Garbanzo Beans over Fresh Mesclun Salad- Bounty from my Garden

I was raised in Cyprus at a time when people grew a lot of their food. My family grew their own olives, oranges, tangerines, lemons, plums, almonds, walnuts, herbs, chickens, my grandma had a donkey and a goat(we never ate the donkey, we rode him and grandma milked the goat). They baked their own breads, made their own halloumi cheese (you haven't lived until you eat freshly made, still warm hallouni cheese.)

They also preserved a lot of their crops. We gathered the olives, loaded them on dad's VW beetle  and took them to the mill for olive oil. Mom made walnut preserves, orange rind preserves, orangeade, lemonade, watermelon rind preserves, cherry preserves. She dried her herbs and kept them in jars for the winter. What can I say? I grew up eating a lot of preserves and olive oil and I love them!

But, I don't live in a Mediterranean climate so I only have a few things growing in my garden. Yet, those formative early years have made me a person who loves to garden and bake.

This week, it's lunch with salad greens from my garden:. I picked them, double washed them, dried them and ate them!

Serves 2
1 can garbanzo(chickpeas)beans drained
1 tablespoon chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups mesclun greens
1 orange  peeled and cut into 8 pieces
4 tablespoons sautéed wild mushrooms
4 anchovy fillets

Place the garbanzo beans in a bowl. Add the onion, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix.
Divide the mesclun greens between two plates.
Top with half each garbanzo mixture. To that add half each of the sautéed mushrooms. Divide orange pieces between the two plates. Place two anchovies on each plate on top.
Grind some fresh pepper and sea salt, drizzle with good Greek extra virgin olive oil (I use Kalamata from Trader Joe's) and serve with some hearty multigrain bread.

 

Kali Orexi as they say in Greece and Cyprus!
Enjoy!
Maria

Red Lentil soup over bulgur wheat pilaf-sooo good!

Last night I made a red lentil soup that I love! It's perfect for my low cholesterol quest(you know all about it now, sigh...) and it's delicious. I first got the recipe from the New York Times, the photo they had was so colorful it intrigued me. Since I'd never had red lentils before, I thought: Why Not!



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil, more to drizzle if you like
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
pinch of cayenne, or a scant tablespoon of harissa or any hot sauce you have in hand
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

For pilaf:
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups broth or water
1 cup(or more) fat free Greek yogurt

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 4 minutes.
Add tomato paste, cumin, salt and pepper, and  cayenne or harissa. Saute for another 2 minutes.

Add broth, 2 cups water,, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer and cook low in a partially covered pot for about 30 minutes. In a smaller pot, combine the bulgur wheat with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup leaving it a bit chunky. Reheat if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro.

In a deep dish spoon one quarter of the bulgur pilaf and top with one quarter of the lentil soup. Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and top with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt. Serve it with a slice of hearty bread!

Enjoy,

Maria