Courgette Falafel

These were delicious, I made a full batch and I think I turned all of them into a falafel pitta sandwich with yoghurt, pickles and lettuce. Really easy to make and tasty.

Courgette Falafel (from Tesco Magazine)
(Serves 4)

1/2 large courgette, trimmed and grated
2 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp harissa
handful coriander, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Wrap the courgette in a clean tea towel and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.

Put the chickpeas, flour, harissa, coriander, 1 garlic clove, the lemon zest and a little seasoning in a food processor. Whizz until smooth. Add half the courgette and pulse briefly to combine.

Divide the mixture into 12 equal balls, then flatten into patties. Place the patties on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 mins. Serve.

Foodie Reads 2016: Afghan Nachos from Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez

I really enjoyed reading the  Little Coffee Shop of Kabul and thought I would give the second one a go. Whilst it is not as good as the first it is pretty decent.

This one sees the action split between Kabul and an Island off Seattle, but this doesn't detract from the story as there are lots of connections made between the two throughout the book. I really enjoyed this book and I now have The House of Carnival Street by the same author to read.

There are a few recipes at the end of the book and one in particular caught my eye - Afghan Nachos, not least because I had all the ingredients in the house already. I added cucumber in to the original recipe as I had some and I knew it would go well. This is a really delicious alternative to normal nachos.

Afghan Nachos
(from Return to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez)
(Serves 6)

2 tbsp oil
6 spring onions, chopped
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
170g Greek yoghurt
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
bunch mint, chopped
4 pitta bread

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the spring onions, fry for 2 mins. Add the chickpeas, cumin and paprika to the pan and cook for 5 mins stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, mix together the yoghurt, salt, garlic and mint.

Toast the pitta bread until crispy, then cut into large pieces.

Assemble but putting the pitta in a bowl, top with the chickpeas and then the yoghurt.

Wild Garlic Hummus

It's wold garlic season again, yay! So although I can't forage any myself I took a trip to Borough Market on a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago where they had bunches of the stuff. I used some of it to make a hummus. There was too much tahini in the original recipe for me so I have cut the amount in the recipe below.

Wild Garlic Hummus (from Farmer's Girl Kitchen)

1 400g tin chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini
1 lemon, juiced
50g wild garlic, roughly torn
60ml olive oil
some of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas or water

Put all the ingredients down to the olive oil into a food processor and blitz. Add cooking liquid or water, a little at a time, until you have the thickness and texture you desire.

Roasted Carrot Hummus

As well as lots of mushrooms I have also been getting lots of carrots in my veg bag, so I used them to make some hummus. This was delicious and served me well for breakfast last week.

Roasted Carrot Hummus (from Farmers Girl Kitchen)

200g carrots
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 400g tin cooked chickpeas
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 heaped tsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin

 Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 mins in the oven until soft.

Put the carrots and all the other ingredients into a mixer and blitz until blended and smooth. Spoon into a bowl and level to remove any air pockets. Serve.

Falafel Hash with Baba Ganoush

I made this delicious salad to take to lunch a couple of times this week. The baba ganoush was really good and I added in pickled cabbage to add a contrast in flavour.

Falafel Hash with Baba Ganoush
(Serves 6)

3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 aubergines
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1½ tbsp tahini
1 lemon, plus extra wedges to serve
2 x 400g cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
28g pack fresh coriander, leaves only, roughly chopped

To serve
6–12 pitta breads
olives
chilli sauce

Preheat the grill and line a baking tray with tin foil.

Slice 2 cloves garlic in half lengthways. Make a deep slit in the side of each aubergine and push two halves of garlic into each one. Place the stuffed aubergines on the baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the oil and place under the grill. Cook for 20 mins, turning over halfway through, until soft and lightly scorched on the outside.

Leave until cool enough to handle, then place on a chopping board, slice off the stalk and discard. Slice each aubergine open and scoop the soft flesh and garlic onto the board. Discard the skin. Top the aubergine with the tahini, juice from half the lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and season. Chop all the ingredients together repeatedly to make a rough paste. Transfer to a dish and top with a drizzle of olive oil.

Place the chick peas in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Simmer for 5 mins then drain and leave to cool in the sieve.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the red onion and stir-fry for 2–3 mins until starting to soften. Chop the last clove of garlic and add to the pan. Fry, stirring occasionally, for 3–4 mins until the onions have softened. Add the chick peas and carrots, stir to combine, then fry for 1 min more. Using a potato masher, roughly mash the chick peas until about half are crushed. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the juice from the remaining lemon and the chopped coriander. Season to taste. Serve the hash with the aubergine dip, warmed pittas, olives with feta, chilli sauce and lemon wedges.

Potato Crusted Sea Bream with Greek Baked Chickpeas

This one of my best things that I have made recently. It was really tasty and I loved the crunch of the potato crust on the fish. I made up the chickpea recipe as I wanted something with a little more sauce than in the original recipe and I had onions that needed using up.

Potato Crusted Sea Bream with Greek Baked Chickpeas (from Kalofagas)
(Serves 4)

For the chickpeas
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 400g tins chickpeas, drained
200g cherry tomatoes

For the fish

4 sea bream or sea bass fillets, rinsed and patted dry
oil
4 tsp mustard
1 large potato
4-5 cloves garlic
zest 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper
1 tsp of paprika

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion, cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add in the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and cherry tomatoes. Pour the mixture into an oven proof dish and place into the oven for 30 mins.

Drizzle each fillet with some olive oil and rub all over to coat. Now spread a tsp of mustard on the top-side of each fillet. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place the potato (with skin on) and garlic cloves into a pot of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins. Drain the hot water and replace with cold water and allow to cool for 5 mins. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and place in a bowl. Mash them with a fork.

Grate the potato on a box grater into a bowl. Add the lemon zest, juice and parsley and gently toss until mixed together.

Divide the grated potato mixture and spread on top of each fish fillet. Drizzle some olive and sprinkle the paprika. Place in the oven for 15 mins. Remove the chickpeas from the oven. Move the rack into the grill position and set your oven to grill. Grill the fish for another 2 mins or until the potato crisps-up and becomes golden-brown. Serve the fish on top of the chickpeas.

Hummus

As an appetizer when people arrived I served hummus with carrots from the garden.

Hummus (from Leiths Cookery Bible)
(Serves 4)

1 400g tin chickpeas, drained keeping the liquid
salt and pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, crushed
juice 1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
pinch cayenne pepper

Put the chickpeas into a food processor. Whizz and add the remaining ingredients. Add enough of the chickpea juice to produce a soft cream. Serve.

Asparagus and Artichoke Quinoa Salad

I made this salad a couple of weeks ago using lovely fresh in season asparagus picked near to where my parents live. I loved the combination of the artichokes and asparagus and quinoa seems to be the grain of the moment!

Asparagus and Artichoke Quinoa Salad (from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 4)

250g quinoa
8 artichokes from a can
4 tbsp pesto
250g asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup feta (crumbled)
1 squeeze lemon juice

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the quinoa according to packet instructions, adding the asparagus for the last 3-4 mins. Put the quinoa and asparagus into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, mix well to combine and serve or pack into a lunchbox.

Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Freekeh Salad

This is what I did with the other half of the aubergine I used for the pizza. I made a lovely tasty salad, full of delicious grains and aubergine. Really simple to make and a lovely lunchbox filler

Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Freekeh Salad (from Allotment 2 Kitchen)
(Serves 1)

50g freekeh
1/2 aubergine, cut into chunks
cooking spray
1/2 small tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 spring onion, sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the freekeh according to packet instructions. Drain, run under the cold tap and drain again well.

Put the aubergine on a baking tray, season and spray with cooking spray, tossing to coat. Cook in the oven until golden, about 10 mins.

Put the freekeh, aubergine, chickpeas, spring onion and coriander into a bowl or lunch box and drizzle with the olive oil, stir well to combine and serve.

Chickpea Pancakes

This is the first recipe I made from the Deliciously Ella cookbook. I found these relatively easy to make although you have to have the pan on a medium heat otherwise it is difficult to get the batter to make a big enough circle! They were delicious though. I used some for my enchiladas and then made a couple of refried bean, pepper and cheese quesedillas with the rest. 

Chickpea Wraps (from Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward)
(Makes 4 wraps)

2 tbsp ground flaxseed
130g chickpea (gram) flour
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
salt and pepper
oil

Put all of the ingredients except the oil into a mixing bowl with 200ml water. Whisk it all together making sure the batter is smooth.

Leave the batter to thicken for about 5 mins.

While the batter thickens, heat a frying pan over a high heat and rub oil over the bottom of it using some kitchen roll.

Pour a quarter of the batter into the pan and spread it as thinly as possible into a circle. Cook for about 2 mins until there is no wet batter left on top, turn the wrap over and cook the other side.

Stuff with your favourite fillings and serve.

Pesto Courgette and Corn Quinoa Salad

This made a lovely summery salad, I can't wait until I've got courgettes in my garden to use

Pesto Courgette and Corn Quinoa Salad (from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 6)

250g quinoa, rinsed

1 tbsp oil

2 medium courgettes, diced

175g sweetcorn, fresh or frozen

salt and pepper

1 400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 spring onions, sliced

4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

4 tbsp basil pesto

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the courgette and corn and cook until tender, about 12 mins, before removing from the heat and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix everything together and pack into a lunchbox.

Spinach, Feta and Chickpea Burgers

I made these a little while back and they were really delicious, a bit of a different burger with the feta included in them. I served mine on a bun with some barbecue sauce and pickles.

 

Spinach, Feta and Chickpea Burgers (from Amuse Your Bouche)

(Serves 4-6)

1½ x 400g tins chickpeas, drained

1 egg

120g feta cheese, cut into 1cm dice

40g spinach, finely chopped

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 spring onions, sliced

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Add the chickpeas and the egg to a food processor, and process for 30 secs or so until a thick paste is formed. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl, and add the feta, spinach, parsley and spring onions. Season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt and mix well.

Shape the mixture into a few burger shapes, and place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Place in the oven for around 40 mins, until firm and golden brown. Serve.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous with Mascarpone

This is meant to be a hot dish and I think it would be lovely as such but I had it cold for lunch and it was really good. I'm not a huge fan of tinned chickpeas but adding them to the couscous cooks them a bit and makes them softer.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous with Mascarpone (from Good Food Magazine October 2009)
(Serves 4)

4 red peppers, deseeded and sliced

2 courgettes, halved and then cut into thick sticks

2 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

½ tsp sugar

6 tomatoes, quartered

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

200g couscous

400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

50g mascarpone or full-fat soft cheese

small handful chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oven to 200C and put the kettle on. Put the red peppers and courgettes in a roasting tray with the garlic, olive oil, sugar and some seasoning. Roast them in the oven for 20 mins, then add the tomatoes and sliced chilli. Roast for 20 mins more until the tomatoes and peppers are bursting with juices.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl stir together the couscous and chickpeas, and pour over 200-250ml boiling water until just covered. Covered with cling film and leave to stand for 10 mins, then fluff up with a fork, adding more water if needed.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and stir in the mascarpone. Divide the couscous between 4 plates, top with the roasted veg and finish with some chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Or pack into a lunchbox and leave to cool.

Chickpea and Cauliflower Burgers

In an effort to eat less red meat, I'm also eating more vegetarian food than I used to. I love veggie burgers. I make a batch, freeze them and then I have a really quick supper that I can just grab out of the freezer. These are the latest lot I made, really tasty. I served it in a seedy bun with dill pickle, cheese, tomatoes and barbecue sauce.

 

Chickpea and Cauliflower Burgers (from The First Mess)

(Serves 4)

 

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 garlic clove, rough chopped
1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper
6 tbsp chickpea flour
2 tbsp chopped chives

Steam the cauliflower over a pan of boiling water until tender, about 8-10 mins. Remove the cauliflower and run some cold water over it. Towel the florets lightly and then place in the bowl of a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Add the chickpeas, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the cauliflower. Pulse the mixture until you have a meal that clumps together when you squeeze it. You should still see little bits of chickpeas. Put the chickpea and cauliflower mixture into a large bowl and stir in the flours and chopped chives until your mix is fully combined and the flour is absorbed. Season.

Line a baking sheet with grease proof paper and with wet hands form the mixture into 4 patties. The out the patties onto the baking sheet. Bake for 30 mins, then serve,

Tikka Cod with Chickpea Curry

This wasn't spicy enough for me. It could have done with a stronger flavoured curry paste. The dish as whole was a nice combination though and I liked the chickpeas, spinach and coconut cream.

Tikka Cod with Chickpea Curry (from Waitrose Weekend)

(Serves 2)

70g tikka paste

2 cod fillets

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

250g spinach

400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

160ml can coconut cream

Preheat the oven to 200C. Spread 1 tsp of the tikka paste over each cod fillet, place on a baking tray and bake for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for 3-4 mins until tranluscent. Add the remaining tikka paste, chickpeas, spinach and coconut cream, stir well, cover and cook for 3 mins. Season.

Serve the cod on top of the chickpea curry.

Mashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwich Filling

Looking for something healthy and filling last week for a sandwich seemed a bit of a chore. I finally came across this avocado and chickpea recipe. It was definitely filling, I have reduced the chickpeas by half from the original recipe as I thought there were too many. I served it in a whole meal pitta with tomato and lettuce.

Mashed Chickpea and Avocado Sandwich Filling (from Amuse Your Bouche)
(Serves 2)

200g tin chickpeas, drained

1 avocado

Juice of half a lime

3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

2 spring onions, sliced

salt and pepper

 

Coarsely mash the drained chickpeas and the avocado together with a fork or potato masher, and add the lime juice, coriander and sliced spring onions. Mix well and season to taste.

Carrot and Chickpea Soup

Now I know you're thinking that it's totally the wrong weather for soup but I made this a little while ago and though it was worth posting. It used up half a tin of chickpeas and some carrots that were very near going off and made this beautiful and vibrant orange soup. Not to mention that it;s also ridiculously tasty too!

Carrot and Chickpea Soup (adapted from Mark Bittman)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
450g carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1l vegetable stock
1 400g tin chickpeas
250ml orange juice

Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat; a minute later, add the onions, carrots, and garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to keep the vegetables from burning, until the onions and carrots have coloured, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the cumin and paprika and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds.

Add the stock and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are very soft, about 30 mins; add more liquid as necessary so the mixture remains soupy.

When the chickpeas are very tender, add the orange juice. Blend the soup with a hand blender and put into bowls to serve.

Roasted Veg and Chickpea Tagine

This recipe came a long when looking for something to do with a Moroccan Spaghetti Squash side dish I wanted to try. Originally a dry dish without the tomato sauce, but I thought the squash needed the sauce. I have also halved the amount of harissa in the dish as I find it a really hot and overwhelming taste, but feel free to add more if you are that way inclined! I also served it with some Greek yogurt to combat the chilli burn!

Roasted Veg and Chickpea Tagine (adapted from Delicious Magazine)
(Serves 4)
(3 WW ProPoints per serving)

1 large aubergine, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into chunks
12 small vine tomatoes, halved
2 tsp cumin seeds
Head of garlic, cloves separated
Dash of balsamic vinegar
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp harissa paste
Handful fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the aubergine, pepper, onion, tomatoes, cumin seeds, garlic and vinegar in a roasting tin, season and spray with cooking spray. Roast for 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and cook the harissa for a minute until it starts to small spicy. Add in the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas and cook on a medium-low heat for about 10-15 mins.

When the roasted veg is cooked, carefully remove the garlic cloves and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of the husks into the tomato mixture, followed by the rest of the roasted veg. Serve with couscous or flatbreads.

Vegetarian Mulligatawny Soup

I was looking for a slightly heartier soup as my points allowance went up, rather than the 1 or 2 point soups I'd been making before. Plus as we head into winter hearty soups are definitely called for and I love the idea of an Indian soup, so I made this mulligatawny. I think the meat version has lamb in it, which seemes to me a bit weird in soup, so I plumped for a veggie version with chickpeas and lentils. The original, orginal recipe is a Madhur Jaffrey one and as she is the authority on Indian cookery in the UK you can't go wrong with it.

Mulligatawny Soup (adapted from Cookbook Cooks)
(Serves 4)
(7 WW ProPoints per serving)

cooking spray
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp ginger grated
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
400g can chickpeas, drained
200g split red lentils
1l veg stock
salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Heat the pan and spray with cooking spray. Add the onion and fry for a few mins until translucent, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 more min. Add the cumin, coriander, curry powder and cayenne and stir for 1 min more.

Add the chickpeas and stir to coat with the spices. Add the lentils, veg stock and season with salt. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 mins.

Remove from the heat and spoon out about a third of the mixture. Blend the rest with a hand blender and then return the unmeushed stuff to the pan. Stir in the lemon juice and sprinkle over the coriander. Serve.

Falafel and Halloumi Burger

These falafel burgers are beautifully tangy with the saltiness of the halloumi. The recipes suggests serving them with houmous, lettuce and pickled chillies, I went for homemade tzatziki, rocket and dill pickles, mostly because that's what I had and it still tasted delicious. I was using it as a way to use up half a can of chickpeas that I'd opened for something else, so really didn't want to go out and buy anything new and I still managed to keep with a Greek theme!

Falafel and Halloumi Burgers (adapted from Olive Magazine August 2009)
(Serves 6)
(11 ProPoints per serving)

2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 green chillies, chopped
2 garlic cloves
½ a small bunch spring onions
1 tsp salt flakes
2 tbsp plain flour
250g halloumi cheese, diced

To serve
pitta bread
tzatziki
rocket
pickles

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Put the first 9 ingredients in a food processor and whizz until broken down. Tip into a bowl, mix in the halloumi, and form into 6 burgers.

Lay the burgers out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 mins.

Serve in grilled pittas with houmous, lettuce and pickles.