Chickpea Taco Bowls

I’ve long wondered if chickpeas could stand in for ground meat in my favorite taco recipe . This month’s Food and Wine , which featured a recipe with a chickpea-for-pasta swap encouraged me to finally give it a try.

It worked beautifully, the method needing only a slight adjustment—double the amount of crushed tomatoes and water—because chickpeas soak up liquid like sponges. This chickpea filling is heartier than ground meat versions, and I prefer eating it bowl-style with all the fixins—I even find tortillas unnecessary (shocking!).

Description

Notes: Here, chickpeas stand in for ground meat in my favorite taco recipe. These bowls are so satisfying with all the fixin’s: finely shredded lettuce, grated cheese, a spoonful of sour cream, and a sprinkling of quick-pickled onions, which offers the same bite/sharp counterpoint as a salsa.

This is how I like to make the simple pickle/onion salsa: Finely dice a small red onion and a jalapeño if you like heat. Place them in a small bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or more of vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes, then toss.

Chickpeas: If you cook the pound of dried chickpeas as suggested below, you will have leftovers. Feel free to cook 1/2 or 3/4 of a pound if you don’t wish to have leftover chickpeas on hand. Canned chickpeas can be used in place of cooked-from-scratch ones. You need about two cans, drained and rinsed.

For the crushed tomatoes, I like Pomi brand or I like to empty a can of San Marzano plum tomatoes into a food processor and purée it until smooth.

Chile powders vary in degree of spiciness, so start with a tablespoon (or less) and add more to taste.

For cooking the chickpeas:

• 1 pound dried chickpeas, see notes above
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the chickpea taco bowls:

• 2 tablespoons oil, grapeseed or olive
• 2 cups diced onions
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, see notes above
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes, see notes above
• 1 tablespoon cider (or other) vinegar
• 4 cups cooked chickpeas, from above, or two 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 lime, for juicing, plus more for serving
• For serving: grated cheese, sour cream, finely shredded romaine lettuce, diced avocado, quick-pickled onions, (see notes above)

1. To cook the chickpeas: Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of salt into a large bowl of water (your largest mixing bowl, or about 4 quarts water). Add the chickpeas and soak for 8 to 24 hours. Drain, and place in a pot with the remaining teaspoon of salt. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at the gentlest simmer for about an hour or until the chickpeas are cooked through. Let chickpeas cool in their cooking liquid. Store chickpeas in their cooking liquid.
2. Make the chickpea taco bowls: Set a large, wide skillet over high heat. Add the oil. When it shimmers, add the onions, stir to distribute evenly, season with a pinch of salt, cover the pan, and turn heat to low. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, letting the water from the lid drip down into the pan. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon (or less, see notes above) chili powder, and cumin, and cook for 1 minute, stirring until the onions are coated in the spices. Taste. If you want a little more heat, add an additional tablespoon of chile powder, and cook for another minute.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 cup water, vinegar, and 4 cups of the cooked chickpeas (not the liquid). Adjust heat so the mixture simmers. Season with a pinch of salt. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure chickpeas are not sticking to bottom of pan. Taste. Squeeze half a lime over top if desired along with more salt to taste—chickpeas can handle/need salt, so don’t be afraid here.
4. To serve: Spoon chickpeas into bowls. Top with grated cheese, sour cream, quick-pickled onions, lettuce, and lime wedges.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mexican

Description

Notes: Here, chickpeas stand in for ground meat in my favorite taco recipe. These bowls are so satisfying with all the fixin’s: finely shredded lettuce, grated cheese, a spoonful of sour cream, and a sprinkling of quick-pickled onions, which offers the same bite/sharp counterpoint as a salsa.

This is how I like to make the simple pickle/onion salsa: Finely dice a small red onion and a jalapeño if you like heat. Place them in a small bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or more of vinegar. Let sit for 15 minutes, then toss.

Chickpeas: If you cook the pound of dried chickpeas as suggested below, you will have leftovers. Feel free to cook 1/2 or 3/4 of a pound if you don’t wish to have leftover chickpeas on hand. Canned chickpeas can be used in place of cooked-from-scratch ones. You need about two cans, drained and rinsed.

For the crushed tomatoes, I like Pomi brand or I like to empty a can of San Marzano plum tomatoes into a food processor and purée it until smooth.

Chile powders vary in degree of spiciness, so start with a tablespoon (or less) and add more to taste.

For cooking the chickpeas:

• 1 pound dried chickpeas, see notes above
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the chickpea taco bowls:

• 2 tablespoons oil, grapeseed or olive
• 2 cups diced onions
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, see notes above
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes, see notes above
• 1 tablespoon cider (or other) vinegar
• 4 cups cooked chickpeas, from above, or two 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 lime, for juicing, plus more for serving
• For serving: grated cheese, sour cream, finely shredded romaine lettuce, diced avocado, quick-pickled onions, (see notes above)

1. To cook the chickpeas: Dissolve the 3 tablespoons of salt into a large bowl of water (your largest mixing bowl, or about 4 quarts water). Add the chickpeas and soak for 8 to 24 hours. Drain, and place in a pot with the remaining teaspoon of salt. Cover with water by three inches. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook at the gentlest simmer for about an hour or until the chickpeas are cooked through. Let chickpeas cool in their cooking liquid. Store chickpeas in their cooking liquid.
2. Make the chickpea taco bowls: Set a large, wide skillet over high heat. Add the oil. When it shimmers, add the onions, stir to distribute evenly, season with a pinch of salt, cover the pan, and turn heat to low. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover, letting the water from the lid drip down into the pan. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon (or less, see notes above) chili powder, and cumin, and cook for 1 minute, stirring until the onions are coated in the spices. Taste. If you want a little more heat, add an additional tablespoon of chile powder, and cook for another minute.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 cup water, vinegar, and 4 cups of the cooked chickpeas (not the liquid). Adjust heat so the mixture simmers. Season with a pinch of salt. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure chickpeas are not sticking to bottom of pan. Taste. Squeeze half a lime over top if desired along with more salt to taste—chickpeas can handle/need salt, so don’t be afraid here.
4. To serve: Spoon chickpeas into bowls. Top with grated cheese, sour cream, quick-pickled onions, lettuce, and lime wedges.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Mexican

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2017/01/27/chickpea-taco-bowls/

It’s been about three years now that I’ve been making Bon Appetit’s parmesan-roasted cauliflower , a recipe Molly Wizenberg wrote about on her blog and described as a “go-to”. Here’s the gist: cauliflower florets, a sliced onion, and a few unpeeled garlic cloves dressed with olive oil and a few thyme sprigs roast for 40 minutes on a sheet pan, where they caramelize before they meet a showering of salty, grated parmesan. The combination of sweet and salty, as you can imagine, is incredibly delicious.

I love these mini naan:

Description

Notes: This is not traditional shawarma, which is typically made with chicken or lamb and cooked on a vertical rotisserie for hours, then sliced thinly.

Spices: If you are up for it, toast whole cumin and coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until they turn light brown and smell fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Grind in a mortar and pestle with the smoked paprika and cayenne.

To make a simple yogurt sauce: Stir together 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and adjust with more salt or lemon to taste.

To use boneless breasts instead of thighs, check them after 8 minutes—depending on their size, they may take more or less time than the thighs.

• Neutral oil, for greasing
• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2.5 lbs pre trimming), cut into florets, large florets halved or quartered if necessary (see photo above as a reference)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds or ground cumin, see notes above
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds or ground coriander, see notes
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1.5 lbs.
• Lemon wedges, naan, and yogurt sauce (see notes) for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and position a rack in the center. Rub a sheet pan with about a teaspoon of neutral oil. Place cauliflower florets and onion on top. Season all over with a teaspoon of kosher salt and pepper to taste, and 3 tablespoons of the oil.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and cayenne. (If using whole seeds, see notes above.) Pour half (about 1 tablespoon and a scant teaspoon) of this mixture over the cauliflower. Use your hands to toss the cauliflower and onions evenly with the oil and spice mix. Transfer pan to the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, tossing once after about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place chicken thighs in a large bowl. Season all over with salt (at least another teaspoon). Add the remaining spice mix, remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and minced garlic. Toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature while vegetables roast.
4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Toss everything around. Nestle the thighs around the vegetables. Return pan to the oven and cook for 10 minutes—if thighs are large, they may need 5 more minutes or so. Cut into one to check. Remove pan from the oven and let everything rest on the sheet pan for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt sauce (see notes), warm up some naan, cut the lemons, etc. When chicken has rested, transfer it to a platter to cut or cut directly on the sheet pan, taking care not to ruin your pan. The chicken should be in 1- to 2-inch cubes or so—about the same size as the cauliflower. Return chicken to sheet pan or to a serving platter along with the cauliflower. Toss everything together. Taste. Adjust with more salt and pepper if necessary and squeeze a lemon over everything, if desired. To serve, spread naan with yogurt sauce, nestle chicken and cauliflower inside, and eat taco-style. Alternatively, serve the naan on the side and eat with a knife and fork. Serve lemon wedges on the side.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven/Sheet pan
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern