Earl Grey Cocktail? Yes please.

Happy Monday! If you're someone who finds the first day of the workweek - how about trying this lovely beverage tonight? It looks pretty darn amazing:

(source)

What's in this concoction? Cold earl grey tea (yum), gin (extra yum), and hints of lemon, honey, and lavender (oh my!)! Sounds like a winner to me and unlike other tea/gin cocktails I've read about this one does not involve egg whites! If you're as drawn to this as I am check out the full instructions of Sweet and Charm (link) and make your own! Cheers! 

Recipe: Roasty Toasty Chickpeas!

The other day I was craving a nice snack when I came across a can (okay...more like 6 cans) of chickpeas in my pantry.  I certainly didn't feel like venturing out of the house since that would mean I'd have to take off my pjs and probably put on a bra (ack) so I thought I'd try roasting up one of the cans of beans and hopefully satisfy my hunger while I'm at it! The result? Amazingly delicious toasty chickpeas with minimal effort! Hooray! Just look how tasty they look:

Nummers! Hetty seemed to enjoy our homemade snack just as much as I did so I thought I'd share my made up recipe with all of you in case you have a pantry full of beans to get rid of too!

Roasty Toasty Chickpeas

- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- some heafty dashes of spice of your choice (ex. season salt, pepper, cayenne, taco, curry, cinnamon - you name it!)

I'm sure you can tell how simple this one is from the ingredient list but just in case here's how I did it:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Open your can of chickpeas and drain and rinse them.  Throw them in a bowl and pour on the tbsp of olive oil. I then added a big dash of season salt and a good tbsp of taco seasoning (enough to coat the chickpeas) and stirred it all up with a spoon.  Next I lined a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (I do detest scrubbing pans) and spread the chickpeas out to make a thin layer. I then threw them in the oven for 15 minutes, then flipped them over and baked the other side for an additional 15 minutes. That's it! Pull them out, let them cook a smidge and enjoy! 

Yaaayyy! Best of all - you can modify your spices to get whatever flavour your heart desires. I will be sure to experiment on my remaining 5 cans of beans in my cupboard and let you know. What do you think? Do you roast your own chickpeas? What flavour are you dying to try? 

Gluten Free Carrot Spice Muffin/Cupcakes

Once in a while I feel the urge to do a little baking. This usually ends in disaster (for me) since I really cannot tolerate gluten (at all) and always seem to binge on whatever sweet treats I've decided to bestow upon the world.  Instead of instantly regretting my home cooked efforts, I decided to make a gluten free recipe for a change and it turned out amazingly delicious! Just look at the scrumptiously non-belly-ache-inducing carrot cupcake: 

Just like all great baked goods out there it even seems sort of healthy! I modified a muffin recipe for this batch that doesn't include any butter or oil - but then I threw some cream cheese icing on there...so I figure it has been upgraded from "muffin" to "cupcake" status. Seemed appropriate. Onto the Recipe:

Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)

- 2 2/3 cup gluten free flour alternative (I find mixing flours works best so I used a mix of mostly quinoa flour with some chickpea and almond flours in there)
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- a dash of other fall spices (I used cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger)
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, almonds, and pecans)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used some Island Farms simply 2% that was lovely)
- 4 1/2 cups grated carrots 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Put muffin cups in muffin tins. Combine flour, b.power, b.soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. Stir in raisins and nuts and set aside. Whisk together eggs, sugar, and yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in the enormous amount of grated carrot. Fold the flour mixture into the carrot mash with a spatula. Scoop the batter evenly into the 24 muffin cups and make for ~20-25 minutes. Remove from oven when you can insert a toothpick in the center an it comes out clean (you know, like you do with cake) they are good! Let cool!

Cream Cheese Icing (perfect amount for the 24 cupcakes)

- 1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar

Mix together the cream cheese and butter until uniform and creamy. Slowly stir in the icing sugar (I did 1/4 cup at a time). Then add in the vanilla and you're ready to ice those muffins! I sprinkled a cinnamon and sugar mix on the top when I was done for extra pleasant presentation value. 

Nummers! That's about it - if you have any questions about the cupcakes just let me know and I'd be happy to assist you. Oh and if you make some I'd be willing to help you eat them too...just sayin'...

Happy Thanksgiving, Eh.

My weekend has been spent emerssed in family, and food. 
Equally important to traditional turkey fixings is having GF alternatives.
Yesterday's bread saved me from stuffing disaster. 

These cookies, from Gluten Free On A Shoe String were perfect with pie filling and whip cream!

These were surprisingly easy.  They had a hint of chocolate but in a sophisticated way.
I may have made an icream sadwich out of these and it was wanderful. 

This was my 'pie' and let me tell you, I ate the whole thing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fresh Bread

There is something about melting butter over oven fresh bread.  It makes me feel safe...errrr I don't have a problem with emotional eating... 

Nom nom nom.

Bread for All!

I am Gluten Free.  I am so used to it that I don't even know how to eat otherwise.  It is rarely a problem.  Until this week.  I ran out of bread.  And flour.  The next day I had a safety training session where "lunch would be provided".  I work at a mine where 1 out of 5 people are women.  So lunch was man food.  Breaded chicken, lasagna, and buns (not to mention muffins for snack).  I would fall apart if I ate that.  I did have a bread mix that I made (in a panic, at 9pm).  My sandwich the next day was awful and reminded me how important good bread is to a GF carb lover. 

I have been meaning to share this recipe with Kate for a good year.  If Kate wants to know about it, there must be more people who long for a hot grilled cheese sandwich that won't make their insides angry.  I am still making modifications to the recipe.  Don't be frightened by all the flours.  I'm super lazy and don't find the process to be too much.   

The recipe, in full is from Saveur, but below is an over view (Purple are my changes). 

1 1/4 cups (170 g) brown rice flour, plus 1 tbsp. for dusting
1 cup (113 g) sorghum flour
1 cup (115 g) tapioca starch (my package said 'tapioca starch flour')
2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. (85 g) whey powder
2 tbsp. (30 g) sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. (12 g) xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. (9 g) salt
1 packet (7 g) active dry yeast- sub 1tbsp(ish) Gluten Free yeast-it's cheaper.
2 large eggs (100 g), at room temperature- haha, these are always right from the fridge.
1/4 cup canola oil (85 g), plus more for greasing the pan- I actually do this and the rice bran coating.
1 1/4 cups (284 g) to 1 1/2 cups (340 g) seltzer, at room temperature- I have been known to sub in a ginger ale/water mixture as San Pellegrino isn't typically in my cupboard- it's also cheaper.
1 tsp. rice bran, plus more for coating the pan

The next time I plan on adding apple sauce as I think it could use a little somthin' somthin'.
I also scooped a shower cap from the last hotel I was at and use it as a reusable cover while the bread proofs. 

I'm hoping to make a couple loafs today, so check back to see how they turn out!

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

I recently got a ton of literature on eating for rheumatoid arthritis and one common trend they talked about was nuts! Looks like an extra excuse to increase my nut intake and when I came across this rosemary almond recipe (link) I figured it was calling to me! Just look how delicious they look:

(source)

Nummers! My mouth is watering just thinking about how yummy those roasted almonds would be and we've even got a massive rosemary bush hanging out in our parking lot that could use a good trim (okay, not really - but we do steal some snipits now and then)! Yum! I do love savory snacks (and rosemary everything)! What do you think? Anyone want to roast some rosemary nuts with me? I wonder how a mixture of walnuts, almonds, and pecans would taste...

Recipe: The best veggie side dish (ever!)

When my Uncle and Mom came to visit we had a whole bunch of delicious home cooked meals and my most favourite discovery of the weekend was making leeks! Although I have been a leek soup fan for many years, I had never ventured into cooking them as a side dish and once I realized how simple it was, I was hooked! Take a peek at the marvelous veggie goodness:


Nummers! Now onto the recipe:

Ingredients:

- organic carrots (they are by far more tasty!)
- leeks (I usually use two)
- parsley
- a little dab of butter

Recipe:

1. Peel and slice a few carrots (I usually do about 3 or 4) and put them in a large pot

2. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the carrots (and be about 1 inch above) and get them cooking!

3. Start cleaning and slicing the leeks! Slice off the tough dark green bits at the top of the leek and then I usually slice the leek down the center. This lets you wash away any bits of dirt in each delicious layer of leek! I then slice the leek into about 1/2 inch pieces

4. Check on the carrots and see that they are getting cooked, then add the leeks to the pot. Make sure to close the lid so the steam stays in there to cook the leek that may not be covered with water

5. Start cleaning the parsley. Once you remove any long stems or yellow bits chop the parsley up into tiny little bits! Chop chop!

6. Check on your pot of veggies. With my slow cutting skills they are usually done at this point, so I drain the water out of the pot (but make sure your carrots are tender enough to easily be poked with a fork)

7. Mix in the parsley and a dab of butter and mix it all up!

8. Tada! Enjoy!

Okay, so it may not be the most difficult of eight steps, but trust me, this is an amazing dish! The leeks taste super buttery and flavourful and the carrots and parsley compliment it wonderfully. I've even had it sans the butter and it was still amazing (but butter does tend to make things better)! Yum! What do you think? Are you a leek fan?

Recipe: Crock Pot Apple Cider

Since winter is still in full swing I figured now would be the perfect time to share one of my most favourite cold weather creation! I first had homemade apple cider at Kristine's xmas party a few years back, and then later that same year at my staff party. Jim and I attempted to recreate the delicious warm apple spice loveliness later that winter and although it was drinkable....it was far from perfection. Lindsay reintroduced me to the crock pot wonder this December and since then I've been altering the ingredients until I had the perfect mix! This picture may not be the most flattering, but trust me, this crock pot apple cider is extra delish to the very last drop:


Onto the recipe!

Ingredients:

- 2.84 L (96 oz) jug of Santa Cruz Organic Apple Juice. (I've tried other AJs but the pulpy organic stuff is the best)
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 or 2 oranges (1 large or 2 smaller depending on what you have available)
- 1 tbsp whole allspice
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 1 tbsp full leaf chai tea
- 2 or 3 pieces of whole star anise
- 2 or 3 pieces of cardamon
- a sprinkling of ground nutmeg

Instructions:

Pour the apple juice into the crock pot. Add in cinnamon sticks, and sliced orange. Put the whole allspice, cloves, chai tea, star anise, and cardamon in tea satchels and rest them on the side of the crock pot. Add a sprinkling of ground nutmeg over the concoction and stir. Make sure you don't let the large spices fall out of the tea bag(s) or they'll be difficult to remove later. Set on medium low for 4 hours and let steep. After 1 hour remove the orange slices (or they will get bitter). At the 2 hour mark I usually taste a sampling of it and if it is spicy enough for my liking I remove the tea bags of mulling spices and cinnamon sticks (or leave in if it needs a bit more spice). Because I don't like my cider too sweet (and my crock pot only just fits the jug of AJ), I like to dilute my cups of cider with some hot water. Then drink and enjoy!

If you have lots of cider left over (which I usually do) I pour boiling water in the glass AJ jug to rinse it out and then pour the remaining cider in there. Once it cools down you can stick it in the fridge and have some microwave ready cups of deliciousness whenever you please! Hooray!

Well that's it! Sometime I like to add an extra sprinkling of ground cinnamon and cloves to the batch (since I really like both those spices). Nummers! If you're feeling extra jolly you can always spike your cup with a shot of spiced rum and a shot of triple sec (or grand marnier if you're fancy) so some added zing. Jim seemed to be pretty happy with that alcoholic alternative but I prefer the non-boozey version for my poor suppressed immune system.

So what do you think? Do you ever indulge in cider? What recipe do you use?

cheg nog cookies

I may not be a huge fan of eggnog, but something about a short half sweet reduced fat no water (with cinnamon dolce sprinkles) chai eggnog latte just hits the holiday spot! Why yes, that is quite the modified starbucks beverage, but once you try it you'll be hooked! Since my pal Alanna always seems to whip up amazing earl gray tea infused cookies I thought I'd do the next best xmas edition and try my hand at my own cookie version of the cheg (sbux terminology for chai eggnog latte). I may not be a master in the kitchen, but the reaction I got from my cheg loving coworkers made these cookies a success! They even look tasty don't you think?


On to the recipe!

Cheg Nog cookies (makes ~50 cookies)

-3/4 cup shortening
-1 cup sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 ground up chai tea bags (I used Tazo's Organic Chai and a mortar and pestle)
-a sprinkling of other chai spices (I used cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg)
-2 tbsps eggnog
-2 1/2 cups flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Mix together the shortening, sugar, eggs, and flavours. Blend. Mix in dry ingredients (flour, b.powder, salt). Cover and chill for 1 hr. I then rolled them into cookie sized balls and flattened them with a spoon onto my silicone baking sheets. Bake for ~10 min until bottoms are slightly golden brown. Then lay the cookies on racks and let cool. (Now it's time to make the most delicious nog icing!)

Eggnog Icing (I don't actually have measurements for this....and ended up making WAY too much...which I then ate and felt sick afterwards....)

Whisk together icing sugar and egg nog until you get a good thick icing consistency. I then added a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon for extra spice.

Then all you need to do (after avoiding the temptation of eating all the amazing nog icing) is grab a knife, slab on some icing, and voila! Cheg cookies!

Nummers! I am drooling just thinking about these babies and am most certainly keeping these on the holiday baking list for next year. The subtle chai spices in the cookies leave the house smelling amazing and festive while the eggnog icing adds a touch of sweetness making the perfect xmas treat! What do you think? Craving some of your own cheg nog cookies? I'd love to know how they turn out!

In other news - Happy 27th Bday Jim! Too bad you never read my blog to appreciate this note - but I will probably be bringing you your own tray of cookies to help celebrate how old we are! Yay!

xmas cookies!

Fraser and I decided to start our own holiday tradition this year and spend the day baking xmas goodies together! Six batches, and loads of xmas tunes later and we've got ourselves quite the selection of cookies to share. Check them out:


Oh what fun! Looks like that little round dish is quickly becoming my go to cookie display for blog pics (also seen with my healthy oat cookie recipe) but it sure seems to do the trick! As far as the goodies go, we made red and green sugar cookie squirrels, sugar and spice cookies, my own interpretation of chai eggnog latte cookies, shortbread, and (gluten free) angel sweets! Yum! Such a lovely selection of some of my (and Fraser's) favourites! How is your holiday baking going? What are your fav go to cookies?

Morning Oat Cookies

After discovering my intolerance to gluten I've been struggling to find breakfast food items that I actually want to eat in the morning. I'm not sure about you, but I just don't wake up hungry! I usually force myself to scarf something down in hopes that it will keep me energized through the first few hours of work until I get a chance to eat again on my first break. I know, not exactly that big of a deal - but when I saw this recipe for an egg, flour, sugar, and butter free breakfast cookies I figured I would have to give them a try! I mean cookies! For breakfast? Who can wake up and say no to that? Certainly not me! I altered the recipe quite a bit (as usual) and behold - the most delicious and healthy morning oat cookies:



The verdict? Amazing! Such a tasty little delights that pack a punch to keep me moving in the morning and best of all - they don't have loads of unhealthy ingredients so they are guilt free eating! But that's not all, they are enormously easy to make and with a little weekend effort you can have super quick (great on the go) snacks all week long! Nummers! Here's my adapted recipe:

1 and 1/2 cup oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup almond flour (available at most health food stores)
3/4 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped (I used a mix of almonds, walnuts, and pecans)
1 cup dried fruit (I used 1/2 dried cranberries and 1/2 raisins)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
dash of ground cloves, nutmeg, and ground ginger (I like my spices)

3 cups of unsweetened apple sauce (I used 2 apple and 1 blueberry apple)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 F, then grab a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients together. Make sure the dried fruit doesn't clump together too much and make sure it is evenly mixed in. Next take a separate bowl and mix the apple sauce, canola, and vanilla. Then all you have to do is add your wet mixture to your dry, stir up a storm, form them into little balls and bake! I used my silicone baking mats on regular cookie sheets (so handy) but I'm sure parchment paper would also do the job. Then you just let the cookies bake for about 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Hooray! You're done! Eat up!

Yum! The original recipe called for mashed banana but after a childhood of amoxicillin treated ear infections I have grown to loathe all things banana. The apple seemed to pair really nicely with all the fall spices and gave it a hint of natural sweetness and (of course) some much needed moisture. I also trend towards adding much more cinnamon and vanilla to pretty much any recipe that calls for it too. The only thing I'd me tempted to change for next time is maybe chop the nuts a little less finely so you can really taste the chunks in each cookie (I do like my chunky foods). Mmm! So what do you think? Anyone out there willing to have your morning breakfast mind blown and try them?

What Nuts?

Walnuts! And figs! And brown sugar! And rosemary?

101 Cookbooks is fantastic!

I'm such a lame duck when it comes to creative cooking. Living in a small town with a gluten intolerance, and a testy body kills most of my food fun. Because of food blogs like Heidi's I find new ideas with minimal commitment.

On the weekend I made a half batch of these amazing brown sugar rosemary walnuts. I actually cut the salt in half, and tripled the figs, and man they were incredible.

I have made a few of heidi's recipes (from the gluten free section!) and every time I eat one of her recipes I take a few moments to chew. No, really chew. And taste. And feel the flavours sink in. It is wonderful and freeing!

I made this mushroom casserole a few months ago. It was delicious and I even burnt it! (yes, I'm that single girl eating the non burnt parts of her semi successful attempt at domesticity.)

Do you have any go to food blogs/sites that save you from another night of spaghetti?

Pinteresting Meal.

After spending a few months struggling to fix myself balanced meals without gluten (and mammal meat), I went to see a dietitian. After climbing up five flights of stairs in the (clearly not kept up) shabby alumni building at the hospital I anxiously awaited my appointment which (I was hoping) would change my nutritional life for the better! Hooray! The meeting wasn't exactly as magical as I was wishing for, but they did teach me a few important things for my health including:

1) I need to eat more grains. Cutting out gluten apparently led to me cutting out a ton of grains and replacing it with more fruit and veggies (which is okay, but not ideal).

2) I need to increase the beans! Beans are a great source for fibre and protein for non red meat eaters like me and they offer tons of vitamins that gluten free eaters may be missing out on.

3) I should increase my iron. I think this is a standard recommendation for most semi-veggie females, but it was nice to have a list of iron rich foods to load up on

4) Omega 3's are the key to joint happiness! Bring on the flax seed oil and fish for some well lubricated lupusy joints! Yay!

and
5) My ideal weight is 130 lbs. I'm not sure when the last time I weighed 130, but I bet I was 14. I was totally shocked with how low my weight should be and am not actually sure how I will manage to shrink down to that size (especially with all the food I'm supposed to be eating and my inability to do medium and high impact exercise for my old lady joints). Perhaps I just need to cut one of my legs off....

Armed with information I headed home to try to reorganize my eating routine and make some wonderful balanced meals under my new guidelines. The verdict? That is a whole lot harder than I would have expected, and especially so when you're insanely busy with work, crafting, appointments, and moving! Once again Lindsay came to the rescue with a most amazing (and balanced) meal suggestion via Pinterst. Behold - quinoa salad with black beans, avacado, and cumin-lime dressing:


Doesn't it look amazing? I even have a whole package of quinoa in my cupboard and some cherry tomatoes that need to get used up! Perfect! I picked up the missing ingredients on a nice long walk downtown with Jim and spent the evening preparing this ultra simple meal. The recipe was easy enough (cook up the quinoa, add other washed and chopped ingredients) which always makes meal preparation nicer and although I did modify the salad a bit (by adding 4x the garlic, 2x the cumin, a splash of caraway seeds, orange instead of red pepper, substantially less onion, and extra tomatoes) it turned out perfectly! Take a peek:


Nummers! It doesn't look quite as colourful and appealing as the image Lindsay pinned, but boy am I ever loving the black beans! Anyone have any tips out there for good recipes and ways to help me reach my nutrition goals? How about a magical weight loss tip to help me shave off 40 pounds? No? Well maybe I will just recommend trying out this salad then - it is amazing!

How Pinteresting...

Just in case I haven't convinced you of how awesome Pinterest is, here are a few projects I found on the site that I'm totally in love with. They also happen to be projects I've been chatting with the girls from work about so it is a great opportunity to round them up for a future craft night together! Ready? Let's go!

Project #1 - Bathtub "tea"


This fun DIY from radmegan is just up my alley! One night Alanna, Hetty, and I were talking about how much we love the smell of lavender earl gray tea and were discussing the possibility of using it to scent your bath. We're all big believers in bath time being the ultimate in stress relief and this project suits that perfectly.

There isn't actually any tea in Megan's tutorial (just tea like sewn silk bags) so it does make me wonder if bathing in tea might stain your skin (if you didn't already know I am quite pale and my skin is prone to discolouration). On the plus side studies have shown that caffeine helps reduce cellulite so maybe a wee bit of skin tinting would be worth it if it helped smooth out some thigh lumps (okay, so this is pretty unlikely but I like to dream)!

The bathtime tea from this tutorial include epson salts, lavender, and other nice smelling flower petals all sewn into little bags. I really love the little heart detail on the bags and they would make awesome gifts! I also really enjoy the fact that you wouldn't come out of the bath covered in little bits of dried floral crud after a stress relieving bath soak because all the scented loveliness is all contained! Hooray!

Project #2 - Upcycled men's shirt skirt:


I really like this project since 1) I am always on the lookout for more skirts to wear, 2) it is an upcycling project letting me reduce, reuse, and recycle, and 3) it gives me an excuse to go thrift shopping! This project caught my eye after Sarra was telling me about how she was looking for ideas for reusing some of her husband's old dress shirts. I do have one skirt that I've been holing on for such a sewing project but I think I'd like to try this one with a thrift store buy before committing to cutting up my amazing swapped plaid number. It is an awfully cute project though and Blue Babes Create's blog gives great step by step instructions with loads of images! Sweet!

Project #3 - Coconut whipped cream:


The idea of this last pin makes my mouth water! It is also a fitting project for a whole bunch of work mates including (yes I am listing this):

a) Alanna - lactose intolerant coconut lover
b) Cindy and Annie - two girls that need to experience the fun and excitement of using a hand beater
c) Sarra - someone who is oozing creativity and needs more projects to try out
and
d) Lindsay (not actually a work mate, but ex-work mates count too right?) - someone who is currently on a "no dairy, no wheat, no raw fruit or veg" diet and clearly needs some sort of delicious treat to try after putting up with that

I had no idea you could whip coconut milk but next time I'm at the grocery store I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to pick up a can. Nutty Kitchen's instructions are super simple too. Just get a can of milk, leave it in the fridge overnight, and then in the morning scoop off the top creamy layer and whip it up with a little vanilla and cinnamon! Yum!

So what do you think? Are any of these projects calling to you? Which is your fav?

Beet Cake

Yesterday my dear pal Lindsay send me a link to a most wondrous video. Not only is it practical (it is the recipe for a beet cake) but it is also a masterful work of art. Seriously. Take a moment and absorb:

beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

So? Are you dying to make beet cake as much as I am? I wonder how this recipe would taste with spelt flour....hmm...well here's a link to the recipe if you're feeling adventurous. Happy last day of June!

vegan moroccan chickpeas

Whenever I am given a new recipe to try out I almost always make modifications while I'm preparing it. Sometimes it is because I am missing one of the ingredients or really want to use up a bit of something in the fridge, and other times it is because I have over confidence in knowing what will appeal most to my taste buds. One recipe I did a major overhaul on was jocelyn's "vegan moroccan chickpeas." And even though sometimes my modifications are beyond awful, I'm pleased to say I actually really liked how this dish turned out. And since I'm always on the lookout for fun recipes that:

1) are super easy
2) use up ingredients I already have in my pantry
3) involve chickpeas! yum!
and
4) are gluten free (much more difficult than you'd think)!

So since I managed to take a picture of the meal (fitting quite well with my goal to take more pictures in 2011) I thought I'd share the recipe with you (complete with my modifications). It even looks exciting take a peek:


Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onions (I used half a red onion)
2 cloves minced garlic (I added like 6 cloves...I like garlic...)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin (I didn't have any ground cumin so I added a ton of cumin seeds)
1/2 tbsp ginger (I used fresh stuff)
3/4 cup veggie broth
salt and pepper

How to prepare:

-saute garlic and onion in oil @ medium heat for 2 minutes, stir in spices and cook until onions are tender
- add chickpeas, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil
- cover and simmer 10 minutes
- I then added a can of green beans, some crushed chili peppers, more cumin, a dash of caraway seed, the half package of frozen carrots/beans/broccoli flower I had, and 4 cups of cooked brown basmati rice (I actually put the rice on before starting the chickpea dish and my rice cooker was done right in time to mix it all together)!

The verdict? Delish! I may have gone a little overboard on the chilies (it had a bit of kick to it) but overall I would totally make this again! It made enough for dinner for me and 4 more dishes to take to work for lunches (I enjoy mass cooking for the work week). It also left me with very few dishes to do (just the chopping block, a few measuring tools, the pan, and the rice cooker) which is always an added bonus to any meal preparation! Just check out that tidy "only using one burner" dinner:


Okay - so I really wanted to include a picture of my russian doll measuring cups to show lisa (she just bought some the other day and was saying how they are too cute to put in a drawer), but the simple cleaning is just another added bonus to the dish. So what do you think? Do you modify all your recipes like I do? Have any trade secrets or wonderful chickpea/gluten free dishes to share with me? Inquiring minds (well...mind...) want to know!