Crocktober: Mediterranean Chickpeas with Roasted Beets from the Crock Pot

I cooked two different things! At once! In the same crock pot! And since its the start of cold and flu season, one of those things is perfect for your daily dose (overdose?) of antioxidants and other healthy things. Enjoy it with crumbled feta and fresh parsley on top.

Beet juices will stain like no other, so don't make this dish when wearing.. I don't know.. a wedding dress?

Even I am getting a bit tired of stew, which is why I adapted a chickpea stew recipe involving balsamic onions and black olives to cook with as little liquid as possible, so it's more of a bean dish than a soupy one. The beets cooked on top of the chickpeas, just sliced in half and laid on top. This wasn't my original plan. I was going to do little Hersey's-kiss-type packets for the beets, but guess who forgot to get aluminum foil? I still think that the packet plan would work out great - a theory that I will test another day.

Ingredients:

1 bunch beets (usually 4 bulbs), trimmed and thoroughly washed

1 cup dry chickpeas (or about 2 cups canned or prepared chickpeas)

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

A couple tablespoons coarsely chopped black or kalamata olives

2 tsp dried oregano

Feta cheese and fresh parsley for serving

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Aluminum foil (optional)

Directions:

[PREP: If you're using dry chickpeas, sort and rinse them thoroughly, then soak in plenty of water in the fridge overnight or for up to 24 hours, changing the water at least twice in this time. If you're using canned or prepared beans, just rinse and drain before adding them to the crock.]

1. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add onions and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, cover and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add oregano and a couple tablespoons of water, and cover again until onions are deep golden brown (about another 15 minutes). Stir in balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and an additional couple tablespoons water. Cover the pan and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes and olives. 

3. Spray your crock insert and pour in chickpeas, adding the onion mixture on top.

4. Thoroughly wash your beets. (You can peel yours if you want to, but I didn't).

Option 1: Cut pieces of aluminum foil that are large enough to completely wrap up each beet without much excess, taking care to be sure that they (probably) won't let any liquid in. Plop the packets on top of the chickpeas. 

Option 2: Slice your beets in half vertically, and rest them cut-side-down on top of the onion mixture.

Cook on high for about 4-6 hours, or until your chickpeas are tender and your beets are done. (Your beets are done when you can insert a knife into the top through the thickest part of the bulb with no resistance).

5. Remove beet packets or halved beets, and stir chickpeas in with onion mixture. Transfer chickpeas to a covered serving dish or individual bowls, (if you did packets, cut beets into wedges and) serve on top or alongside of the chickpeas. Garnish with feta and fresh parsley.

Pretty.

I am sure that my instructions about cooking with dry beans versus canned are probably tiresome for some readers, but every once in a while I get the mental image of somebody soaking canned beans (and ending up with hopeless mush) or trying to cook dry black beans (famous for their slow cooking) and ending up with tiny little rocks even after a full day of cooking. I hope that the dry-to-cooked measuring conversions are workable. Maybe I'm secretly trying to get you all to switch to dry beans. It's a conspiracy to save you money. Spoooky!

This will likely be my last post until next weekend, but I'll be back with a crock pot spiced apple cider recipe before Crocktober is out. This theme thing has been working for me. Hm, what rhymes with November...

Quote of the Day: Beets are the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious. ~ Tom Robbins

Marinated, Grilled Tempeh Steak & Green Salad

I won't try to convince you that there is anything that can really take the place of a deliciously juicy piece of beef. Even (or perhaps especially) if you are a staunch vegetarian who would never think of tasting any, I'm sure you would agree that it is singular and unique, and without substitute. But just for funsies, I keep on trying to find one in an ongoing effort to alleviate my meat-eating guilt.

I've had only one previous adventure in cooking with tempeh, but I was pleasantly surprised by its firm, meaty texture and slightly nutty flavor, and I still think it's among the best non-meat burrito fillings out there. Though I realize nothing can replicate the juicy grilled flavor of a rare steak, I nonetheless got the urge to soak it in Worcestershire sauce and grill it to see how far I could take the whole "fake meat" thing.

 I made mine with soy tempeh, but I don't see a reason why you couldn't use the multi-grain type. They say that one 8 oz. package is about two servings, which seemed about right to me.

Marinaded tempeh:

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp Soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp cider, apple or white wine viengar

1/4 tsp paprika

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 8 oz. package unseasoned soy tempeh

Directions:

1. 2-24 hours before mealtime, whisk together all marinade ingredients in a shallow dish or container. Cut tempeh in half, into two almost-square rectangles, and place in marinade, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to start cooking, flipping one time near the middle of the marinading period.

4. Grease or spray and heat a grill pan, George Foreman Grill or regular grill. (I used a grill pan over medium heat). Grill for about 4-5 minutes each side, or until it gets nice dark grill marks. (I didn't do a great job of this, but I did get the crispy, salty-sweet bits of caramelized Worcestershire sauce, so all was not lost.)

 I've only just realized that in some places - I assume places with real grocery stores that don't tempt any halfway motivated cook to take up drinking wine in bed rather than continue to be disappointed in her shopping efforts - one can buy pre-seasoned tempeh. In concept I think this is great, since it soaks up flavors so well and lacks much flavor of its own when "untreated." I can't recommend them per se, but if anybody has adventures with seasoned tempeh, I want to hear about it!

I had initially planned to serve my tempeh with a green salad and some honey-glazed sauteed sweet potatoes, but when I cut into my monster of a sweet potato (which I bought only two days ago, by the way) I discovered that something small and gross had already started eating it. Imagine my chagrin. I was heavily chagrinned. I'm still a bit chagrinned about it, to be honest. Bleh. So instead, I had my tempeh on a Balsamic-dressed salad of arugula, green lettuce, cherry tomatoes, onion, Feta cheese and pine nuts, which I certainly cannot complain about. I added Feta on a whim but without it this is a yummy vegan meal.

I'm not sure I'm a great lover of tempeh, but it surely seems to have its place, if only in vegetarian burritos. Try it - it couldn't be easier!

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Cheddar, Dijon Mustard & Sauteed Balsamic Mushrooms

While I have had mixed experiences with their large cousins the Portobellos, I think those ordinary, decidedly-far-less-gourmet little white mushrooms are wonderful things. Maybe it's because they are so delicious, or because I know they're so healthy. Or maybe because they are already cleaned and sliced when you buy them. That might be the one.

Oozy deliciousness!

This is basically your traditional grilled cheese sandwich, with the addition of balsamic-marinated and sauteed mushrooms. Yum, right? This recipe makes one sandwich, and would make a great weekend lunch, though you probably don't need the recipe at all after the mushroom bit. Still, in the interest of consistency...

Ingredients:

4 oz mushrooms (1/2 box), cleaned and sliced

Deli roll or 2 slices multi grain bread

A few thin slices of mild cheddar or Swiss cheese

Balsamic vinegar 

1 clove garlic, smashed

Cooking spray

Dijon mustard

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

Directions:

1. In a small-medium frying pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, adding garlic and mushrooms. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add salt and pepper, and continue to saute until mushrooms are tender and nicely browned. This should take about 8-10 minutes, or more if you want yours extra browned.

2. Add about 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, immediately remove from heat, and mix to coat mushrooms. Heat a grill pan (over medium heat), sandwich press or George Foreman Grill, spraying with cooking spray.

3. Thinly butter your bread or rolls on the "outside" surfaces, and put a thin layer of dijon mustard on the "inside." Spoon mushroom mixture onto bread/roll (omitting the garlic), stack layers of cheese on top and top with other piece of bread or top of roll.

4. Grill your sandwich for about 5 minutes on each side, or longer if you like them extra-crispy, just be sure the cheese is melted. Slice in half and serve hot with extra Dijon mustard.

With a green salad, this was a delicious and very satisfying meal. I think that's why I like white button mushrooms more than Portobellos; I think that they tend to retain their "meaty" texture more, and have a more substantial mouthfeel. Or maybe I overcooked my Portobellos? I can't be sure, but now I have to try again. There are worse things!

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches with Red Onion, Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella

I have a long-standing distaste for eggplant. As a kid, when I tried my grandmother's eggplant Parmesan, I was shocked. Her ravioli, Italian wedding soup, pasta (which she always called "macaroni) and incredible repertoire of Italian cookies were so delicious, so perfectly crafted through decades of practice, each all fantastic in their own right. But this - this mushy, squishy stuff - people actually liked this? And indeed, like it they did. At age 10 (which was probably the last time I ate eggplant, until tonight) I was so utterly horrified by the texture of the vegetable that I had effectively sworn it off.

But 1) it is eggplant season, 2) in theory we all must grow up eventually, and 3) "eggplant" is my favorite color, so I thought it was time I give them another chance. And Brady, the resident eggplant-parm connoisseur, told me that if I like grilled portobellos, then the texture of eggplant would probably not gross me out anymore. There are many varieties of eggplant, and I was lucky enough to find one of the fanciest-looking ones at my very own grocery store:

 This sandwich, which is somewhat like a Mediterranean veggie burger, combines two to three slices of grilled eggplant with fresh tomato, mozzarella, some thinly sliced red onion with a bit of balsamic vinegar on bakery rolls. The Kaiser rolls we had on hand were slightly over-sized with respect to the circumference of the eggplant, so for high presentation points you probably want to use a globe eggplant and/or smaller buns, or toasted English muffins (why didn't I think of that before?). Likewise, larger balls of mozzarella make for better stacking. My recipe serves two:

Ingredients:

1 eggplant of any variety, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick rounds

1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick slices 

1 slicing tomato, cut into... you guessed it, 1/4 inch-thick slices

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 buns or English muffins

Balsamic vinegar

Red or white wine vinegar

Cooking spray

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Line a tray or platter with paper towels. Lay the rounds of eggplant on the paper towels in a single layer. Salt generously on both sides and allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients.*

2. In a shallow dish, combine 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place sliced onions and tomatoes in the dish and turn to coat.

3. Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat it up over high heat.

4. When the eggplant slices have been sitting for at least 15 minutes, pat dry with paper towels and brush on both sides with olive oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, toast your buns, if desired.

5. To build your sandwich, first lay out your buns. Then stack two to three grilled eggplant slices, adding a slice or two of tomato and some red onion on top. Add a slice or two of fresh mozzarella and top with some fresh basil leaves.

Cook's Note: The salting-over-paper-towels step and general concept for this sandwich came from Elise's Grilled Eggplant Sandwich Recipe on SimplyRecipes.com. Her cooking instructions offer much more direction for using a traditional grill, but they can be easily adapted to grill pans, broilers or George Foreman Grills.

Sandwich construction: Phase 1, where I realize that Kaiser rolls are either too large or too small for this sandwich, and I can't decide which.

So, here's the thing. I can't really claim to be an eggplant convert. I can't say that the texture didn't gross me out a little, or that I didn't wonder what this fancy-looking vegetable was doing with all those thousands of tiny seeds. What I can say is that like many things, I can definitely enjoy it on a "once in a while" basis, or purely as a change of pace from my usual favorite ingredients. It didn't hurt that the other things in this sandwich - the mozzarella, the tomato, basil and red onion - are all among my top-10 favorites.

Still, I really can't hate on this sandwich. It's all the flavors of summer wrapped up in a soft, yummy roll. Get on it!

Quote of the Day: I doubt that the imagination can be suppressed. If you truly eradicated it in a child, he would grow up to be an eggplant. ~ Ursula K. LeGuin

Last Night's Dinner: Warm Pasta Salad with Tuna & Other Things

It hasn't been very long since I last posted about a pasta salad type of meal, but I find the light-yet-satisfying nature of these dishes perfect for this time of year. They're quick, easy, and also super versatile, and since you can add basically anything you want, you won't get sick of them. Adding a "fancy" salad ingredient like marinated peppers, artichokes, or kalamata olives will make your version seem much more sophisticated than the actual effort that went into it. Which is always nice.

For this one I tossed together:

1/2 box of whole wheat Rotini, about 7 oz

2 cans of tuna, packed in water, drained

1 green onion, cut on the bias

3 pepperoncini, thinly sliced (medium-hot peppers, sometimes called Tuscan peppers)

handful or two of chopped asparagus

a few marinated artichoke hearts

salt and pepper

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add the asparagus for the last minute of cooking time, then drain.

2. In a large bowl, combine about a tablespoon of olive oil, a drizzle of juice (vinegar) from the pepperoncini jar (or regular vinegar if not using peppers), salt and pepper. Add tuna, and break it up.

3. Add pasta, asparagus, and remaining ingredients to bowl and toss until completely coated with dressing. Add more oil and/or vinegar if needed.

Instead of the pepperoncini you can use their less spicy cousins, banana peppers, or even marinated bell peppers if you prefer. Personally I'm all about spicy food lately, so I was more than a little bit excited about the peppers. I ate two of them whole - seeds and all - while I was preparing dinner, which caused Brady a little bit of shock and horror. It was worth it. 

I didn't actually think about adding balsamic vinegar until we were ready to eat, so I just served it alongside. It worked out fine, but I think the flavor would be better dispersed if it were combined with the other dressing ingredients from the beginning. The sweet tartness of the vinegar is a nice contrast with the mildness of the tuna. This is something that Italians have known... possibly forever. In the opinion of the Food Network, this is what an Italian tuna salad is, but in my experience it is something too delicious to describe. But I'll try anyway. In another post, someday.

Warm Tortellini Salad with Cherry Tomatoes & Other Good Things

This is a very tasty, flavorful meal that takes almost no time at all. If you know you'll be in a hurry you can cut up the tomatoes, onion, and asparagus beforehand, and you've got dinner ready in about 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

9 oz cheese tortellini

1/4 of a red onion, sliced (I chopped mine, for some reason)

1/2 of a 14 oz jar of marinated artichokes, drained

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 bunch of asparagus cut into 1 1/2 inch-long-ish pieces (about 1/2 pound)

Fresh parsley or basil, chopped

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Apple cider or red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Add asparagus to cook for the last minute of the pasta's cooking time.

2. While the pasta is cooking, mix a good drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a splash of apple cider or red wine vinegar in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper and other veggies.

3. Drain tortellini and asparagus and add to the dressing and veggie mixture. Turn to coat everything, sprinkle with parsley or basil, and serve.

I used parsley mostly just because I didn't have basil on hand. I think basil, or some combo of the two, would be ideal. To be honest, parsley is just a tiny bit grassy for this dish, but I love fresh herbs of any kind so it didn't bother me at all.

What I didn't add, which I think I should have, is a bit of grated Parmesan cheese right before serving. You could also add some arugula or baby spinach if you were feeling adventurous. Still, this was very tasty, and obviously super easy. I love cold pasta salad, even for dinner, but I think the fresh, warm pasta really makes this dish. The pasta warms the veggies up, but just slightly. This will make a great summer meal. For us, this made two generous servings, though to be honest, we could have made it three, especially if it were served with some crusty garlic bread.

A word to the wise: It's asparagus season! If you're into the stuff, which I sure am, now is the time to get the best flavor at the lowest price. We are about halfway through the season, with a month to go. Steam it, grill it, boil it, whatever you like - just don't miss it!

Quote of the Day: "Life is a combination of magic and pasta." ~ Federico Fellini

Odds-And-Ends Salad with Chickpeas & Other Good Things

Yesterday was another marathon day, but since today was my "day off" (full of laundry, reading, homework, and all of that other fun stuff) I took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. I always think that I will enjoy sleeping late  - if you can call 9:15 late - but the older I get the more I find that it totally disrupts my sense of what time it is, what day it is, even what I want to eat that day.

But by about 12 pm, I was starving. Honestly, I probably would have eaten anything.

Rummaging around in the vegetable drawer, I found about a cup of cooked (from dry!) chickpeas, half a zucchini, a big tomato, some fresh parsley and green onion. I almost added red grapes, but decided against it. With some feta that I had honestly forgotten was there (apparently it keeps until October?), oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and a few baby spinach greens, this was a pretty tasty lunch. Much better than the "anything" I would have settled for.

Quote of the Day: “Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.” ~ Doug Larson