YumSugar

Fast & Easy Dinner: Chicken With Cucumbers and Couscous

partysugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:50:00 -0700

Say good-bye to boring chicken with this creative and healthy recipe. It's a balanced meal complete with a refreshing cucumber and parsley salad and garbanzo bean couscous.

The chicken is seasoned with ground ginger and coriander, and thanks to quick-cooking boneless skinless tenders, it's ready in just five short minutes. Don't be intimidated by the multiple steps in the recipe, it really is simple. To check it out, read more.

Chicken With Cucumber and Couscous
From Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 (1 pound) seedless cucumber
1/2 cup whole flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup couscous

Directions

Make salad: Quarter cucumber lengthwise; slice quarters 3/4 inch thick diagonally. In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, parsley, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Set aside.
Make couscous: In a small saucepan, combine chickpeas, raisins, 1 teaspoon oil, 1 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, and cover pot; remove from heat. Set aside (at least 5 minutes) while cooking chicken. Fluff couscous gently with a fork before serving.
Make chicken: In a medium bowl, combine ginger, coriander, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat.
Cook chicken in two batches: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high; add half the chicken, and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet, and repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with cucumber salad and couscous.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

Sunday Slow Cooker: Vegetarian Curry

YumSugar — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800

Now that we've cleared up any confusion you may have about curry and curry powder, I wanted to share a great recipe for it that you can make in your slow cooker.

This veggie dish makes a rounded meal whether or not you're a vegetarian; meat lovers will find it's full of robust flavors. To get this easy-prep recipe, read more.

Vegetarian Curry
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

4 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
Hot cooked rice

Directions

In a 3-1/2- to 5-quart slow cooker, combine carrots, potatoes, garbanzo beans, green beans, onion, garlic, tapioca, curry powder, coriander, crushed red pepper, salt, and cinnamon. Pour broth over all.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours.
Stir in undrained tomatoes. Cover; let stand for 5 minutes.
Serve over hot cooked rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Calories 407, Total Fat (g) 3, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Cholesterol (mg) 0, Sodium (mg) 1068, Carbohydrate (g) 87, Fiber (g) 12, Protein (g) 13

Print recipe with images | without images

Smooth and Creamy Homemade Hummus

partysugar — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 08:00:57 -0700

Although I've made hummus with canned garbanzo beans a bunch of times, recently, I decided to experiment with a dried variety. The resulting hummus was delicious and incredibly rich with a perfect texture. Using the dried beans seemed to make it fuller and more luxurious than other any other hummus. You do, however, need to let the beans soak overnight, so don't wait until the last minute to make the puree. Served with crisp pita chips, this hummus was a scrumptious start to a Mediterranean meal. To look at the recipe, read more.

Hummus
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1/2 pound dried chickpeas
1 tablespoon baking soda
7 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup tahini, at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt
Paprika, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Pita bread, for serving

Directions

In a medium bowl, cover the dried chickpeas with 2 inches of water and stir in the baking soda. Refrigerate the chickpeas overnight. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them under cold water.
In a medium saucepan, cover the chickpeas with 2 inches of fresh water. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the chickpeas are tender, about 40 minutes.
Drain, reserving 10 tablespoons of the cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas. Rinse the chickpeas under cold water. Peel the garlic cloves.
In a food processor, puree the chickpeas with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 6 of the garlic cloves. Add the cumin along with 1/4 cup each of the tahini and lemon juice and process until creamy. Season the hummus with salt and transfer to a serving bowl.*
Wipe out the food processor. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of tahini, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and garlic clove and puree.
Using a ladle, make an indent in the center of the hummus. Spoon in the tahini-lemon mixture. Sprinkle the hummus with the cumin and paprika.
Garnish with the reserved whole chickpeas** and the parsley, and serve with pita bread.

Makes about 4 cups.

Make ahead: the ungarnished hummus and cooked chickpeas can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days.

*I thought the hummus was a little bland, so I added in more cumin and tahini, smoked paprika, and fresh ground black pepper. Taste the hummus and season according to your liking.

**I forgot to remove some of the whole chickpeas and did not use them as a garnish.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 7 Photos ›

Fast & Easy Dinner: Eggplant Steak With Chickpeas

partysugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:45:57 -0700

In many vegetarian recipes, mushrooms are used similarly to meat. They're marinated, grilled, sautéed, broiled, and turned into burgers. Like mushrooms, eggplant is an incredibly versatile vegetable that can be prepared using many culinary techniques.

In this recipe, thick-cut eggplant steaks are coated with a garlic balsamic vinaigrette. Served with a hearty mixture of garbanzos, roasted red peppers, black olives, and feta, this exceptional meal is a must-make, so get the recipe: read more.

Eggplant Steak With Chickpeas
From Vegetarian Times magazine

Ingredients

Balsamic Marinade
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
Eggplant Steaks
1 large eggplant, about 1 lb.
1 ½ cups chickpeas, drained
2 medium-sized red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and cubed, or 2 roasted red peppers from jar
¼ lb. feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
½ cup pitted black olives, preferably Greek or Moroccan
2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano or Italian parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 (6½-inch round) pita breads
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 bunch fresh oregano as garnish

Directions

To make marinade, combine ingredients, slowly adding olive oil and stirring briskly to combine well. Set aside.
Preheat grill or broiler.
Cut eggplant lengthwise into four ½-inch-thick slices to resemble steaks. Brush “steaks” with marinade.
Grill or broil eggplant for 2 minutes on each side, or until tender but not soft. Remove from heat and place 1 steak on each serving plate.
Place chickpeas, red peppers, feta, black olives and oregano in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir to combine well. Add some marinade and stir again.
Toast or grill pita bread and cut into pie-shaped wedges and set aside.
Spoon 1 or 2 scoops of pepper-olive mixture on eggplant steak with some mixture pooling onto plate.
Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, place several pita wedges on plate and garnish eggplant with several sprigs fresh oregano.
Repeat with remaining ingredients until used up, making sure pepper-olive mixture spills over top of eggplant and onto plate. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

Fast & Easy Dinner: Shrimp and Chickpeas

partysugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:45:43 -0700

Fancy a trip to an exotic Mediterranean destination? Take one tonight with this enticing meal. The shrimp is marinated in a cool, cumin-flavored yogurt before being seared on a hot grill. Canned garbanzos get a grown-up makeover when seasoned with red pepper flakes and fresh tomatoes. Fill out this pairing with a store-bought roasted red pepper hummus and pita chips, and you've got a meal ideal for entertaining. To escape from the mundane and get the recipe, read more.

Shrimp and Chickpeas
From Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound large shrimp, deveined
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
4 plum tomatoes, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, half the garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and the cumin.
Transfer half the yogurt mixture to a small bowl. Add the shrimp to the large bowl and mix; cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the crushed red pepper and remaining garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.
Rub a grill pan with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and heat over high heat. Add the marinated shrimp and grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
Top the chickpeas with the shrimp and serve with the reserved yogurt sauce.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

What Would You Make?

partysugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:01:13 -0800

Here's the scenario: you are at home and hungry. You have to cook up something scrumptious for you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/ spouse/child/friend, but the ingredients you have on hand are limited.

You have a package of pita, a can of garbanzo beans, and black olives. Using these products, along with whatever you currently have on hand in your cupboard and refrigerator, what would you make?

To see what I would make, read more.

To eat more salads this week I purchased a huge container of mixed greens. I will start by cutting the pita into 1 inch pieces. I will toss these with olive oil, salt, pepper, and roasted red pepper flakes. I will place the pita croutons on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until crisp and crunchy.
Meanwhile, I'll prep the salad. In a big bowl I'll combine greens, rinsed garbanzo beans, and chopped black olives. To this I will add a couple of things I know I have in the fridge - green onions and sun dried tomatoes.
I will make a simple red wine vinegar flavored with a little bit of mustard and toss the salad to coat.
I'll add the pita croutons and enjoy the salad with a chilled glass of the white wine I purchased yesterday: dry Riesling!

Source

Do You Refer to These Beans as Chickpeas or Garbanzos?

partysugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:13:56 -0800

Source

Name That Dish!

partysugar — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:01:33 -0800

The other day I made a variation of tomato soup that included garbanzo beans. Below is another pureed version of the legume. It's normally served as a dip, do you know what it's called?

Soup's On: Spicy Garbanzo Tomato Soup

partysugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:28:31 -0800

This week I was in the mood for something classically comforting but unordinary at the same time. I decided to make a kicked-up version of tomato soup. What makes this recipe different? Garbanzo beans and coriander, which are not your average tomato-soup ingredients. These elements are pureed with canned tomatoes to make a soup with a wonderful texture and vibrant flavor that's subtly unusual. The recipe is so unbelievably easy and the soup is ready in under 30 minutes. It's an excellent option for a fast and easy dinner. To see how I made it please read more.

Spicy Garbanzo Tomato Soup
From Martha Stewart

3 gloves garlic, minced
3 dried hot red chiles, chopped or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. course salt
1/8 tsp. caraway seeds
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup drained jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed
3 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium, store-bought chicken stock
Sour cream, for serving
parsley springs, optional for garnish

Using mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon, crush garlic, chiles, coriander, salt, and caraway to form a paste.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic mixture, and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in beans, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and stock. Simmer, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender. Rewarm if necessary.

Divide among bowls, and top each with a dollop of sour cream and a spring of parsley, if desired.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 13 Photos ›

Come Together With Cat Cora's Barbecued Beans

partysugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:50:30 -0700

To coincide with Hunger Action Month, Macy's has launched a new campaign, entitled Come Together, that urges people to host a dinner party. However, when guests ask the inevitable, "what should I bring?" the answer is nothing. The money that guests would spend on the requisite bottle of wine should be donated to the cause. Although Macy's has created a special website where you can make and send invites and put together a menu, we've partnered with Iron Chef Cat Cora to bring you an exclusive party idea! Cat's menu consists of barbecue classics like brisket sandwiches and coleslaw, so I recommend inviting a big group of people over on a Sunday for a football-viewing party. Cheer on your favorite team while enjoying a delicious, informal meal. To get you started, we've got Cat's variation of baked beans. She combines three types of beans with barbecue sauce and a touch of cinnamon. The resulting beans are my new favorite: they're slightly sweet and depending on the sauce you use, sticky and spicy. The addition of garbanzo beans is genius. To use Cat's recipe to host a Come Together party, read more.

Barbecued Pit Beans
From Cat Cora

Ingredients

2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans kidney beans
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
2 cups good-quality barbecue sauce, without a smoky flavor
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 scallions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced

Directions

In a saucepan, combine all of the beans, including their liquid, and the barbecue sauce. Place over medium heat, and stir until the mixture comes to a simmer.
Add the cinnamon and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency.
Remove from the heat and spoon the beans into a warmed serving bowl. Garnish with the scallions and serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 5 Photos ›