smashed chickpea salad and/or sandwich

oh man. healthy, vegan, and delicious. pretty much perfect.

Smashed Chickpea Salad
Inspired by ‘wichcraft / lifted from the smitten kitchen

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons pitted, halved and very thinly sliced black olives (kalamata works best)
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Zest and juice from a whole lemon
Couple good pinches of salt
A few grinds of black pepper
A few glugs of olive oil

Mix everything but the olive oil in a small to midsize bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. You’re not looking for a hummus-like puree but something closer to a coarse chop with a few smaller bits to hold it together. Add the glugs of olive oil, mix it lightly and enjoy.

This is also awesome as a sandwich on toasted bread, and it needs nothing else on it. I ate mine on toasted spelt bread with a generous schmear of Ariel's red pepper hummus that I had made and it was amazing!

Goan (Shrimp) Curry

By popular demand. This is adapted from a pretty basic recipe from the New York Times a few years back--we veggied it up with the additions of eggplant and red bell pepper.

Goan-Style Shrimp Curry
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
4 dried red chilies--this time around we used 2 fresh serranos, minced
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1/2 -1 pound thai eggplants
about a cup of fried tofu
3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 can coconut milk
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

1. Place shrimp in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, and add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and cayenne. Mix well and refrigerate.

2. In a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine oil and chilies and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add ginger, onion, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, ground coriander and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper, eggplant and tofu and sauté until edges of eggplant begin to brown.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes. Stir, scraping sides and bottom of pot, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil, and add shrimp. Bring to a simmer and cook until shrimp are opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

If desired, serve with rice.

Naga Chocolate Tart

Inspired by Vosges' Naga bar, interpreted from Karen DeMasco's The Craft of Baking

Naga Chocolate Tart

Chocolate Sable Dough

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons egg that has been well blended

Naga Chocolate Filling

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%), roughly chopped

4 ounces semisweet chocolate (62%), roughly chopped

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup coconut milk (NOT lite!)

1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 t. sweet (or other mild) curry powder
1/2 c. unsweetened dried coconut flakes

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fleur du sel and additional dried coconut for dusting

Make the dough

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on low speed until there are no visible pieces of butter, about 3 minutes. Add the measured amount of egg and mix just until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing each in completely before adding the next. (Note: I don't have a standing mixer so I just used a normal hand one and then elbow grease for mixing in the last bit of flour)

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Shape into a flattened disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Bake the crust

4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round. Roll the dough onto a rolling pin, center it over a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and fit it into the pan, pressing the dough into the edges. With a paring knife, trim the excess dough right to the top edge of the pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the chilled tart shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights, rotate the pan, and continue baking until the crust is fragrant and feels dry to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes more. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the crust cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F.

Make the filling

6. Combine the bittersweet and semisweet chocolates in a mixing bowl. Pour the cream, coconut milk and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour about one-third of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and very gently whisk together until the chocolate is melted. Add the remaining cream mixture and curry powder and gently whisk to combine.

7. Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well combined. Pour about one-third of the chocolate mixture over the eggs and gently whisk just to combine. Return the egg mixture to the chocolate mixture, add the salt, and very gently whisk until smooth. Stir in coconut flakes.

Bake the tart

8. Filled the cooled crust with the chocolate custard. Carefully transfer the tart, on the baking sheet, to the oven and bake, rotating the sheet halfway through (sprinkle fleur du sel and coconut flakes on top of tart at this time too), until the edges of the custard are set and the center is slightly loose, about 30 minutes. Transfer the tart to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Remove the outer ring of the tart pan, and serve at room temperature. The tart is best eaten the day it is baked, but can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

Very Addictive Coconut Dhal

Below is the recipe for the dhal I brought to the curry fest. This dhal is genius in that it has very simple ingredients but is both really satisfying and really filling! The original recipe used mustard seeds instead of cumin seeds, but I prefer the cumin seeds for their fragrance and flavor. Feel free to mix it up.

1/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 T olive oil
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground turmeric

1 c. yellow split peas
2 1/2 cups water

1/4 c. grated unsweetened coconut
1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

In a small covered frying pan heat cumin seeds over medium-high heat in oil until seeds begin to pop; uncover, add onion and fry until edges are nicely browned. Add garlic and spices and fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a soup pot bring split peas and water to a boil; turn down heat and add onion mixture to simmering dhal. Cover and continue simmering for 45 minutes, watching for bubbles and spilling! Mash dhal with a potato masher or spoon to break up. Stir in coconut and salt. Partially cover and simmer for 10 more minutes, adding water if it gets too thick. Stir to prevent peas from sticking to the pot. Stir in lemon juice, remove from heat and serve!

deliciously simple late winter salad

Healthy, delicious and ready in five minutes. This is a carrot salad for the ages. Definitely good enough for dinner with some warm bread and a little cup of soup.

Ingredients
2-3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
1 large red pepper, shredded
1 lemon
1- 2 T chopped mint
1 t Harissa
1 t good quality honey
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Toasted nuts or Marcona Almonds

Whisk the juice of one lemon with the honey and harissa. Add the mint and some of the lemon zest. Stir in the shredded veggies and dress lightly with olive oil. Toss the salad. and top with nuts, salt and pepper.

Food tastes better when you make it from scratch: Hummous edition

So, it's still bitterly cold and my South African tan has faded away...But, I'm ready for summer and find myself getting tired of all sorts of things as a result of my impatience for sun, skirts, and beer on porches. One of those things is my standard granola/fruit/yogurt breakfast. My favorite alternative to a bowl of sweet and crunchy goodness is a salty, heavily seeded everything bagel with hummus, avocado, sprouts, tomato and cucumber...Clearly my mom did a good job teaching me to eat my veggies! Unfortunately it is impossible to get a good tomato in this town and I'm pretty sure that you can't find decent bagels either. (I'm not quite ready to start making my own!) But, I've been soothing my frustrated inner Californian with dense seedy bread, avocado, sprout and hummus sandwiches for breakfast and eagerly anticipating tomato season.

Which brings me to making hummus. Store bought hummus is OKAY, but it frequently has weird extras in it like soy products, cream of tartar, lactic acid, etc. When I have time, I prefer to make mine from scratch because making hummus is incredibly easy provided you have a blender or blender like device and when I make it I know what is in it. And, things taste better when you make them from scratch. Recently I've been using toasted walnuts instead of sesame seeds to make an earthier, wintrier hummus. What follows is a Spain and South Africa inspired red pepper (Piquillos and Peppadews replace the standard roasted bell peppers) hummus. I'm also partial to delightfully green batches made with obscene amounts of cilantro, parsley or basil. Perhaps you'll find yourself encouraged to save a little money and make yours at home too and we can have a battle of the mashed garbanzo beans!

Ingredients
1 cup dried garbanzos
1 onion
1/2 bunch of parsley
6- 7 cups of water
salt

1 8 oz. jar of roasted piquillo peppers (ingredients should be peppers, olive oil and that's it!)
2/3 cup raw walnuts
5 pickled peppadews
3-4 cloves of garlic
1-2 lemons
olive oil
walnut oil (optional)
paprika
aleppo pepper, harissa, or red pepper flakes

Soak the beans over night. Cook them with the parsley and onions until soft and creamy in the center. Do not add salt until the beans are nearly done! Set aside and reserve the cooking water.

In a large skillet over medium heat toast the walnuts and the unpeeled garlic cloves until the nuts are fragrant. Peel the garlic and process with the walnuts and a good glug of olive oil and a hefty pinch of salt. Usually I use a little swig of walnut oil here too to add to the earthy, nutty background flavor.

Add the peppers and process until smooth.

Using a slotted spoon add the garbanzo beans to this paste and process, a little at a time, being careful not to transfer the aromatics from the cooking water into the blender. Use equal parts olive oil and cooking water to thin the mixture to your desired consistency.

Once you have combined all of the beans with the pepper and walnut mixture, add the juice of 1- 3 lemons depending on your preference and the juiciness of the lemons. A little orange zest is nice too. Season with 1 T of paprika, about 1 T of something spicy and salt. Process until incorporated.

Like most dips, hummus tastes best after sitting for a while. This recipe makes about 4- 5 cups of hummus and it will keep well in the fridge for 5 or so days.

Your Favorite Hippie Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Ariel's baking amazing cookies, Danica's kicking out the Indian food jams, and I present you with...salad dressing. A wonderful, healthy vegan dressing that is — straight outta that hairy-pitted, patchouli-lovin', be-Birckenstocked Shangri-la up in New York State we call Moosewood. Goes with everything. Break out the hackysacks, drum circles, and fire eaters. Let your inner hippie fly!

Luscious Lemon Tahini Dressing
from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

1/2 c. tahini
1/2 c. water
3 T lemon juice
1 T red wine vinegar (I highly recommend subbing in balsamic here)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar and whisk/shake till smooth. Let stand 15 mins before serving.