Chickpea Salad Wraps

Tonight I'm going to a 'paper plate' potluck, as the hosts are moving shortly and have most of their kitchen packed up. I thought these wraps would be simple and easy.

I've made this chickpea salad (from Anglea Liddon's Oh She Glows cookbook) but this time I doubled the recipe only to find my estimations were off- I added too much dill, mustard and pickle so as a result these flavours overpowered the chickpeas. I was about to abandon my dish, but then remembered I had some chickpeas in the freezer, so I defrosted them, whirred them up in the food processor, and carefully began adding the original mixture to them until the proportions for taste came together.

Rather than having each guest make their own wrap (while balancing everything else on their plate!)  I put them together in appetizer sized portions, easy to eat alongside everything else. For dessert, I'm also bringing the raw caramel bars I posted earlier.

Hopefully it will be a nice evening so we can have a picnic outside!

Link for this recipe is below.

Using a potato masher to give chickpeas a salad texture.

Watch your proportions! The dill, mustard, green onion,  pickle are all strong ingredients. 

This salad is also nice as an open face sandwich on some homemade spelt bread!

Pleased with the result. I hope they like them too.!

Link to the recipe:

http://bit.ly/1Ipm5ww

Jamming with Chia!

Earlier in the summer I made some beautiful strawberry jam using natural pectin (http://nancyjoanne.blogspot.ca/2015/06/the-taste-of-summer.html) and then I found this recipe from Angela Liddon's Oh She Glows blog. IT'S THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD! Using chia as a thickener, this jam couldn't be easier. Adding a little maple syrup for sweetener, and the goodness of chia as a binder, we can eat this jam knowing it's not only delicious, it's also full of natural goodness.

I started with blueberry jam which turned out beautifully. This weekend I made peach. I will admit, it's not as attractive as the blueberry and maybe next time I might sweeten with a touch of honey since the maple syrup darkened it a little. I may also try it using no sweetener at all and see if this affects the thickening of the jam.

I have ordered some coronation grapes this week so can't wait to make my next batch. Toast never tasted so good!

Link for this easy recipe is below.

Peach Chia Jam

Link to the recipe: http://bit.ly/1eXw5g3

Raw Caramel Slice

When a friend sent me the link to this recipe from Food Matters, I couldn't resist making it right away! It's very simple to put together, the only thing you really need to do is wait until the base sets before you add the chocolate layer. I left it overnight and finished it off quickly the next morning.

For me, it's a tad rich and a little too sweet. However, I would make it again, tweaking the amount of maple syrup in the filling. I love the touch of tahini in it too.

For those with a sweet tooth- knock yourself out on this one!

Link to the recipe below.

Not many ingredients- and some are repeated in the different layers of the dessert. 

After processing the ingredients for the base, this handy little roller made it smooth and compact.

While the base in the freezer was chilling, I made the filling and added it on top. I returned it to the freezer and waited until it was firm (overnight in my case so not sure how long it would actually take)

The only thing that requires some cooking is the chocolate layer on top- but takes no time at all to finish that off and it poured beautifully onto the filling.

I used a serrated knife which I frequently dipped into hot water (and dried) so the chocolate on top wouldn't crack.

Link to the recipe:

http://bit.ly/1O9lzaW

Smokey Sweet Potato Tempeh Scramble

Sometimes I like simple, healthy, uncomplicated food that I can put together in 1/2 hour. This recipe from Connoisseurus Veg hits the spot.

Grab your cast iron frying pan and it's pretty much a quick sauté, and a few spices. Scoop some onto a soft tortilla, add some toppings like avocado and scallions, a few cherry tomatoes and some parsley and it's a perfect brunch, lunch, or dinner.

I liked the spice mixture, but would add more soy sauce next time. Season it to your liking. Enjoy!

Link to the recipe is below.

Link to the recipe:

http://bit.ly/1JQ1tzn

Mung Bean Stew with Butternut Squash

This summer I decided to soak, cook and freeze a lot of different dried beans. Since they are a staple in our diet, it seemed like a real time saver to have them on hand. And it is. So when I grabbed a bag of Mung beans, looked for an appetizing recipe and this one popped out for me from Winnie who writes for The Healthy Green Kitchen blog.

This was more of a soup for me, so if you want it stew like, just add less stock. I also added less of the coconut milk (1/2 can) and it added flavour without all the fat.

The flavours are deep and well rounded (love the garam masala spice in it) the texture smooth and comforting. This will be a favourite go to soup- time and time again.  So happy to find this blog- and share it with you!

The link to the recipe is posted below.

This photo doesn't do it justice. It really is lovely looking soup!

The swiss chard is from my garden!

Smells divine!

 Here's the link to the recipe:

http://bit.ly/1g5kT8F

Watermelon Gazpacho

I had a sugar baby watermelon in the fridge that needed to be eaten but my husband is away. I like watermelon and I can only eat so much of it. So I decided to look for creative ways to use it.

I hit gold dirt!

I found this delicious recipe on EatingWell.com. It takes no time to make, and the gazpacho is light, and refreshing with a  touch of sweetness from the melon. And it looks so pretty in a glass!
A beautiful summer soup.

See below for the link to the recipe.

How easy is this?!

The recipe calls for adding some of the finely chopped ingredients to the mixed soup but I decided to add them to the processor. I liked the effect.

CHEERS!

Link to the recipe:  http://bit.ly/1EKlRTM