Salty Chickpea Snacks

When I tell people that I'm vegan, I often get the responses: what do you eat?!! and where do you get your protein??!!

Well, there are a million things I can eat and plenty of places to get protein, such as nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc). One of my favorite places to get protein is chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). They are so packed with nutrients we want, like protein, calcium, and iron. And they taste fantastic, so of course I use them a lot; from eating them raw on a salad to smashing them up to put in my homemade veggie burgers. 

For years I've been munching on them as a snack, but although I liked having them as a snack, they never filled the void when I wanted a snack like chips or pretzels. Now, I'm not a health freak that is completely against ever eating junk food. And I'm not shunning it because I'm afraid I'll get fat (but it will do that to you). I still eat it once in a while, but the high oil content and whatever else is put in it always makes me bloated and gives me stomach aches. So, although I never ate much junk food at all, my consumption of it has still managed to declined drastically over the last few years to practically none. 

But I was raised in a culture that likes its junk food, so sometimes I do crave it. I swear the stuff is addictive. Like, if I eat something processed with added sugar one day, the next day I feel like I could eat out a candy store. I don't even like candy! Or chips! But I still crave them occasionally, and if i dare buy them I'm probably going to eat the whole bag. 

So when I found that people baked chickpeas with spices and salt turning them into a yummy and healthy snack, I was psyched. They are crunchy, salty, and flavorful. They remind me a bit of wasabi peas. And I definitely like them better than the chips I can buy in the store. I know they're not exactly chips, but I think they are a great substitute. 

Chick Pea Snacks

1 can chickpeas

1 Tbl olive oil

about 2 tsp of a spice or spices (I like to use hot paprika, but you could use curry or thyme or maybe something sweet - experiment!)

a bunch of shakes of salt (add a few shakes at a time and adjust to taste)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced in half or in thirds

preheat oven to bake 400. Put all ingredients on a cookie sheet (with sides so the chick peas don't roll off) and mix around, coating the chickpeas evenly and adjusting the spices to taste. Stick in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes.

If you want to use dried chickpeas instead of canned, remember that they are not as salty, so when you're soaking them add some salt to the water. ...To use dried chickpeas, soak them in water over night and then rinse them and cook them in boiling water for about an hour. If you don't have that much time, boil water, turn off and add dried chickpeas. let sit for a few hours and then rinse them and cook in boiling water for an hour. The reason to use dried beans instead of canned is that they are much cheaper. But remember, after you cook them, don't just leave them in water for days, they will go bad pretty quick. Drain them, used them, or store them in the refrigerator (if you'll use them soon) or freeze them.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Growing up I, like most kids, absolutely loved mac and cheese. On Christmas Eve my grandma always made it herself, but most of the year we ate the box kind. The kind that comes with a packet of powdered cheese stuff, and the elbow pasta gets sort of mushy. 

Even when I got into my early teens, went vegetarian, and became a health nut, I still ate that box mac and cheese. Have you ever had one of those moments where despite eating healthy you just cave in and eat a whole bag of chips or a massive ice cream sundae or drink your body weight in soda just because? Well, for me mac and cheese was one of those undeniably unhealthy meals that I occasionally gorged on. 

So you can probably guess that when I went vegan and stopped consuming dairy I was a little heart broken that I could no longer indulge a little with a bucket sized bowl of mac and cheesy goodness. I mean, seriously, take away the cheese, milk, and butter and all you have left is mushy pasta, and that's just not very satisfying. 

At that point in time, I figured I had given up mac and cheese for life. I looked a plenty of recipes for vegan versions, but none of them looked particularly appetizing. I'm not really into those fake cheeses you can find at the supermarket. Other recipes called for silken tofu, nutritional yeast, and a bunch of other things. Although I love firm tofu, I haven't had much success cooking with silken tofu, so I ruled that out quickly, and nutritional yeast sounded weird (apparently a couple decades ago it didn't taste as good) so I didn't bother trying that either. And I wanted a simple recipe, so I refused to try recipes with ingredient lists that went on forever. 

However, about a year ago, I finally decided to give nutritional yeast a chance, and I quickly grew to love it. It's so nutritious and absolutely delicious. So I finally decided to try using it to make a vegan version of mac and cheese. 

But still unsatisfied with the recipes I found, I created my own. Looking back on it now, I should've just done that in the first place. After all, thats what I usually do, but oh well. 

So anyway after a little experimentation I came up with this recipe, which I love. If you're thinking this is stupid because it's not really mac and cheese without cheese, well you're right, but be that as it may please try it regardless, with an open mind. I've had plenty of non-vegans try it and they've liked it.

The recipe is super simple. What I think makes it really good is the spagetti sauce and the pepper. The sweetness of the tomatoes along with the tang of the pepper seems to really enhance the cheesy flavor of the nutritional yeast. 

And one (or maybe 3) last thing: the ingredients, like all my recipes are really flexible. They are just guidelines. Don't be afraid to experiment. I think experimentation is the key to becoming a good cook. Also, I use whole wheat pasta. I think it tastes better. If you use white pasta the proportions of ingredients might also change. I'll try using white pasta soon and post a recipe for that if i think it drastically changes proportions. 

Vegan Mac and Cheese
1 box of whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup vegan margarine (I use earth balance)
1/2 cup soy milk (I prefer unsweetened)
2-3 Tbl nutritional yeast (the amount I use depends on my mood the day I'm making it, so try two, if thats not enough add another - simple)
7-8 Tbl spagetti sauce (I'll add my recipe for this soon)
salt (I've never measured it. try about 1/2 tsp. maybe it needs a little more. I tend to make things low sodium, but salt really brings out other flavors in foods)
a generous grinding of pepper
chopped fresh parsley as a garnish - about 2 tsp per serving

cook and drain pasta. put back in pot and mix everything else together except parsley. serve and garnish with parsley.

Extra things you might want to add: freshly chopped tomato and/or basil

NOTE: If you like my recipes but never know how much salt and pepper to use let me know and I'll actually measure it out. I just never have and always forget to because I get in the zone when I'm cooking and forget that I should measure salt and pepper rather than just shaking/grinding them into the pot until I'm satisfied. But if you want me to measure them I will.

Pasta With Tomatoes & Basil

Yum!

I love pasta. It's such a quick thing to cook up and so cheap. Often if I'm serving dinner for friends I'll make pasta because it's an affordable and fun way to feed a bunch of people.

There are a bunch of things to do with it from making a pasta salad to making your own sauces or, my newest discovery (thanks to a friend's family), grilling it. So I'm surprised I have not posted a recipe with it before now.

I hope to soon have more pasta recipes up, but for now, in the spirit of summer, I would like to introduce you to my favorite summer pasta recipe. We call it pasta with tomatoes and basil, and it's probably our most common meal in the summer, especially during August when all the tomatoes in the garden are finally ripening.

Years ago, we found a recipe similar to this in one of our favorite cookbooks, Still Life With Menu (if you're looking for a great vegetarian cookbook you should really check this one out). Our version of the recipe is now quite different than the one from the book, but it served as great inspiration. Originally the recipe called for much more oil than I now use and chunks of brie cheese. We immediately cut down the oil content and started using havarti cheese instead of brie (I honestly can't remember why we made this substitution) and grated parmesan.

However, once I became vegan, I started to make it without cheese, and it still tastes amazing. I think it's even better this way actually. To me the cheese is unnecessary and just makes the meal feel heavier in my stomach, so I don't hesitate to leave it out. What I've started doing instead is adding red chili pepper flakes, but really the meal is great as is.  NOTE 1: I like to use whole wheat pasta rather than white. It's good, so if you haven't tried it yet, I strongly encourage you to.  NOTE 2: When I don't have fresh tomatoes I use canned. You'll need almost a whole can, with the juice drained off.

Pasta with Basil and Tomato

1 box of pasta

2 - 4 tomatoes (presuming you have large tomatoes. you'll need more if they're small)

1/3 cup chopped basil (approximately)

2 cloves garlic mashed

salt to taste

a generous grinding of black pepper

2 Tbl olive oil

a couple shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)

cook and drain pasta. while it cooks mash garlic with a little bit of salt in a bowl. chop tomatoes and basil and add to bowl. add cooked pasta, oil, and pepper. Serve!

Big Pickling Cucumber vs Normal Size Pickling Cucumber

Cucumber Salad

If you grow cucumbers in the summer, you'll know that even one plant can produce a lot. If you have a few plants, you'll pretty quickly have piles of them. So what should you do with all those cucumbers?
In my opinion, its obvious: make a cucumber salad!

This cucumber salad recipe is one of the simplest things I've ever learned to make. It takes little time, and even less effort. It will use a bunch of cucumbers, and you will probably gobble it down fast, but it will add such a simple, clean, and fresh vegetable aspect to your meal. And all you need for ingredients are cucumbers, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar. Crunchy, sweet, salty and tangy all at once, it really packs a punch.

To emphasize the wonderfulness of this recipe, I would like to point out that it's been passed down in my family for years. That longevity must be a sign of it's high quality in flavor, right?

Actually, I have absolutely no clue where it was originally from, but I learned it from my grandmother, who learned it from her grandmother. My whole life my grandma, whom I am very close too especially when it comes to food, has told me stories about her grandma, Grossmutter (German for Grandma), while we work in the kitchen. Although I obviously never met Grossmutter, who died long before I was born, many of her recipes like this one, or the stollen we bake every Christmas, will always be near and dear to my heart. And fortunately for me, this particular recipe is vegan!

IMPORTANT: The number of cucumbers you use for this recipe all depends on size. If they're big use less, if small use more. The proportions really aren't fussy at all, so don't worry too much. Either way the salad, as a side dish, will probably serve about four people. Also, read the recipe directions. It's not one of those recipes where you just toss everything together. There are steps.

Cucumber Salad
4 - 8 cucumbers
salt
water to rinse salt off
1/4 cup cider vinegar (any kind would work though)
more water (1/4 cup)
1 Tbl sugar

Slice cucumbers thin, layer with salt, let stand for at least a half hour, rinse a few times to wash off excess salt, squeeze hard (like really hard) to get water out.  Dress with 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar.

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