How to cook dried chickpeas

How many times have you breezed past the dried beans in the bulk section, not giving them another look? I can't even count. One of the perks of working so close to the team who does recipes for Whole Foods Market is that sometimes there are bonus ingredients from recipe testing in the communal kitchen. I saw the dried chickpeas innocently sitting there, overlooked for more than a week by my colleagues and thought to myself, I'm going to give this a try! I took them home and let them sit in my pantry for 2 weeks, intimidated and afraid. Finally, on a leisurely Sunday I bucked up and did a little research. It sounded surprisingly easy, and I figured I didn't have much to lose. 

The end result? AMAZING chickpeas. I didn't know what I was missing! Now of course, the canned variety are tasty and handy in a pinch, but I'm incorporating dried chickpeas into my regular rotation for sure.

How to cook dried chickpeas

1. Buy chickpeas (1/2 cup dried is usually good and I think will end up equating to a can). The fresher you can buy, the better as they tend to cook more evenly and end up tender. Buying them from the bulk section of a busy supermarket is your best bet since you can be sure they run through products faster.

2. Soak the chickpeas in cool water for 5-6 hours or overnight. 

3. Drain and lightly rinse the chickpeas.

4. Put the chickpeas in a small saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Add a teaspoon of salt.

5. Bring the chickpeas up to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and let cook for 1 hour.

6. Drain and use like you would canned chickpeas!

Bulgur and Chickpea Salad

1 cup bulgur
2 cups chickpeas 
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces feta
6 leaves basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add bulgur and let sit 20 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.

Add bulgur to a medium bowl with chickpeas, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, feta and basil - toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note that I served my portion over a bed of spinach with a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and a hard-boiled egg for a more complete dinner. It's great on its own, however, too!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Hash

I'm officially declaring 2012 the year of breakfast - at least in our house. Weekday breakfasts have evolved for Luke and I, especially now as he starts grad school on top of a full-time job, so we are no longer able to eat together every morning while reading the paper. That helps make our weekend breakfasts that much sweeter. Now that we live up north and are further away from sassy brunch spots, we value and enjoy making elaborate breakfasts that much more. And while they usually aren't accompanied by unlimited mimosas (sigh!), it's just as much fun.

I'm determined to start cooking fall meals, even though as I'm writing this it's 104 degrees. This weekend ushered in cooler temps, and so with it, a cool-weather breakfast. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Hash

Serves 4

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil - divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 3/4-inch pieces

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
Bacon grease or canola oil

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through. Meanwhile, warm addition tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes, then add bell pepper and spices. Cook another 5 minutes until vegetables are softened. Stir in black beans and cook until warmed through. When potatoes are ready, add them to the cast iron and stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon grease. Fry eggs to desired doneness. Plate the sweet potato mixture and top with fried egg. Enjoy!

Late Summer Fried Rice

I love Cooking Light. I subscribe to 4 magazines and read even more at work, but that's the one I've read the longest. I often get recipe ideas from there and expand on them (like I did here, which was inspired by the faux-fried rice), and sometimes I follow the recipes to the T (like with these black bean cakes - divine!). Either way, I love how the saltiness and umami flavors of the Asian sauces contrast nicely with the sweet corn and bell peppers. A great end-of-summer dish!

Late Summer Fried Rice

2 cups brown basmati rice

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 ears corn, kernels removed

1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped

3 green onions, whites and green parts chopped and divided

1 egg

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

6 large basil leaves, chopped

Cook rice according to package instructions, then place in fridge to chill. Heat oil in a large wok skillet (I used a cast iron) then add corn kernels, bell pepper and green onion one pieces and saute until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add rice and saute another 2 minutes. Create a well in the middle and pour in the egg. Let it cook about a minute and a half, then stir it into the rice. Add the 3 sauces and stir to combine, then let warm 1-2 minutes. Serve garnished with the green parts of the green onions and basil.

Apologies, no photo on this one!!

Hatching new ideas & recipes

Hatch chile season is here! Ever since the blogger potluck 3 years ago, when this time rolls around I get giddy with excitement. I'm a mild hatch chile gal myself, and I love the slow, surprising heat they provide to dishes. This year, I created several tasty hatch dishes. Unfortunately I did a terrible job capturing them on camera (as in, I didn't), but please forgive me and try these anyway!

How to roast hatch chiles 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chiles on a baking sheet and roast in oven 15-20 minutes. Using tongs, flip chiles over and roast another 15-20 minutes. Remove and place in a paper bag. Seal and let them steam in the bag at least 20 minutes. Carefully peel off the charred skin and they're ready to use!

Hatch Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

1 cup low-fat milk

5 mild hatch chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded

3 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Place in a large pot with cold, salted water covering it by 1-inch. Bring to a boil and cook until you can easily pierce it with a fork - about 30 minutes. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile,pour milk in a small sauce pan and include 3 hatch chiles. Warm to infuse the chile flavor, then add to a blender. Let it cool for a minute the pulse a few times.

Mash the potatoes with a masher, then slowly add milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Add butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Chop remaining 2 hatch chiles and stir into potatoes. Enjoy!

Hatch Chile Hummus

3 hatch chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded

1 can chickpeas

1 large clove garlic

1 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Add chiles, chickpeas, garlic, lemon zest and juice, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper to food processor and pulse. Keep on and stream in olive oil through the feed until desired consistency is reached. Taste and add additional cayenne pepper for heat as desired.

Hatch Chile Ice Cream

Very slightly adapted from this recipe from Melissa's

8 hatch chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded, divided

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar, divided

1 vanilla bean (half lengthwise, remove seeds with a butter knife and reserve seeds and pod)

4 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium sauce pan, warm 4 hatch chiles, milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla seeds and pod. Stir constantly until hot, almost scalding.

In a standing mixer or small bowl with egg beaters, whip egg yolks with 1/4 cup sugar until thick - about 30 seconds on high. Add half of the hot milk mixture to eggs and stir, then add that mixture to the remaining milk mixture in the sauce pan and heat until thickened. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in vanilla. Stir in remaining hatch chiles then refrigerate 2 hours or overnight (until chilled). Freeze according to ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions (my Cuisinart took about 25 minutes). This is surprisingly hot - enjoy!

Pork and Hatch Chile Stew

Inspired by Pork and Green Chile Stew in Food & Wine

3 pounds pork butt, fat trimmed

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 serrano chiles, seeded and diced

6 garlic cloves, sliced

2 cups vegetable stock (I made this for a friend who's allergic to chicken, but obviously you can use chicken stock here)

6 roasted hatch chiles, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Warm corn tortillas and basmati rice, for serving

After trimming the pork, cut into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven, heat the oil. Working in 2 batches, brown the pork in the touch oven, about 4-5 minutes per batch. Add all pork into the dutch oven once browned and stir in onion, serrano chiles and garlic and saute until veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and hatch chiles and bring to a boil, then simmer 25-30 minutes, until liquid is reduced by half. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve with cilantro, tortillas and rice. Enjoy!

Grilled Sausage & Black Rice Salad

Nothing about this meal is typical for me, and I think that's why I love it:

• I rarely cook sausage, unless it's for a big BBQ
• I rarely do a salad that doesn't involve greens
• I rarely make a salad that doesn't have goat cheese
• I rarely make meals that have 5 ingredients or less (not counting S&P and olive oil of course)

 Sometimes, necessity forces us to break out of our comfort zone, and in this case, I'm so glad it did! After a long weekend driving to Tyler and back to celebrate a friend's wedding, I was not at my best when we arrived home Sunday afternoon and had no intention of going to the grocery store or spending hours in the kitchen. Luckily, a well-stocked pantry, an over-zealousness for cherry tomatoes the week before and 2 frozen sausages saved the day. (Well,  that and a wonderful husband who agreed to grill in the 100 degree weather).  I used some turkey sausages made in house at Whole Foods Market with fresh cherries, and they were SO sweet and flavorful. Use whatever sausage you have, but if you can get your hands on this one - DO IT!

Grilled Sausage and Black Rice Salad

1 cup black rice (or other whole grain)
1 yellow bell pepper (any color pepper works though)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cherry turkey sausages

If you have a charcoal grill like us, get your coals going in the chimney starter. Meanwhile, cook the rice to package instructions and set aside. At this point, I like to place a grate over the chimney and actually flame cook the bell pepper while the coals heat up. Of course, you can always grill it the old fashioned way too :) Either way, after charred on all sides, place in a paper bag for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, peel and slice the bell pepper.

Create a foil packet with a few layers of foil and place cherry tomatoes inside. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 10 minutes, until cherries begin to burst. Grill sausages 10 minutes as well, or until cooked through.

In a large bowl, combine rice, bell pepper slices, cherry tomatoes with oil and juices and sliced sausage. Enjoy!

Here served with grilled chicken and okra

Heirloom Bruschetta

I hesitated in doing back-to-back tomato posts, but then I realized I must not be the ONLY heirloom-obsessed person out there. Can I get an amen?! I know many people who complain about not knowing what to do with ingredients after they used part for a recipe, so I thought this would be a great way to show how I used some leftovers to create another tasty dish. This time, an app! Nothing crazy about this bruschetta, just big, bright flavors. Bon appetit!

Heirloom Bruschetta

2 heirloom tomatoes (or 1 heirloom, 1 cup mixed cherry tomatoes in my case - I wanted more color!)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced red onion

Crushed black pepper

6 basil leaves, freshly chopped

2 ounces mozzarella, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon butter

Sea salt to taste

3 large pieces of bread, cut in half, or 6 small slices of ciabatta

Chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add to a bowl with minced garlic and onion and stir to combine. Season with black pepper. Stir in basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar and let marinate 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a cast iron or grill pan to high heat. If using cast iron, melt butter, then sear bread until charred on both sides. If using grill pan, melt the butter and brush generously on both sides of bread, then grill until charred.

Immediately top the bread with tomato/mozzarella mixture and season with a bit of sea salt. Enjoy!

Italian Chicken Salad

Heirloom tomatoes are in stores! I can't stop buying them, and while I enjoy them prepared very simply, I also like to mix things up a bit. Since huge logs of mozzarella were on sale this week, I decided a heaping Italian salad was in order. If you don't have a bountiful basil plant like me or are just feeling lazy, feel free to just buy pesto (same with the roasted red pepper).

Italian Chicken Salad

1 heirloom tomato
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup farro
1 red bell pepper
Olive oil
2 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
15 pitted olives, halved

1 1/2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed (I love Crave Brothers mozzarella. The 16oz log was on sale at WFM this week - score!)
8 ounces spinach
Pesto (recipe below)

Spinach Basil Pesto

4 ounces spinach
16 basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Slice tomato into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Place in a shallow dish and top with balsamic vinegar. Let marinate at least 20 minutes, flipping over every 5 minutes or so.

Prepare farro by bringing it to a boil in a medium saucepan with at least 4 cups water, then let lightly boil about 15 minutes and strain. Meanwhile, heat a cast iron skillet on high heat. Place the red bell pepper and cook, rotating every 2 minutes, until deep char marks appear. Place in a paper bag and let sit for 10 minutes. Peel off skin then slice into bite-sized pieces.

Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in cast iron skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste, then cook in the cast iron until cooked through - about 5-6 minutes per side for 1 inch thick chicken breast. Set aside to slightly cool a few minutes, then slice.

To make the pesto, add spinach, basil, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse a few times. Then leave on and stream in olive oil through the mouth until it has a dressing consistency - this calls for about 1/4 cup olive oil.

Slice olives and mozzarella cheese and place in a large bowl with spinach. Add in sliced chicken and bell pepper, then drizzle with pesto.Toss to combine. To plate, place several tomato slices on the bottom then top with salad and serve with extra pesto on the side for drizzling. Enjoy!