Pinterest Win: Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili

Guess what day it is... MEATLESS MONDAY! Ok fine, so my play on the camel with Hump Day didn't go over well. Just cuz you don't think I am funny doesn't mean I don't think I am funny.

This is my third Meatless Monday post, and I have to say that I am really enjoying these recipes. One of my besties, Bambi, is vegan so I invited her over tonight to try my new dish. Bambi said she liked it, and Bambi doesn't lie. I mean, hello, she is vegan... people who don't eat meat can't lie. They don't have enough energy to do that. tee hee hee

I have said in earlier posts that participating in Meatless Mondays is healthier and saves you money. Pretty sure my clothes aren't fitting looser, but I can say my grocery bill isn't as high. In addition, it is interesting and challenging to find recipes not based on meat. Most my meal planning started with what meat I had in the fridge or freezer, and then building the meal around that. On Meatless Mondays, it is what vegetables and alternative protein choices I have on hand. Basically, it is similar to switching from building an outfit off what shoes I have, and starting to build outfits from the jewelry on hand instead. I might have lost some men on that analogy, but pretty sure I got my point across.

Back to Bambi's and my dinner date. To be clear, a bottle of wine was involved. I know some of you were worried.

I pinned a recipe on Pinterest over a year ago, and am glad that I found it again. This is posted on my Gluten Free board. The recipe comes from a blog called Two Peas & Their Pod. Maria and Josh are a married couple who love cooking & entertaining and created a blog around it. Their blog literally puts mine to shame, it is good stuff. They have great recipes, and pictures of/references about their son Caleb who is a cutie. You should definitely check out their blog, and their stories.  You will feel like you are a part of their inner circle. :)

Maria and Josh have a recipe for Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili. It comes from a friend of theirs cookbook. I agree with Maria that the recipe just looks great with all the fresh ingredients.

Photo from http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com
 

For me, one of the best parts is how quickly you can make this chili. The longest part is chopping up the vegetables. This is such an easy meal. The flavor is simple but so good at the same time. Not complex, not over done, just perfect. It is not a "heavy" chili, definitely one you can have in the summer or spring and still feel you have warm, comfort food.

I started sautéing the zucchini and squash first, then added the mushrooms & onion. I made sure the vegetables were cut around the same size so that they will cook evenly. Then all the other ingredients came in and it made a great meal. This literally took about 30 minutes and was very flavorful. This recipe is a go-to for the crazy busy SAHM's and those of us who spend our days behind the desk. Easy, simple, full of flavor ~ definitely will be loved by all.

If you don't believe me, then just ask Bambi. She had two bowls... fine, we both did. And we finished off the bottle of wine. I call that a great Monday night!

I know many of you have rolled your eyes at me trying this Meatless Monday thing, but I encourage you to try some of these meals. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.... and more importantly, full!

Go make you some Vegetable Lime Chickpea Chili!

Pinterest Win: Bruschetta Quinoa Casserole

You know from last week that I am trying the whole Meatless Monday thing. No, I am not becoming a vegetarian. But I hear on The Chew that trying this out can save you $4,000 a year. That is over $300 a month, people! Now, if you are single like me and cooking for only one or two people then it probably isn't that much money. But saving money is saving money, I don't care how much it is. {PS: Yes, I know today is Tuesday. Like I said, yesterday was a recovery day. Quit judging me!}

My friend, Carrie, and I discussed over the weekend to start eating clean this week (after the Monday recovery day, of course). I am not really sure that she and I meant literally eating clean, but at least healthy. Either way, I found a clean recipe on Pinterest a couple months ago that I have been dying to try.

Not only do I like trying healthy dishes, which I inevitably make a little less healthy. (Dude, I am human...) I have been dying to try cooking quinoa. For some reason I have found it to be quite intimidating. The main ingredient of tonight's recipe is quinoa. There are so many health benefits for quinoa, but the one I care about most is the amount of protein it has. I am always trying to find different ways to incorporate protein to my diet. This might sound crazy, but sometimes I am just tired of eating meat. Yes, you read that right... I am a meatatarian, from Texas who just said she is sometimes tired of meat. I would agree that hell has frozen over but it is hotter than (enter explicit here) in Houston. So, that can't be true.

The recipe takes one of the ingredients I am scared of, quinoa, with one of my favorites: bruschetta. How could this go wrong??? Notice how I ask that question long after I made the dish. We both know that would have totally jinxed it. Speaking of the dish, let me get to it.

The Bruschetta Quinoa Casserole comes from a blog called The Iron You. It is written by a gentleman named Mike who is a triathlete and who likes to eat healthy. We obviously aren't dating. However, I am willing to try some other of his healthy recipes. I mean, if the picture of his Bruschetta Quinoa Casserole is any indication... I am eating his recipes all...the...time!

Photo from http://www.theironyou.com

This one is a bit more labor intensive than the last few, but don't let me saying that turn you off. The recipe is not difficult, and I promise that the end product is totally worth it. I swear to you, you must make it.

I followed this recipe pretty closely, except adding more cheese of course. I also added more red pepper flakes. I like things cheesy and spicy... kinda like me!

My version of this came out very well. So well that I ate about 3 portions, rather than one. I don't think this is what The Iron You guy meant when he called it healthy. Don't worry, I did leave some for leftovers for the rest of this week.

Sorry for the portion missing in the picture. It smelled so good that I got too excited to try it and forgot to take the picture first. Rookie move, but I am kinda a rookie so I say it's ok!

If you aren't ready to participate in Meatless Monday fully, try this as a side dish along some grilled chicken or maybe even shrimp. I even think adding mushrooms could make this a little "meatier".

Please visit my Clean Eating Pinterest board for the recipe. I promise you will not regret it! This is absolutely delish!

Pinterest Fail: Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

It is about time... Yes, people... I FAILED. Not a little failed, BIG TIME failed!

John & I went to a pool party on Saturday and everyone was bringing side dishes & desserts. I decided to make roasted chickpeas because they are gluten free, and I have some gluten free friends attending. I have a couple chickpea recipes that I've been wanting to try, so why not do it for Saturday. You know how I love to use my friends as guinea pigs!

This recipe comes from Clean Eating Magazine. I've perused this magazine, and they have some great gluten free tips & recipes. I also like the comments from the other readers about the recipes, they usually have good advice on how to make the recipes a little better.

Don't these chickpeas look good?

Photo from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com

I followed the ingredients to a T, but did make some changes in how I cooked them. I baked them for about 10  minutes less than instructed because you never know with individual ovens. I also used aluminum foil with Pam. No excuse for that change except that (as I have stated before) I am lazy and hate to clean baking sheets.

As usual, I was running low on time so I asked John to pull the chickpeas out of the oven when the timer went off so I could hop in the shower. He did as he was instructed (good boy), and of course sampled some chickpeas. He let me know they weren't crispy but had a good bite. He thought they tasted good...

(Did you like those periods? As if I am building suspense... hmmm...)

I threw the chickpeas in a plastic bag and took them to my friend's house. Keep in mind that I live in town and she lives in Katy. In addition, John & I met Daddy for lunch because I like to eat and I like my Daddy. Win-Win!

We get to my friend's house, and I leave the sealed bag of roasted chickpeas on the food counter. I eventually open the bag and take a handful of chickpeas. Holy crap!! Ugh!

I didn't want to be too dramatic, or I would have spit them out in my friend's trash. Instead, I sucked it up and kept on chewing. Basically, the chickpeas had a little crisp to them when I cooked them. However, throwing them into a sealable plastic bag and letting them sit for almost 2 hours... BAD MOVE! Bad! They turned so chewy. They were so gross. You know it's bad if this fat girl trapped in a not as fat body couldn't even eat one.

Though I lost this fight, I refuse to lose the battle. I will definitely try them again, but will also learn from my mistakes. I know I usually share a nice-ish picture of my end product for you. These were such a fail, I have decided to show you what John & I decided to do with them.

Yes, you are looking at this correctly. These nasty-arse chickpeas are in my trash can.

Even though I threw the chickpeas away, I encourage you to try to the recipe. They had good flavor, I just royally screwed them up. You can find them on my Clean Eating board on Pinterest.

Try them out! I want to hear what you think!

PS: I stated above that people made desserts for Saturday. I, too, made one and will post about that later this week. I've got to have a little suspense here!