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.

Roasted Vegetable Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes have always been one of my childhood favorite foods.  My mom always paired them with meatloaf and it was always a great combination for Sabbath dinners or Christmas.  A few months ago I had this twice baked potato variation, made by a good friend from church, and instantly knew I needed to give it a shot.  It's such a healthy side dish and I love the added vegetables.  The roasted vegetables add a whole other dimension of flavor that is great!  You can use any vegetables you want and I used broccoli, carrots, and spinach.  Squash, zucchini, cauliflower or anything else would probably be good too!

Lessons learned: I used 6 medium size potatoes and ended up with too much vegetable to potato ratio so next time I will use 1 broccoli and 2 carrots for 6 potatoes.  

 Wash the vegetables

 Chop into similar size pieces for even roasting

 Wash and bake the potatoes (350 degrees for about an hour)

 Roast the vegetable for about 20-30 minutes at 375.

 Put the veggies into a food processor and blend until smooth

 I added some spinach since I try to find some way to add spinach to everything... well almost everything :)

 Cut the tops of the potatoes off, scoop out the potato and make into mashed potatoes.  Add milk, butter, sour cream, or whatever you like to add.  Then fold in the veggies until it is all well mixed and creamy.  Also add some seasonings to taste, I used garlic powder, cumin, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper.

 

Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins and bake for another 30 minutes at 350 before eating.

Make sure your mixture has a nice creaminess to it so they don't end up dry. 

Enjoy the new variation on twice baked potatoes, maybe try them during the holidays for a healthy new twist on a side dish!

Pumpkin Bread

Today is our first really fall-like day.  We had a freeze last night and it was pretty cool this morning when I left for work.  I'm in the second week of my clinical in an outpatient orthopedic clinic... not my strong suite but I am learning a lot and it's going better than I expected.  Last week I decided to make some pumpkin bread.  I combined a few recipes together and was quite pleased with the results.  This bread is very moist and has a nice sweetness with the streusel topping and chocolate chips, but not too sweet. 

Pumpkin Bread

1 3/4 cup flour (I used wheat and all-purpose)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini choc chips)

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 stick butter
1 handful of pecans (very technical... I know)

 Combine all dry ingredients

 Add wet ingredients to the dry then mix together until just combined, don't overmix.

 Pour into a 5x8 greased pan (or 2 smaller pans and give one to a friend)

For streusel topping, soften butter.

 Add flour, sugar, and cinnamon.  Use a fork to mix together until you have a crumbly topping.

 Chop a handful of pecans. 

 Add them in too, 

 Pour topping over bread

Bake 375 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Hope you enjoy this recipe, I have more pumpkin things and soups to come! Have a great week!

Minestrone Soup

 
This is a great soup, one of my favorites really, and here is why...

1.) I usually have everything on hand
2.) It is pretty cheap - we've started Financial Peace University at our church :) and this soup is FPU approved, you could even make it at the beginning of the week then eat it through the week for lunch.
3.) It is easy and takes about 15 minutes prep/get it going time
4.) It is always good and colorful
5.) It is healthy

So, here's the recipe and you can make it too!

1 onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
3 carrots (again... chopped)
1 can white beans
1 can diced tomatoes
3-4 cups vegetable/chicken broth
1/4 cup orzo pasta (or another kind, I just like the size of this one in this soup)
2-3 big handfulls of fresh spinach
Italian seasoning, herbs de provence, parsley, basil, salt, pepper... just add some seasonings to taste!

Chop and saute the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots (5 minutes).  Add seasonings, saute about 2-3 more minutes until it becomes fragrant.  Add beans, tomatoes, and broth.  Bring to a boil and let this cook for a little while until the carrots are semi-tender.  The add the orzo and let it finish cooking about 10 minutes (The orzo will soak up quite a bit of the broth so you may need to add a little more broth, especially if the soup sits a while before eating it... that's what happened with mine this time as you can see in the picture.) At the last minute before eating, throw in a bunch of spinach and stir so it's just wilted. 

You can also add zucchini, squash, other beans, potatoes, brown rice, or whatever you have on hand... It's the beauty of soups :)

Happy Fall and Happy Soup Season! (more soups to come!)

Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Glaze

I love fall.  It's such a cozy time to curl up with a bowl of soup, a good book, a hot drink, and a pumpkin scone.  I have seriously fallen in love with these scones, besides the fact they are pumpkin.  I've always wanted to make scones but thought they were too complicated.  These are so simple though and just take a few minutes to make.  If you love pumpkin, these are a great treat that you just have to make.  Here's the steps:

Step 1: Make the dough

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes

Combine the pumpkin, milk, and eggs and whisk until smooth.  Combine the remaining dry ingredients into a stand mixer (or regular bowl) and add butter.  Mix until it's crumbly.  Add the wet ingredients and mix until it forms a smooth dough.

Put the dough onto a floured surface and divide into two parts.  Form the first section of dough into a 12 x 5 rectangle.   The next few pictures show how to divide into 12 triangles...

 

Place triangles on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes.  (Do the same with the other half of the dough as well)

Step 2: The glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the ingredients together, pour into a ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, and drizzle! 

Then enjoy one... or two... or well... enjoy!

Bierocks

Hmm, what are bierocks you are probably wondering?... Well this is a food that takes me back to Germany, not that I have ever been there but it is a German food, my family has German roots and that is how I learned to make these.  I remember making these when I was a little girl with my grandma.  A bierock is a cabbage, burger, and onion filled bread pocket, with some other stuff in there too of course.  I really like them, but others like them too so I don't think they are just a food you like since you've grown up with it.  So if you're feeling adventurous and want to make something new, this is it!  They do freeze well (after you bake them) and make such a quick lunch when you're on the go!  

Dough:

4 cups flour (I used half wheat and half white all purpose flour)
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs


Filling:

1 head of cabbage (small to medium size)
1 pound hamburger (or vegetarian burger substitute)
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 cup cheese (optional)
1/2 can sauerkraut (optional)
3-4 Tablespoons butter
a pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


Step 1: Mix the dough and let it rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. When the dough is about 30 minutes from the end of rising start on the filling.  (You can also break this up into a 2 day project and make the filling one day then the dough the next, it's what my grandma prefers to do).

Step 2: Chop the onion and garlic and saute in 3-4 tablespoons of butter.  Once it's semi-translucent add the burger.  Once it is close to being done, add the cabbage and cook until the cabbage is wilted, about 10 minutes.  The sauerkraut is totally optional too, I love it but I know most people don't.  Add the cheese and some salt and pepper, then it's all about tasting! It's what I remember doing the most with my grandma, we tasted and added some more seasoning then tasted again... and again.

 Step 3: When the dough is done rising, separate into about 18-24 pieces (depending on how big you want the pockets to be in the end).  Shape the piece of dough into a circle. 

 Then roll it out.

 Place a spoon full of filling in the center of the pocket.  I use an ice cream scoop.

 Pinch two edges together like a taco

 Then bring the other 2 edges to the center

 Pinch the edges closed (you can shape these like squares or circles, whatever you like, I did both)

 Flip it over onto a greased baking sheet

 Let them rise again for about 30 minutes.  Then bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Move to a cooling rack and enjoy while warm.  I like to dip them in ketchup, Stephen prefers ranch, others like something spicy.  Give them a try, I think you will love them too!

Enjoy!