I love how flexible cooking is compared to baking, the way colors blend together in a big pot, and the way your house smells (sometimes I'll even step outside and come back in so I can re-smell my food- is that weird?). I hate all the dishes I'm left with, the ridiculous amount of time a good meal can take to pull off, the flecks of parsley that stick to my counter and don't see for a week and by then it's crusty and impossible to remove, the concept of mise en place because organization and planning make my head hurt, the multiple trips to various grocery stores because Trader Joe's doesn't have everything, and then there's the fact that my kids will rarely touch what I make. My favorite is that Georgia will actually point to food we've made and say "Eeeew, That's disgusting"- charming little button, isn't she?
But that didn't stop me from making a delicious vegetarian dinner the other night. Jordan was working late and I was craving something fantastic but it also had to be super easy. Not a problem here, because I hit the jackpot that day and found a fantastic blog @ afarmerinthedell.com. Not only is Andrea adorable- and her dog, too- but her recipes all look so good, and the pictures are healthy food porn. You know, the kind of food porn you don't feel guilty about (unlike those Slutty Brownies I'm dying to make from Pinterest- c'mon, you know the ones I'm talking about, with an Oreo cookie layer sandwiched between a layer of chocolate chip cookies and brownies). I want to try all of her recipes, but I commenced with her sweet potatoes with rosemary chickpeas because I had all the ingredients on hand, it was *pretty* much in adherence with my 28togreat "clean eating" I am trying to do this month, and I'm all for Meatless Mondays, or Wednesdays. Another reason to check out her blog is that she and her husband moved to Oregon from the East coast to become farmers which is so romantic and gutsy! Threaded between her recipes are awesome little farming (mis-)adventure stories that make you crave a simpler life.
I followed her recipe except I added a tablespoon or so of kalamata olives into the bean mix for some punch and a pinch of fresh thyme. I also nuked the potato in the microwave instead of the oven method. Works like a charm and shaved off 40 minutes. I served it with a side of sautéed green beans and leftover asparagus/mushrooms. Since I only made one potato, I used the leftover chickpeas in my salad for lunch the next day. That's my sign that this dinner will be added to my quick-and-clean, as opposed to quick-and-dirty, dinner rotation. Let me know if you like this recipe. Do you think it's missing anything?
Rosemary Parmesan Chickpea Sweet Potatoes (serves 2)
*adapted from afarmerinthedell.com
2 sweet potatoes
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbs finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tbs minced fresh rosemary
pinch of fresh thyme
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Kalamata olives, sliced in half, optional
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash and scrub your sweet potatoes. With a fork poke a few holes in your taters. Place in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (or until potatoes are tender. Depending on the size of your taters this will take longer or shorter than my recommended time)
Meanwhile, saute your garlic over medium heat in a little olive oil in skillet. After about 2 minutes add the chickpeas. Cook until chickpeas are slightly crispy. Then add the rosemary, thyme, and olives (if using). Cook for a minute or two longer.
Remove your potatoes from the oven. Slice the potatoes lengthwise and squish the ends together to open. Stuff them with the chickpeas and garlic. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper. Enjoy!
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