Lemony Pasta and Chickpeas

Nope, not that combination together.

For my dinners last week I decided to use one of the new cookbooks Ryan bought me for Hanukkah.  The first recipe I selected was the creamy lemon primavera.  As usual, some ingredients were not available, so I improvised.
 DSC07772
The recipe called for a sweet red pepper, yellow squash and snow peas.  When I went to the commissary I was not surprised to know that they had none of those in stock.  This is what I would up with instead, which was close:
DSC07773
This was an orange pepper, zucchini, and sugar snap peas.

Next, I was excited to use the new mandoline.
DSC07774
Look at my nice slices.  I am not even sure how I ever lived with out a mandoline before.
DSC07775
Then I worked on my sauce.  So much for non-fat yogurt.  That did not exist at the commissary.  Instead, I bought the 3% fat German plain yogurt with the granola packet attached for a mix in.  At least the granola packets made for nice snacks during the week.  The sauce was really just yogurt and lemon juice.
DSC07776
I was pleased to see all this color going on in my pan, especially the nice green.  I try to make recipes with a variety of veggies.
DSC07777
Here is the end product all mixed together.
DSC07778
Drum roll please…
DSC07779
It turned out to be a nice dish.  It was very light and spring like which was good to brighten up the mood here during winter time.

The next meal I cooked that week started off with some wine.  That’s right, as I started to cook, Ryan opened up a bottle of local wine.  It is actually semi-local since it is from another of the Azorean islands.  I picked it up at the airport when I came back from Boston.  We thought is would be nice to have wine with the chickpea and sundried tomato dish.
 DSC07781
This next dinner almost seemed Portuguese since it contained chickpeas and onions.  That is a popular combo around here.
 DSC07782
This dish had tomatoes along with the sundried tomatoes, which were added at the very end.
 DSC07783
Again, I like that there is some color with this dish and it is not just bland looking with only chickpeas.
 DSC07784
I decided to serve this over basmati rice.  It was absolutely delicious.
 DSC07788
QUESTIONS:  What is the most unique pasta sauce you have ever made?  What is your favorite way to use chickpeas?

8 comments:

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

The pasta dish sounds great! My hubby makes a lemon pasta with lots of lemon juice, lemon zest, Parmesan cheese and basil. It's really lemony and I love it.

I love chickpeas. I especially like them in a carrot, celery tomato stew-type dish with lemon juice and lots of dill. I'll have to make it again!

Unknown said...

I love all tomato sauce and I do not discriminate!
MMMM Chick peas. Hummus or Falafel...'nuff said :)

Kristen (swanky dietitian) said...

I love chickpeas in salads. I have made a few indian dishes with them as well..which turned out pretty delish!

Love the mandoline. I am sure that makes things so much easier!!

Emily said...

looks like that new mandoline came in quite handy! I think you did a great job of improvising based on what was available. :)
I made a vegan pesto sauce tonight from Dreena Burton's ED&BV...it had sundried tomatoes and almonds in it and was really good!

Simply Life said...

Oh what a perfect combination of flavors- this looks great!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Who likes nonfat yogurt anyway?! Not me! Especially in recipes, I would always choose 1-2%.

I wish Nick liked Chickpeas. He hates them. If I used them in any cooking he won't eat it!! He won't even eat hummus. What a loser. hehe

Lori said...

This sounds great. I've just come around to enjoying lemon in my savory dishes. I made a lot of pasta with it this past summer. My most creative sauce would have to be red meat sauce with cinnamon, patterned after some dishes we had in Brazil. I love it, but my husband isn't a fan.

Rachel said...

ooo, Mandolin! *jealous* Melinda, Merry Christmas, glad you received the book!

Post a Comment