salsa, and some beer cooling in the fridge.  Football season, here we come.

White Chicken Chili

This would be great for a Sunday afternoon football watching marathon.  It comes together quickly and the longer it sits, gently bubbling away, the happier your taste buds are going to be.  My mom has been making this ever since one day in the supermarket I peeled off on of those free recipes hanging up in the spice aisle.  The paper has long since been lost, but the recipe most certainly has not.

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ c. chopped onion
1 c. chicken broth
2 cans (4oz) chopped green chilies (I use 1 mild, 1 hot)
2 cans (19oz) white kidney beans (cannelloni), undrained (I've also used chickpeas)
2 green onions, slices, to top
Monterrey Jack cheese, to top

Southwest Spice Blend:
1½  tsp. Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano Leaves
1/8 tsp. Ground Rep Pepper (or more depending on your heat tolerance)

In dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken and onions and cook until chicken is done, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, green chilies and spice blend.  Bring to a simmer for at least 5 minutes.  Stir in beans and return soup to a simmer for 5 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and tops with cheese and onions.

Bean and Red Lentil Stew

Illinois has been doing that awesome Midwest thing where it teases you with one warm, sunny, blue sky gorgeous 70 degree day and then spends the next 4 laughing at you as you try to insist that it's perfectly ok to still wear shorts and flip flops and no I am not freezing my patootie off. True, it's not 10 degrees and snowing out, but it's still just shy of the beautiful days of tank tops, sunglasses and beer punch.  It's the weird in between time, when the jacket worn the morning isn't needed by lunchtime and stew is a perfectly sensible dinner, warm, filling, and eaten with the patio doors open and a cool breeze coming in.

This stew was a winner on many fronts.  It was light enough for spring, even if it is called stew.  I finally had a reason to buy garam masala, a "hot" Indian spice blend I can now official be a fan of.  It used some of those pesky black sesame seeds that seem to taunt me every time I open my spice cabinet (I really should hide them way in the back).  And it's super healthy, almost unnecessarily so (even if swimsuit season is oh! so! close!), hence the welcome addition of cheese on top.  And it's easy (aka quite "can-heavy"), it's a crock pot dump, mix, turn on and come home to an apartment full of yummy smells.

Of course, I have my changes.  The crumbled queso fresco on top is a winner and should definitely be kept (besides, you'll have extra laying around for this!).  I loved the olives and instead of having half a can of black olives in my fridge that I'm not quite sure what to do with, I will throw in the whole can next time.  And in this context, I would say any canned beans you have taken up room in your pantry would work.  The recipe called for two cans of chickpeas, and I only had one, hence the introduction of kidney beans.  Also, three cans of beans could stretch this even further, but then again, I am a bean lover.  Also, more lentils.  It is a lentil stew after all, isn't it?  So yes, double lentils.  Oh. And absolutely serve it with some crusty bread.  The recipe below is what I will make next time.  As always, if you are interested in the original recipe, check out the link right under the title.

So, BGCB worthy?  Ben says yes and I can't really see why not.  It seems like quite the go-to, easy vegetarian and, oh yeah, in the crock pot!, kind of meal.  If only I had discovered it at the start of lent... my bad.  Guten Appetit!




Bean and Red Lentil Stew
adapted from Whole Foods, of all places

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tsp. garam masala
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (black ok)
2-3 cans, 15 oz., chickpeas, or other canned bean, drained and rinsed
1 c. dried red lentils
1 can, 28 oz., tomato puree
2 c. vegetable broth
1 can, 15 oz., black olives, drained
Queso Fresco or other crumbly cheese, to top

In medium pan over medium high heat, heat onion.  Sauté until soft 3-4 minutes.  Add chile, garlic, garam masala and sesame seeds, continuing to sauté until chiles are softened and whole mixture is fragrant.  Transfer mixture to slow cooker.

Add chickpeas/beans, lentils, tomato puree, broth and olives to slow cooker.  Stir until everything is well mixed.  Place lid on top and turn to low for 10 hours.  To serve, ladle into individual bowls and top with crumbled cheese.  Serve with crusty bread.

If you are interested, Whole Foods has some nutrtion information at the bottom of their recipe.  You know, if you're into that whole don't put too much cheese into your mouth kind of thing...

Roasted Chickpeas

 It's been quite the fast-paced, exciting week.  First off, spring has managed to keep up the good fight and has refused to let winter return.  And seeing as tomorrow is the official start of spring, that means that we're done with snow for the year, right?  Don't answer that, I'm ok living in my ignorance.

Secondly, I've become an aunt!  And I couldn't be more excited.  My nephew was born on the ides of March, is a beautiful baby of 7 lbs 1 oz and officially, legally has the middle name "Danger".  I cannot wait to see who this kid turns out to be 7 years from now... I imagine many bruises and a few broken bones.

Lastly, on this brilliantly sunny and warm Sunday, I started an herb garden!  In the spirit of full disclosure,as of right now my herb garden consists of 3 pots of leafy green things that I luckily have not managed to kill yet.  But still, I'm excited.  I checked this morning and my cilantro, chives and mint are all still alive.  So far, so good.  I've always wanted a vast array of pots full of herbs, so this is especially exciting for me.  And as soon as I get more pots, I plan on expanding.  I'm thinking basil.  Thyme. Tarragon.

So, how does this all tie into roasted chickpeas?  Well, one, even though they are roasted, your oven is only on 20 or so minutes, so you're not heating up the entire apartment, which is great for 75 and sunny.  Two, maybe this is a good just-became-a-mommy snack, full of protein and easy to make.  Scratch the maybe, yes, and Katy, if you want some I will bring a jarful when I come to visit.  And finally, well, I'm just excited about my herbs in general.  Maybe the second round will have some fresh chives, or thyme.  I have to buy and plant thyme first though.  Baby steps with the herb garden.

 So, with all the stretching to make roasted chickpeas applicable in this rambling post, the truth is I've been seeing them on pinterest and tastespotting and I wanted to try them.  I was told they would taste like popcorn.  A myth that I am choosing to dispel right away.  These do not taste like popcorn.  The closet thing that resemble are Corn Nuts, although I won't be putting them on any Kwanzaa cakes anytime soon.  Ben wrote these off immediately.  I chomped a few, ate some sorbet, grabbed a few more.  I continued to reach for them sporadically throughout the weekend and just finished up the batch this morning.  It took me four days to form an opinion, but I would say I like them.  Especially when you intersperse the handfuls with a few dark chocolate M&M's, a combination I happily munched on all morning at work.  They're different and as long as you're not expecting them to taste like popcorn (see above), you just may enjoy them too, although it might take you 4 days to realize it.

Roasted Chickpeas
From Running to the Kitchen

As with roasted nuts, I would imagine these are infinitely adaptable to whatever spice combination tickles your fancy the most.  Try this.  Or try the recipe as is below, because they did smell absolutely WONDERFUL roasting up in the oven.  Like spicy apple pie.  Ok, maybe that doesn't sound good, but it sure smelled delicious.

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. (heaping) paprika
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. kosher slat
1/8 tsp. (heaping) cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or silicone baking mat.  If using foil, spray lightly with cooking spray.

Rinse chickpeas thoroughly and drain.  Turn into shallow dish and drizzle with olive oil.  Combine all spices and sprinkle over chickpeas.  Toss everything until coated evenly.  Transfer to prepared tray and spread out evenly.

Roast chickpeas in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, tossing every 8-12 minutes, so chickpeas roast evenly.  Let cool on pan and serve!  For any remaining chickpeas, keep in airtight container for 3-4 days (that's as long as mine lasted!)

Spicy Sautéed Cabbage with Chickpeas and Parmesan

Before I say anything else, I need to apologize for the general horridness of these pictures.  And the fact that there are only three in the entire post.  You see, cabbage really isn't the prettiest thing to be snapping photos of.  Most especially when I haven't even seen natural day light since I've been back from Arizona (sighhh...) and the light in my kitchen isn't even bright enough to scoop my oatmeal out of the pot in the morning.  But I'm not going to be too hard on myself because even the official Bon Appetit picture doesn't look all that appetizing.  And they're professionals.  The fact of the matter is, cabbage just isn't sexy.  And if cabbage is ok with that, then really who are we to try to make it something it isn't?

This was the side to our Valentine's day steak dinner.  Again, cabbage doesn't really fall into the sexy, romantic category, but luckily Ben will eat anything I put in front of his face and doesn't get too annoyed when my reasoning boils down to: "I picked this recipe because then I can blog about it!"  He's pretty cool that way.  He even ate a full serving.

Now, I am a cabbage fan and a recent initiate into the "woohoo! Chickpeas!" club, so my outcome was always going to be a little bias.  But I liked this, although the cabbage didn't crisp up as much as I was thinking it would.  That may have been my faulty assumption or the fact that there was a lot of cabbage in the pan.  Also, It didn't have enough heat for me and I did a heaping quarter teaspoon of the red pepper flakes.  And it makes a lot.  A lot, a lot.  Normally not a big deal, except, as leftovers, it is less than stellar. I have been gussying it up with random combinations of extra Parmesan, fried eggs, sunflower seeds and/or sriracha.  On the first go round, right out of the pan, I was a fan.  Ben was ok with it, and when forced on the issue said he would be fine with eating it again, but would never request it or be particularly excited about it.  And I'm ok with that, because after 3 servings of leftovers, I so understand where he is coming from.  Eventually I want to try it again and work out the few kinks, but only when I have some left over cabbage to rid myself of or something.

So, the moral of the story is, if you randomly have an extra head of cabbage rolling around your produce drawer, this isn't a bad use for it at all.  Just only make as much as you're going to eat and avoid leftovers...

Spicy Sautéed Cabbage with Chickpeas and Parmesan
From Bon Appetit Online, February 2012

I'm giving you the proportions from Bon Appetit, but as referenced above, I would figure out how much you are going to eat and adjust accordingly.

1 head of cabbage, shredded, about 6 cups
2  Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, for seasoning
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 15-oz can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lemon

Toppings:  (BA suggests only Parmesan, any sort of combination of these would be tasty)
Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Sunflower Seeds
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Fried Egg

In very large skillet, or wok, over medium heat, heat oil.  Add cabbage, season with salt and cook.  Stir occasionally, just as needed, until cabbage becomes "crisp-tender", about 8 minutes.  Don't stir too frequently, you want the cabbage to get some color from caramelizing in the pan.  Add garlic and toss, cook a minute longer.  Season with salt.  Add well rinsed chickpeas and 2 tablespoons of water, season with salt, and toss, cooking until water is absorbed and chickpeas are heated through, about 2-3 more minutes.  Season with pepper, red pepper flakes and additional salt if needed, toss and let warm through again 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat, squeeze lemon juice all over and finish with whatever combination of toppings is speaking to you.

Chickpea Stew

Me and cumin get along well.  I love the way it smells, I love the way it tastes.  If you could really form an opinion on the way a spice feels, I would probably love that as well.  Cumin is, with very little question, my favorite spice.  And my spice cabinet has seen it's fair share of spices.  I love how smokey and deep it is.  It is, in my humble opinion, the spice of mystery.  Yes, that is right, if mystery had a spice essence, it would be cumin.  Now go sniff you own bottle of cumin and tell me that I'm not on the nose with this one.  A bottle of cumin is essentially extract of mystery.

Ok, maybe that's a little bit of a stretch.  The takeaway there is that I love cumin.  So, when I saw a recipe in this month's Bon Appetit that used 2 tablespoons of this extract of mystery, I got a little excited.  As someone who usually doubles the amount of cumin called for in a recipe, even I thought 2 tablespoons might be just a little much, just a tad overpowering.  I had to try it immediately.  Even if it did call for 2 cans of chickpeas and to my knowledge, I have never eaten a chickpea in my life.  You can't turn your back on a recipe that calls for 2 tablespoons of cumin.

So on Wednesday (also now known forevermore as the glorious day that my silverware drawer return to me, hallelujah!), I got out my island spice red Dutch oven and whipped this up.  Well, not whipped, it took me a little longer than the 25 active minutes that BA suggests.  But I really didn't mind; I had knives, a glass of wine and my entire kitchen smelled of toasted cumin.  I was quite the happy camper.  And then I sat down to dinner.

It. Was. Amazing.  Ha, did you think things were suddenly going to turn for the worst?  Not so, my friend, not so.  Chickpeas, in case you are in my old camp of never having tried them, are quite tasty.  Granted, I am quite the fan of all beans, pinto, cannellini, and my all time, dark red kidney beans.  I can now knowledgeably add to that list chickpeas, as well as a few cans to my pantry.  The roasted red peppers were chopped small enough that they simply complimented the stew, and didn't try to become the star.  There was a small amount of chicken, (only two thighs for the whole pot, and we know how much I love my chicken thighs) enough that you know it's there but not enough that it's the main component of the dish, something that those of us that indulged a bit while training for a week in Houston definitely need to be conscience about.  The bread crumbs soak up the delicious broth that is more spicy than I anticipated, delicious beyond anything you may imagine and chock full of mystery.  That's right, we're back to the cumin (full circle people!)  Smoky, toasted, deep, glorious cumin.  It's the foundation of the flavor and just oh, so, wonderful.  If you are a cumin junkie like me, you have got to try this.  Tomorrow, today, or if you are lucky enough to work from home, immediately, at this very moment, make it for lunch.  I promise, it will not disappoint.

Obviously, this one is getting pasted into the big old green cookbook, unlike our more recent cheesy potato soup.  If I were more blog-literate, I would figure out a cool way to document which ones have and have not made the cut.  But I'm not.  So for now, you'll just have to settle for a BGCB label.  Guten Appetit!

Chickpea (and Cumin) Stew

Adapted hardly from Bon Appetit's Feb. 2011

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. cumin

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, drained

1/2 c. roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

2-3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I only had Meyer's on hand)

Country style bread, cubed

In dutch oven pan set over medium high heat, heat oil.  Season chicken well on both sides with kosher salt.  Add chicken to pot and cook for 8-10 minutes turning once until browned.  Transfer to plate.  

Reduce heat to low and let oil cool for a few minutes.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about one minute. Add cumin, tomato paste and pepper flakes and stir well with a wooden in spoon, until mixture is a smooth paste.  Add 4 cups of water, chicken with any juice collected on the plate and bay leaves.  Mix well, scraping up brown bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer mixture, uncovered about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.  Stir occasionally.

Drain and thoroughly rinse chickpeas.  Remove chicken from pot and transfer to plate again.  Add chickpeas to stew and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bit sized chunks.  Add chicken and red peppers to stew.  Season stew by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to start with.  Simmer a minute, then adjust salt, lemon juice and/or olive oil to your tastes.

In serving bowls, place a handful of bread cubs.  Spoon stew over top and serve with a slice of bread to soak up any stray juices.  Enjoy!!