Roasted Chickpeas

You might find this odd, roasting chickpeas and all. I added a bit of red pepper for a little heat and while I was a bit skeptical at first, was delightfully surprised. It was crunchy and warm and nutty. They were great by themselves. I tossed some on a salad the next day and they were great there too. Call me crazy, but I think I'm a fan of roasted chickpeas.

Ingredients

Makes 2 cups
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) chickpeas
3 tablespoons olive oil, to coat
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon hot or sweet paprika

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas; pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet; toss with olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer; roast until deep brown and crispy, tossing occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and paprika; roast 2 to 3 minutes more. Cool completely on a paper-towel-lined plate. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Panzanella

What can you say about a tomato and grilled bread salad? Just one word - yum. I prefer to salt the tomatoes and cucumbers separately before mixing and I prefer to cut the basil into smaller pieces. It's my house. You can do what you want at yours. Just let me know how it turns out.

1/2 lb country bread cut into 3/4 inch thick slices
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
3 large tomatoes, cut into a 3/4 inch dice (about 4 cups)
1 cucumber peeled and cut into 3/4 inch dice
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil, but into bit size pieces
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Heat a grill to medium heat. Brush the bread on both sides with 2 tbsp olive oil. Grill until lightly charred on both sides, 3-4 minutes. Let the bread cool slightly and cut into cubes.

In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil. Drizzle with vinegar and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Broccoli Sauce

This recipe comes from a cookbook called "Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking". It sounded so odd I couldn't pass up trying it. The sauce is pureed giving it a nice texture. Give it a try - I think you will like it.

1 1/2 lb broccoli, cut into florets and stems trimmed, peeled and sliced
3 strips lemon zest
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup veg broth
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream or plain yogurt
1 lb whole wheat linguine
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add broccoli stems, cook 1 minute, then add florets and cook another 2-3 minutes only.

In a food processor pulse the lemon zest until finely ground. Add parsley and process until smooth. Remove the broccoli from the cooking water and transfer to processor. Add veg broth and 1/4 cup olive oil. Pulse to make a coarse puree. Add some broccoli water if you want to make it thinner.

Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in large saucepan over med low heat and cook the onion until translucent. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the onion into processor and pulse a few times. Pour the broccoli sauce from processor into pan. Place over low heat and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Whisk in cream. Simmer 10 minutes.

Bring broccoli water to boil. Add pasta. Drain and divide among individual plates. Ladle sauce onto pasta and sprinkle with lots of parmesan cheeze. Serve immediately.