Roasted veggies with chickpeas + current hobby

Rainbow on a plate 🌈 

In the end of the week I throw all the veggies I can find in the fridge to create a nice looking, healthy meal for everyone in the family. 

I cooked the risotto using onions, pepper and carrot, usually I throw a cup of frozen peas in the end of the cooking however I did not have any this time...

Once knitter forever knitter !!! 

Yes it's true, I used to knit as a child and than I find myself knitting again in my late teens . Around three years ago I introduced knitting to my then 8year old daughter and she loves it. 

Now we both knit different things and we both finding it very relaxing, almost like yoga for your mind...

Please let me know if you knit, I would love to see any of your creations ...

What I've been cooking in February

Paprika baked cauliflower 

Cauliflower is a one of my regular vegetable I cook and eat in many forms, so when my mother in law asked me if I can prepare something veggie for the party she was going to have for her husband's 75th birthday I came up with a whole roast couli as a main and grated courgette and chickpeas as a side dish. 

For the cauliflower I mixed up minced garlic, red paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rubbed it onto the cauliflower and roasted for 30 min on 180 C.

Add the tomatoes with some more olive oil and roast for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile grate two small courgettes and fry with very little olive oil for ten minutes, than all drained tin of chickpeas.

Before serving sprinkle some toasted and chopped cashew nut and parsley ….

Beans on toast with eggs, avocado and tomato salsa

This is my typical weekend breakfast, cooked a bit later then usual because I've been for a run 🏃.

The kids would of been fed by then so this is kind of "It's a date meal" for me and my husband .

I made a very quick chili by frying a raw chopped hot chili followed by some garlic and 300g mixed cooked beans. I halved a handful of small tomatoes and added some olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. I fried eggs, toasted some sourdough bread and dished up with avocado and lime juice..

Roast butternut squash baked with macaroni cheese, yum 

This was served with broccoli and green salad , perfect mid-week meal for five of us ..

 Cherry compote porridge topping

I used bag of 350g frozen cherries, I cooked it with juice of half a orange and a stick of cinnamon for 30 minutes. The taste is not so sweet but very fragrant and morish , it makes me want to eat porridge twice a day :) 

Store in a clean jar and keep it in your fridge for up to two weeks ….

Sweet potato falafels in homemade pita bread

Falafels, I can never get them right ...until now .... 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, medium size

250 gr cooked chickpeas
2 cloves of garlic
juice of half lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric 
1 Tbsp tahini
salt and pepper 
sesame seeds

First, peel the sweet potato and cut it into chunks. Steam it for 20 minutes or until very soft. 
In a food processor place half of the chick peas, sweet potato, garlic, lemon juice, oil, tahini, spices and seasoning . Pulse until smooth then add the rest of the chickpeas and pulse once more but make sure the chickpeas is semi crushed .
Place the sesame seeds into a plate.
Using your hands ( preferably wet ) form patties and roll them into the sesame seeds.
Place them on a baking tray.
Repeat until all the mixture is gone.
Bake them on 180 C for 35 - 45 minutes. 

for the Pita breads you will need:

200 gr white flour
50 gr wholemeal flour
1 tsp dry yeast
half a tsp of salt
1 - Tbsp olive oil
180 ml water

Make the dough and leave it to rest for 45 minutes.
Divide the dough into 5 - 6 balls and roll each ball flat. 
Place a cereal bowl us side down on the top of the flat dough and cut around using a knife.
I know from practice that cutting the dough in this way will help it rais better in oven.
Place the rounds onto a baking tray and bake for 7 -8 minutes on 200 C.

Both falafels and pita breads freeze well. 

Serve the falafels with some yogurt and cucumber sauce as well as any fresh veggies you have...

Леблебија со тиквици / Chickpeas with courgettes

I am totally addicted to chickpeas and courgettes and I will tell you why. It is so quick to prepare, it's tasty, it's nutritious specially if you use freshly cooked chickpeas, it's just yummy...
I have discovered this combination ages ago from a site called coolinarika and as far as I remember it was from monsoon's recipes. Thank you Mrs.Demo, I haven't changed anything but sometimes I add garlic in it for more flavour.   

Потребни состојки:

(4 особи)

2-3 зелени тиквици

300 - 400 гр варена леблебија*

лук по желба

сол

бибер

масло

На крупно ренде изрендајте ги тиквиците, нелупени.

Ставете ги во поголема тава, додајте 2 - 3 лажици масло и пржете ги 5 минути, додајте ја варената леблебија, сол,бибер и ситно сецкан лук.

Мешајте 2 - 3 минути да се измешаат убаво состојките.

*Леблебијата ставете ја во ладна вода, додајте 1 лажица сода бикарбона на 500 гр леблебија.

За само неколку сата леблебијата ке набубри, убаво измијте ја под млаз вода и ставете ја да се вари.

Леблебијата бргу ке се свари приготвена  на овој начин.
Чувајте ја во фрижидер во водата до 3 дена.

Ingredients:

( serve 4 )

2 -3 green courgettes 

300 - 400 gr cooked chickpeas*

garlic, optional

salt

pepper

oil

Grate the unpeeled courgettes and place them in a big frying pan.

Cook them for a 5 minutes before adding the chickpeas, salt, pepper and minced garlic if you are using.

Stir all together for 2-3 minutes to combine all the flavours together. 

*Put the chickpeas in a pan,cover it with cold water and add 1 tbsp of soda bicarbonate for 500 gr dry chickpeas.
In only few hours the chickpeas will be ready to be cooked, simply wash it under running water, place it back in a cooking pot, covered with fresh cold water.
Chickpeas gets cooked quickly prepared this way.
Keep  the cooked chickpeas in their water in the fridge for 3 days.
Make your self falafels, humus, salads or repeat this meal every day...until...