Roasted Garbanzo Beans

I had been wandering around the interweb and happened upon recipes for roasted garbanzo beans. The recipes that I found where mostly for sweet ones but I was in the mood for something spicy!

Here is what I used:
1 can Garbanzo (chickpeas) Beans
Olive Oil
Salt
Tumeric
Curry Powder

    

 Here is what I did:

Open and drain can of garbanzo beans and rinse. Dry beans with towel (paper or cloth) removing any loose skins. Now in a bowl mix olive oil (~ 1/4 cup), salt and spices together (at least a 1 tsp of each - more if you want them spicier - I always play this step by ear). Toss garbanzo beans in the oil and spices to coat well.

On a baking sheet (I lined mine with foil for easier clean up) spread the beans out. Place in pre-heated 450 F oven.

Just going into the oven...don't they look excited!

They've been in there for a little bit, so I rolled them around so they wouldn't get burnt on one side!

After about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your oven and how crispy you want them) remove and let cool. They are best right out of the oven but will keep for a couple days (if they last that long).

These ones are done, it is hard to tell from the picture but they are a tad darker

I definitely added more curry powder than intended so they were super spicy, which was fine because I had an excuse to make yogurt raita (which I would eat all by itself if I thought it was socially acceptable!). My favorite thus far as been the one on Smitten Kitchen's website (Cucumber Scallion Raita).

I think in the future I will always just use S&W Garbanzo Beans - they are my favorite because they are such high quality but I used what was on hand which was Sun Harvest from Sprouts, which are not bad but I think I can improve the quality of the finished product with starting with higher quality starting product.

This recipe definitely can be tweaked and could be used to make sweet roasted garbanzo beans using sugar and cinnamon. Play around! The kitchen is the laboratory of the home so... experiment! (hmmmm... I may have gone too far with that one!)

Recipe:
1 can Garbanzo beans (15 oz)
~ 1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
1 to 2 tsp of desired spices

Mix oil and spices in a bowl. Toss the beans to coat. Spread on cookie sheet and roast in a pre-heated oven at 450 F for 20 to 30 minutes.

More Brussels Sprouts with White Bean Mash!

I think I have mentioned that ESFSW (my bf) have been trying to cook on Saturday evenings. It gives us a chance to cook together, enjoy a beer in the process as we prep food, relax and save a little money. If roommates are around they are welcome to join us. I enjoy cooking and it is some much better when I can do it for more than 1 person. We typically finish out the evening by playing some games or watching a movie. I know we could be hitting the town and painting it red, but honestly that is neither of our style's. And while we have made this a regular thing we don't ever mind rearrange plans to go out with friends!

Rough Recipe: Mustard Braised Brussels Sprouts (inspired from Smitten Kitchen's Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts)

Brussels Sprouts on their Stalks

Mustard (and no this isn't me making mustard!)

I would like to note that I am a lazy recipe follower and I didn't follow SK's recipe (linked above) directly because I didn't have heavy cream, white wine, parsley or shallots! And embarrassingly I had just been at the store and could have easily picked up these items. I had not actually looked at the recipe in great depth before my shopping trip (I also rarely make shopping lists!) I saw the title: Djion Braised Brussels Sprouts and said "Check!" Well there were actually quite a few items I needed in addition. So here is my version to the best of my memory:

Rough Recipe: Djion Braised Brussels Sprouts (inspired by Smitten Kitchen's Version)

Brussels Sprouts
Butter
Pearl onions/shallots
Stone Ground Mustard
apple cider vinegar
water
Sugar in the Raw

Clean and trim the Brussels Sprouts cut in half. Melt butter in skillet, when melted place Brussels sprouts cut side down in the butter and brown the cut side. Turn over to brown the other side. Add about a 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water and a little bit of sugar (to tone down the strong acid taste of the vinegar), I use Sugar in the Raw, typically one package works well, aka ~ 1 Tbs. Really any sugar will do. This watered down vinegar sugar mixture is the substitute for the wine. Add thinly slice onions/shallots and mustard. It is best to stir the mustard in the liquid before adding the mustard so it is fully mixed. Now I used a generous amount of mustard, I am talking about almost an 1/8 of a cup. While I might be terrible allergic to mustard flowers I can't get enough mustard in my food however I do draw some lines. I don't do anything crazy like mustard peanut butter sandwiches...but I digress! So after adding the onions/shallots,

Rough Recipe: White Bean Mash (Tweaked from Nigella Lawson's White Bean Mash Recipe)...if you find yourself not being able to chew or want a simple white bean soup recipe check out this recipe.

Canned white beans + some of the juice (cannelli - not navy beans)

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Lemon Zest

garlic cloves

In a saute pan, dump a can or two (may want to go for the two to start off, once you taste this you won't be able to stop eating it!). Add minced garlic (I tend to add 3 to 4 large cloves personally!) and cook over medium heat until the beans are warmed through and begin to soften. Add some olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. I love love love lemons, so I am rather heavy handed with the lemon juice. It is best to use juice from lemons not the stuff you find in those funny plastic lemons or in a bottle, but if lemons are insanely expensive or unavailable the bottled stuff will do. As everything cooks take a spoon and mash the beans as you stir. If the whole mess starts to look a little dry add a little liquid, I recommend some of the juice the beans came in or if you dumped that add some water. Once the mess is mashed enough for your tastes it is ready to serve (unless you were too heavy handed with adding liquid - let it continue to cook off). You may need to add salt to taste to bring out the flavors. 

~

White bean mash goes with almost anything in my mind and is as tasty if not more than mashed potatoes. If you like the dish I strongly recommend you reading Nigella Lawson's write up in here cook book, Nigella Express, because it is so descriptive and sensuous. We paired it with the Djion Brussels Sprouts and grilled steaks. The meal was finished off with a good malty beer (a brown ale).

A cultural culinary OOPS! ...But it was so delicious!

Not my beautiful Cauliflower, just a picture!

I wanted to make a delicious meal for my bf, the Estimating Softballing Fishing Snake Wrangler (ESFSW). I had recently bought a beautiful cauliflower from the local Sunshineville's farmer's market and I was looking for recipes to use and I happened upon one from my current favor food blog: SK. It was also a plus that it was found under the heading Cumin Junkies! Yup I am one of those! So then what better to have with a cumin based dish but another cumin based dish, Radish and Mint Riata Salad.

Menu: Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes, Radish Mint Riata Salad and Flash Fried Steaks

Rough Recipe: Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes (Tweaked from Smitten Kitchen)

potatoes (cubed)
cauliflower (cubed)
vegetable oil (Tbs)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp salt
medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves (diced or minced)
2 jalapenos (diced - include seeds)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne

* Note - I have at least doubled the spices. And if you want less less spice in your life (aka heat from the jalapenos), don't include the jalapeno seeds! 

1) Pre-heat the oven to 425 F. Place a baking dish in the oven (I line the dish with foil for easier clean up afterward! You can also more easily drain the infused oils and incorporate them into the dish.)

2) Toss potatoes and cauliflower with some of the vegetable oil and all of the cumin seeds. Put in the hot baking dish and roast vegetables for 20 minutes

3) While vegetables are roasting, heat more vegetable oil in a large saute pan. Cook onions, garlic and jalapenos. Once they have started to soften add the spices and the salt. Mix well to incorporate. If the mixture is looking a little dry don't be afraid to add a little more oil. Also don't forget to take a moment and breath in the aroma! (while you continue to stir! Cooking purists would say it is best to use a wooden spoon for stirring here, but personally I am not that fussy!)

4) The cauliflower and potatoes should be done roasting at this point, so add them to the saute pan. (If you don't have a large enough pan just use a large pot! It is terrible to have a pan that is too small and as you try to stir and vegetables are spilling out on to your range!) Add 1/2 cup water. Stir and then let cook for 5 minutes covered. FYI don't be afraid to lift the lid to savor the aroma or stir to make sure the bottom of the pan isn't burning. Also don't be afraid to taste and add more spices if needed. Please note that if you pull the roasting vegetables out early they will need more cooking time. The 5 minutes are more of a general guideline (much like the Pirates Code).

The final step is mixing up the Cucumber Scallion Raita!

1/4 cup English cucumber (de-seeded and chopped)
thinly sliced scallion
3/4 cup greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt

Mix! Savor with the Cauliflower Potato dish!


Rough Recipe: Radish Mint Raita Salad (Tweaked from Sunset Magazine)

1 red onion (8 oz, aka 1 cup. or 1/2 lb) - slivered and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
1/2 lb red radishes (trimmed and sliced thinly)
1 English cucumber (de-seeded and sliced thinly)
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt - even better! Greek yogurt
2 Tbs lemon juice (I usually double this and add in some zest because I love the lemon flavor, the additional liquid will make it more soupy so be sure the rest of the vegetables are really dry and use a really thick yogurt...like Greek!)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced mint leaves

1. Make sure the onions are well drained...I usually wring them out with a paper towel (if you are being green use a towel).

2. Toss onions, cucumber and radishes together in a bowl. Draining any pooling liquid at the bottom of the bowl.

3. Mix yogurt, lemon juice, ground cumin, cumin seeds, pepper and salt. (At this point depending on my mood I may also stir in a little...wait A LOT of ground cumin to give it that extra kick. If you are not a self-profess Cumin Junkie or you are trying to kick the habit/addiction by all means just stick to just the seeds). Toss into vegetable mixture.

4. Chill for an hour - serve with mint on top. This salad will keep for a couple days, however will get more watery with each passing day as the radish loose the crisp crunch turning limp and lifeless, much like a poorly aging "fill in blank here" (can't risk offending!)

Rough Recipe: Flash Fried Steaks - See the previous post!

I didn't realize until afterward that pairing an Indian style curried dish with a steak is probably a BIG No No! But I SWEAR I was just trying to come up with a dish that was colorful. The color of cooked chicken or fish would have just blended in with the curried cauliflower and Mint Radish Raita Salad. So I chose beef...oops. I wasn't thinking! I must say though that the lemon flavor on the steak complimented the spiciness of the cauliflower dish and the radish salad. The leftovers where great as well, although the cauliflower and potatoes definitely got spicy the longer they sat in the refrigerator, which made the cucumber scallion raita essential!

PS. Stay tuned for what I did with the rest of the cauliflower including the greens!