Meatless Monday - Spinach and Chickpea Pasta Toss

I have really been trying to find some GOOD vegetarian meals that will satisfy my meat eating family and  bring them around to the Meatless Monday idea.  What better way to do that than to incorporate their favorite ingredients?

My kids are huge fans of pasta and creamy sauces. The only problem is that  several of the recipes I have tried for meatless pasta dishes are not very hearty.  I started thinking of maybe finding something with beans when I ran across this dish on Foodnetwork.com. Emeril Lagasse's recipes for Pasta with chickpeas and spinach seemed like a great place to start.

I tweaked the recipe a bit to fit more into what my kids would like and lightened it up a bit to make myself feel better.

Here are the changes I made.

Ingredients


1 pound fusilli or penne
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 cups chopped red bell peppers
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups vegetable stock, or canned vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
16 ounces fresh baby spinach, rinsed well and stems removed
1/2 cup grated asiago

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well.



Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and onions, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add a bit of stock and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the rest of the vegetable stock and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chickpeas are tender, about 5 minutes, and almost all the broth is gone. Crush the peas lightly with the back of a spoon against the side of the pot. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and toss well to coat. Adjust seasoning, to taste.






Add the cheese and toss to combine.





Divide the pasta among serving plates and serve immediately.


The meal was very creamy and flavorful. The kids didn't miss the meat or the extra cream in the sauce. I will be making this one again!!

Meatless Mondays - Israeli Moroccan Couscous

I have been  trying for ages to have a meatless meal one day a week. The health and financial perks have always been intriguing, but lately I have been inspired by the  Meatless Monday movement. Really everyone should check it out.  Honestly, I will may cheat and have fish occasionally, but a true vegetarian meal every now and then might sneak past the family.

One of my client families loves meatless meals every couple weeks, so this is one that I made for them. All I can say it that it is AMAZING. It does not taste at all like what I was expecting when I tried the recipe I found on allrecipes.com . After some tweaking I think the recipe is just the way I want it. The flavors are intense intense in this hearty stew. It was so easy to sneak a large variety of vegetable into my unsuspecting kids.

Check out the tray of veggies!

The onions and garlic were sauteed in a tiny bit of oil, then vegetable broth was added.

Afterwards I added in all the vegetables.

Then the seasonings were added.

Doesn't it look delicious????

After I made this big batch up, I let it cool and froze it in a Food saver bag. The couscous is a bit thicker and less soup like.

I have to say that it is REALLY good. The sauce is surprisingly sweet and the veggies are so tender that they kind of melt in your mouth. This recipe is wonderful and will most likely make a frequent appearance on our Meatless Mondays.



Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
2 turnips, peeled and 1 sweet potato, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1 red bell pepper, cubed
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pinch saffron
1 pinch curry powder
2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
Directions
1.Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; saute onion and garlic until golden. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in all the vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes
2.Stir in garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, cinnamon, turmeric, saffron and curry powder. Simmer until heated through.
3.Meanwhile, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and mix into the vegetables. Simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Israeli Couscous