Roasted Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Mint and Goat Cheese

 

I spent the last week in Portland with my sister and her sweet new baby. I was so grateful to be able to help, and it doesn't hurt that I got my baby fix in!

 

But after traveling and being a houseguest, and all of the eating that goes with it, I came home craving veggies in a major way. So dinner tonight was packed full of veggie goodness, beginning with this salad.

 

I roasted the chickpeas with garlic and olive oil, then stirred in some mint, crumbled goat cheese and lemon. Seriously delicious hot or cold.

 

 

Alongside I served a green salad with tomatoes, oranges, cranberries and sunflower seeds in a balsamic vinegar and some simple steamed green beans. Delicious and just what I needed to get my body back on track.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups (or two drained cans) of chickpeas

2-3Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of chopped mint

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup of crumbled feta or goat cheese

 

In a baking dish combine the beans, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 375. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice, mint and cheese. Serve.

 

Finally, I leave you with a sweet picture of my new nephew Sabin, sleeping in my arms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza

I'm up to my eyeballs in asparagus. This time of year it goes on crazy sale overload, and no matter how many bunches I have in my fridge, I just can't seem to pass a deal like this by. So this week we've had asparagus in everything from omelets to teriyaki wraps to soup. But my favorite way to eat asparagus is on pizza. It's dense enough that it holds up well when cooked, and lends a light, fresh flavor.

Marinating the asparagus ensures a loaded flavor in this simple and delightful pizza! The way I made this was to eyeball the toppings, so don't worry too much about exact measurements and get creative! You can add a little or a lot more of what I did, or add other veggies as they suit you.

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pizza dough, stretched and ready for topping
1 bunch of asparagus, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon minced garlic
olive oil
1 lemon, halved
salt and pepper to taste
herbed goat cheese
parmesan/fontina/mozzarella mix, (or similar) pre-shredded
2 green onions, chopped

In a bowl, combine asparagus, green onions and garlic. Drizzle with oil and the juice of half of the lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Let marinate 20 minutes and up to a few hours, depending on how long you have to prepare.

Meanwhile, bake your un-topped pizza dough on a cookie sheet or pizza round at 425 degrees, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a minute or two, then proceed to the next step.

Top your pizza dough with a sprinkling of your shredded cheese mix (not too much now!) Then layer on the asparagus mixture, drizzling any juices on top of the pizza as well. Top with spoonfull/dollops of goat cheese and another light layer of shredded cheese mix.

Bake another 10 minutes, at 425 degrees, directly on the rack. Remove carefully, cool 5 minutes, slice and enjoy.

We like to top our pizza with a bit of fresh arugula that has

been tossed with olive oil, pepper and lemon.

(Here is another version of the pizza we made,

this one with mushrooms)

Warm Goat Cheese and Herb Salad

What a delightful lunch or accompaniment to your dinner plans! The tangy chevre, once baked, oozes out all over the salad, creating a delicious topping to a baby green and herb salad.

Ingredients:
1 log chevre, chilled
1/2 cup coarse chopped walnuts
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
olive oil
Mixed baby greens
a handful of fresh dill, chopped
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the walnuts and the crumbs into a bowl and mix well.

Combine the spring greens and dill in a large bowl, then transfer to individual salad bowls, one for each person. Drizzle with balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Divide the kalamatas between each salad.

Cut log into thick circles and dip in olive oil, ensuring that it covers all sides, then coat them, one at a time, with the walnut mix.

Cook the cheese on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes. When done, using a spatula, carefully transfer the cheese (it will be soft!) to top each salad. Serve immediately.

Kale and Red Pepper Tartine

Tartine is a just a fancy way of saying "open faced sandwich." I was so excited about this dish, and it really stood up to my expectations. I'm already thinking of a thousand ways to vary it: with roasted eggplant, or fresh tomato, or maybe artichoke hearts. Goat cheese gives it a tangy bite and the better the bread, the better the taste of this little sandwich.

These little sandwiches are served on toasted bread, best paired with the hearty, seedy type (of bread, not person).

Ingredients:

6 slices of toasted whole-grain baguette
herbed goat cheese
roasted red bell pepper, drained and sliced
3 cups kale
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt

Saute the kale, garlic and red pepper flakes in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until wilted.

Top the toasts with a layer of goat cheese, followed by bell pepper and then finally top it all of with the kale mixture.