Roasted Chickpea Tacos

Have you ever had a roasted chickpea?

I can’t believe I went 24 years without these little nuggets.

Last night’s dinner was almost like the first time I added almond extract to my oatmeal; life was suddenly brighter, more fulfilled. I felt as though I had been let in on one of the world’s greatest secrets.

Roasted chickpeas have a wonderfully crisp quality on the outside but remain firmly soft within – am I making any sense here? The mix of spices and flavorings that I tossed the chickpeas in before roasting created a beautiful crust and took on a fantastic smoky flavor. I could eat these by the handful as an afternoon snack and they were so, so good on top of my regular old lunch of spinach salad today.

I cannot take credit for last night’s genius tacos. All of that goes to The Happy Herbivore. This cookbook is loaded with vegan recipes, nearly all of which are non-fat. While I’m not a vegan (and while I believe in the down right goodness of fat), who says we shouldn’t dabble in all kinds of cooking?

The recipe for Chickpea Tacos on the happy herbivore’s blog is an extremely pared-down version of that in her latest cookbook so you’ll have to check out the book for the real deal (that’s what the library’s for!). The basic idea with roasted chickpeas, though, is to toss them in whatever you want (so here I used taco flavorings) and then spread them on a lightly-greased baking sheet and roast for 20-30 min at 400* (time depends on how much crisp gets you going).

I filled 2 corn tortillas, lightly warmed in the oven, with the roasted chickpeas and topped with a spicy tomato salsa. These would have been killer with avocado but, sadly, I did not have any one hand (You see? Fat and I? We’re like this.). My disappointment was shortlived once this big old pile of kale chips came out of the oven.

These will be gracing my kitchen again very, very soon.

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Pepper and Onion Frittata

I spent most of yesterday asleep on my couch, various morning shows humming in the background, trying to will away a fever that had suddenly come on the day before.

All I wanted was juice. Juice and fruit. Tropicana orange, strawberry, banana is the s!$&. You probably already knew that, though =)

I managed oats in the morning but only because who could ever turn down oats? After a day of mostly popsicles, juice, and broth, I woke up around 5:00 with, gasp, a rumbly tummy (and the energy to take a much needed shower!).

What’s the best way to satiate a crazy hungry belly in no time? Eggs!

I’m not so sure a yellow mapina was the best backdrop for this meal. Despite it’s washed-out tone, this frittata was fantastic and revived me from my fever-stricken state.

The beautiful thing about a frittata? Anything goes. The only items you have to have on hand are a few eggs! I had most of a red bell pepper and half of an onion pleading to be used so, there ya go, pepper and onion it is!

Pepper and Onion Fritatta

serves 2 (or makes for a great sandwich the next day)

*note: you don’t have to use nutritional yeast – it is an option for us dairy-challenged folks who want that cheesy flavor, though! Plus, you can never go wrong with B vitamins! Parmesan or whatever you have will work, too, but reduce the amounts – more like a teaspoon or 2.

Egg mixture:

• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• a few generous cracks of black pepper
• sprinkle kosher salt

Veggies mixture:

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• olive oil

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350*.
• In an oven-safe non-stick pan, heat about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over a medium flame and add the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the peppers. After another 5 minutes, add the garlic and stir well.
• While minding the veggies, whisk together your egg mixture. It shouldn’t be totally homogeneous – varying shades of yellow are a good thing!
• When the veggies are nicely softened and the onions beginning to caramelize, spread them evenly across the pan and pour the egg mixture on top.
• Spread the egg mixture evenly throughout the pan and stir every few seconds. When the mixture begins to set (after only about 2 minutes), transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until it has begun to brown on the edges and is cooked on top.
• Carefully tip the frittata upside down onto a waiting plate (I had a bit of trouble with mine and lost a bit of the frittata onto the floor…I blame the fever).
• Eat up!

I salvaged the last few perky leaves from a bunch of week-old kale and made chips (baked up right along with the fritatta) and rounded off the meal with a whole spelt English muffin.

I had half of the leftovers on a delicious toasted sandwich today. Don’t shake your head at cold, leftover eggs. They are completely underrated and are always a lunch that I look forward to.

Don’t knock it til you try it!