Posts

BBQ Garbanzo Beans: An Awesome Vegan Meal!

/in , , /by

Are you ready for our latest obsession? (well, one of them actually…..) It is BBQ Garbanzo beans!

Now the really funny thing is that Kansas City is SUCH a BBQ town… We have a huge selection of BBQ restaurants, cook off events and the like. It is one of those “cheats” that I will do – as I enjoy all the smoky, rich, sweet sauce- Yummo!  So when I found this awesome idea I love that I still can enjoy a vegetarian/ vegan meal and still getting in my BBQ flavors in.

Introducing … BBQ Garbanzo Beans!

Now I found this fabulous recipe idea in this awesome book:

photo (6)
I have had the book for quite a while, and then recently I was clearing out the clutter (information for another post….) and I was like Yeah! So I started flipping around and found this recipe (p.116) for BBQ Bowl.

BBQ.1

We just had to try it.

It is an amazingly simple combo that I think you will LOVE and like so many other meals, this just gets better and better over the next few days after you make it. What we like to do is make a 3 can batch on Sunday and then eat it for lunch etc.. during the week. DElish!

What you need:

  • Garbanzo Beans
  • BBQ Sauce
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional, but surprisingly good)

What you do:

This is the super- simple part. This is how we make it, slightly different from the directions in the recipe book:

1. Drain and rinse the beans and the pour into a large pan on the stove.  Add about 1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce to the pan with about half that amount of water. Stir carefully until you have beans sitting in a thin BBQ sauce.

2.  Now turn on the heat to medium and bring to a gentle boil. Continue to cook for a few minutes until the beans are warm and the BBQ sauce starts to get thick again.

3. Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, or add the cheese and allow to cool and then store in the refrigerator.

photo (5)

BBQ Garbanzo beans, arugula salad and Sweet Potatoes- with lots of leftovers for work day lunches!

For serving suggestions we have served these with arugula salad greens and some chopped tomatoes. Another time we served it along side some quinoa.  It was also good with sweet potato fries (and extra BBQ sauce for dipping).

So give this interesting and surprising recipe a try… It makes a fantastic office lunch too!

 

Meatless Monday Recipes: Pasta Salad

/1 Comment/in , , /by

This great Meatless Monday Recipe is an easy summer pasta salad. This easy recipe combines whole wheat pasta spirals, garbanzo beans, fresh veggies and a tasty olive dressing. It is quick, simple to make and you can add or subtract ingredients that you want to and still have a colorful, tasty main dish for Meatless Monday as a result.

Meatless Monday Easy Pasta Salad

Meatless Monday Easy Pasta Salad

Now when I think back to past salad, I get a number of great tasting ideas in my head. There are times when I want a cool and creamy pasta salad, but there are other times that call for an olive oil based pasta salad. I like to make these olive-oil based salad dressings when it is hot outside and I am bringing a salad for lunch to work or a picnic.

For this pasta salad I used the Organic Whole Wheat pasta that is available at Trader Joe’s. This pasta comes in all shapes and sizes and my favorite one looks like little spirals. I also like the nutty flavor that this pasta has, and the fact that it holds up well, even when you cook it a bit longer than you needed to (yes, I forgot about the pasta cooking away for a few minutes- but it was still great and held up very well when I tossed the salad).

What you need:

  • ½ pound Whole Wheat pasta spirals (or use your favorite noodles)
  • 1 container Trader Joe’s Tapenade
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed
  • 1 16 oz packet cherry tomatoes (we used Trader Joe’s Heirloom tomatoes)
  • 3 green onions, sliced thin

1. Cook pasta spirals following package directions. Drain under cold water. In a small bowl combine tapenade, a splash of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper. Pour over pasta and toss lightly.

2. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, and add to pasta. Also add rinsed garbanzo beans and the green onions to the pasta as well. Toss lightly and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Also check the amount of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add another splash of both if you like.

That’s it! See how easy that was? I like to use tapenade to make the dressing as it has garlic and other great spices. Another great product for summer pasta salads would be to make a pesto-balsamic vinegar salad dressing.

Variations:

  • Add frozen, thawed sweet peas, diced peppers or cucumbers would be great too.
  • Diced Sweet onions (red or white)
  • Fresh herbs such as basil sliced thin, or thyme
  • Canned black olives in rings
  • Pimentos (roasted red peppers) chopped fine

I would also suggest that you make this pasta salad the day before you serve it, to allow the flavors to really develop.

We hope you enjoyed this Meatless Monday Recipe idea. Let us know what you are serving this week.