Roasted Garlic and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Herbs

Posted in Side Dishes by Cavities & Cravings

I love that we are officially in spring (I’m probably jinxing us). Sunshine and a bright blue sky just seems to make everything better, right?

One day I was lucky enough to make it home early and wanted something light and delicious for lunch. I remembered reading about a feta chickpea salad in an old Bon Appetit Magazine. So I used what I had in the pantry and fridge and came up with a light chickpea salad filled with flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (15 oz each), rinsed and well drained
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 fresh minced garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Herbs I chose: 1 tablespoon chopped mint , 1 tablespoon chopped basil, 1 tablespoon oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 feta cheese, crumbled
lemon wedges

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix together rinsed chickpeas, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Mix well so that everything is coated with olive oil. Place in to baking dish and bake for 15-18 minutes or until chickpeas are hot and beginning to crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3. While in oven, chop fresh herbs and toss in feta.

4. Once cooled, add feta-herb mixture to baked chickpeas. Stir everything together and top with some freshly squeezed lemon.

5Sep2011

“Pigs in a Blanket”

Posted in Appetizers, Recipes, Side Dishes by Cavities & Cravings

Mina was invited over to a buddy’s house for a fantasy football draft party. This is a conversation we had several hours before the party:

Mina: They’re having wings tonight and they asked me to bring a side dish.

Me: Ok, what do you want to take?

Mina: I don’t know…what do you think about some ranch dressing?

Me: (dying laughing) Um. Well, I don’t think that constitutes as a side dish…

So, I took charge of the side dish situation and made a newer version of pigs in a blanket. They were a huge hit and now that football season is in full swing, I know that we’ll be having many football watching parties and these will definitely be made again!

Ingredients:

1 package of reduced fat crescent rolls
1 package chicken italian sausage
Slices of your favorite cheese, I used muenster cheese because that’s what I had
Parmesan cheese
Garlic salt

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Boil sausage in water for 5 minutes. Slice sausages in four equal pieces (I cut them in half horizontally and then again in 1/2 vertically)

3. Unroll dough in to triangles. Place 1/2 a slice of cheese per triangle along with a slice of the sausage. Wrap triangular dough around dog and cheese. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Sprinkle each with a pinch of parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

5. Bake on 350 for about 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Dig in and enjoy!

24Aug2011

Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Feta

Posted in Recipes, Side Dishes by Cavities & Cravings

Yesterday as a side dish, I made these delicious stuffed tomatoes. They turned out so so good! Mina wasn’t a huge fan…he said there was too much cheese. All the more reason I loved it! I made them next to chicken breast stuffed with tomatoes, black olives, and feta cheese (I’ll have to post that recipe later!). It was scrumptious 🙂

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup of fine breadcrumb (I used the Italian flavored breadcrumb that I already had)
2 tbsp of chopped parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp of pepper
1/8 tsp italian seasoning

Instructions:

Cut large tomatoes in half and scoop out pulp so that all you’re left with is the shell. Save pulp in bowl and coarsely chop it.
In a medium bowl, still together pulp, feta cheese, breadcrumb, parsley, olive oil, pepper, and italian seasoning.
Spoon mixture into tomato shells and place in baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Dig in and enjoy!

(sorry this picture turned out a little blurry!)