Spicy Roasted Chickpeas [Vegan]

I recently returned home to Calgary for the summer after finishing my undergrad degree at UBC. Yay…actually kind of a nervous “yay”-but a “yay” nonetheless. I have had a few days to settle in at home before I start work and what better time to experiment with my cooking! Today I cooked a big batch of chickpeas (which I am going to use for hummus-recipe coming soon) and decided to try out roasted chickpeas. I’ve tried them before but they have never been this tasty so I thought it would be selfish not to share this recipe.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas (adapted from culinaryadventuresinthekitchen)

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked chickpeas* (see note)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp salt

*Note: you can use the canned variety if you wish (2 cans worth), but I cooked them by soaking dried chickpeas overnight and simmering for 1 hour the next day.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. If using canned beans rinse well and drain. If not, drain beans well and pat dry if necessary.

3. Stir olive oil into beans to coat well and sprinkle spices until well coated. Place in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes or until lightly brown and crunchy texture.

Vegan Thumbprints (better than Whole Foods)

I have a confession to make, I LOVE the vegan thumbprints from Whole Foods. Another confession: I also LOVE the cheap and dirty sushi place in the UBC village…no extra charge for brown rice and they roll your sushi with a machine! How can you not love that? Anyways that’s a different story. Back to vegan thumbprints. They are delicious and I made them so here’s how to do it:

Vegan Thumbprints (adapted from here):

1 cup whole almonds
1 cup oats
3/4 cup flour of any type (I ground up buckwheat but  you could use whole wheat or white flour)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
jam!

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grind up almonds and oats coarsely in a coffee grinder.

2. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and slowly mix in oil and maple syrup.

3. Form into small-ish balls on baking sheet and poke an indent in the centre.

4. Fill the indents with jam. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

5. Allow to cool (this is important because they are a little crumbly when they first come out).

P.s. It is best to use homemade jam in this recipe. I used the jam my mum and I made from the summer raspberry crop.

Belly Warming Autumn Squash Soup [Vegan]

I was inspired to make a warm squash soup upon my return from my rather chilly field trip. I was also inspired by my impulsive purchase of a variety of squash while grocery shopping. The great thing about this soup is it is creamy and smooth without using a food pro or actual cream.

Ingredients:
1 small onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup rinsed red lentils (optional-I used these to add some protein)
6 cups veggie stock or water
3 halves of assorted squash (you could just use two smaller squash)
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and place squash face side down in baking dish with 2 inches of water. Cook squash for about an hour until flesh is tender. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender.

2. Add lentils and water/stock until lentils are tender.

3. When squash are finished, remove form the oven and scrape flesh into soup breaking it up in smaller pieces (it should “puree” as the soup simmers).

4. Add spices and simmer until all ingredients are blended well, about 10 minutes.

P.S. To make the little toasts. Brush sliced pita bread with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, thyme and rosemary and toast in oven (350F) until lighter brown than this…I burnt them a tad.