Roasted Chickpeas

The original recipe for this little muncher called for a smaller can of chickpeas, 15 ounces rather than 19. So with that in mind, feel free to go heavier on the spices. 

1 can chickpeas (540ml / 19 ounces), drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Quarter teaspoon smoked paprika

Quarter teaspoon black pepper

Eighth teaspoon cayenne pepper

Eighth teaspoon garlic powder

Salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450. 

Empty your can of chickpeas into a strainer, rinse them thoroughly, and move them into a large bowl. To dry them, I line the bowl with paper towel that I pull out slowly then dab the top portion with. 

Add the olive oil and toss. 

Add the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, and a couple of shakes of salt, then toss some more to coat evenly.

Spread the chickpeas onto a baking sheet and roast until crunchy, between 20 and 30 minutes. 

Keep an eye on this one, the chickpeas can start to burn quickly.

Next attempt, I'll add onion powder as well. 

Garlic Brussels Sprouts Pasta

First attempt ended up a bit on the dry side. Something to work on. Flavour was good though!

This is one of the quicker ones to make on here. Only the sprouts and garlic require chopping.

I didn't have red pepper flakes so went with chili flakes, but toned down to half a teaspoon. 

1 tablespoon butter (for cooking the Sprouts)

1/4 cup butter (for cooking the garlic)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb (?) Brussels sprouts, shredded

10 ounces of pasta  

3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella

Salt and black pepper, to taste

6 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested

Heat the quarter-cup of butter over medium heat in a skillet. Once hot, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from the heat, then add the red pepper flakes and lemon zest. Stir to combine and let sit at room temperature.

In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon of butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shredded Brussels sprouts and sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well.

Add the garlic butter sauce and shredded mozzarella to the pasta with the sautéed Brussels sprouts. Toss to combine and allow the cheese to melt.

Pineapple Rice

Finally, a side dish to add! This will make about four servings. 

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated

1 cup of long or short-grain white rice

1 cup Pineapple fresh or canned

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

Red chili flakes, to taste

Salt, to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Toss in the garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and toast it for about 2 minutes. Stir gently until the rice is lightly golden.

Stir in the pineapple, soy sauce, brown sugar, red chili flakes, and salt. Sauté for another minute.

Pour in 1.5 cups of water and increase the heat to high, bringing it to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes until the water evaporates.

Turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry

First attempt at a curry. LFG! 

1 tbsp virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 can (540 ml) of diced tomatoes

2 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz can coconut milk

1 tsp fresh black pepper, plus more to taste

2 tbsp fresh lime juice, optional


Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Add the garam masala, curry powder, and cumin to the pot. Let sit for about 30 seconds before stirring.

Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened and lost their shape.

Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, sweet potato, and pepper. Include salt if that's your thing.

Stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served this with naan bread, but it can go over a bed of rice as well. Or both.

Pesto Orzo Soup

Made this for the first time a couple of nights ago, and it was love at first try. 

The original recipe called for two cups or orzo, but I have reduced that to one because it turned into more of a thick pasta dish than a soup. I haven't tried the single cup version yet, so maybe I'll want to go back to two. 

1 tablespoon olive oil

4-6 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 cup dry orzo pasta

6 cups vegetable broth

1 can white beans

1/2 bunch kale, finely shredded

1/2 cup basil pesto

1/2 cup whole milk or canned full fat coconut milk

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Juice of 1 lemon

Black pepper, sprinkled

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the butter until fully melted, then stir in the orzo. Cook until golden, 1-3 minutes.

Pour in the broth and bring to a boil over high heat.

Stir in the beans and kale.

Simmer 8-10 minutes until the orzo is al dente, stirring often. It should become very creamy.

Stir in the pesto, milk, parmesan, and lemon juice. Cook another few minutes until warmed through.

Give it a good sprinkle of black pepper, and serve! 

Cajun Popcorn

This is another one where you benefit from moving fast.  You want your butter ready to go when your popcorn is still good and hot.

1 bag of microwavable popcorn

1/4 of melted butter

Juice from half a lime

1 teaspoon of Cajun spice

2 teaspoons of grated parmesan cheese

Get your large bowl ready to receive the popcorn, and you will need a large spoon for stiring.

Mix the spice and cheese together, then prepare the 1/4 cup of melted butter. 

While the popcorn is in the microwave, squeeze the lime juice into the butter and stir well.

When the popcorn is done, dump about half into the bowl, then spread some of the "lime butter" on it, and sprinkle some of the spice.

Dump the rest of the popcorn, then the rest of the lime butter, then the remaining spice.

Stir the entire mixture well to ensure that the spice is evenly spread. 

Green Olive Pasta

I'm undecided about this one. I don't recall anyone critiquing an Italian meal and complaining that the pasta was not crunchy enough. It was an unusual feature, but the flavour was certainly pleasant.

This is done in two parts. To prepare the breadcrumbs, you will need...

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Zest of 1 small lemon

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove crumbs from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt, and mix to combine. Set the breadcrumbs and the sauté pan aside.

As for the main event...

Pasta. No kidding. I used penne, about half a package. I don't believe that the kind of pasta actually matters.

Two half cups of pitted green olives, divided as each will be used separately. 

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

A quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Half a teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves minced garlic

Half a cup of parmesan cheese plus more for garnish

A quarter cup of fresh lemon juice

Cook pasta until al dented according to directions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain and set aside.

Place one of the half cups of olives in a food processor, along with the parsley, red pepper flakes, and pepper, and pulse until a thick, clumpy paste forms.

Roughly chop the reserved cup of olives.

In the same pan you prepare the breadcrumbs in, heat the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the fresh minced garlic and sauté for a minute of two. 

Add the olive mixture and chopped olives, parmesan, and a quarter cup of the reserved pasta water to the pan, stirring constantly.

Continue to cook, stirring often, until the parmesan melts throughout. If the sauce seems too thick, feel free to add water ¼ cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency. 

Off the heat, stir in the pasta and lemon juice, mixing until it’s fully coated in the sauce.

Garnish with the lemony breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley, and serve!

I may end up trying it again without the breadcrumbs, because the pasta in the lemony olive/parmesan mix seemed like a winner.