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.

That's Fal-awful Good!

I'll give you a moment to finish cracking up at my hilaaaarious pun title for this post.

Can you guess what's for dinner tonight?

FALAFEL!

But can you guess what I'm going to do different? Make it healthier!

Okay enough guessing. I got this idea from a recipe I stumbled upon on foodgawker.com (a.k.a. where I spend 75% of my day). Basically just instead of frying the falafel, you bake them. Sure the taste and texture won't be exactly the same thing, but I'm not going for same; I'm going for new.

Anyway, it was super easy and delicious. Give it a try!

Baked Falafel Pita Pockets Recipe:

• 1 15oz can of chickpeas (drained)
  
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (or white)

• 1 pkg whole wheat pita pockets
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 tomato, sliced
  
• 1 bunch of spinach (arugula would be even better!)

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper
• Dash of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Throw the first set of ingredients in a blender and...BLEND! A food processor would be a better choice, but I am lacking in that department. Shoot for a thoroughly incorporated/still chunky consistency. Scoop tablespoon sized balls onto a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes. My batter was a little thin (probably because of the blender) so I used a muffin tin. It worked perfectly.















While they're baking, combine the yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder. I like my tzatziki sauce a little chunkier, so I just mixed it all together. If you want a thinner, smoother consistency then I recommend throwing in the blender.

When the falafel are finished and slightly cooled, it's time to assemble your pocket. Cut a falafel (falafa? falafe? what is the singular?) in half and place at the bottom of the pocket. Add some tzatziki, then the sliced red onion, spinach leaves and tomato. Add two more falafel on top and finish with tzatziki sauce.