Recipe week

We've been getting requests for recipe ideas...so here you go! 

Crispy Oven Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
- 2  15 ounce cans chickpeas
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon sea salt

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place them on a tray lined with paper towels to dry.
Combine oil, cayenne, garam masala and salt in a medium bowl.  Pour the mixture over the chickpeas and toss together.
Preheat the oven 400°F. Pour the chickpeas on a baking sheet and  roast for 35 to 40 minutes.  Carefully shake the tray a few times between cooking.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

---

QUICK CURRIED CHICKPEAS WITH TOFU AND KALE

 Ingredients:
 - 1 bunch kale, cut into small chunks
- 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs cumin seeds, toasted
- 1 Tbs. ground turmeric
- 1 Tbs. garam masala
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed - 3 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 diced block of extra-firm tofu (or you can substitute tofu with chicken/shrimp/beef/etc.)
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Using a mortar and pestle, grind up the toasted cumin seed, turmeric and garam masala. Heat 1 Tbs oil in a medium skillet. Add the kale and saute until wilted, about 3 minutes. Toss in a pinch of salt. Remove from pan and set aside.
To the pan, add the remaining oil. Add the onions and saute 2 minutes, or until they start to soften. Add the garlic and bloom for 30 seconds. Add the spices and toss to combine. Saute 30 more seconds. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. This will create a little sauce to work with. Braise a couple of minutes.
Add the tofu and toss to combine. Throw that kale back in there. That’s it! 

---

Jumbo Chickpea Pancake
This dense and filling savoury chickpea pancake is packed with protein and fibre. Feel free to change up the mix-ins and toppings based on what you have in your fridge. To prevent it from sticking to the skillet, be sure to spray the skillet liberally with olive oil before pouring on the batter. Also, I suggest chopping the veggies finely so they cook faster.


Ingredients:
- 1 green onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour (also known as garbanzo flour or besan)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
- For serving: salsa, avocado, hummus, cashew cream (optional)

 Directions:
1.   Prepare the vegetables and set aside. Preheat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
2.   In a small bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, baking powder, and optional red pepper flakes.
3.   Add the water and whisk well until no clumps remain. I like to whisk it for a good 15 seconds to create lots of air bubbles in the batter.
4.   Stir in the chopped vegetables.
5.   When the skillet is pre-heated (a drop of water should sizzle on the pan), spray it liberally with olive oil or other non-stick cooking spray.
6.   Pour on all of the batter (if making 1 large pancake) and quickly spread it out all over the pan. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on one side (timing will depend on how hot your pan is), until you can easily slide a pancake flipper/spatula under the pancake and it's firm enough not to break when flipping. Flip pancake carefully and cook for another 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Be sure to cook for enough time as this pancake takes much longer to cook compared to regular pancakes.
7.   Serve on a large plate and top with your desired toppings. Leftovers can be wrapped up and placed in the fridge. Reheat on a skillet until warmed throughout.

---

Zucchini Noodles Marinara

 Substitute zucchini noodles regular pasta in your favorite pasta recipe.  Zucchini noodles are so easy to make – use a spiral cutter (pictured above) and cook the noodles in a frying pan or in the oven.  Zucchinis give off a lot of water as they cook, so transferring them onto paper towels after cooking will remove the excess moisture. Alternately, cooking them in the oven will do this as well (but will take longer – about 20 mins @ 375 degrees).
Add your favourite pasta sauce and you’re done!  Note: peeling the zucchini will give the noodles a more traditional pasta colouring.

---

Shakshuka (over hummus)

Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp harissa (optional)
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces
- 2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans whole plum tomatoes of a good brand
- salt
- 4 eggs
- a handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

  Add olive oil to a medium-sized skillet on low/medium heat. When warm, add onion, garlic and cumin, and harissa if you are using it, and let sauté for two minutes. Add bell pepper and tomato puree and sauté for 5 minutes until softened and then add tomatoes and salt. Use the backside of a fork to mash the tomatoes (careful so they don’t splatter). Cook for approximately 30 minutes. Taste it and add more salt if needed. Make four small divots in the sauce and carefully crack the eggs into them. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 5 more minutes, until the egg whites have set (or longer if you prefer). Top with fresh parsley.

Other meal ideal served over hummus 
(a great replacement in meals traditionally served over pasta or rice) 

---