Spicy Chickpeas with Preserved Lemon and Arugula

Roasted Cauliflower, Black Eyed Peas, Walnuts, Goat Cheese

Loosely based on this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and on the ingredients I had at hand. I forgot to take a picture after I added the goat cheese, but you get the idea: I roasted the cauliflower with some garlic and rosemary, and added the walnuts for the last couple minutes just to toast them. Then tossed everything with the beans in a vinaigrette made with shallots, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.

Black Eyed Peas, Rainbow Chard, Feta Cheese

Roasted Root Vegetables, Lentils, Hazelnuts, Goat Cheese

Sort of a mish-mosh of a few favorite dishes, on a day where I was in need of some protein. The light also happened to be perfect just as we were sitting down to eat.

Chickpeas, Carrots, Cabbage & Sunflower Sprouts with Yogurt, and Stout in a Teacup

There were very few green things available in Sweden in the middle of winter, so I made this variation on one of my favorite easy meals with cabbage, and we threw some sprouts on top for a little extra green. Since we were cooking in a rented cabin we didn't have any seasonings, so this came out pretty bland (ever underestimate the power of salt!), but it was nice to have something healthy after eating knackebrod and tube cheese in the car all day. Also interesting to note: I usually make this with caraway, and I thought it would be really easy to find at the grocery store in Sweden, as caraway is such a common spice in Northern European cooking, but we couldn't find anything labeled as such. I compromised by buying cumin instead, and when I opened the package I discovered it was indeed caraway... so what do they call cumin in Sweden, if "cumin" means caraway?

Roasted Cauliflower with Walnut Pesto, Fried Cranberry Beans with Kale, Sumac, and Feta

Cauliflower recipe from here. The beans were a play on this Ottolenghi dish, made with bits and pieces from my fridge: cranberry beans instead of lima (they didn't fry up quite as nicely because of the smaller size), kale instead of sorrel, leeks instead of spring onions.

Red Lentil Dal, Chicory and Orange Salad, Avocado

I cooked the lentils with some finely chopped onion, coriander, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and fresh ginger.

Lentil Soup

I saw lentil soup on another blog recently and decided I should make some. I improvised mine- first I made some veggie stock (carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, bay, peppercorns), then I cooked lentils in it along with some more carrots, celery, and onion, puréed about 2/3 of that, and added the rest back in for texture. I had it with some whole grain bread from Acme, and it really hit the spot!

Chickpea and Kale salad with Cilantro, Red Onion, and Lime

Also: a little toasted coriander, cumin, and chili.

Here is why dried chickpeas are so much better than canned ones: because you can add flavor to them by cooking them with garlic, salt, and herbs, or even a little tomato. Canned chickpeas can be seasoned, but they won't take on the flavors in the same way. Also, the texture is so much better with ones you cook yourself; canned ones can be a bit mushy sometimes.

Black Bean Chili with Skillet Cornbread

I made a big pot of chili for a dinner party the other night, using Anaheim and Pasilla peppers, chipotle in adobo, and a healthy dose of Ancho chile powder for an extra kick. I served it with a dollop of sour cream, some crumbled cotijo cheese, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime, and am enjoying the leftovers as I write this post. I also made sweet potatoes baked in foil (with maple butter), and skillet cornbread from this recipe, which is now officially my go-to cornbread recipe.

Chickpeas, Squash and Purple Kale with Yogurt

Inspired by the master, Yotam Ottolenghi- I cooked the squash with caraway and it was delicious!

Hummus with Preserved Lemon

Hummus: chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt. I think it's best when you use dried chickpeas, but canned work if you're in a hurry.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Tacos with Goat Cheese and Arugula

This was a quick and easy meal that was super satisfying: sweet potatoes, salty lentils, creamy goat cheese, and fresh greens dressed in lemon juice to add some texture and acidity. I used white sweet potatoes, which is why you can't really see them in this picture.

Lentils and Squash

Last week it was summer here in the Bay Area- 80 degrees and sunny- and yesterday it turned cold and cloudy, with even a bit of rain. Although the weather report promises highs in the 70s for the forseeable future, my palate is starting to shift towards cozy foods like this wintertime classic. I probably eat some variation of this dish every day during the colder months, maybe with chickpeas or black beans instead of lentils, or sweet potato instead of squash, or the addition of some hearty greens or even a grain like couscous, farro, or rice. Sometimes I'll add cheese in the form of buffala mozzarella, homemade ricotta, or chevre. But the basics are always the same: roast the squash for about a half hour with spices and olive oil (I like a combination of coriander, clove, nutmeg and chilli), cook the lentils at the same time with herbs (thyme, sage, or even just a bay leaf can be great) and garlic, and combine.

Lentils with Cherry Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

The last of the cherry tomatoes from my garden...

Chickpeas, Avocado Toast

Spicy Squash, Black Bean, and Herb Salad with Lime

Black Cod Baked with Tahini, Spicy Roasted Squash, Chickpeas and Spinach, Herb, Orange and Olive Salad

A team effort: three dishes from Moro and one from my imagination. It is still hard to get good lighting at night without some sort of fancy rig. I'm working on it...

Caramelized Fennel with Goat Cheese, Shelling Beans, and Arugula Salad

The caramelized fennel is a recipe from Plenty.

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Tagine over Saffron Couscous

Wow. This morning, exhausted and feeling lazy, I decided to soak some chickpeas to have for dinner, without any sort of plan for how I wanted to use them. At some point this afternoon, I pulled out my trusty copy of Plenty and took a peek to see if any new chickpea recipes would inspire me, and discovered this one, which called almost exclusively for ingredients I already had at home (the squash, cilantro and tomatoes came from the garden, and the rest was all in the pantry- I keep harissa and preserved lemons in my fridge at all times), except for parsnips and carrots, which I left out. The dish has a few different components- the chickpeas (which I cooked with the tomatoes, bay leaf, coriander seed, and garlic), the couscous (cooked with saffron, and I added some ghee at the end for extra yumminess), and the squash (which I roasted in a dutch oven with shallots, more bay leaf, cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon, and a myriad of other recommended spices)- but in the end it is pretty simple, and if you have the patience to let some chickpeas soak and wait 45 minutes for them and your squash/root veg to cook, the rest comes together in no time. And boy oh boy is it good! I am already anticipating the leftovers...