Chickpea Curry with Cashews

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (15 ounces) no-saltadded chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons fat-free greek-style yogurt


DIRECTIONS
Whisk the cornstarch in a small bowl with enough of the broth to dissolve. Set aside.
Combine the oil, onion, curry powder, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened.
Add the remaining broth to the pan along with the reserved cornstarch mixture. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Add the chickpeas and cashews. Simmer for 5 minutes for the flavors to blend. Stir in the cilantro. Serve with a dollop of the yogurt.






From The Flat Belly Diet Cookbook

6 Favorite Snack Recipes

(1) Roasted Chickpeas

There are endless possibilities with these. 

There are a couple ways to make them you can do dry roasted and toast all your spices in a small pan and add the oil right before they are done, infusing the oils with all the tasty spices/herbs yumminess. The residual heat of the beans bakes the flavors in well as you toss them in a bowl. 

The other way you can make them is to coat them with the spices-herb flavoring before hand and them roast them.

Make sure before cooking them you drain, rinse and pat them pretty dry.

All of these combos can be cooked at 425 degrees and for about 30-40 min or until they are hard. 

If you coat them before hand then stir them every min. 

Make sure you place foils down on your baking sheet or spray it with some clean cooking spray. 

No matter how you like them they are easy to make, so good for you, and not to mention taste fabulous. 

Measurements 

1 can of beans is about 1-1/2 tbsp of oil and about 1 tsp or juice or liquid (ie soy sauce, juice, honey) Add all the spices you want to taste, usually a couple of tsp will work or each. 

    Savory & Spicy
*Lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, cilantro
*Garlic powder, grape seed oil, pepper and rosemary
*Soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, Chinese 5 spice
*Honey, safflower oil, basil, pepper, cinnamon
*Tomato juice, curry powder, ginger
*Tarragon, garlic, fennel, honey, lemon juice
*Smoked or sweet paprika, avocado oil, coriander, cumin, chili powder

       Sweet
*PB2 peanut butter powder, nut oil, stevia, coco powder
*Maple Syrup, allspice, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon
*Honey, apple cider vinegar, mace, cinnamon
*Lemon juice, honey, tamari, salt


   (2) Kale Chips

     Basic Recipe
1 bunch kale
1 tbsp. EVOO
1 tsp. sea salt

    Method
Preheat an oven to 350. Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. 

Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner or cloth. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.
Note: You can also cook them at 275 for 30 min, especially if you have flavors your wanting to bake in:)

    Flavors
Spicy: 1 tbsp. chili flakes, sprinkle with paprika and Cheyenne pepper
Savory: 1 tbsp. garlic powder and sprinkle with black pepper
Tangy: 1 tbsp. cider vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt.
Smokey: 1 tbsp smoked paprika and smoked chipolet
Sweet: 1-2 tbsp. Agave, pure maple syrup, or raw honey and sprinkle with cinnamon.



                  (3) Rice Cakes w/ nut butter

Ingredients
2 plain rice cakes
2 tbsp. nut butter of choice (peanut, almond, cashew, pecan)

Method
Take the 2 rice cakes and speak 1 tbsp of nut butter on each. Be careful because rice cakes are really fragile and can break really easily.

These are so good and filling. We like to eat mine with a little fruit on the side. So good:)



                                  (4) Low Fat Cottage Cheese mixed w/ fruit or veggies

Ingredients
1/2-3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4-1/2 cup of fruit or veggie of your choice
1/2 tbsp of salt and pepper or cinnamon depending on what your making.

VariationsVeggies: tomatoes, cucumbers, frozen peas
Fruit: berries of any kind, pineapple, kiwi, peaches, pears



              (5) Greek Yogurt w/nuts

Ingredients
1/2 -3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Handful of raw nuts of your choices (almonds, pecans, walnuts, ect)

MethodMix it all together and enjoy.
- You can also sub the nuts for seeds if you wish like (pumpkin, chia, flax, sunflower, ect)
- Enjoy ours also mixed with a little bit of homemade crunchy peanut butter or almond butter and then dip apples in it. YUM!



             (5) Hard Boiled Eggs

Ingredients
10-12 eggs
Enough water to cover the eggs about 4-6 cups depending on how many you are making. 

Method
Place eggs in saucepan large enough to hold them in single layer. Add cold water to cover eggs by 1 inch.

    Heat over high heat just to boiling.
Remove from burner. COVER pan. LET EGGS STAND in hot water about 15 minutes for large eggs 
     Drain immediately and serve warm OR cool completely under cold running water or in bowl of ice water, then Refrigerate.

Try with some sort of crunchy veg like celery, cucumbers, carrots, ect....You can also just eat the whites if you want. 

Hope you have enjoyed all of these snack ideas. Happy Snacking:)

Moroccan Stewed Chicken, from Men's Health Magazine

INGREDIENTS

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 large zucchini, diced
1 (16 ounce) can garbanzo beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped



Heat the oil in a deep saute pan over med-high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken place it in the pan.

Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes each side until browned. Add zucchini and continue cooking, stirring occasionally.

When the zucchini begin to brown add the garbanzo beans, water, tomatoes, cayenne, cumin, and cinnamon. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through. (do not cover the pan).

Season to taste with more salt and pepper and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve With: 1/2 cup cooked couscous (prepared per package instructions) tossed with 2 Tbsp golden raisins, 2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts, and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro



NUTRITION (not including "serve with" suggestions)
Calories 320
Cholesterol 65.8 mg
Fiber 7.7 g
Sodium 648 mg
Protein 33.8 g
Saturated Fat 0.8 g
Unsaturated Fat 4.1 g
Total Fat 4.9 g
Total Carbs 35.7 g
Sugar 5.2 g

Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich

Yields enough for 3 - 4 salads

Prep Time: 10 minutes - Total Time: 10 minutes

This Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich is a great quick and easy lunch option that is good for you too! The salad also makes a great dip!

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1 large ripe avocado
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Juice from 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bread of your choice (I use whole wheat bread)
Fresh spinach leaves or other sandwich toppings: lettuce, tomato slices, sprouts, etc.

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Place on a paper towel and remove the outer skins. You can leave them on, but I like to remove them.

2. In a medium bowl, using a fork or potato masher smash the chickpeas and avocado together. Add in cilantro, green onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Spread salad on bread and top with your favorite sandwich toppings. I like to add fresh spinach leaves.

Note: This salad also makes a great dip. Serve with cut up veggies, crackers, or pita chips. Also, this salad is best eaten the day it is made because it will turn brown due to the avocado.

Source: Two Peas & Their Pod

Cookie Dough Dip

Inspired by this awesome recipe.

1 1/2 cups chickpeas (1 can, drained)

1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt

tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup nut butter (You can get away with using only 3 T. If you use peanut butter, it’ll have a very-slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so if you don’t want this, you can sub oil.)

up to 1/4 cup milk of choice (Start with 1 T, and add more as needed)

Sweetener (see note below, for amount)

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 to 3 T oats (or flaxmeal) (You can omit, but also omit the milk if you do)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a good food processor (not blender), and blend until very smooth.

Then mix in the chocolate chips.

Sweetener Notes: I used 2/3 cup brown sugar when I first made this for the party. Liquid sweeteners (agave, maple, etc.) are fine as well, as is evaporated cane juice. You can easily get away with less sugar– some people will be perfectly fine with just 3 T for the whole recipe! . (You can also use stevia, if you like the taste of stevia-sweetened desserts.)

Garbanzo, Tomato, and Cilantro Salad with Lime and Chile Dressing (with or without avocado)

(4 servings, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from a blog that no longer exists)

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed well and drained
4-5 tomatoes or 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
1 cup (1 large bunch) cilantro, washed, dried, and chopped coarsely with chef's knife or food processor
1 avocado, diced (optional, but good)

Dressing Ingredients:
2 T fresh lime juice (plus 2 tsp. more for avocado, if using)
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle chile powder (I used Penzeys, you could substitute hot sauce if you don't have ground Chipotle)
1/2 tsp. chile powder (mild)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. onion powder
zest from one lime
salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Drain beans into colander and rinse until no foam remains. Let drain well. Mix together the lime juice, olive oil, ground Chipotle powder (or hot sauce), chile powder, ground cumin, onion powder, and lime zest to make the dressing, then put beans and dressing into a plastic container with a snap-on lid and shake a few times to combine. (Use a bowl that's big enough to hold all the salad ingredients.) Let beans marinate in dressing one hour or longer.

If using avocado, peel and dice the avocado and toss it with 2 teaspoons of lime juice. Dice tomatoes, place in colander with a small amount of salt and let tomatoes drain 10 minutes while you dice onions and chop cilantro. (You can skip that step if using cherry tomatoes or if your tomatoes aren't that juicy.) Thinly slice the green onions and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.

Combine marinated beans with dressing, tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro and stir gently until well combined, then gently stir in the avocado (if using.) Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

basic hummus [2 recipes]

Classic Hummus Recipe

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2-3 Tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup water (or the leftover chickpea juice from the can)
optional toppings: more olive oil, chopped fresh Italian-leaf parsley, paprika (or smoked paprika), and/or toasted pine nuts

Method:

Add first seven ingredients (chickpeas thru salt/pepper) to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Add in the water (or chickpea juice) and continue blending until it reaches your desired consistency.

Garnish with optional toppings, and serve or refrigerate.___
Recipe Two:

2 cans of chickpeas (only drain one) * or try draining both and adding water instead

4 heaping tbsp raw white sesame seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

Juice from a lemon equaling 1/4 cup

1 clove of garlic minced

1 tsp ground cumin

Pinch of sea salt

Place all ingredients in high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Nutritional Info (per 1/4 cup)

Calories: 99

Fat: 3g

Protein: 4g

Fiber: 3g

Sugar: 0g

Great snack for the no sugar challenge.

Here are some other add ins you can do to get a different flavor ...

Seasonings, chipola, cayenne, coriander

Roasted red peppers

Natural Peanut Butter

Greek Yogurt

Cilantro or parsley

Artichokes, sweet potatoes, avocado.

Lemon or Lime zest

Other nuts (pine, almonds, walnuts)

Black beans or any other types of beans.

Seriously you can not go wrong with hummus, just play around with it and have fun. Its so good and taste great on these!