Spiced Apricot Chickpea Patties

As I said in the last post, JJ and I went to Mandaloun last weekend, my favorite Lebanese restaurant. We first learned about Mandaloun when they signed up to host a Bite Club event when I was the host. We had such an amazing meal there, when Mandaloun offered a Groupon a few weeks later, I jumped right on it. When we ordered, I went with the Vegetarian Mezze because I knew it was delicious, but JJ opted for something new. He chose the Chicken Schwarma, which was much different than most versions. The chicken was cooked in a cumin and cinnamon laced sauce with pieces of plump apricot. I tasted a bit of the sauce and apricot drenched pita, and it was so delicious. I love cinnamon in savory dishes, but rarely use it myself. 

Later in the week, I couldn't get the flavors out of my head, so I decided to make it into a vegetarian dish. I thought about just subbing chickpeas for the chicken, but instead made a patty that could be stuffed in a pita and served with the tabbouli. The patties are a simple mixture, full of flavor and spice. The apricots get so plump and juicy, and the greek yogurt adds a nice tang. 

Spiced Apricot Chickpea Patties

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. diced dried apricots

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 scallions, sliced thin

1 egg white

1/4-1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

For serving:

Greek yogurt

Pita 

Tabbouli

Add chickpeas to a large mixing bowl.

Using a potato masher, mash the chickpeas until about half are pasty and half are broken into pieces.

Add apricots, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, salt, pepper and scallions.

In a small dish, whip egg white to a froth, add to chickpea mixture.

Using a spatula, begin folding ingredients together, adding breadcrumbs as necessary to hold mixture together.

Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat.

Add a thin layer of olive oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Score chickpea mixture into fourths, form 4 patties and drop into the skillet. 

Cook for 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes, until browned.

Serve with pitas, yogurt and tabbouli.

Moroccan Barley and Chickpea Salad

During the week, I pack myself and my husband the same lunch every day. There are small variations, but it's always some type of sandwich, fruit, vegetable and yogurt. We rarely have leftovers from dinners because I like to cook something new each night. On the weekends, lunch becomes a thorn in my side. I usually go on longer runs in the morning, so I need something more substantial than what I usually eat, but I don't want to make something too big. Since I'm often running errands around lunch time on the weekend, I tend to stop at a deli or sandwich type restaurant because I'm at a loss for what to make. However, when I'm home, I seek out some type of grain salad, the perfect balance between a load of vegetables with some whole grain carbs. 

Last week I saw this recipe on Dawn's blog, and she told me she thought I'd really like it. She was absolutely correct, I loved it! The barley adds a great chewy but soft texture, the chickpeas give a nice protein punch, the apricots add a nice sweet flavor to the otherwise savory spices and lemon flavors. I love Moroccan spices, they're so versatile in that they tie together sweet and savory dishes by highlighting the different ingredients in harmony. 

And since I'm on the subject of Dawn and her blog, Florida Coastal Cooking, I'm going to sing her praises! If you like the style of my cooking and the way I blog, I know you'll also love FCC. Dawn is not a vegetarian, but she limits her meat and only uses local and/or organic, grass-fed meat and fish her family catches. She is so positive, happy, and personable (for the internet!), and when you read her blog you feel like you're chatting with a friend. She is definitely a super-mom, her daughter has many food allergies, so she also has gluten/soy/dairy free recipes in the blog as well. I sincerely hope you check out her blog and become a regular reader, if you aren't already! 

Back to the recipe - I did make a few changes, just because of what I had on hand. I used cashews rather than pistachios, and I left out the parsley because I didn't have any. For the spice mixture, Dawn recommends Vindaloo seasoning, or lists proper measurements of the mixture. I used the very last bit of the Moroccan spice mixture my sister got for me when she was in Tangier last spring, which I'm certain is a similar mixture. 

Tips and Trades

-Peaches and other stone fruit are often on the Dirty Dozen list, don't forget this when buying dried! I used Organic Turkish Apricots from Oh! Nuts that I purchased in a recent order.

-Barley takes around an hour to cook, so if you're making it once, why not make double or triple the amount you need, store it in freezer safe containers and keep on hand so you've always got some prepared.

- While fruit you peel is generally safe to buy non-organic, when using the zest, organic is best! 

Moroccan Chickpea Barley Salad

seen on Florida Coastal Cooking, from Simply Recipes

1 c. pearled barley

1 c. vegetable stock

1 c. water

1 tsp. EVOO

Salt and pepper

2 c. cooked chick peas (or 1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed)

1/4 c. cashews, roughly chopped

1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped

4 scallions, green and white parts, minced (about 1/2 c.)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. Vinadloo or Moroccan spice mix

Spice Mix:

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground turmeric

Heat a soup pot over medium heat.

Add EVOO and barley, stir to toast barley, do not burn.

After 2-3 minutes, add stock and water.

Bring to a boil, turn to low, cover and simmer for 30-60 minutes, depending on your barley.

When barley is cooked, pour into a mesh sieve and set aside to drain while you prepare other ingredients.

Mix all other salad ingredients in a large bowl, mix well.

Add barley, toss well to coat, add more EVOO if the salad seems dry.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings and serve.

Note: I served this over a large bed of mixed baby greens and added one more squeeze of a lemon half. 

Big, Beautiful Muffins with Apricots and Almonds

When I first saw these muffins appear in my Google Reader, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I absolutely love fresh, plump, dried apricots. I think dried apricots are often overlooked because when they dry out, they're like eating leather... but a fresh bag are so soft and velvety, absolutely delicious.

One of my absolute favorite flavors in baking is almond extract. Often I substitute it for vanilla extract , or combine the two for more depth of flavor. Everything about these muffins screamed "MAKE ME!"

So I let the recipe sit there, waiting for a special brunch. When apricots went on super sale the weekend before my family came to town, I grabbed some and immediately knew what they were destined for... these glorious muffins!

The end result is in fact fluffly, light, tender muffins. They're slightly sweet with little bits of almond crunch and soft apricot pieces. I think next time I make these, I'll dust the tops with a raw sugar for a final bit of crunch, but these muffins served warm with a pat of butter or apricot preserves is the perfect breakfast treat.

Big Beautiful Muffins with Apricots and Almonds

seen on Romancing the Stove, adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

 

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plain lowfat yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cup diced apricots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Generously coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable spray, or use paper cups with a little cooking spray.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk the yogurt, eggs, and almond extract together in a medium bowl.
Gently fold the yogurt-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Fold in melted butter, and apricots.
Use a large ice-cream scoop or measuring cup to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Sprinkle several sliced almonds over the top of the batter in each muffin cup.
Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
 

Lemon Cumin Quinoa with Avocado, Raisins, and Apricots

Well, if you haven't seen a quinoa recipe lately, you must be living under a rock. In recent months/years, quinoa's popularity has grown because of its superfood status. It's a personal favorite of mine because it is kind of a protein/carb combo, and I'm always looking for meat-free protein options.

For the first two years of my cooking blog, I selected a country, researched it, and blogged many popular and traditional dishes and ingredients (see the links on the right side of my blog for countries completed). When I chose Bolivia one week, I read about the history of quinoa. Here's what I wrote in my blog 2 years ago, "For this week's country challenge, I decided to go back to South America. What struck me most were the number of recipes using Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), a grain native from the Andes. The Incas spread the use of Quinoa all over South America. Quinoa is naturally bitter, and must be rinsed many times. It declined in popularity in the nineteenth centry due to widespread belief that it was killing pigs owned by peasants. They stopped growing it, and it almost disappeared. Recently, I have seen quinoa appear in many cooking magazines and shows because of it's health benefits. The dishes I have chosen for Bolivia all use quinoa in one form or another, showing it's versatility."

So when I saw this recipe on Erin's Food Files, I immediately starred it and put it on the menu. I knew my husband would love it because of the avocado and raisins, and I love dried apricots and cumin. The recipe was intriguing, many big flavors and seeminly random ingredients, but they paired so well and this dish was delicious.

Lemon Cumin Quinoa with Avocado, Raisins and Apricots

via Erin's Food Files  adapted from Fine Cooking

3 tbsp. raisins

3 tbsp. dried apricots, thinly sliced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
Kosher salt
1 large lemon
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
1 medium firm-ripe avocado pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. toasted sliced almonds
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, soak the raisins and apricots in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil over high heat.
Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork and turn it out onto a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
Finnely grate the zest from the lemon and then squeeze 1 tbsp. juice. in a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
In a large bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the quinoa, raisins, apricots, avocado, scallions, and almonds.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Balsamic Apricot, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Crostini

I hosted a small dinner party for Valentine's Day on Saturday night. One of the guests was my friend /running buddy/ co-worker Lou, who loves food as much as I do! He asked me what to bring, and I told him an appetizer would be great. He told me the story of how he came up with this combo, but like many of my ideas, it was random and long, so I'll save you the story :)

These were delicious, the apricots had amazing flavor, and the balance of spicy with sweet, creamy and salty was spot on!

Balsamic Apricot, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Crostini

1 baguette, sliced

1/2 lb. prosciutto

4 oz. herbed goat cheese

1/2 lb. (about 30) apricots

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tbsp. butter

1/4 c. rum

Aged balsamic vinegar

Heat an oven to 400 degrees.

Slice baguette, brush with EVOO, toast bread for 5-8 minutes, until crisp.

Set aside.

Heat a skillet over low, add crushed red pepper, brown sugar, salt, garlic and butter.

Stir to combine and bring to a bubble, when the sugar has melted into the butter, add the apricots and stir, cook until apricots are soft and plumped.

Add rum, continue to cook and stir until liquid is reduced and a thick syrup has formed.

Plate crostini, top with prosciutto, goat cheese, and an apricot.

Drizzle with an aged balsamic vinegar.