Li'll Bay Leaf went to work today.
Hidden underneath her sweaters, woolens, fleece and overalls, caps and mittens – all geared to beat the minus temperature outside – she climbed up Papa Bay Leaf’s lap and waved back at me, shouting all the while - office, office.
And now in the empty apartment strewn with baby things, toys, unfinished coffee mugs, and muddy daylight seeping through the glass windows, I think of my long list of ‘To Do’s. With only five hours of ‘day’ where I live, I don’t have enough time for everything. Leave alone breakfast. Breakfast? First things first. I must have a warm and refreshing breakfast to take on a jam-packed day.
Did it ever occur to you that champing spoonfuls of semi-mashed garbanzo beans, dressed in half a teaspoon olive oil and a cup of fresh spinach, loaded on a porous, bran filled, toasted whole-wheat bread (read home-baked - will soon come up with the details) can fill you with warmth that is terribly needed when the trees outside is freezing. I need this warmth to gear myself up for activity. Now!
If you enjoyed my Basic Chickpea Salad (For Dinner), I am sure you didn’t have to deal with much of leftovers. If you did have leftovers of this salad, apart from storing up, you can process them in a food processor, till lumpy, chunky, or hummus-smooth, as preferred. Top it with some more lemon juice and sour cream and pack for a workplace- or classroom-lunch next day, but don’t leave it for longer than that since the high water content from the veggies might trigger fermentation, depending on the type of weather where you live.
However, if you want to make something that will help you survive a few breakfasts and lunches, and save you a good deal of time and brainstorming for something like ‘what to pack for lunch buddy’ here is how I go about it.
My Favorite Chickpea Bread Spread (For Breakfast and Lunch)
What do you need?
~ Chickpeas - 3 cups, canned or boiled
~ Shallots or white/green/red onions – 1 medium, finely chopped
~ Garlic – 1 minced (optional)
~ Spinach – 2 cups, washed and hard stems trimmed, blanched if you please
~ Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons or more as per your taste
~ Kosher salt/black or rock salt – to taste
~ Black pepper – to taste
~ Paprika powder – ½ teaspoon
~ Pine nuts or finely chopped walnuts – 1/3 cup lightly toasted (optional)
Serve with:
~ Breads – as much as you can let yourself to indulge. Be warned, at times it can become a little difficult to stop.
~ Sour cream or Chutney
What should you do?
1. Place all the above ingredients in the mixing bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse to desired consistency.
2. Toast the bread till crispy in a bread toaster. Or if you are feeling fancy, cut them up in small squares or triangles, slather little margarine or olive oil, and toast them in the oven at 180 C for 4-5 minutes - just until crisp.
3. Heap generous spoonfuls of the chickpea paste on the breads. Top with a spoon of sour cream or sweet and sour chutney or both, and munch at your heart’s pleasure.
Any leftover spread? Put them in airtight boxes in your refrigerator. Do ahead? Very much. It can keep well for more than 5 days, but again, moderation is the key. Having guests over for dinner? This can double as a nice appetizer, to start with, but keep the bread bites small. A lunch? You know how to make it special, don’t you?
Cooking Big Batches? Very much possible - If you think cooking Garbanzo Beans or chickpeas is an intimidating idea, yes, it sure does take a long time to cook through - cook a big batch, say 5 to 8 cups or 1/2 a kilogram (approximately 1 pound) a time, and keep it well-covered in the refrigerator. You can use this to make as many spreads, or hummus, or salads as you would fancy. Stored this way, the cooked beans normally stays well for a week.
5 Ideas For Serving Chickpeas at Lunch As-You-Like-It Style:
1. Are you on a diet? Are you trying to move towards a low-carb, high protein diet but feeling hungry every 30 minutes as your body adjusts to the change? Try this: Throw in some lemon juice (generously) and rock salt in a bowl of boiled or canned chickpeas. Shake well. If your diet allows, you might also add two teaspoons of chopped shallots and tomato. Sprinkle some dill or rosemary, basilica or parsley, dried or freshly chopped. Snack away to keep hunger attacks at bay.2. Craving for something sweet but don’t feel good about letting go off the grip? Beat two spoons of yoghurt or sour cream to smooth, add a spoon of honey, agave nectar, maple or cherry syrup, or just plane sugar and whiff off some more. Add this to a cup of boiled or canned chickpeas and satisfy your yearning.
3. Planning to make a cooked through salad? Chop finely or in long strips of all the vegetables at your disposal or choice, for example, eggplant, butternut squash, zucchini, cauliflower (small florets), onion or shallots, celery, and paprika, and even potatoes. Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Warm 2 teaspoons of olive oil, add half a cup each of these veggies, and sauté till they wilt, about 6-7 minutes. Add salt and black pepper. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more or until cooked. Place all in a serving bowl. In the same pan, sauté a cup of chickpeas, boiled or canned, for 5 minutes. Add half a teaspoon more of olive oil if needed. Sprinkle a little salt and half a teaspoon of paprika powder. The proportion of vegetables to chickpeas would preferably be around 3 to 1 but play around till you fine tune it as per your taste. Add the chickpeas to the bowl and garnish with chopped and toasted nuts and crumbled feta cheese or mozzarella.
4. Take a bowlful of my favorite chickpea bread spread as above. Top it with a dash of lime juice, sour cream, or even crème fraiche, and enjoy mouthfuls. Healthy snacking, without feeling guilty.
5. Making baby food? Boil the chickpeas till they are a tad softer than normal, if need be. Season with some rosemary or basilica, a little salt and pepper, or any spice that suits. Crush as needed with the back of your spoon to reduce any risk of choking. Perhaps add a little melted butter or olive oil - if you have a hyperactive kid like mine, any energy is good energy. Serve under total supervision. Do ahead: You can keep boiled and crushed chickpeas in small containers, one serving each, in the freezer for a month at least. Defrost, season, and serve. Easy.
Well, more chickpeas in the next post. Let yours soak over-tonight.
No comments :
Post a Comment