Candyce's Avocado Chickpea Salad

Recently, I've been experimenting with raw foods, herbs and spices to create new and exciting culinary experiences for my family. I have a few requirements my food needs to meet.

1) It needs to nourish our bodies at a cellular level.  
2) It needs to be bursting with flavor.
3) Must be visually appealing.
4) It needs to be easy and quick to make.

Everyday I've had fun- working with ingredients that are full of nutrients and color. Here's one of my most recent experiments. Honestly, it's now going to become a regular on our family menu. It's delicious all by itself, or it would pair beautifully with grilled fish, chicken or steak.  It would even go great beside some tuna salad, or eaten with organic corn chips. However you decide to try it, I know that you will enjoy every bite, feeling satisfied and healthy upon consumption.

Ingredients:
4 large avocados
1 container of sweet grape tomatoes
3 juicy limes or 2 juicy lemons
2 cans of organic garbanzo beans
3 green onions
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons of chia seeds
2 teaspoons of kosher salt or to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

*As a luxurious option, you can drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top of the salad, or lay spicy sprouts underneath for a "wow"presentation.

Follow the pics! 

Get all of your ingredients ready. 

 


<-------- THIS is an avocado slicer. It is wonderful and makes the prep of these green beauties quick and clean. ;) Just slice the avocado in half and press this thru all the way to the bottom. You end up with lovely slices of creamy green goodness. 








It turns avocados into these pretty even slices. See below.

 

Squeeze the limes or lemons all over, covering as much of the avocados as you can. Then add the sweet grape tomatoes. Don't forget to wash them! 

Rinse the 2 cans of organic garbanzo beans until the water runs clear and there are no more "suds." Then, add them to the salad.

Finely chop the 3 green onions. Add them to the salad. 

Take the whole bunch of aromatic, freshly washed cilantro and chop it all up! (minus the stems)
Dump it in. 
 

 

Add 2 heaping tablespoons of chia seeds. If you let the chia seeds sit for a long time in liquid, they will start to get gelatinous. Don't worry, just pretend your eating baby boba. ;) They are SOOO good for you and help pull out lots of toxins your body wants to get rid of. Actually, the same goes for the cilantro.

Now, if you are wanting to create a fancy shmancy presentation,  you can cut off the other end the the can of garbanzo beans and use it as a mold to shape  your salad. Just place some sprouts (I like spicy sprouts) underneath, then put your can on top. Pile in some yummy salad 2-3 inches high. The reality is, the more you put in, the less likely it is to stay in a circle. That's okay. If it stays in a circle you can be trendy, and if it falls out, you can be rustic. See, not so hard! :) Gently remove the can... I said gently, and "oooooo" and "awww" over your lovely presentation. You can drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on top if you want, and give a little extra pinch of kosher salt, and/or some freshly ground black pepper. 

 

Here it is in a serving bowl. It looks messy, but if you made it at home I can promise- you will be salivating by now. It was so hard to take pics and not take a bite. Seriously. 

This was ALMOST trendy, but came out rustic. Anyway you present it, it's going to be a winner. :)

There it is again, cause I know you want to see another, "I want my food to be in a magazine, " picture. 

I hope you enjoy this salad. If you make it, leave me a note, post it on FB or send me a private message. Let me know how you liked it, and what you served it with. Betay Avon! :)

- Candyce

Candyce's Morocan Carrot Salad

 Let me just start off by saying, I never thought I could enjoy carrots so much! Combined with the right herbs and spices- this homely, inexpensive, overlooked root vegetable can become incredibly tantalizing, filling your mouth with flavor and your body with energy. Right now I am on a 40 Day Daniel Fast. I'm eating tons of fresh produce, legumes, rice, good oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and drinking LOTS of water! I've included minimal amounts of fish and eggs in case I feel desperately low in the protein department. So far, I've had 2 eggs. ;) I have thoroughly enjoyed this fast and have experienced more energy than I have in a quite a while. 

As you know, I love to cook and entertain, and sometimes thoughts of the Daniel Fast makes me feel "blah" about cooking. Until THIS fast. I have taken it as an opportunity to rise above my "blah" ideas and have embraced the endless creativity that is present within the vegan world. 

Last night I was laying in bed thinking, "What could I do with carrots?" My mom used to make a yummy carrot salad when I was a little girl, but I wanted something lighter, and more exotic. Then came the idea. "A moroccan carrot salad!" I know it's not my original idea. I've heard of this before, but I had never made it. So, I took the opportunity to invent a recipe I know my family would love. This morning, when I put my ideas into motion, my kids stared at me as I shredded 16 carrots in the food processor. They looked on with disgust as I mixed nuts, raisins and herbs together until the final product was complete. With one hesitant bite, each child's face transformed from bewilderment to sheer delight! They couldn't get enough. That's when I knew I had a winner! :)

This recipe is perfect for family picnics, parties, Oneg, large Shabbat dinners, or just for the family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

  

Ingredients:

16 large carrots  (shredded in a food processor) 

1 cup of golden raisins

1 cup of raisins

1 cup of cashews

1 cup of slivered almonds

1 ½ cups of pine nuts

2 bunches of cilantro chopped

1/3 cup freshly chopped mint

Dressing:

½ cup apple cider vinegar    

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons of honey

3 tablespoons of crysalized ginger

juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (optional)

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

 

Candyce’s Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 ½ cups of diced yellow onions

20 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

2 bay leafs

5 tablespoons of chicken bouillon

4 cups of basmati rice

Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.

In a 10 qt pot with sautee the onions, garlic, cumin seeds and bay leaf in extra virgin olive oil on medium high for about 5 minutes.

Add the rinsed basmati rice to the pot, letting it lightly toast in the oil for 2-3 minutes. Stir.

Then add 7 cups of water to the pot, and 5 tablespoons of chicken bouillon. I use better than bouillon.

Let it come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

From the heart of Delhi- Chole!

If you live in a major metropolitan city, you probably have some great ethnic restaurants, among

which, is usually a handful of good Indian restuarants. However, nothing compares to the Indian home cook, whose home smells of intoxicating spices and fresh herbs- and whose food is infused with TLC- that special touch that takes dishes from good to outstanding.

It was such a blessing for me to to have lived next door to an ultimate Indian Domestic Diva for a little over three years. Curries, masalas, and kormas regularly wafted through the air of her spotless home, filling the cul-de-sac with mouth watering aromas- causing envy to arise in all of surrounding neighbors.

When we were next door neighbors, we would often exchange foods from our own culture, bringing a hot and tasty sample of what was to be featured on our dinner table that evening. Eventually samples turned into cravings, which turned into full blown cooking lessons, giving each other our most cherished “repeats” on the family menu.

One of these star dishes is chole. Sounds like CHO- Leh. How do you describe chole? It is the fanciest and most exotic ways to dress chickpeas, turning each bite into a delectable adventure into the heart of India. Served over basmati rice and garnished with fresh cilantro, red onions and lemon- this homemade favorite turns into a culinary superstar!

This is my version of my dear friend Almas’ chole. Enjoy!

The night before your dinner, soak 6 cups of garbanzo beans in 12 cups water. When you wake

up, the garbanzo beans will have doubled in size drinking in almost all of the water. Rinse the garbanzo beans, and place them in a crockpot. Pour in fresh water so that it just covers the beans. Turn on low, and let them cook 4-6 hours.

Insider’s tip: if you don’t like the way garbanzo beans smell when cooking, stick a chunk of peeled ginger in. It will help to take away the odor.

For the sauce, sautee in extra virgin olive oil: 

2 diced yellow onions

20 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of fresh ginger

2 tablespoons of cumin seeds

Once the onions, garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds are soft and golden, it’s time to add the spices.

Add:

1 tablespoon kosher salt     

1 tablespoon tumeric

1 heaping tablespoon of coriander powder

2 heaping tablespoon of red chile powder

2 heaping tablespoons of garam masala

2 heaping tablespoons of Shan(brand) Chana Masala mix

The mixture is going to be very brown and your house is going to smell like your favorite Indian restaurant.  Don’t worry, it just gets better!

Then add 2, 14.5 oz cans of organic diced, peeled tomatoes to the pot. 

When your sauce gets all bubbly and incorporated, pour it into a good blender. Give it a whirl for 30-45 seconds and, voila- you have the magic sauce. Drain most of the water out of your cooked chickpeas in the crockpot, then pour the sauce over it. 

Go ahead, I know your dying to take a bite. Amazing right?! It just gets better with time. After a day, it’ll be outrageous. That is, if it lasts that long. 

This feast serves 14-16 people and is perfect for parties and Shabbat dinners.  Garnish with cilantro, red onion, and lemon. Mmmmmm mmmm mmmm!