This week has been spent at home; mornings involve take out coffee and dog walks in the park. Lunches are homemade and healthy; afternoons are spent working and doing admin. Monday evening, I had a marathon catch up on MasterChef Australia and last night I went to a Kundalini Yoga class (an amazing class for anyone who is interested). These are my favourite type of days.
This is my first new recipe since May - I’m not counting my homemade tea. I’m so ready to start posting new recipes again. I bought two new cook books today and I’ll be devouring them for lots of new ideas.
I want my new recipes to be simple and do-able. One thing I’ve come to learn and accept since starting to eat better is that there isn’t always ‘healthy’ versions of our favourite treat foods. Real pizza is a million times nicer than cauliflower base pizza. Sourdough bread will always win over any multi seed bread I can make. Likewise, a ‘free from’ label doesn’t equate to healthier. One principle I always come back to is using good quality ingredients and choosing foods that are minimally processed. Another is that very often the simplest dishes are the best.
With these two principles in mind, I’d like to take a more considered approach to the recipes I post from now on. Take today’s recipe. I cooked these Herby Chickpeas with Crumbled Feta for lunch today. I wanted something quick and light; and this fits that bill perfectly. This dish takes 5 minutes to prepare and leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours. I ate it with a few oat crackers as a lunch in itself, but it can also be served as a side salad to another dish.
Chickpeas are a food I can always rely on. When I am organised, I soak and cook my own but I always have a few tins in the cupboard for when I’m short on time. Combined with fresh herbs, a simple dressing and topped with crumbled feta, they make for a simple and fresh dish.
Serves 2 – 4.
Ingredients
15g fresh mint
15g fresh parsley
Juice of one lemon
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp chilli flakes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Small handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/5 cucumber, finely chopped
60g feta crumbled
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Method
Start with the dressing. Add the mint, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, chilli flakes and balsamic vinegar to a food processor. Pulse until broken down. Scrap the mixture from the sides of the food processor bowl using a spatula and secure the lid of the processor back on. Slowly pour the olive oil into the processor while pulsing until it is combined. Season with a pinch of sea salt and set to one side. If you don't have a food processor, just chop your herbs very finely, mince your garlic and mix well with the lemon juice, chilli flakes, balsamic vinegar and oil.
Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas in a large bowl with the cherry tomatoes and cucumber. Tip the herb dressing on top and mix to combine. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
To serve, spoon the chickpea mixture onto the centre of the plates and top with crumbled feta.
