Jerk chickpeas

I'm procrastinating. I should be studying for my German test but I loved this recipe and wanted to share it with all of you today:) I've been meaning to make it for awhile- I love the mix of spices in jerk seasoning and also have been craving chickpeas lately. Michael was busy at work this week (and he doesn't love chickpeas) so I decided to finally make this for my lunches during the week. The original recipe is in Let Them Eat Vegan!  and Dreena shares the recipe on her blog "Plant Powered Kitchen". Here is a link to the recipe.

Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list - this dish comes together really quickly and once it's in the oven you can get the rest of your meal together. Jerk chickpeas would be really tasty over rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, sautéed greens or stuffed into a pita or tortilla.

You can use canned chickpeas but try it at least once with home-cooked chickpeas. They have so much flavor! Cooking your own beans is really easy, it just takes some planning with the soak and cook times but it is still doable even with a busy schedule.

Ingredients:

3-4 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice (see directions)
2 Tbs tamari (I used Bragg's liquid aminos)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbs pure maple syrup
1 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves (I completely forgot to add this and it was still tasty without it)
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger root
2 large garlic cloves, grated
Few pinches red chili flakes (the more the spicier)
2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
3/4-1 cup chopped or sliced red bell pepper
3/4 cup green onions, sliced (white and green portions - reserve 1-2 Tbs for serving)
2 Tbs fresh cilantro or parsley (for serving)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a baking dish (I use an 8 by 12-inch), combine all the ingredients (starting with 3 Tbs of the lime juice) except the chickpeas, red bell peppers, green onions, and cilantro. Stir until well mixed. Then add the chickpeas, red peppers and green onions and stir again.

Before stirring the sauce.

Before stirring the chickpeas, red pepper and green onion in the sauce. Pretty colors!

3. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, stir, and bake uncovered for another 5 to 8 minutes, stirring again about halfway through, until the marinade has partially absorbed into the chickpeas.

Our house smells so good right now!

4. Taste - if you'd like more tang, add another 1/2 to 1 Tbs lime juice, and stir well, along with any reserved green onions and fresh cilantro. Serve with sliced avocados and with extra squeezes of lime juice, if desired.

I hope everyone is staying safe and warm with the snow!

Peanut butter banana oatmeal

A.k.a. "creamy, gooey, comforting oatmeal that's perfect on a cold morning"

I'm battling a cold and the semester is plugging along and there's snow in the forecast (finally!). That means it's time to bring back the hot breakfasts. I've been eating a lot of hot quinoa lately with a spoon of almond butter and it's been a nice way to get the day going. This morning I woke up and decided I wanted something more exciting so I went on one of my favorite blogs "Oh She Glows" and found this recipe. It's a single serving recipe but very, very filling and you can probably share it with a friend with some sliced fruit on the side. Or if you're really hungry like I was you can just about finish it up by yourself. You might not even be hungry later for elevenses or "smoko". As you can tell, I'm getting ready for our upcoming trip to New Zealand:)

Here's a link to the original recipe.

Ingredients:
1 very ripe banana, roughly chopped
1 tsp non-dairy butter or coconut oil (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 Tbs natural peanut butter
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2-1 tsp chia seed (or ground flax)
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-14 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
toppings: heaping 1/2 Tbs peanut butter, nuts, cinnamon, pure maple syrup

1. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, cook the banana and non-dairy butter or oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Stir in 1/2 Tbs peanut butter, add the oats, chia, milk, spices and a pinch of salt. Whisk/stir well until combined.

3. Bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, stirring often for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

4. Scoop into a bowl and top with peanut butter, nuts, cinnamon and maple syrup. I used crunchy peanut butter so I didn't add any nuts because there was already a nice crunch in the mix.

On another note- yesterday was Estes' first birthday!!! We got her a new collar and she spent the day doing what every 1-year old dog does- she slept and played with her new toys.

Grandma in PA sent her this sweet card:

She kept me company while I was reading:

We've been busy lately and trying to get outside as much as possible. Last weekend we went snowshoeing and it was beautiful: