Vegetable Samosas

I found some eggroll wrappers in the freezer today and decided to make a samosa-type wonton. Typically, samosas have a bit more of a puff-pastry crust, but the eggroll wrappers were quite good. I cut the wrappers in quarters and made mini-wontons by putting filling in the middle, folding over three corners and then rolling them up. I sealed the wrappers with some water, and fried them in olive oil. I used what vegetables I had on hand, but a variety would be good (celery, carrots, bell peppers, etc).

• 1/3 cup leeks, finely chopped (or green onions, 1 small yellow onion, etc)
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium potato, finely diced
• 1/4 cup zucchini, finely diced (about 1/3 of a medium sized zucchini)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3/4 cup chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
• 2 tsp chana masala (or curry powder or other indian spices)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oil over medium heat and add leeks and spices, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock and the rest of your vegetables. Cover. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionaly for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Choose a wrapper, place a spoonful of filling inside and bake or fry. Serve with yogurt curry dip!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is a magical food, in my opinion. It actually tastes rich and decadent…but it isn’t! It’s great for you and great tasting. Amazing. Anyway, we go through hummus like crazy around here as most of us dip our veggies in it, and as Ava eats it by the spoonful. So I decided to try to make my own. Yum. This is seriously the best hummus I have ever had and was NOT that hard.

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 cups cooked chickpeas that I had re-hydrated from the dried state.)
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded (You can buy these in a jar, but seriously–roast your own. They taste so much better and are SO EASY to roast.)
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoon tahini (A peanut butter-like substance that is made from sesame seeds. I found it in a tin can on the shelf next to peanut butter at Whole Foods.)
• juice of 1 lemon (2-3 tsp)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha (Less if you don’t like it AT ALL spicy, but this amount really doesn’t make it very spicy it just adds a nice flavor.)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  You may have to stop to stir and/or scrape down the sides a few times…or if you are like me and have a terrible blender, it will take LOTS of scraping.

Leftover hummus can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for a few days. 

recipe from pinchmysalt.com

Falafel

So I dove into trying some Middle Eastern food this week. It was fun! The falafel turned out nothing like the deep fried falafel balls you get at those fast food joints, but it was still good! If you have a deep fryer, I am sure your falafel will be more true-to-form, but mine was more along the lines of fried chick-pea patties. Still tasty, but different. With that disclaimer, here’s how I did it. From what I have read, you’ll want to start with dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and cook them if you want true falafel texture. If you use the canned chickpeas, you might have your falafel balls falling apart while you try to fry them. Then again, I started with dried chickpeas, and mine fell apart while I tried to fry them…so take that for what it’s worth! Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups chickpeas, cooked according to package directions (or canned)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup fresh parsley (Many recipes also call for cilantro…you could do all cilantro, or a mixture of parsley/cilantro)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2  tablespoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil for deep frying (I used olive oil…could do canola, grapeseed or peanut as well)

Method

Using a food processor, pulverize chickpeas, but only until they form a paste — too smooth, and the batter may fall apart when cooking. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) and mix to combine. Batter should be grainy, speckled with herbs, and a shade of pistachio green. Taste for salt.

Refrigerate batter about one hour, until firm. Remove from fridge and shape batter into 1-inch balls (a tablespoon measure is helpful). Don’t fiddle too much with dough. Place on a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Return to fridge and chill for an additional 15 minutes.

If you have a deep fryer, use it now. If you don’t, heat your oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry the balls/patties on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.

Makes about 16-20.

Babaganoush

Looking for a way to use some eggplant? Try this recipe for babaganoush. It’s a bit like hummus, only made with eggplant instead of chickpeas. We’re eating it with Tandoori Chicken Pitas this week.

• 1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Prick eggplant with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake the eggplant until it is soft inside, about 20 minutes. Alternatively, grill the eggplant over a gas grill, rotating it around until the skin is completely charred, about 10 minutes. Let the eggplant cool. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, drain off the liquid, and scoop the pulp into a food processor. Process the eggplant until smooth and transfer to a medium bowl.

On a cutting board, work garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt together with the flat side of a knife, until it forms a paste. Add the garlic-salt mixture to the eggplant. Stir in the parsley, tahini, and lemon juice. Season with more salt, to taste. Garnish with additional parsley.

from Food Network, Ellie Krieger

Tandoori Chicken Pitas

Can you tell I’m trying to lose a few pounds this month? Day 9 and I am well on my way to fulfilling my goal of losing weight in January. I’ve cut out most sugars and a lot of fats, and have been searching for low-calorie, low-fat healthy recipes. Don’t worry, once February rolls around I’ll be back to normal eating. I can’t wait for some CHEESE! Yes, that is a hard one to let go of in my book.

Anyway, I’m going to put together some Tandoori Chicken Pitas for dinner this week. Enjoy!

Chicken Marinade:

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp hot paprika
• pinch of ground cloves
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 piece of ginger about the size of a thumb, finely chopped (around 15-20g)
• 2-3 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

8 whole grain pitas

assorted fresh veggies (bell peppers, cucumbers, sprouts, tomatoes, etc)

Cilantro Yogurt Dressing

In a food processor, mix together all the ingredients of the marinade. Marinate the chicken for several hours. Bring the chicken to room temperature before you grill or bake it. Bake for about 20-30 min at 350 (internal temp of 165) or throw the grill for about 5-7 minutes per side over medium heat (again, internal temp of 165). Stuff some whole grain pitas with the chicken, sliced veggies and a little cilantro yogurt sauce and you’ve got a yummy, good for you meal.