Friday, September 19, 2008

chick peas and hearts

hearts of palm, that is... I was checking around my pantry for something to make and since I had not been home in several weeks, I didn't have much fresh, except what was in my garden. I came up with this quick, easy and delicious dish:

Chickpea and Hearts of Palm Salad
1 can whole chickpeas
1 can sliced hearts of palm
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh chives
salt and white pepper to taste

1. Rinse and strain chickpeas and hearts of palm and put in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, chives, salt and pepper until the oil has emulsified.
3. Pour the dressing over the chick peas and hearts of palm and chill for about an hour.

I like to use the white pepper so that I don't have little black specs all over my salad. The other thing is that if I had some fresh tomatoes, I would have put them in there too, but I used them all in the salad I made yesterday. Other options - artichoke hearts and olives - it would be fun to be creative with this one.

enjoy :)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

lentils... superfood?

I was feeling a longing for lentils lately and had some things on hand, so I whipped up this great lentil salad yesterday. I'd take a photo of it, but it didn't last that long ;)

Lentils are basically a superfood from everything I have read. Lots of protein, no fat, great for veg-heads. There are a lot of these recipes out there, so I'll humbly offer mine.

Lentil Salad
1/2 c. green whole lentils (I find the split ones get mushy)
enough water to cover the lentils by 1/2 inch
two garlic cloves, cut in half
bay leaf
1 tsp. curry powder
4 to 6 cherry tomatos
2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt to taste
few dashes of hot sauce

1. Bring water to boil (you can boil the lentils right in the water, but I have read that they are easier to digest if you put them in boiling water). Add lentils, garlic, bay leaf, curry powder.

2. After water begins to boil again, lower heat to simmering and simmer uncovered until all the water has been absorbed. If the lentils are still a little hard, add more water and simmer some more.

3. Remove from heat, salt and add lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste. Let the lentils come to room temperature and add the cherry tomatos.

4. You can either eat immediately, or chill for up to 2 to 3 days.

I usually eat this as my dinner, but it can also be a great side dish.

enjoy
~me