Zesty Chickpea and Tuna Wrap

Today was a perfect South Carolina day. Warm, but not too hot. Breezy, but not too windy. And just sunny enough to be bright, but not blaring. It was the kind of day that makes you wish there was a pause button for the weather. The kind of day that calls for an easy, but delicious and healthy meal so you can get back out there and enjoy it. Also, mood music.

This little dish was super easy to put together and required no cooking because I roast chickpeas in batches to keep on hand whenever a nutritional, texture, or flavor boost is needed. Or even just a snack.  

Let's start with how to make the best roasted zesty chickpeas. The original recipe is from Steamy Kitchen.

You will need:

• chickpeas (garbanzo beans), canned or dried
• 1 olive oil
• creole seasoning like Tony Chachere's

If using dried beans, which are WAY cheaper in the long run, use about 2 cups of water for each 1/2 cup of chickpeas. Bring water and chickpeas to a raging boil for about 5-6 minutes. Then cover, remove from heat, and let soak for an hour.

Once they've soaked, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Canned beans should also be rinsed and dried before roasting. The original recipe says to remove the skins while drying but I haven't found that to be necessary.

Spread on a baking sheet and drizzle or spray chickpeas with a tiny bit of olive oil, rubbing over the beans with your hands to make sure the oil is evenly distributed. Sprinkle creole seasoning over chickpeas as desired, but a little goes a long way. 

Pop them in to the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. They should be slightly browned with a little crunch when ready. 

Now on to the wraps!

To make 2 wraps you will need

• handful of roasted zesty chickpeas (don't be jealous of that fancy "Tupperware")
• 1 can of tuna
• heaping handful of fresh spinach 
• 2 wraps of choice (Habanero and Lime added a serious kick)
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumbers
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Pile half of each ingredient in order of spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, tuna, then chickpeas slightly off to the side of one wrap. Roll it up tightly and enjoy your zesty and healthy wrap. It also keeps well for lunchs when wrapped in foil. 

And I bet it would be good with a light tzatziki sauce...

Hope your weather was as perfect as ours!

Sheila :)

Zucchini Boats

I have a tendency to make things up as I go along; song lyrics I'm trying to hum with the radio, good stories, recipes. Especially recipes.

I also have a tendency to get a little too enthusiastic in the produce section and buy fresh items without an idea in mind.

Only occasionally do these two habits coincide. This. Is one of those moments.

I present for your culinary enjoyment: "Zucchini Boats."

Here's what I used but you could try all kinds of substitutes.

-2 medium zucchinis
-1 lb ground chicken
-baby spinach
-1 half of a small onion, diced
-2 garlic cloves, diced
-baby spinach
-frozen corn
-mozzarella
-salt and pepper (and other seasonings to taste)

1. Cut your zucchinis in half the long way. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the middle. Chop up the zucchini innards (one of my favorite words) and set aside in a medium bowl.
2. Dice your onion and garlic cloves and add to the zucchini innards (I'm going to use it as many times as possible).
3. Put a little splash of water in a skillet to cook your spinach. Once fully cooked, add it to your innards bowl. *Now is a good time to start preheating your oven to 350.

4. Brown your ground chicken. I just used the same skillet I cooked the spinach in.
5. Add salt and pepper and other seasoning as desired. The roomie is not much for spices or I would have experimented a little more. Tony Chachere's creole spice is delicious on everything if you like a kick.
6. Drain your meat and add your bowl of innards and veggies to the skillet. I also added some frozen corn at this stage and let it all cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
7. While your chicken and veggies are getting to know each other in the skillet, shred your cheese of choice. Mozzarella was good but I think cheddar would have added a totally different element. Especially with the creole seasoning... Next time, next time...

8. Prep your zucchini halves by laying them out on the cute mini-stoneware your Mom got you for Christmas. Or use a cookie sheet like a normal person. Spoon your stuffing into the emptied zucchini halves, now "boats" and sprinkle the cheese on top. I filled mine pretty full, but that's because I only actually had 1 zucchini and a TON of stuffing.
9. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 so the cheese has time to melt and the flavors all run together. The zucchini should also get pretty soft.
10. Enjoy! I had just one half and that was plenty for me for dinner. It's a compact, but filling meal. I ended up using a knife and fork to eat it, just as a tip.

Not only do I love getting to use up a bunch of things in the fridge, but I love that it's a whole meal contained within the zucchini boat! Veggie and protein heavy but carb light, if you care about that sort of thing. If you try different varieties, please let me know how they turn out!