Crunchy Mediterranean Chickpea Bowl (Vegan)

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Serves 4

Recipe from Real Simple Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This dinner was light, but satisfying and so tasty.  It always delights me to find a dish that’s yummy and healthful made out of such simple ingredients.  I served this pretty platter of goodness along with WASA Thin Crackers and Clementine orange segments.  

1 large beet, peeled

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

4 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, divided

¼ cup lemon juice, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used 2 cups chickpeas that I had prepared from dried.)

1 cup whole-wheat couscous

1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon tahini (This is sesame seed paste.)

1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey (Use agave syrup if you wish to keep this vegan.)

1 cup prepared baba ghanouj (This is roasted eggplant dip.)

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Grate the beet on the largest holes of a box grater.  (You might wish to use rubber gloves to protect your hands from beet stains while doing this.) Toss with the caraway seeds, 1 ½ Tablespoon olive oil, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chickpeas; cook, stirring, until brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.  Season with ¼ teaspoon salt.

Bring 1 ½ cups water or vegetable broth to a boil in a small pot.  Add the couscous and ¼ teaspoon salt, cover, and remove from heat; let steam while the chickpeas cook.  Fluff with a fork.

Whisk the tahini with the honey, remaining 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  (I heated the honey in the microwave for a few seconds, which made it easier to blend in with the tahini.)

Place all the components on a platter and drizzle with the tahini-honey sauce.  Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Nutritional Info:  According to my calculations, 1 of 4 servings is 363 calories and 7.0 grams fiber.

Speedy Mustard Rye Bread

Makes 2 round loaves (21 oz. each)

Recipe from Pillsbury

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I’m a sucker for any kind of rye bread.  I love the chew and the taste of caraway.  This bread also has the added flavor of mustard, another weakness of mine.  This recipe makes to small round loaves, one to enjoy now with a hot bowl of soup or a slice of ham and the other to freeze for later or to give to a friend.  It’s called speedy because the two rises are very short compared to most yeast breads, so it can be made quickly in the afternoon just in time for dinner.

3-4 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 packages active dry yeast

2 cups water

¼ cup Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons brown sugar or Sucanat

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2½ cups medium rye flour

1 large egg, beaten

1-2 teaspoons caraway seed (optional)

(Cooking spray and water for the rising process)

Grease a large cookie sheet or line one with parchment paper.  Lightly spoon all-purpose flour into measuring cup; level off.  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, salt and yeast; blend well.  In a small saucepan, heat water, mustard, brown sugar, and butter until very warm (120-130F.)  Add warm liquid to the flour mixture.  Blend on low speed with a mixer paddle attachment until moistened.  Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.  Stir in the rye flour and an additional ¾ cup to 1½ cups all-purpose flour just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  On a floured surface, knead in ¼-½ cup all-purpose flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place the dough in a greased bowl; cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and a cloth towel.  Place the bowl in a pan of warm water (about 95F); let rise for 15 minutes.  Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles.  Divide the dough in half; shape each half into a ball.  Place on prepared cookie sheet.  Press down slightly.  Cover with the greased plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise in a warm place until light and doubled in size, about 15 minutes.  Heat oven to 375F.  With a sharp knife, make a slash (no more than ¼-inch deep) on top of each loaf.  Brush the loaves with the beaten egg.  Sprinkle with caraway seeds, if using.  Bake at 375F for 25-35 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped.  Remove from the cookie sheet immediately and cool on a wire rack. 

Nutritional Info: (one of 20 slices per loaf) calories 80; protein 2 g; carbs 15 g; fat 1 g; cholesterol 6 g; sodium 160; potassium 45 mg.

Swedish Limpa Bread

Recipe from Beatrice Ojakangas in Baking with Julia

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 2 round loaves

We thought this bread was just fantastic!  It was fun to make.  It’s slightly sweet with a hint of molasses, orange, and spices.  It has a lovely tight and tender crumb, making it easy to slice for sandwiches.

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon anise seeds

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup warm water (about 110F)

¼ cup molasses

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

¼ cup packed dark brown sugar or Sucanat

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

Grated zest of 1 orange

1 ½ cups light or medium rye flour

5-6 cups bread flour

Molasses for glazing the loaf after baking

Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat until scalded: that, until a ring of small bubbles is visible at the edge of the pan.  Remove from the heat and let the milk cool.

Using a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or a coffee mill, coarsely grind the caraway, fennel, and anise seeds.  Don’t grind them to a powder…you’re aiming to crush them just enough to release their flavor.  Set aside.

Working in a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar into the water, stirring until the yeast is dissolved. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, or until it turns creamy, then stir in the cooled milk, the molasses, butter, brown sugar, salt, crushed seeds and grated orange zest. 

Whisk in the rye flour and stir until smooth.  Add 1 cup of the bread flour and whisk until the mixture is very smooth.  Switch to a wooden spoon and mix in as much additional bread flour, 1 cup at a time, as it takes to make a stiff dough.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  Dust a work surface with bread flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface.  Knead the dough of 5-10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.  (I had used 4½ cups of flour initially and then used another 1 cup of flour as I kneaded.) Rinse out the bowl, rub it with a little oil and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour.

Grease two 8- or 9-inch cake pans.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a work surface.  Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a round loaf that will fit into a prepared cake pan.  This is most easily done by working each half of dough into a tight ball between your cupped hands.  Keep turning the ball between your hands and then, when it’s tight, place it in one of the pans, smooth die up, flattening the dough as necessary to fit the pan. 

Cover the dough with the oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until the loaves almost double in volume, about 1 hour.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.  Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes or until a wooden skewer instead into the top of the bread comes out clean.  As soon as you remove the loaves from the oven, turn the loaves out of their pans and brush their tops with molasses.  Cool the loaves on a wire rack.

The breads will keep at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for 2 days.  For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.