Buddha bowl

Can I just say, Buddha bowls are THE BEST?!  What's a Buddha bowl you ask?  Well, its essentially a bowl full (like a Buddha belly) of veggies, greens, beans, and grains.  It is a delicious  single bowl balanced meal, full of color and flavor.  All you need mixed together in a beautiful melody of food.

If you were very lazy you could throw in some chopped raw veggies, but I like to roast as much as possible to bring out flavor and texture.

Even if you are being lazy, this recipe is so simple a monkey could make it.  Really.  Cut up some veggies, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and throw them in the oven.  That's the most difficult part of this whole recipe.  Seriously.

The combination shown here is my favorite, but you could easily prep tons of veggies, grains, and beans and mix n' match a week's worth of meals, easy.

Buddha bowls are great because you can make them with whatever you have on hand.  No rice?  Use quinoa, couscous, barley, etc.  So many possibilities!

There are many options for protein too.  Buddha bowls are generally plant based, so I use beans mostly.  Garbanzos, white beans, lentils.... I could go on and on.

Last on the list are the greens.  I like lettuce.  Something fresh with a nice crunch.  Broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, etc.  all good options too.

Roast some veggies.  I like to make plenty for us.  Leftovers are my friend. :)  Cauliflower is always my go-to roasted veggie.  It is so versatile and can blend in with any seasoning you choose.

Sweet potatoes, red onion, and red bell peppers.  Yum.

A batch of roasted BBQ garbanzo beans fits right in with the bowl.  A bit of heat, sweetness, and a touch of savory flavor too.

 This bowl is so chock full of yum you can't even see the rice or the red onion.

Some Buddha bowls have a gentle sauce drizzled over top.  It isn't necessary, and with all the seasonings in the garbanzos I didn't see the need for one.  A lack of sauce saves calories, and prevents everything from getting too goop-y.  IT's also tidier for kids to eat.  They make enough of a mess on their own!  :)

 Buddha bowl
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1 head of cauliflower, in florets
• 1/3 red onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
• 1/2 small head of butter lettuce, chopped
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 batch roasted BBQ garbanzo beans

Directions:

1. Make a batch of roasted BBQ garbanzo beans.  Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Cut up the cauliflower, red onion, bell pepper, and sweet potato and place on parchment covered baking sheets.  Sprinkle lightly with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.  Bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even cooking.
3. Meanwhile, make a batch of brown rice, set aside. 
4. Chop the lettuce and set aside.
5. When all pieces are ready, fill the bowls evenly with a little of everything.  Dig in and enjoy!

note:  If you have any leftovers, place everything but the lettuce in tupperware together and refrigerate.  Reheats really well in the microwave.

pasta and garbanzo bean soup

I totally love this soup!  Not only is it really easy and healthy, but its super kid friendly (Liam's favorite soups all have pasta and beans), but you can make part of it ahead of time!

I made the first half of the recipe while the kids were napping and I had some free time.  Then the boys and I went swimming, and when we got home I only had about 15 minutes of cooking before it was all ready.  No fuss, little mess, healthy and filling.  Jeff and the boys loved this soup, and one bowl (plus a few pieces of obligatory "soup bread" to dip) was very filling.

If you're looking at the soup and wondering how it could be so healthy, look no further.  The soup is full of veggies!  I roasted and pureed them before stirring them into the chicken broth (low-sodium of course).  That made the broth thick, flavorful, and creamy.

I roasted a pan of carrots, red bell pepper, and cauliflower with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper until the tops were golden and fragrant, then I pureed the veggies with some of the chicken broth.  I did all this ahead of time and then stuck the liquid in the fridge until I was ready the finish the soup.  You could make the soup all in one go if you want to though.

I just love the bright orange color!  The cauliflower and bit of olive oil really help thicken the soup and make the broth creamy.  I swear, it tasted so luscious, like I was eating some super fatty, but HA-HA!  I was only eating veggies. Yay for taste bud deception.  :)

I wanted a mostly pureed soup because I was going for simplicity.  A lot of my soups are massively chunky and busy, and I wanted something simple.  Plus, Liam loves veggies, but he doesn't always enjoy them in large chunks in his soup.  He'd rather have the flavor of them, and actually be able to see the pasta in the soup.

I like my soup to be pretty thick, and this soup thickens more the next day (looking almost like a very cheddar-y mac and cheese), so feel free to adjust the amount of broth used accordingly.

pasta and garbanzo bean soup
serves 6

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 8 carrots, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into large pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (add more if you prefer thinner soup)
• 2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups small pasta
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut up cauliflower, carrots, and bell pepper and place as flat as possible on a parchment lined baking sheet with the garlic.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 40 minutes.  
2. Slide veggies off the parchment and into a blender.  Add chicken broth and puree.  At this point you can store the puree in the fridge for later use, or pour the puree start into a pot on the stove.
3. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the pasta, garbanzo beans, basil, oregano, and chili powder.  Stir occasionally.  As soon as the pasta is al dente the soup is ready.  Serve with french bread to dip.

note: feel free to add more chicken broth if you prefer a thinner soup.  You might want to have some extra broth on hand for leftover soup, as it will thicken the next day in the fridge.

white bean chicken chili soup

I kind of love those nights where I realize I have an hour or less until dinner needs to be ready, and I'm in need of a grocery store trip.  I almost always end up figuring out a new recipe that I really like.  If the perimeters change, I get too comfortable and lazy and tend to stick with what I know.

The goal was to make something for dinner that would be large enough to last for Jeff's lunch the next day.  If I could make it healthy and protein-rich too, then bonus!

This turned out perfectly and I wouldn't change a thing.  My house smelled amazing!  Jeff commented that it was delicious, he was just confused eating it because "it tasted like chili, but acted like soup".  I'll take it.

white bean chicken chili soup

serves 3-4

ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• pepper to taste
• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken broth (preferably low-sodium)
• 2 15 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder

directions:

1. Add olive oil, garlic, onion, and salt to pot on medium heat.  Stir often and cook for several minutes until soft.
2. Add in chicken breasts.  Flip occasionally and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes.  
5. Remove chicken and cut up, return to the pot.
6. Taste, adjust seasonings if needed, and enjoy!

southwestern pizza

I love pizza.  Jeff disagrees with me.  He says that since my pizza is cheese-less (lactose intolerant & personal choice) its technically a flatbread.  Whatever.  I love flatbread.  :)

This version was just for me, so no cheese.  It tastes great this way, but I have included cheese in the accompanying recipe.

I love how versatile pizza is.  I generally make an uber veggie one for myself, and pepperoni or BBQ chicken for Jeff.  It is a great source of happiness for me that the boys also prefer my veggie filled pizza.  For the win!

I wanted to try some new pizza flavors, and southwestern seemed like a good place to start.  If all goes well, look for another new flavor coming soon.

This pizza is so good!  Tons of fresh veggies, lots of flavor, and refried beans?  Yes please!

Sorry, not much more to say, I just couldn't stop taking photos...

southwestern pizza
makes 1 large pizza

ingredients:

• 2/3 can of refried beans (I used vegetarian beans, waaay less sodium)
• 4 garlic cloves, diced
• 1/3 large green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup corn
• handful of tomatoes (your choice which veriety, I used sun gold), sliced
• 1/2 small can sliced black olives
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• fresh cilantro for garnishing (optional)
• your favorite pizza dough (I love the Pioneer Woman's recipe)

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  In a small oven safe pan roast the garlic, bell pepper, onion, and corn in the olive oil for 30 minutes.  Take out and set aside.
2. Set oven to 500 degrees F.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay down rolled out pizza dough.  Spread evenly with refried beans.  Top with the roasted veggies, tomato slices, olives, and seasonings.  Bake for 11-12 minutes.  
3. Remove form oven, cool for several minutes.  Top with optional cilantro and serve.

note: This pizza is almost better the next day.  I usually love cold pizza, but not one with beans on it.  To reheat bake on a baking sheet at 375 degrees F for 6 minutes.  Delicious!

cheater's pasta

This is not a recipe.  More of a good idea.  Everyone has times now and then where you need dinner fast, and you want it to be filling and look nice.

I love keeping a few frozen items from Trader Joe's around for what I've dubbed "backup meals".  I don't use them all the time because Hello high sodium content! but sometimes I'm so busy and distracted that I completely forget about making dinner until, well, dinner time.

Frozen meals are great too if you have a hastily planned date, if you want to impress someone but your cooking skills are sub-par.  I see it as a halfway point between a home cooked meal and putting a store bought cake on your plate and calling it your own.

My favorite backup meal is the "penne arrabbiata" frozen pasta from Trader Joe's.  The pasta and sauce are frozen in  bag together and all you have to do is throw them in a pan for about 7 minutes and stir occasionally.  So easy!  All I do to make the meal more well rounded and filling is add a can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans into the pan for the last few minutes of cooking.  Done!  If you want to get really fancy and make it your own you could even go one step further and cut up some fresh basil to sprinkle over top.

That's it.  You can now fake you way through a pretty, healthy (enough), and filling meal for two in under ten minutes, and for less than $5.  How's that for date night?

roasted BBQ garbanzo beans

These BBQ garbanzos are a great easy way for kids (large and small) to eat healthy.  They don't last long here (read: less than a day always).  Jeff in particular eats them like popcorn.  I like to sprinkle a few onto soups and other dishes as yummy garnish.

This last batch in particular lasted about 2 hours.  Often when I make these, I don't even bother to plate them nicely.  I just leave them in the pan on the counter and everyone knows to just come and grab handfuls.

Besides the ease of making this dish, its a great way to eat healthy and feel good.  Garbanzo beans are a great protein happy snack.

Add all the seasonings into a freezer bag and shake.  Add in two cans of garbanzo beans (rinsed and dried) and shake again.

Pour the bag contents out onto a parchment lined lipped baking sheet.  Try to get the beans into a single layer, they won't get crispy if they're all cramped and crowded!

I like to do a quick check before I bake these to make sure they are evenly coated.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes, pull the baking sheet out to stir and mix, then bake again for 15 minutes.  IF you like them to be EXTRA crunchy add 5 minutes on top of that.  Remove from the oven and let cool at least five minutes before you start munching!

These are best eaten fresh for the crispiness, but will keep for at least a week.  If they last that long bake them again for just a few minute to bring back the crunch.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in a dry cool place.

roasted BBQ garbanzo beans
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp BBQ sauce (pick your favorite)
• 2 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans (I prefer low-sodium)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Add all ingredients except the garbanzo beans into a freezer bag and toss.
3. Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans and add to the bag.  Seal the bag and toss thoroughly to combine.  
4. Spread mixture thinly on a parchment lined lipped baking sheet and slide into the oven.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, then stir and bake 15 more minutes.
6. remove from the oven and allow the garbanzo beans to cool.
7. Eat warm or cooled completely.  Beans are better (crispier) when fresh. Store leftovers in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

roasted veggies with couscous and garbanzo beans

This is such a good weeknight meal.  The prep is quick, the flavor is great, and it's healthy.  Jeff likes to call this dish "middle eastern ratatouille" and that's really as accurate as any description I can think of.

I always think of meals that our whole family will like when I cook.  I don't generally remember to mention this when I blog, but about 95% of the recipes I make are approved by all of us.  That's no small task.  A vegetarian, a guy, a 3 year old who barely eats, and a 1 year old.  I try my best to make sure that dinner especially can be enjoyed by all of us, and still be healthy.

I love recipes like this where the recipe breaks down into several parts, all of which can be made simultaneously so you can enjoy it quicker.

Chop up all the veggies and roast them with some drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper over top.

All that's left now is to make the couscous and heat up a can of garbanzo beans.  Honestly, that's all there is to it.  Easy.

Once all three sections are ready, spoon the couscous into a bowl and top with the veggies and garbanzo beans.  Enjoy!


Roasted Veggies with Couscous and Garbanzo Beans
serves 3-4

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dry, uncooked couscous
• a 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 medium tomato, chopped, 
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• sea salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne 
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Chop the veggies and spread them evenly on a foil lined lipped baking sheet.  Drizzle lightly with 2 teaspoons olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until veggies are fork tender.
2.  Once the veggies are roasting, start the couscous.  Boil 1 1/2 cups of water in a medium sized pot.  Take off heat and pour in the couscous.  Place a lid over the pot and let sit for 10 minutes, until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid.  Fluff with a fork and mix in a teaspoon of olive oil, the oregano, cayenne, and garlic.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, or until warmed evenly.
4.  Plate the couscous, lay the veggies and garbanzo beans over top.  Enjoy.

This is a very simple dish.  It doesn't require many ingredients, and if you prefer to change up the spices or veggies, that's just fine.   I love having the option to make easy variations on a good dish!

roasted garbanzo beans

This is my all time favorite snack.  I takes a while to make, bu most of that is idle oven time.  These roasted garbanzo beans are crunchy, chewy, and salty.  I love this dish for many reasons.

• tastes delicious
• healthy
• doesn't require many ingredients
• so easy
• easy to eat
• great source of protein (okay, a bit repetitive, but important!)

Start with two standard 15.5 oz cans of garbanzo beans.  Drain, rinse them, and try to get out as much extra water as possible.

If you see typos, I've tried to find them all.  I had A LOT.  Many of my letters stick.  That's what happens I guess when you have a really old laptop, and you find things like peanut butter stuck to the keys...  Ah, the perks of having kids(?).

Dump the garbanzo beans into a freezer bag along with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, one tablespoon each of olive oil and dijon mustard, and a teaspoon of sea salt.  Remove any excess air and seal it shut.

This is Liam's favorite part.  I asked him if he wanted to help me shake it all up to combine everything well.  Well, as you can probably tell from he crazy blurry picture, he's doing a bang up job.  Although, he's always a blur anyway.

Then he thought it would be awesome if I had to chase him to get he bag back...

Yup, looks good.

Empty the bag out onto a lipped baking sheet lined with parchment paper and shake gently.  Strive for a single layer, if your pan is too small for this, that's okay.

Strangely I took a picture of the garbanzo beans before I shook them instead of after.  Aim for them to be spread out more than this.

Stick them in the oven at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Then stir with a wooden spoon and rotate the pan.  Set a timer for another 30 minutes, then remove.

The garbanzo beans should be crunchy, chewy, salty, and delicious.  They shouldn't be hard or burned.  They can be enjoyed warm or room temperature.

I recommend eating them the same day they are roasted, or the next day at the latest.  They will technically last for at least a week in an airtight container on the counter, but they quickly loose the crunch (my favorite part).

I pour the garbanzo beans straight into a bowl and eat them like popcorn.  They make such a yummy, easy, and protein rich healthy snack!

These don't last very long at our house.  There are so many flavor combinations possible when roasting these.  This one is my favorite, but Jeff is pushing for a BBQ variety.  I'll try to work out the kinks and post that one.

If you want, toss another small pinch of sea salt on top after they come out of the oven.

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roasted garbanzo beans

by Liesl October-15-2014

crunchy, chewy, salty, and delicious

Ingredients

• 2 15.5 oz cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the drained and rinsed garbanzo beans in a freezer bag along with the red wine vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, and sea salt. Remove excess air and seal closed. Shake vigorously to mix. Dump the freezer bag contents out onto a lipped baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Try to spread the garbanzo beans out in a single layer. If your sheet is not quite big enough for that, no problem. 
2. Slide the baking sheet onto the middle oven rack and set a timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off gently stir the garbanzo beans around with a wooden spoon and rotate the pan. Set the timer for another 30 minutes. When the timer goes off remove the pan from the oven. Pour he garbanzo beans out into a bowl and enjoy! I like them both warm and room temperature. I recommend eating them the same day they are roasted, or the next day a the latest. After that they lose the crunch and are just chewy (which is good too).

Details

Prep time: 5 mins 
Cook time: 1 hour 
Total time: 1 hour 5 mins 
Yield: a cereal bowlful