Easy Chick-Peasy.

Everyone loves a little hummus in their life, right? 

Well, I know I do. 

Chick peas (french) are also called 'garbonzo beans' (spanish). I'm sticking with 'chickpea' because that's how I know these trusty legumes. FYI, Chickpeas contain fibre and protein! You can find them in dried or canned form at your local grocery store (between $0.80-$1.00 per can; here in Canada, eh). I usually always keep a few cans in my cupboard. 

Here's why: Chickpeas are great because they can keep for quite some time AND you can use them in a variety of ways, including salads, soups, dips, and so on and so fourth.  

So let's get down to business. Here's an easy-peasy (no pun intended) hummus recipe for you. 

What you need:

1 can chickpeas (16oz)
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp water
1/2 lime (for squeezing)

salt & pepper

bullet (or blender)
knife
cutting board
medium sized bowl
spoon

pita chips 


What you do:

You can start by opening that can of chickpeas, rinse them and place them in the bullet or blender (if you're using a bullet, you may have to do 3/4 can and the rest following; i.e. 2 rounds). Grab your knife and cutting board, chop up the 1/2 onion a little before placing it in the bullet/blender. Add the garlic clove, the vegetable oil, the cherry tomatoes and the water. Squeeze the lime over the mixture and place the lid on. Blend away. 

Scoop the hummus out of the bullet/blender into a medium sized bowl (like the one in the picture below). Add a little salt & pepper. 

Mmm Hummus.

I love this recipe because it's short and sweet. This is a good Go-To snack dish or dinner party dip. Don't forget the pita chips! Homemade or store bought, whatever you choose.

Cheers!

'Rice Rice Baby'

Today was one of those days where I literally had a look in my cupboard, made a mental list of some of the items I have and got creative. I knew I had a can of lentils, a can of low-sodium diced tomatoes, rice and a sweet potato. I did a little perusing on the inter-web (aka internet) to get some ideas and voila, I made this...

My version of Mujaddara (a middle eastern dish)

I made a middle eastern dish called Mujaddara, I just added the sweet potatoes to give it a little flare.

Serves 2-4 people

What you need

1 small peeled sweet potato

1 can of lentils

1/4 can low sodium diced tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp of margarine

2 cups brown rice

plain yogurt (Balkan style yogurt is particularly delicious)

1 onion

2 tsp vegetable oil

paprika 

garlic salt

1 baking sheet

1 frying pan

1 pot

1 cutting board

1 knife 

1 strainer

What you can do

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Grab your cutting board and knife. You can start by chopping up your onion into long thin pieces. Throw them in your frying pan with 1 tsp of vegetable oil and cook slowly until they are caramelized (this can take anywhere from 20-30 mins or so). While the onions are-a-cookin', go ahead and peel the sweet potato, chop it into smaller pieces and place on the baking sheet (you can use tinfoil with a shot of cooking spray to line the sheet if you like). Drizzle 1 tsp over the sweet potato bits and flip them with your hands until they each have a little oil on them. Sprinkle a little paprika and garlic salt over the potatoes and place them in the oven for about 20 minutes. While this is happening you can cook your rice. I am going to go ahead and let you figure that one out on your own (read the package). 

Here's the thing, some people like onions that are slightly caramelized and others like onions that are super caramelized. You decide! Once the onions are finished you can place them in a little dish with some tinfoil over them (so they stay warm). 

Open the can of lentils, drain and rinse them using a strainer. Throw them in the same frying pan you used for the onions. Open the diced tomatoes, add 1/4 can to the frying pan and save the rest for another time. add 1 tsp of margarine and let simmer for a few minutes. When your sweet potatoes are finished you can go ahead and add those to the lentil mixture. Mix the ingredients up and let simmer for a few minutes.

When the rice is finished it can be added to whatever serving dishes you like. I find bowls (like the one in the picture) are generally good for a dish like this. I added about 1 cup of rice to the bowl. 

Basically you're just going to layer the rice with the lentil mixture, add 1/2 cup of yogurt next and top it off with the caramelized onions! 

So here's my final thought. 

Next time you're thinking 'oh man, I have nothing to eat', do this:

1. Walk to your kitchen
2. Open you cupboards/open your fridge
3. Make a little mental note of what ingredients you have
4. Do a little research on the inter-web; Use your ingredients as your key search terms
5. Be creative 
6. Make something unexpectedly delicious
7. Thank Bethany for giving me great advice 

Cheers!

Dude, Sweet Potatoes.

The beloved sweet potato is definitely one of my GO-TO foods.
Why you might ask?

 Because you can make SO many dishes with them, that's why. 

Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
They are also a source of fibre. 

CALM down, I know it's exciting but I haven't even finished yet. 

I make these so often that I thought I should share this EASY recipe with you.
Did I mention it's easy? 

I get it, life is busy.
That's why I am going to share my favsie recipe with you, to make your life easier!

What can I say? I yam always looking out for you (see what I did there).

This is what a sweet potato looks like.

Roasted Sweet Potato Bits

You'll Need

1 sweet potato peeled (any size really)

salt or salt seasoning (optional)

dried parsley 

paprika

olive oil or vegetable oil

garlic powder

cooking spray

1 baking sheet

tin foil

cutting board and large knife

What you'll do

 You can start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Then you're going to want to peel the sweet potato and give it a little rinse. Grab your cutting board/knife and cut the sweet potato into fairly thin pieces (see picture below). The nice thing about this is that you can't really mess it up. 
Basically try to cut the sweet potato into uniform bits. 

Line your baking sheet with tinfoil (I do this to make my baking sheet last longer), add a little cooking spray to the foil and spread the sweet potato on the sheet evenly. 

Here's the thing. I didn't give you measurements for the ingredients because in truth, I actually don't measure when I make this recipe. I drizzle a little olive oil (or vegetable oil)  over the potatoes (about 1 tbsp if you need an estimate) and I use my hands to toss them until all the potato bits have a little oil on them.

Now you can sprinkle a little salt or salt seasoning (if you choose to), dried parsley, garlic powder and paprika over the potatoes.

Bake those delicious morsels for about 25-30 minutes. 

Give them a flip or two after about 15 minutes for best results.

These make for a great side dish!