Spicy Chickpea Salad

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or about 1 cup dry)
1/2 cup homemade salsa
1/4 green pepper, chopped
Feta cheese, to taste (I use goat's feta)

Mix and enjoy!

Creamy Creole Eggplant Bake

Liberally modified from Diet Dessert & Dogs' recipe ~ Thanks!!

1 small eggplant, peeled and chopped

2 Tbsp Braggs soy sauce

2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil

2 tsp 3 Onion Dip spice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then cut into chunks

Several shakes each: (dried) parsley, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion and garlic powder, basil, oregano (then added more to taste)

1 cup (120 ml) cooked chickpeas (about 1/2 cup dry)

300g soft tofu

1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk

2.5 cups uncooked basamati rice (works well with pasta, too!)

I prepared the rice in the rice cooker while I prepared the rest of the sauce.

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil over medium heat and add the eggplant, garlic and Braggs. Once the eggplant softens and absorbs the Braggs, add zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini starts to soften. Add spices, mix well, then add the chickpeas.

In a high speed blender, combine the tofu and almond milk. Blend smooth then pour into the fry pan and stir to coat.

For a quick meal: Ladle warm sauce over the rice/pasta and serve, topping with fresh parsley if you want.

For a Casserole: Preheat oven to 35o F. Add rice/pasta to sauce and stir to coat everything. Pour into a casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Serve and enjoy!

Chickpea Salad, Greek

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1/2 half cucumber, sliced into quarters
Approx 1 cup cherry tomatoes
Sliced goat's feta cheese, to taste
Splash of olive oil - maybe 2 TBSP or to taste
Dribble of apple cider vinegar - maybe 1 tsp or to taste
Sprinkling of spices: I use Epicure's Lemon Dilly Dip mix (dill, garlic, lemon, pepper)

Mix well. Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Indian Curry Stew

(modified to fit my restrictions - see original here)

1 small head cauliflower, chopped
about 3 cups chopped squash (I used Buttercup)
1 small eggplant, chopped (I used about 1/4)
1 onion, chopped (I used dried onion spice)
2 tbsp Indian curry paste (1g of sugar)
680-mL can tomato sauce (sugar-free!)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup dry lentils OR chickpeas (or 1 can of either, drained & rinsed)
1/2 cup water

Bring dry lentils to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes*. Drain, then return to pot and add all veggies. (Sauté onion in oil first if using). Mix curry paste in water and add to vegetables along with tomato sauce & vinegar. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, at least 30 min. *If using canned lentils/chickpeas, add to the last 5-10 min of cooking. Delicious over basamati rice or on it's own. YUM!

Chickpea salad, warm

Warm chickpea salad
(stolen from a friend here.)

2 cans of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tablespoons of chopped basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

In a large saucepan on medium heat, add the oil, garlic, basil tomatoes and onion. Cook until the tomato and onion start to soften. Then add the chickpeas and warm them up. Before serving sprinkle on the feta and balsamic vinegar and voila! Supper is ready. This will serve four people or can be used as a side salad.

If you would like to add more veggies you can try adding a cup of spinach when you add the chick peas and serve it when the spinach has started to wilt. Also feel free to add some more garlic or feta cheese to taste.

Rockin’ Moroccan Stew

Rockin’ Moroccan Stew

2Tsp Olive Oil
1 Cup chopped onions
1/2 Cup each: diced celery and chopped green bell pepper
1 Clove garlic, minced
3 cups of vegetable broth
3 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes
1 Can 19oz tomatoes, drained and cut up
1 Can 19oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tsp grated ginger root
1 tsp each ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander and chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup raisins (Optional - I always leave them out. They swell up and look like bugs.)
2 tbsp each: light peanut butter and chopped fresh cilantro (Optional - I usually forget them)

Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, green
pepper and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 mins.
Add all remaining ingredients, except raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20mins.
Stir in raisins, peanut butter and cilantro. Mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Served over basamati rice with lentils