lemon, parmesan & chickpea cabbage salad

After pickling prunes and boiling cookies, sometimes you just want something normal. A meal that feels like home. Cabbage is one of my favorite kitchen workhorses and it shouldn't be relegated to dreary winter days or forgotten about until the fridge is running on empty. Cabbage can be a hit of sunshine and a welcoming crunch. Let it be your summertime companion!

Cabbage is great because it only needs a little bit of something to turn it into wow. When I read Molly's book, I did a double take when it came to Brandon's cabbage salad. One evening when the golden hour sunshine flooded into our apartment, I knew this would make the ideal dinner salad. It was simple, nothing more than lemon juice, garlic, Parmesan and good olive oil and a little seasoning. But when I started adding the shredded cabbage leaves to the bowl, I figured why not add in a bit of protein? So I threw in a can of drained chickpeas and our dinner salad was born. With a buttered Portuguese roll from our local market, this salad was perfect. I think I will make this meal my new best friend.

I'm not one to showcase my kitchen. It's a tiny galley kitchen from 1982 with a ridiculously small amount of usable counter space (see above? That's it!), and it's darker than your most private thoughts. However, in the summer, around 7pm when the light is just right, the magic hour reaches all the way back into our little kitchen. I'm not going to go all Pioneer Woman on you, but figured you might want to see where all the magic happens.

lemon, parmesan & chickpea cabbage salad
(adapted from Molly Wizenberg)
1 head of cabbage, shredded
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
salt & pepper

Make the dressing by adding the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt & pepper to a jar and giving it a good shake.

In a large bowl, add the shredded cabbage and the chickpeas and toss to combine. Pour over the dressing and the cheese and toss again. Season again if needed.

easy breezy: 3 super quick n' affordable pasta recipes

Today I give you three recipes. They're quick, they're easy and they are definitely affordable. All of 'em taste good too. These aren't fancy and they don't make the prettiest of photos (thank you Poladroid!), but they're hearty and warming which makes them nice even as winter is slowly turning into spring.

This is a nice simple vegan recipe which uses Israeli or Mediterranean couscous, the large grained tastier cousin of plain old couscous. I bought a bag of it and didn't know what to make. So I hopped online and found myself at Apartment Therapy and this recipe jumped out at me. I decided to change it up a bit by adding salsa and beans and skipping the balsamic vinegar. I also had kale so I used that instead of the chard. Cornelius wasn't a fan, but he hates all couscous. Whatever, I liked it a whole bunch.

israeli couscous with kale
(recipe adapted from Apartment Therapy)
1 3/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/4 c Israeli couscous
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 t whole cumin, crushed
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 bunch of chopped kale
1 can of beans, drained (black beans, chickpeas, cannelli beans)
1/4 c fresh salsa
salt & pepper

Heat broth in a medium sized saucepan until it reaches the boiling point. Add in couscous, remove from heat and set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in garlic, cumin and onion and saute until soft (but not brown!). Add in the kale and saute until it starts to wilt, about 5 minutes or so. Add in the cooked couscous, beans and the salsa and let cook for another few minutes. If it's dry, add a bit of broth or water. Serve.

I love using pasta and chickpeas together. It's a coupling that just works. This is a variation of something I've made many times. It ain't the prettiest, but it's tasty and cheap and tastes great. Usually, I top this with grated Parmesan, but I didn't have any on hand and it still got rave reviews.

bowtie pasta with chickpeas & spinach
250 g bowtie pasta
2 T olive oil
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 bunch of spinach, rinsed and torn
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried red chilis
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Make pasta according to package directions. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in onion, celery, garlic and hot peppers. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. Add in the can of chickpeas and lightly mash about half the chickpeas. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to the chickpea mixture if it becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is almost ready, add spinach into the pasta pot, letting the spinach wilt. Drain pasta/spinach, reserving some of the pasta liquid, and add it all into the pan with the chickpeas. Simmer for a few minutes and stir so that everything mixes nicely. Serve in deep bowls and top with Parmesan if desired.

I love new cookbooks and this recipe is adapted from the book Apples for Jam –a relatively new book in my collection. It's pretty and the recipes are simple and homey, however, it is organized by colour which isn't the most practical when it comes to like, cooking. It does make it fun to browse, though. This recipe was taken and adapted and worked out wonderfully. It's perfect weeknight food and might even qualify as nice enough to share with good friends over a bottle of wine. However, it is really good, so maybe you just want to be selfish just this once and keep it to yourself.

spaghetti with tomatoes, oregano, ham & parmesan
(adapted from the book Apples for Jam)
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 t dried oregano, crushed between your palms
salt
400 g spaghetti
6 slices of parma ham (or prosciutto) cut into thin strips
grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan, adding in garlic and dried chilis. When fragrant, add in tomatoes, oregano and salt. Use the back of your wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes as you stir and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti in salted water. When the pasta is done, add in the parma ham into the sauce and let it heat through. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir. Serve pasta in deep bowls topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

eat hungrily: chickpea & romaine salad with lemon-parmesan vinaigrette

It's hot. Finally. And I'm sucking back a homemade popsicle just so that I can cope with the heat a little better. You see, there are very few places in Vancouver that have air conditioning (the joys of a temperate climate), so we just make do. Homemade popsicles, ice tea in tall glasses beaded with sweat, finding a shady spot for a barbecue. Anything to avoid that large, glaring appliance, the stove.

This meal was made after a rousing game of tennis. Cornelius and I were hot, tired and sweaty. We were also famished and turning on the stove wasn't an option. Not at all. So I dug around the cupboard and fridge and made this salad. It was perfect. Bright with lemon juice but with a creamy balance from the parmesan. Quick to prepare and easy to love. I declare this the salad of my summer. Let the hot, hot days of summer continue.

More salads for when turning on your oven isn't an option:
canelli bean and tuna salad
colourful chopped vegetable salad
incredibly lemony potato salad
mixed bean salad
refrigerator pickles

chickpea & romaine salad with lemon-parmesan vinaigrette
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 lemon, zested & juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
a good pinch of kosher salt
1/4 t red chili flakes
good olive oil
2-3 T parmesan cheese
1 head of romaine, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces

Add the chickpeas to a large bowl. In a small jar, mix together the lemon juice, zest, garlic, salt and chili flakes and pour in enough olive oil so that it doubles the amount of lemon juice. Pour over the chickpeas. Add in lettuce and parmesan cheese and toss until well combined. Eat up, hungrily.

spring fling

When I cook, I try not to add more fat that I should. While Cornelius could stand to "fatten up", I'm always trying to fight the good fight. I've always been quite content and even pleased with how many dishes have turned out when I've used skim milk instead of cream or done away with adding butter or added cheese. But sometimes you've got to give in to the primal urges of forbidden foods. As I looked in my fridge and tried to figure out what I'd make for dinner, I had already half way decided to make Kayak Soup's Healthy Spring Pasta...but then something in me snapped. I always end up making the healthy version of something (not that there's anything wrong with that at all). This time, I wanted to be bad and endulge in something naughty. So I walked over to the corner grocer and picked up a small bottle of heavy cream. My dinner plans were set.

Oh my...so worth every fantastic calorie! The sauce tasted light and lemony and the tender asparagus was sweet and perfect. When dinner was done, I was tempted to lick the pot when it was empty. Who am I kidding...I most certainly licked it all up. Definitely a springtime treat.

lemon asparagus pasta
1 large bunch of asparagus
250 g bow-tie pasta
1 t salt
3 T butter
3/4 c heavy cream
2 T freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 t salt (optional)
1/3 c finely chopped parsley
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1. Prepare asparagus by snapping off the bottom tough ends & then snapping each stalk into 1 inch pieces.

2. In a large pot, boil water and add 1 heaping teaspoon of salt. Add pasta. When pot comes back to a boil again, put prepared asparagus into a large metal colander, place over the boiling pot and cover the asparagus with the pot lid. One and a half minutes into the steaming process, take tongs and gently toss asparagus, replacing lid for another one minute and a half. Remove colander and rinse asparagus under cold water until cool. The asparagus should be crisp-tender. Drain well and set aside.

3. In a smaller pot, combine lemon juice, butter and cream over moderately low heat. Stir in zest then remove pot from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the pasta water into the cream sauce.

4. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add in the asparagus and parsley and combine well. Add the cream sauce and parmesan chees and cook over moderate heat, tossing until heated through. Taste and add remaining salt if necessary.