chickpeas Archives - dani california cooks

Curried Chickpea and Cauliflower Salad (vegan, gluten free)

October 15, 2015 by Dani 14 Comments

This gluten free and vegan dish is a deliciously balanced salad with a ton of different textures and flavors. It reminds me of something I would choose out of a case at a trendy lunch spot!

If you’ve followed along with my most recent nutrition post, you’ll know that I’ve been incorporating a lot more plant-based proteins into my lunch routine. I used to have these big a$$ salads for lunchtime, and usually would do the whole “add chicken” deal because PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN. It’s been remarkable how much more energy I have in the afternoons now that I opt for lighter, plant-based lunches! Chickpeas are obviously an easy go-to protein to add to any salad - they are so versatile! Whenever I go to a health-focused lunch spot, anywhere from Huckleberry to Whole Foods to Nourish Cafe - I always LOVE sampling the chickpea creations they come up with. They are usually incredibly interesting and creative! So much better than just adding a handful of whatever boiled/grilled/shredded chicken they have on hand to a bowl of greens. So I’ve started recreating some new chickpea dishes at home in honor of my favorite new plant-based love. This chickpea dish has roasted cauliflower, sweet raisins, crunchy celery, and lots of flavor from fresh herbs and spices. It’s not a good thing that I’m writing this blog post as I’m getting kind of hungry for dinner, because I’m actually kind of salivating thinking about this dish. It may be time for dinner. I ate this several days in a row - at home, on the plane (it passes through TSA security, promise). It would be an awesome dish to bring to a picnic, or even leave a large tupperware of it at work to portion out for lunches. I ate this on top of a bed of greens both times, and it made for a perfectly balanced lunch. No $5 “Add Grilled Chicken” needed over here in the DCC kitchen, thank you very much.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Curried Chickpea and Cauliflower Salad (vegan, gluten free)

This gluten free and vegan dish is a deliciously balanced salad with a ton of different textures and flavors. It's wonderful served hot or cold, and makes for great leftovers!

Author: Dani California Cooks

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked chickpeas (I used dried and soaked overnight, but canned is fine!)
1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tsp cumin
2 stalks of celery, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup raisins
2 tbsp vegan mayo (I used Earth Balance)
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for roasting the cauliflower

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F
Lightly coat your cauliflower in olive oil, and toss with salt and pepper and cumin. Place on a baking rack
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes
In the meantime, mix your dressing of mayo, curry power, vinegar, and salt and pepper
In a medium bowl, place the celery, raisins, chickpeas, and roasted cauliflower
Fold in the dressing, and add the cilantro
Season with salt and pepper

If you like this, you’ll love: Marinated Chickpea and Kale Salad

Miso Ginger Chicken and Chickpea Soup (gluten free)

September 20, 2015 by Dani 16 Comments

This soup is a cure-all! Whether you need to work through a cold or snuggle up in the rain, this one-pot soup fits the bill. It’s filled with vegetables, tons of garlic and ginger and miso, and two different kinds of protein.

I’m sure many of you full-time food bloggers can understand this, or anyone else who works at home, but I found myself on Thursday, in the middle of the day still in my pajamas, rambling to the cashier at Trader Joe’s about how I “swore I had bought a can of pumpkin the night before but couldn’t find it today, and I had searched all around my house for it, including the trash can, yadda yadda yadda”.

He looked at me like I was a crazy person and I realized that I was actually being a crazy person!! I almost considered defending myself and being like “Oh, I’m just working from home today - I swear - so I’m chattier than normal” and then I figured I was just shooting myself in the foot and my best move is to probably just pay for the stupid extra cans of pumpkin and go back home. I’m working from home for all of October - I cannot wait to not travel for a bit - but I could really use some tips and tricks for how to increase human interaction without chatting up every person who may stumble in my wake. Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com One thing I am really looking forward to during October is all of the home cooking I am going to be able to do during the week!! Although using the corporate per diem food allowance on salmon every day may get missed after a while. Cooking up big batches of soups like these to have throughout the week is going to bring me a lot of joy. I’ve made this soup several times now, always when it’s cold and rainy out, or when someone isn’t feeling well. I actually stumbled upon it featured on the blog once before… Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com It’s so warm, comforting, healthy, and filled to the brim with delicious spices and flavor. It really will cure what ails you, and make you happy that this is the tonic! We serve this with bread and salad, or on it’s own for a lighter dinner or lunch. It’s got so much going on - vegetables, greens, roasted chicken, chickpeas, garlic, ginger, miso, pepper - that this soup can really be the star of the meal. Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com Seriously - this soup is SO good. I want to call it “not your mama’s chicken soup” because it’s actually quite complex with all of the different flavors coming together. It’s become my go-to recipe because it’s incredibly easy and incredibly delicious, and I know that it will be a crowd-pleaser (crowd being Nate). It also tastes great reheated throughout the week, or frozen and saved for months later. Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com

5.0 from 1 reviews

Spicy Ginger Chicken and Chickpea Soup (gluten free)

This one-pot soup is filled with garlic, ginger, hearty vegetables and two different kinds of protein. I make it whenever someone has a cold or it rains out!

Author: Dani California Cooks

Ingredients

2 boxes of broth (use the miso-ginger broth from Trader Joes or vegetable broth + one tbsp of miso paste)
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup baby carrots, sliced in half
3 cups swiss chard, roughly chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ white onion, chopped
Olive oil
2 beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1 cloves garlic, minced
1½ inch thumb of ginger, peeled and grated
Dash of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large pot, place the onions, garlic, and some olive oil over medium heat. Sweat out until translucent
Add the ginger and cook for another 2-3 minutes
Pour in the stock (and the miso, if not using ginger-miso broth)
Bring to a boil
Toss in all of the vegetables, chicken, and chickpeas
Boil for 2-3 minutes and then turn down to simmer
Simmer for 1-2 hours
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This soup also freezes really well. I'll make extras and put in tupperware and save for (another) rainy day!

If you like this, you’ll love: Mom’s Lentil Soup

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Marinated Chickpea and Kale Salad (vegan + gluten free)

August 27, 2015 by Dani 31 Comments

Chickpeas are marinated in a simple dressing prior to being tossed with tahini-rubbed kale. It’s gluten-free, meatless lunch perfection!

Chickpeas or garbanzos? Being from California, we always went with “garbanzos” but I think the chickpea is actually English, while garbanzo is Spanish. Does anyone else find the intricacies of language and regional spam to be super interesting as well? I loved when I moved to the Bay Area and everyone started saying “hella” this and that, and when I visited a friend in Boston everything was “wicked”. So anyways, when I moved to the East Coast for college - I had to get used to the chickpea!

I actually had to get used to a bunch of super random things when I moved to the East Coast. For example - temperatures below 50. My freshman year college roommate watched me put on like two layers of leggings, several sweaters, and a puffer jacket in October. She was like “whew, we’re in for a long winter”. The East Coast also introduced me to things like breakfast sandwiches! For some reason I had never had them in California before. They were like a Saturday morning staple in and after college for me. And calling people’s parents not by their first names but by Mr. and Mrs. That was one I could never get used to!

Even after spending six years in college in Baltimore and then two years in DC, I still thought that I retained all of my supposed California charm. I always got feedback at work that I was too “casual” or “friendly”, which I couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing, I just chalked it up to being from LA. But when I moved back to California last year, everyone at work thought I was a total East Coaster! They thought I was very “intense” and “professional” and certainly overdressed. But work aside, I like to think of the food that I create and share with you all on DCC to be very California inspired, with some of my new East Coast roots in it as well.

And what in the world do I mean by that? I mean the food is fresh, healthy, and certainly a bit trendy - California for sure. But it’s also easy and fast to make for working folks like us on the go - there’s the DC gal in me. This recipe embodies that for sure. It’s packed with health and all-the-rage ingredients, but it’s also quick and simple and is perfect for lunches at work.

I plan to make this salad for myself on repeat the next time I am not traveling for work. I even recreated it using store-bought ingredients this past week while I was traveling!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Marinated Chickpea and Kale Salad (vegan)

Chickpeas are marinated in a simple dressing prior to being tossed with tahini-rubbed kale. It's meatless lunch perfection!

Author: Dani California Cooks

Serves: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
4-6 cups of curly kale leaves
1 tbsp tahini
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Optional: ¼ cup roasted pepitas

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice
In a medium sized tupperware, pour in the chickpeas
Pour the dressing over the chickpeas. Add in the parsley, and stir until everything is evenly distributed
Top with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to liking
Place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, but will keep for about 5-6 days. The longer the marinating, the better!
When ready to serve, in a large bowl, place the curly kale
Using your hands, "massage" the tahini into the kale. This will help the kale wilt and get a better texture
Pour the chickpeas and it's marinade over the kale
Top with pepitas and serve!

Notes

I ate the chickpeas at intervals over several days. I would just do a new round of massaged kale, pour over some of the chickpeas and spoon out some of the marinade!

If you like this, you’ll love: Vegan Meze Platter

Crunchy Cinnamon Honey Roasted Chickpeas (gluten free)

November 13, 2014 by Dani Leave a Comment

Many thanks to all your feedback on yesterday’s post - I really appreciated and enjoyed all who reached out to share their own stories and with questions! Now on to the good stuff….

Everyone has a go-to 3pm snack, and for a while on one of my work teams, it was these cinnamon-sugar roasted almonds. We somehow justified scarfing down the entire jar of them in one thirty-minute meeting because they were “almonds”. So let me introduce to you a much lower calorie, much lower in fat version of those candied nuts. But first, I want to spend just a couple of more minutes talking about the two wonderful ladies who made up this team alongside me for half a year. We shared laughs, tears, (way more) than just sugared almonds, and are now the closest of friends outside of work. We actually talked about roasted chickpeas once! So in honor of them, let me introduce to you these Crunchy Cinnamon Honey Roasted Chickpeas!

Roasted savory chickpeas are all the rage these days. If you roast them with a little salt and pepper, they make excellent crouton subsitutions in salads. They hold up wonderfully in soups instead of crackers. You can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on them, or roast them with a little rosemary. You can pack them for a high-protein, no-processed snack for in the middle of the day. Or, you can turn them into DESSERT. Hello, yes, obviously best option.

These really couldn’t be easier to make. Roast at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, checking for crunchiness levels throughout. Let them cool before you cover in melted honey and cinnamon. They will be a little sticky, so if you really would prefer to package them up and take them to work I would recommend swapping out the honey for your choice of sugar with a little oil to hold it together - maybe a little powdered Stevia with coconut oil, etc. Once those ingredients are combined, you have yourself a lovely little snack that will last several days. I would say that these crunchy delights are A-OK in my book (see below). However…grandma didn’t think they were sweet enough. I really think I’m going to have to bite the bullet and stop gifting these healthy treats to grandma and just bake her some Tollhouse cookies like she wants!