Chocolate Chip Blondies

These are not your average blondie bars.




They have a secret ingredient. One that I love to use in many recipes, both savory and sweet...

Garbanzo beans! Muahaha. It's my way of cheating and making delicious things healthier. I mean seriously, garbanzo beans have lots of fiber and protein so you SHOULD eat this entire recipe. Right?



Chocolate Chip Blondies Recipe:

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or butter, applesauce, margarine, etc. Any "fat source")
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Blend everything except for the chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth. I actually only have a blender, and let me tell you, it took forever to get this batter smooth. I ended up baking it with a few lumps anyway so I definitely recommend a food processor. Once smooth, add chocolate chips, mix well, and poor into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or longer, until the inside is not longer mushy. Let cool in pan at least 20 minutes before cutting.

I promise, no one will be able to tell there are beans in these. It's like eating delicious, sweet, chocolate chip cookie bars. And if you don't bake them quite as long, they're still warm and gooey inside like cookie dough. Mmmm.

Pizza Hummus/Hummus Pizza

I eat a lot of hummus.

Nay, I eat a lot of chickpeas. Sweet, savory, whatever; they are excellent in so many ways.

My go-to hummus is chickpeas, lots of garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and Greek oregano. Today, I was craving something a little different. I was inspired by this recipe, but didn't have nutritional yeast on-hand so I knew it wouldn't taste exactly like pizza. Oh and fyi, nutritional yeast is VERY different from brewer's or active dry yeast so don't consider substituting.

But what I came up with is very tasty and definitely Italian-inspired. You could either call it pizza hummus, or use it as a base to make hummus pizza. Spread it on a rice cake or English muffin and top with cheese, olives, etc.



Yummy!

Pizza Hummus/Hummus Pizza Recipe:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained mostly (reserve like a tbsp or 2 of the liquid)
• 1-1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 heaping tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp roasted garlic powder (or a couple garlic cloves)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt/pepper

Blend it all up and serve in a million-and-one ways.

Spaghetti and Meat-less Balls

Okay, okay, just to clarify: I am not a vegetarian. I eat meat frequently, just not every day. Mainly because I don't think it's necessary in a meal. Plus having to create balanced meals without meat is a creative challenge.

I think my favorite meat-less ingredient to play around with is chickpeas. They have such a versatile flavor, texture and application. I use them in place of flour in baking ALL the time, and it's a great way to add valuable protein to dessert. Tonight, I wanted spaghetti and used the same process I did for the falafel to make chickpea balls. It was very good too! Though after the fact, I definitely altered the recipe to what I think would be a more desired taste and texture.


Spaghetti and Meat-less Balls Recipe:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 heaping tbsp fennel seed (to get that wonderful Italian sausage flavor)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

• 1 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup green olives, sliced
• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, sliced

• 1 pkg spaghetti, cooked according to package

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Throw the first set of ingredients in the blender, minus the bread crumbs, and blend. A food processor would be better. After the mixture is well incorporated, add the breadcrumbs and mix by hand. Lightly grease a muffin tin and scoop out the chickpea mixture in meatball sized portions. Bake for about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Add the canned tomato, fresh tomato, paste, chicken broth and seasoning. Stir and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Reduce, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. You could leave the sauce at this consistency, but I wanted a thicker marinara type of sauce. I also wanted to use one of my new favorite kitchen gadgets: the immersion blender. Blend it all up, throw in the olives and return back to a simmer.

Once the pasta is finished and meat-less balls are cooked, combine everything and garnish with green onions and Asiago (or Parmesan) cheese.

We Got The Beets

♫ Ooo eee ooo killer tofu ♫

Remember The Beets from Doug? What a great band; I wish they were real.

I digress.

So tonight the pantry and fridge were quite bare, save some carbs and vegetables.













I noticed a can of pickled beets that I purchased...mmm...about 8 months ago and wondered what I could do with such a delicious, yet odd commodity. The dialogue in my head was as follows:

"Rice again? Nah. Ooo Orzo pasta. I've never cooked this before. Yes, yes...Orzo pasta with pickled beets and an assortment of random ingredients!"

Uhh..MAZING! I never knew pickled beets were so delicious when warm and mixed with random stuff.

My boyfriend and I eat a "Stuff Pasta" once a week. We actually call it "Stuff Pasta." It's a great (cheap) way to utilize fresh vegetables. Usually it's thin spaghetti or bowtie with caramelized onions, garlic, whatever green vegetable we bought that week, fresh tomato and green onion and shaved Asiago cheese.

This week, I made a Stuff Pasta that we have never had before and DAMN, it was good. And pretty. Full of healthy ingredients right in the pantry. I can't think of a snappy name for this dish; it involves too many things.

Stuff Pasta (Orzo with roasted chickpeas, veggies and beets) Recipe:

• 1 pkg Orzo pasta

• 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
• 1 broccoli crown, stem diced and separated from florets
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp Greek Oregano
• 1 tsp Cayenne pepper

• 1 can pickled beets, drained
  
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• 2 green onions, diced
• Drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread the garbanzo beans, broccoli stems, onions and garlic slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, peppers and Greek oregano. Mix so all the veggies are coated and roast for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take a spatula and move the veggies around to cook evenly. Put back in oven for 10 minutes.

While the veggies are roasting during the final 10 minutes, cook the Orzo pasta according to the package directions.

Now attend to the broccoli florets. I chose not to roast with other vegetables because broccoli florets tend to get brown and crisp really fast in a hot oven. I threw them in a microwave-safe bowl with a splash of water, salt and pepper, covered with paper plate and microwaved for about 3 minutes. (Contrary to popular belief, microwaving vegetables with a lid is actually a healthy method that retains the nutrients.)

When the Orzo is finished, drain and return to pot. Drizzle some olive oil and pour in the roasted mixture, broccoli florets and pickled beets. You'll notice the entire dish suddenly takes on a lovely fuchsia hue from the beets. Garnish with fresh tomatoes and green onions.


An award-winning Stuff Pasta, if I do say so myself. And my boyfriend, who often gawks at vegetarian meals, loved it too.