Thursday, October 27, 2011

Chickpea Tacos with Apple Cabbage Slaw


This meal has been one of our recent favorites! I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to blog because we have it just about every other week.  They taste so fresh and have a great blend of flavors.  I also love that they are different than any other meal we've made, very unique.  They are easy too, so easy that I made them for lunch last week during my 1 hour lunch break.  Another reason I like them are they are pretty cheap to make so that's nice for our budget. SO, make them.

Well I'm into my third week of clinical and I must say I really love some of my patients.  I'm so excited to be a part of their recovery and rehab process and it is awesome to see the progress they are making.  Just today I was working with a patient that had surgery and lost quadriceps activation (very important muscle for walking, standing, and controlling the knee) and two weeks later he is able to activate the muscle.  He has been working so hard and it makes me so excited!  It has also been awesome to put into practice all the things I've been learning the past 2 years.  Today I also learned that there are some people that just don't want to recover or have little motivation to do so.  That part is frustrating and I'm not sure how to react to it, but it is part of the learning experience.  So enough of that, here is the recipe that you're looking for!

It has 3 parts, Stephen and I both have our responsibilities for the meal.  He takes the chickpea mixture and avocado sauce (which he created for this meal I must add) and I do the cabbage slaw and tortillas.

Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas
1/2 cup textured vegetable protein TVP (you could also use chicken, some other chicken-like ingredient, or leave it out) If you use this add water to let it soak up (1:1)
Cilantro (about 3 tablespoons but we just throw it in)
1/2 lime juiced
Seasonings - Stephen just puts a bunch of stuff in but the last time he made it I took note of what he used: cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, turmeric, curry powder, red pepper, chicken seasoning.  Just use what you have on hand.
 This is TVP if you've never heard of it, we use the chicken flavored kind.
 Add water until it softens, usually a 1:1 ratio
 Add chickpeas
Add seasonings, cilantro, lime juice and allow it to cook about 15 minutes.

Avocado Sauce

1 avocado
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/2 lime juiced
salt
pepper
cilantro

 1 ripe avocado
 We use a food processor for convenience but by hand would be fine too.
 Add cilantro, yogurt, lime juice, salt, and pepper
Blend until smooth, and done.

Cabbage & Apple Slaw

2-3 cups cabbage (chopped into thin strips)
1 apple (chopped into thin slices)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 lime juiced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
 Chop cabbage, apple and cilantro 
(I usually chop the cabbage a bit thinner than in the picture)
 Mix oil, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper together.
Pour over salad mixture and toss well.  Add more seasoning if desired.

 Also, warm the tortillas in a cast iron skillet if you have one, it makes all the difference! 

To assemble:


Once you take the first bite, you will understand why we make these so often.  Total cooking time is about 30 minutes and makes 5 tacos.  If you want more just add more chickpeas and make a little more slaw.  The meal is really simple so I encourage you to try it for your family!


Recipe idea found at TastyKitchen.

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