Roasted Chickpea Buddha Bowl w/ Red Pepper Sauce
This recipe has been delayed for quite some time, sorry for the wait! This is another delicious take on the Buddha Bowl idea from Well and Full. The chickpeas add a spicy crunch to this bowl, while the red pepper sauce adds a bright punch. And yes, I confess that I added some rotisserie chicken to this dish, as you can see in the photos- BUT it usually is completely vegan. The Daily Burn describes Buddha Bowls as, “similar to macrobiotic aka macro bowls in that they incorporate the eating principles of Chinese and Japanese medicine and include raw or roasted veggies, beans, a whole grain, like brown rice, farro or quinoa, and sometimes fish, with every meal. This way of eating is thought to be “ideal” for reducing toxins in the body and lowering your risk of chronic diseases.” If you are into this recipe, you will love the Mango Chicken Buddha Bowl as well!
Steamed Mussels w/ Chickpea Chorizo Butter Broth
Working in a fine dining restaurant has been amazing. In only a month, I have already learned so many things that I never knew before. I have learned how to shuck oysters, how to make an immulsion, seasoning techniques, flavor concepts, how to prepare mussels and much more. After watching all of the mussels that go out to guests at SALT, I really began to crave them. I went home a little bit ago to have dinner with my family and ended up spending the entire day learning about and working on my food photography with my mom (aren’t I lucky to have a mom who can show me that!?).
Lemon Artichoke Hummus
I know that I have told you that most of my new roommates are vegetarians, but I don’t think I have told you that I finally am living with a fellow foodie! Kelcey is my good friend from high school; I can’t even go into all the stories that we have from the past seven years. She is a nutrition major, works at whole foods and does personal chef work for people around Boulder- can’t get much better than that right? I have never lived with someone who has a passion for cooking too, so obviously I am excited about this! I am also excited to see her vegetarian recipe ideas, since I mainly focus my meals around meat. I know that more veggie recipes will make some of you very happy, so stay tuned! Either way, Kelcey and I wanted to make hummus for our other roommate’s 21st birthday, yes another 21st.
Spiced Pork & Chickpea Stew
Soups and stews are great for an easy, worry-free dinner. All you need to do is combine the ingredients and let the pot work its magic. If you have other things to do, or don’t feel like slaving over your stove, I highly recommend making a soup or stew. Me being the spice lover that I am, I like to go buck wild when making mine. You would have to add a LOT of spices to mess up… When in doubt always give it an extra shake. It is also important to taste along the way with soups and stews as well though, just in case the flavor needs to be adjusted. I usually try to wait until the end before adding any salt.
This stew is healthy and delicious. If you were a fan of my Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup, I suggest making this one as well. Many pork stew recipes use hominy, but I opted for using chickpeas because they are packing with nutrients and are much healthier than a corn based product. If you like your stew spicier, add a bit of cayenne pepper to this recipe. This is great serves with a toasted loaf of French bread.
Moroccan Stuffed Acorn Squash
I love exploring the flavors of foreign cuisines. Each country has their own unique way of doing things, that gives an exciting new twist to many foods. If you haven’t already, I highly suggest looking into the different flavors from around the world. I think that knowing different flavor combinations helps expand your cooking and keeps you from making the same dish over and over again.
This week I had some squash from my mom’s farm that needed to be used. I was in the mood for something a bit sweeter, so I decided on this Moroccan-style recipe. This dish has the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The raisins are a definite must, I even decided to add a few more to the recipe. It can also easily be made vegan/vegetarian by using vegetable broth and taking out the chicken. This recipe is simple to put together but looks sophisticated, a great idea for dinner guests.
