Chickpea Salad and Baby Quiche

This chickpea salad is quick, quite flavorful, and easy to make. It is nutritious and filling, and doesn't cost a lot of money.  You could eat this on top of rice, make a wrap with avocado, or put on top of lettuce.  You could even add pasta to make it a pasta salad.  This will stay good in the frig for a few days, so you can mix up the way you eat it.

-1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 carrot, peeled and chopped REALLY tiny
-1 small celery stalk, chopped
-3 chopped scallions, green and white parts
-1/4 cup of orange or red bell pepper, chopped
-1 serrano chile, chopped very tiny
-1 2.25 ounce can of sliced black olives
-1 kirby cucumber, peeled and chopped
-1/4 tsp of garlic powder
-about 4 or 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-juice of one half of a lemon


I ate this with vegetarian baby quiche by The Filo Factory.  I love to eat quiche with greens so I topped some mesclun greens with mushrooms and balsamic italian dressing.

Arugula, Chickpea, and Apple Salad

I made this salad two days in a row.  Arugula has a peppery taste, so it is really delicious when paired with the sweet apples.  It is a really good option to use instead of regular lettuce, because it has a lot more flavor.  Arugula is a good source of vitamin A and C. The chickpeas have protein, fiber, calcium, and iron. Apples have fiber and vitamin C.  Almonds are excellent sources of vitamin E, B vitamins, protein, fiber, and they are a cancer fighting food. If you want a more filling meal, you can eat this with some bread, crackers, or even add croutons.

Salad:
2.5 ounces of Arugula
Half of one apple, sliced thin
1/4 cup of canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup of sliced and toasted almonds
2 slices of swiss cheese, chopped thinly

Dressing: Whisk in a separate bowl
1 tbsp of agave nectar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Tabbouleh

I mentioned on this blog once before about how delicious tabbouleh is.  It is a really great Middle Easterm salad, that is super easy to make and so good for you.  Bulghur is a good source of protein, iron, and fiber, and doesn't need to be cooked.  It is made similar to couscous. Lemon and parsley are excellent cleansing foods.  I eat it with chickpeas, hummus and pita, and sometimes feta cheese.

Here is my recipe:
1 bunch of parsley, cleaned and dry, chopped
1/4 cup of chopped mint
1/2 large tomato, chopped with the seeds out
1 persian cucumber chopped with skin and seeds
1/4 of a red onion, chopped small, or two chopped scallions
1 lemon
1/2 cup of bulghur
1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil, depending on your liking
1/2 tsp of sumac
salt and pepper to taste

Place the bulghur in a bowl and squeeze the juice of half of a lemon.  Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water on top nd let it sit until it is all absorbed.  While the bulghur is being absorbed by the water and lemon, in another bowl combine all vegetables and herbs.  When the bulghur is absorbed, add everything together, including the olive oil, sumac, the juice of the other half of the lemon, and salt and pepper. You can add more lemon if you like.

A few notes...if you don't have sumac, it's ok to omit it.  It adds a bit of lemony taste.  If you don't have persian cucumbers, just take the skin off and the seeds out before chopping.  Scallions are good to use instead of onion if you just want a mild onion taste. This is best after it has been sitting in the refrigerator for a few hours and has had time to aborb the flavors.

Savory Peach Salad

I saw a recipe similar to this one in a magazine my mom had at the beach. The peaches are still so delicious at this time of year. Try this recipe before they are out of season. Last week I made peach cobbler, which did NOT turn out good. No point in posting the recipe. Though it tasted good, I was told the consistancy was like snot...which...it was. This salad on the other hand is so good. It is my second time making it in the last few weeks. My mom came over for lunch a few weeks ago, and I could see from the look on her face that she wasn't too keen on me putting onions, olive oil, pepper, and basil onto peaches. Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking the same thing as my mom. Trust me on this one, she did and she loved it. My father also loved it, and he's a tough one. Here is the recipe:

-Half of an onion, sliced very thin (I used red onion the first time)
-3 very large peaches or 6 smaller peaches, sliced (take off the skin if you want)
-Fresh basil, chiffonade (about 10 leaves)
-Half of a lemon
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Tsp of salt
-Fresh ground pepper to taste

Start off by placing the onion into a large bowl with water and a tsp of salt. Mix it around and let it sit in there for 15 minutes or so. Drain the water out and add the peaches, basil, juice of the half of the lemon, basil, ground pepper, and a few turns of extra virgin olive oil into the bowl.

Gently mix it. It is best eaten the same day. You can eat it as is, or you can put over rice or quinoa. You can also eat it with some Gardein Meatless Chicken.

I also had some sushi rolls today. An avocado/cucumber roll and an oshinko (a type of sweet pickled daikon radish) roll, then some poblano spinach enchiladas with salsa verde for dinnner, topped with lots of shredded lettuce.

"Chicken" Pear Salad

So yeah, I eat a lot of salads. But I like salad, and salad can be a well-balanced meal and quite fulfulling. I make some kick-ass salads. Here is one of them.

-4 or 5 pieces of cooked and chopped Gardien "Chicken" (seven grain crispy tenders)
-1 pear (I used Barlett) not too ripe, sliced thin
-Handful of dried cranberries ( or cherries)
-Lettuce (whatever variety you like)
-Handful of pea shoots
-Handful of toasted almond slices
- A few drizzles of honey
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Half of a lemon
-Ricotta Salata (or you could use feta or grated cheese)
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-tsp of fig balsamic glaze

Lettuce on the bottom, the rest on top. To make this vegan, omit the cheese and use agave nectar instead of honey. Figs are in season so you could substitute those for the pears or use both. The fig balsamic glaze is sweet. If you don't have this it's ok...add a little regular balsamic vinegar and some more honey. Do not be fooled by the "seven grain" in the crispy tenders. This stuff is so good, you won't believe it. By far the best fake meat out there. My non-vegetarian friends and family eat it.