Recipes

Spicy Mashed Chickpea Salad

Spicy Mashed Chickpea Salad

I’m excited to share this idea here. It’s pretty simple to make and so delicious.  I’m a big fan of chickpeas but they do need a lot of love to really get their flavors going. Mash them up with some cumin, lemon and a touch of heat and you have a delicious salad to tuck into pita bread, roll on a tortilla or kale leaf, serve as a dip or as a base for a tartine.

This is how I made this batch, but you can add or hold ingredients to taste.

Use one can of chickpeas, drain and mash it slightly to keep a bit of a crunch.

Spicy Mashed Chickpea Salad

In a separate bowl mix well until creamy:

  • 1 tbsp pure tahini
  • 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Juice 1/2 lemon (aprox. 1/2 tbsp)
  • 1/2 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp of Huy-Fong Chili Garlic Sauce (it can be replaced with Sriracha or fresh chopped garlic and chili flakes)

Spicy Mashed Chickpea Salad

Mix the sauce with the mashed chickpeas.

Spicy Mashed Chickpea Salad

I spread half of the salad evenly on top of a slightly toasted bread. Added some thin sliced cucumbers, watermelon radishes, chopped parsley, toasted almonds and lunch was ready.

I was so hungry…Taking the pictures was pure torture.

Spicy Mashed Chickpea Salad

I ate the other half of the salad as a dip for the extra cucumber slices and I finger licked the bowl.

Peppermint Oreo Truffles AND Bourbon Pecan Balls. NO baking required!

If you landed here before you already know that baking is just not my thing.  It should be no surprise that I’m so frigging happy about these two ‘dealicious’ (hah I can’t help it) treats that I’ll be eating and sharing with much love and joy this holiday season.  Absolutely NO baking required! Nuff said.

PEPPERMINT OREO TRUFFLES

Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Use TJs Candy Cane Joe-Joes for these truffles, but it works equally good with regular oreos. You can also throw a couple of candy canes in the food processor and use regular Oreos if you can’t find Peppermint Oreos.

You’ll need:

  • crushed to dust peppermint candy OR peppermint candy dust (@WorldMarket or Sprouts)
  • 1 package of Ghirardelli (or whatever maker you prefer)semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 8oz. package cream cheese (room temp)
  • 1 package Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe Joe’s (or 1 package of regular Oreos and 2 candy canes)

Make it:

Peppermint Oreo Truffles

In a food processor, pulse cookies until they’re finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl, add the softened cream cheese and fully combine (I used my hands for that.)

Mixture should be sticky. Roll it into little 1″ balls. Place the rolled balls onto a piece of parchment paper and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes (just enough to harden the outside of the balls)

Melt the chocolate according to the package directions.

Remove balls from freezer and dip them in the chocolate. Transfer them back to the parchment paper. Sprinkle the candy cane dust on top to garnish and then let the chocolate set and dry. Once dry, refrigerate the truffles and serve as needed.

BURBON PECAN BALLS

Bourbon Pecan Balls

I made them for the first time yesterday and they are just heavenly. Boozy, sweet and powerful! The better the Bourbon, the better the punch!

Simply combine all ingredients and shape into 1-inch balls; roll in additional powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

You’ll need:

Bourbon Pecan Balls

  • 1 box vanilla wafers crushed to dust in the food processor
  • 2 tbsp of cocoa powder (I used 100% unsweetened Ghirardelli cocoa)
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • Extra powdered sugar to roll the balls

Slow Cooker Chili with Kale and Fresh Tomatoes

Lean Chili with Kale and fresh tomatoes

No super tasty comments about how ‘dealicious’ this chili turned out. No orgasmic pictures either (chili is just not photogenic.) I just want to have this recipe documented because I must repeat the achievement. It was the best Chili EVER end of the story!

Slow Cook Lean Chili with kale and fresh tomatoes

Best Chili EVER! Slow Cooker required!

Dominique for dealiciouscooking.com
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Course Winter bliss!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 Lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup of bacon or smoked sausage optional...but I used a bit of both
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 tbsp of VOO
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 5 medium roma tomatoes diced
  • 3 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 1 small can of white beans
  • 1 tbsp of molasses
  • Beef broth or red wine or beer for deglaze 2 tbsp approximately
  • 1 Lacinato kale bunch chopped optional....gotta put something green on it
  • 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro from our garden
  • 1 hot cherry pepper or any pepper available like serrano, jalapeno, or pasilla
  • 1 tsp of these DRY/Powder spices mixed all together on separate small bowl:
  • cinnamon
  • pasilla
  • chipotle
  • paprika
  • smoked Spanish paprika/pimenton can be replaced by an additional tsp of paprika
  • thyme
  • oregano
  • 1 tbsp of:
  • salt
  • dry cumin
  • apple cider vinegar
  • liquid aminos OR soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Remove ceramic pot from slow cooker and keep it close to stove. Turn slow cooker on high and set timer for 3 hrs.
  • Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the meat (and optional bacon/sausage) first adding a little of the dry spices to it (I like to leave the meat in small clusters/chunks. Place it in the crock pot and reserve.
  • In the same pan saute the onions, garlic, tomatoes, cherry pepper, kale and cilantro with a little of the dry spices until most of the liquid has evaporated. Place it in the crock pot and reserve.
  • Deglaze the saute pan with beef broth, wine, beer, or water. Add tomato paste dissolving it in the deglaze (add more liquid if too dry). Add all the leftover spices to the broth. Cook for about 2 minutes and place it in the slow cooker.
  • Add all the other ingredients (except for the white beans) and mix well. Transfer ceramic pot to the slow cooker and let it cook for about 2 1/2 hrs then check for taste. Add the white beans (drained) and any salt or spice to taste. Let it cook another hour and tadah...best Chili EVER!!!!

Kids had chili leftovers for lunch. Husband had it at work. I ate it with rice. I ran out of rice. I ate it with pita bread. I ate it with chips. And when nothing else was available to accompany it,  I ate it with a spoon straight out of the fridge because I was running late to pick up the kids. It tasted good every single time!!!!

Dealicious Ground Sirloin at Sprouts

THE DEAL: If you want to give this recipe a try get the ground beef at  Sprouts. Starting today they have ground sirloin (93% super-lean) for $5.99 lb. (Check your local store for offers)

Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush 5 ingredients dealiciouscooking.com

I first remember tasting Baba Ganoush when I was about 7-years-old. Our neighbors in Brazil had Syrian roots and they were pretty much responsible for my first taste of Middle Eastern food. Birthday parties in their home were, in one word, scrumptious. Best of both countries. Baba Ganoush, Hummus, mini Kibbees, Dolmas, Brigadeiros (Brazilian chocolate fudge bites), and coxinhas (Brazilian chicken fried dumpling.)

I don’t think I tasted Baba Ganoush again until I moved to the States.  Every time I eat Baba Ganoush I go back to my neighbors Claudia and Andreia’s birthday parties and Sunday suppers. I see their dad, Senhor Luis, in the kitchen mixing some Za’tar and proclaiming I would never taste anything like it.

I wish I could share this Baba Ganoush with Senhor Luis and tell him “thank you” for the delicious memories.

THE DEAL: I used 4 small eggplants (2 Casper and 2 Szechwan) from our garden for this recipe. It was the perfect amount and use for our fresh picked eggplants.

Fresh Eggplants from Garden dealiciouscooking.com

Roast the eggplant and garlic with the skin on. I dressed the eggplant slices with Trader Joe’s Pacific Smoked Salt and black pepper for extra flavor.

Roasted Eggplants for Baba Ganoush

Add all the ingredients to the food processor. Since the eggplants were so tender I didn’t remove the skin. I used pure Tahini sauce and I needed to add a little water to the final mixture to thin it out a bit.

Baba Ganoush dealiciouscooking.com

 

Baba Ganoush

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Ingredients
  

  • 4 small Chinese eggplants or 1 medium regular eggplant
  • 4-6 garlic cloves peel on
  • 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice according to taste
  • ¼ cup tahini sauce
  • ½ teaspoon salt plus extra depending on size of eggplants
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil plus some extra for drizzling
  • Pinch of paprika for garnishing

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice eggplants in small pieces. In a bowl, toss eggplant slices with salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Place it on a baking sheet along with the unpeeled garlic. Roast until tender, 30-40 minutes. Remove the eggplant and garlic from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing the garlic peel.
  • Place the eggplant, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Add the olive oil and salt and process it briefly. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, taste and add more lemon juice or salt to taste.
  • With the back of a spoon, make a swirl in the top of the baba ganoush, drizzle olive oil in the swirl grooves, and sprinkle with paprika.

 

 

Making peace with fall and a Pumpkin-Free Autumn Recipe

Roasted Maple Pork Loin stuffed with Apples and Blueberries

While everyone can’t wait to talk about the crisp air and turning leaves, I’m quietly questioning why everyone seem to love this season. Although I have much to celebrate in the fall (anniversary, hubby’s birthday, Halloween and Thanksgiving) I seem to never really embrace it. With fall come super mutating viruses, crazy weather (even in SoCal), allergies, football, college football and the inevitable…winter! Treat or trick is fun for the kids and extra fat for me because I have no will power. Everything will soon die. No more flowers, no green…all will be red, brown and dead!!!!! It’ll be dark outside. Not a thing to wear because the weather won’t decide what to be; hot, cold, rainy, dry, frosty, windy????

Should I even mention the PUMPKIN everything? As much as I love the pumpkin coffee, pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie, pumpkin décor, pumpkin patches…it is just WAY too much pumpkin. Cooks act as if they will loose their minds if they don’t cram as much pumpkin in their recipes before the end of the season. How many people actually bother to cook with real pumpkin? It taste grosser than canned pumpkin to me.

How do I make peace with fall?

Since I can’t stop fall from coming and I can’t keep the world in perpetual, blissful summer, I’m going to embrace it (with moderation). I’ll grow fall vegetables in my garden, take daily antihistaminic, get the flu shot, buy new boots and scarves that match my tank tops, and think outside the pumpkin.

Because no food blog venting should be posted without a recipe, here is what I made today (sans pumpkin) for tonight’s dinner.

Roasted Maple Pork Loin Stuffed with Apple and Blueberries

THE DEAL: Costco had an instant rebate on Pork Loin ($2.80) yesterday on a package of 2. Each pack has 2 loins. I used 1 pack/2 loins for this recipe (I’ll freeze the extra pack.) In addition, apples are in season and on sale everywhere.

Ingredients for Maple Roasted Pork stuffing

For the stuffing you will need: 1 apple (diced); 1/2 cup of blueberries; 3 diced shallots or 1 small purple onion; fresh rosemary; 2 tbsp bread crumbs; 1 1/2 tsp olive oil; salt and pepper to taste.

On a medium fry pan heat the olive oil. Brown the shallots until translucent. Add apples and cook for about 3 minutes. Add blueberries, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute or until the bread crumbs absorb the juices. Reserve.

Roasted Pork Stuffing

Butterfly each loin (I could not spare more than 3 minutes butterflying the loins, so there you have it. Not pretty but works. A reminder that this shit is real!!!!!!!Real cooking!!!!) Season all sides with salt and pepper (be generous but reasonable).

Butterflying

You could use the “Saran warp and meat hammer” technique (aka pound it until thin) to make it flatter and easier to roll. I had limited time and wanted to get dinner done as quick as possible, so I topped one loin with the stuffing and made a “sandwich”. Then I simply tied the loins together (no tying skills required). Placed the “sandwich” in a roast pan/pyrex lined with shredded napa cabbage (To add flavor and retain moist. This step is totally optional.) Season again with some salt and pepper and finished with 1/2 of maple syrup over the top.

Roast ready dealiciouscooking.com   Maple over Roast dealiciouscooking.com

Place a piece of foil over the loin (don’t cover the whole pan, just the loin to keep it moist) and roast for 45 minutes at 360-370F. Discard the foil and roast for additional 15 minutes.

I haven’t decided yet what to serve the roasted pork loin with. I know Farro will be a great side, but the kids can’t take it. I’ll probably make a quick couscous right about before dinner time. The whole family loves the roasted garlic and herbs couscous from Near East. It takes literally 5 minutes to make and 2 minutes to disappear from our plates.

 

Fresh Peach Crumb Cake

Fresh Peach Crumb Cake for dealiciouscooking.com

Every summer, we get a good amount of peaches from our peach tree in the backyard. Peach size, sweetness and juiciness are unpredictable. Last year, we had sweet and perfectly plump peaches through summer so we enjoyed them as they came. This year, however, we got most of our peaches at once. So…I made my way through the load of peaches! I grilled and added them to salads. I roasted them with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon and ate them with vanilla yogurt. But the real winner of all things peach was this scrumptious crumb cake. What you see here in the picture is exactly what you get. Light and fluffy cake in the bottom, slightly sweet peach pure in the middle, and crunchy crumbs on top.  Perfection!

The Deal: Peach season is almost over and our peach tree is bare. Luckily, Vons-Pavillions has local California peaches on sale this week for $1.99 lb.

Fresh Peach Crumb Cake

Dominique for dealiciouscooking.com
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Ingredients
  

  • For the peach filling:
  • 4 large peaches if small use one or 2 more
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 tbsp water
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • For the cake:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp melted butter 1/2 stick
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • For the crumbs:
  • 4 tbsp melted butter the other half of the stick
  • 1/4 up brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup of flour I used whole wheat flour for the crumbles but reg flour can be used too

Instructions
 

  • For the filling:Peal and slice the peaches. Place peaches and filling ingredients on a small pan. Cook it for about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced. Puree the peach with a hand mixer directly in the pan OR in a blender.
  • Butter or spray an 8'' cake pan and preheat the oven to 380.
  • For the cake: Whisk dry ingredients over the wet until JUST combined (don't over mix.) Pour into cake pan and dot with the peach puree.
  • Mix crumb ingredients and crumble over the cake.
  • Bake 25-30 minutes.

Notes

The peach puree can be replaced for any kind of jam and even Nutella.

 

100% Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins from DealiciousCooking.com

You should know by now that I have serious baking issues. I won’t bother to repeat again everything I find so challenging about baking. Simply put, baking is a pain and I can only get it right occasionally. One of the rarest occasions happened over the weekend.  I made the most delicious, moist, and fluffy 100% whole wheat blueberry muffins. Now, 100 % whole wheat does not always go with adjectives like these, but this recipe is PERFECT and I’m so happy that I haven’t gave up baking just yet!

Here is one handy baking tip for muffins I’ve learned from a pastry chef; do NOT over mix the ingredients or you end up with rubbery and chewy muffins. The wet ingredients for this recipe should look like this after being mixed:

Secret for the perfect muffin

And it’s totally fine to have a few streaks of flour after adding the dry ingredients.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins DealiciousCooking.com

100% Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins with Kefir

Dominique for DealiciousCooking
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Ingredients
  

  • In a large bow whisk together:
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2.5 oz butter cut into pieces at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup of milk 1 or 2%
  • 1/2 of blueberry or vanilla kefir
  • 2 eggs
  • In a medium bowl whisk together"
  • 1-1/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Whisk the wet ingredients until the butter just form tiny pebbles.
  • Pour the dry ingredients over the wet and mix JUST until combined. Do NOT overmix.
  • Spoon into muffin tins (half way) or paper pannetone cups.
  • Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
  • Bake at 375F for 20 minutes or until golden all over.

Notes

It makes 12 small muffins.

 

Arugula and Grape Salad with Black Forbidden Rice and Blue Cheese

Arugula and Grape Salad with Black Rice and Bluecjeese dealiciouscooking.com

Black rice is the new brown and my family is officially converted to black rice. The benefits of black rice are endless and I blogged about it here but if you missed here is the scoop. Like brown rice, black rice is full of antioxidants, which is found in the outer layer that gets removed during the milling process to make white rice. But only black-rice contains the antioxidants known as anthocyanins, (also found in blueberries, grapes, and acai) that have been linked to a decreased risk of heart disease and cancer, improvements in memory, and other health benefits.

I was really surprise when my 8-year-old picky eater chose black rice over brown rice today. I’m pretty sure that she would’ve chosen white rice if it was an option, but black rice was her choice…and ‘that’ made my day!

I put this lovely salad together with the  leftover black rice for hubs and me. It was delicious and it took less than 10 minutes to make.

Arugula and Grape Salad with Black Rice and Bluecjeese dealiciouscooking.com

The deal: Sprouts has Lotus Organic Black Forbidden Rice for $3.99 (15oz bag) this week, which it’s definitely a great price!

DSC_0749

Arugula and Grape Salad with Black Forbidden Rice and Bluecheese

Dominique for DealiciousCooking.com
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Ingredients
  

  • For the Salad:
  • 7 oz bag of wild arugula I used Trader Joe’s Organic Wild Arugula
  • 1/2 cup of green or red grapes cut in halves
  • 1/2 cup of steamed black rice I used Lotus-Org Forbidden Black Rice
  • 1/4 cup of blue cheese feta cheese and goat cheese works too
  • 1/8 cup chopped walnuts
  • For the Vinaigrette
  • 1/8 cup minced onion or shallot
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon of liquid aminos or ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 orange squeezed

Instructions
 

  • Combine salad ingredients. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients well and drizzle over salad. Toss salad to coat. Add fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

Blueberry Orange Chia Seed Jam

Blueberry Orange Chia Seed Jam

This easy jam is a lot better for you than jams or jellies that are loaded with sugar.  Blueberries, orange juice, chia seeds and maple syrup, each of these ingredients carry their own benefits. I usually have it with toast, but it’s also delicious over Greek yogurt and oatmeal.  

The deal: Blueberries are $0.98 at Sprouts starting today!

Happy jamming!!!!

Blueberry Orange Chia Seeds Jam

Blueberry Orange Chia Jam

Dominique for DealiciousCooking
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 small pack of fresh blueberries 4.4oz
  • 3 tablespoons chia soaked in 1/2 cup of orange juice or water or fresh apple juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Start by soaking chia seeds in 1/2 a cup of orange juice or water or apple juice and one tablespoon of maple. Leave the chia seeds to soak until all the liquid soaks into the seeds and you have a gel (about 30 minutes)
  • Put the chia mixture, blueberries, and maple syrup in a blender and blend until smooth. Try it and add more syrup if needed.
  • The mixture will be similar to a smoothie. Refrigerated to allow it to firm up slightly. If you want the mixture thicker and more firm, stir in another tablespoon of chia seeds.

Notes

This jam is delicious on fruit bowls, toast, ice cream, or anything that will hold still. It can keep for one week in the refrigerator, but we usually finish it before that.

 

Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas

This is a healthy alternative to those “I need something crunchy and salty” cravings.  Roasting the garbanzos to a perfect crunch can be tricky, but at the right temperature and diligent supervision, you can have a deliciously addicting snack.

And here is the deal on chickpeas or garbanzo beans: They’re high in fiber,  manganese (for energy production), folate and protein and there are some studies out there that claim chickpeas even help to regulate appetite. So ‘hell yeah’ I’m going to much on these little salty crunchy bombs all day long!

Here is what you need: (If you’ve never roasted chickpeas, start with one can and see how you like it. I usually make 2 cans at the time. )

Roasted Chickpeas

Rinse it well.

Roasted Chickpeas

Lay them out on a baking sheet lined with paper towel and pat dry with another paper towel.

Roasted Chickpeas

Remove the paper towels and now drizzle a bit of olive oil (about 1tsp per can) tossing them about to even the oil out. 

Roasted Chickpeas

Oven roast them at 400F for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. I use a convection oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, take the baking sheet out and toss the chickpeas around. Do that every 10 minutes to make sure they roast evenly. Try one (remember to let it cool off first) and if the center is still moist and soft, roast it a bit longer.

Once they’re done, season immediately with salt, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne or whatever you wish (even cinnamon and sugar, if it’s sweet crunch that you’re craving.)

Finally Roasted

I like them seasoned with the smoked Pacific sea salt from Trader Joe’s (told ya to keep it handy) but anything goes. I want the kids to try it, so I didn’t add cayenne pepper this time.

The biggest mistake I made? Deciding to oven roast them on one of the hottest days of spring. It’s 97 degrees outside. I should be making popsicles. Oh well, I guess I’d enjoy my crunchy chickpeas with an ice-cold beer.

Cheers!