Chickpea Parmesan with Pioneer Green Beans

While we may not always be posting our food we are always thinking about food. Case in point: during the Ethiopian cooking adventure these words were spoken in reference to the chickpea fish, "Ohhhh you know what this could work for... Chicken Parmesan!" "Totally" and this recipe was born.

For the chicken

3 cups chickpea flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3/4-1 cup water
2 tablespoons finely grated onion
Dried Italian herbs of your choosing
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
vegetable oil, for frying

Procedure:

Sift the flour, Italian herbs, 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper into a deep bowl.
Make a well in the center and combine 3/4 cup water, the onions and garlic in the well.
Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the water and onions and, when blended, beat vigorously with a spoon or knead with your hands until the dough is smooth and can be gathered into a ball.
If the dough crumbles, add up to 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
On a lightly floured surface, press dough into single serving patties
Pour oil into a deep fryer or a large, heavy saucepan to a depth of 2-3 inches.

Heat the oil and fry the “chicken” for 3-4 minutes, turning them frequently until they puff slightly and are golden brown.

As they brown, transfer them to paper towels to drain.

Sauce:
 
store bought spaghetti sauce of your choosing
vegetables of your choosing (we used mushrooms, red peppers and onions)
 
saute vegetables in oil and garlic
add sauce to vegetables and simmer
add chicken
 
Serve over pasta of your choice (we went with bucatini because it is Alicia's favorite!:)
 

We chose to put some mozzarella flavor rice cheese on top and melt it under the broiler for a few minutes to add some cheesy goodness
 
Side dish:
 
Veganized Pioneer Woman Green Beans:
 
You may or may not be familiar with Pioneer Woman. Most of her cooking involves beef, bacon, bacon fat, heavy cream, butter, you get the point. She does do lots of other neat stuff though and Laurin was super excited to find a recipe on her website that she could veganize and looked delicious. So we tried it out.
(Seriously go check out her blog her home improvement stuff is cool especially her kitchens)
 
1 lb green beans

1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup veggie broth
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper

Snap the stems off the green beans.
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil.
Add green beans and cook for a minute.
Add veggie broth, red pepper, salt and pepper
Cook on low heat and cover with a lid. Leaving a little opening for steam to escape
Cook for 20-30 minutes until liquor is gone and beans are soft.

Serve on the side of "chicken" Parmesan and call it a delicious meal

Polenta Lasagna with Portabellas and Kale

this recipe was found at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen (check her out, she has great stuff)

I (Alicia) made this dish to welcome Laurin home from her long day at work with the small friends. It was delicious though not exactly pretty looking. I only used one package of polenta in the future 2 might be a better choice to soak up more of the sauce.

Polenta Lasagna

1 18-ounce package prepared polenta

1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped baby portabella mushrooms
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 bunch kale, center rib removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
Cheese sauce (below)
1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (I used Newmans Sockarooni sauce)
vegan soy parmesan --- i did not use this!! the stuff at whole foods listed nutritional yeast, seasonings and love as the ingredients. for $7.99. we got enough love.
**recipe called for 1/4 cup of kalamata olives I skipped this because Laurin hates olives**
“Cheese” sauce:

1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. cashew butter or tahini
1 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. white pepper
2 tsp. corn starch



Preheat oven to 375° F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 8×8-inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
Place the cheese sauce ingredients into a food processor and puree until completely smooth. Set aside.
Sauté the onions and portabellas in a non-stick skillet until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices. Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute.
Add the kale, basil, and 1/4 cup water. Sauté until the kale is wilted and tender and the water has evaporated. Add the cheese sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove from the heat.

Cut the polenta into 1/4-inch thick slices. Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the slices, overlapping slightly if possible. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce over the polenta, and then spread the kale mixture over the sauce. Top with the remaining polenta. Spread the remaining marinara sauce over the top.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

Add a bottle of red wine, some good music and your own love. Enjoy.