Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf

I was looking for something easy and nutritious to make for dinner last night and got side-tracked looking through a newsletter from the local health and nutrition store. I found a recipe for Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf. It sounded good (and easy, and nutritious) so I gave it a try. My husband and I loved it. The kids liked picking out the chickpeas. :)

We started dinner out with this salad:

Romaine Lettuce, torn

Carrots, sliced in discs

Avovado, diced

Mix in bowl and top with favorite dressing. I like to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar and add a bit of agave. Yum!

We ate the Pilaf with steamed broccoli.

This recipe originally comes from Veganomicon but I made a few changes. Here it is the way I prepared it.

Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf

2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

In a small stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions in coconut oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Saute for another minute. Add the quinoa and saute for 2 miutes. Add the chickpeas and broth and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to very low, cover, and cook for about 18-22 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water; stir occasionally. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

I love these cookies. I found the original recipe at vegetariantimes.com and have tweaked it a bit here and there. I hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

1 1/2 cups almond butter

2 1/4 cups spelt flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (using Sunspire chocolate chips will make recipe vegan)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Microwave almond butter on high heat for 30-45 seconds, or until melted, stirring halfway through.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Stir in almond butter, syrup, and vanilla until blended. Add in chocolate chips.

Drop 2 tbsp dough onto prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

End of Summer

I'm going to miss summer

and fresh tomatoes.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Pasta

1-2 tsp olive oil

1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

3-4 tomatoes, diced

handful of fresh basil, chopped

salt

pepper

favorite pasta (vegan depending on pasta used)

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Combine drained pasta and tomato mixture. Serve and enjoy.