Chickpeas: It's what's for dinner.

Mostly because I have chickpeas, and not chicken. :o)

So, inspired by Sarah & Nathania's Make Do March, I'm planning (yes, for the first time in my life) my dinners.  FOR THE WHOLE WEEK!  That is unheard of over here in my little world.  The inspiration from their Make Do March is in the use what you have feature to my dinner planning.  No trips to the grocery store for me (well except maybe to get dog food, Rudder is running a bit low on that)  So, here's what's for dinner this week:

Monday: Chicken Tikka Masala (really more like a Chana-Tikka hybrid if you will) & Bok Choy
Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan (per Kevin's request) & Bok Choy
Wednesday: Homemade Black Bean Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries (& probably Bok Choy)
Thursday: Homemade Pizza - spinach dough, goat cheese, red peppers, roasted garlic
Friday: I'm not sure yet, but I have a feeling there will be Bok Choy...

Yeah, I have A LOT of Bok Choy to use up.  :o)

So, I had a recipe for Chana Masala, but it looked more complicated that I really cared to do at 7pm, but then I remembered Sarah had posted a recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala that was pretty simple so I figured hey, I'm sure I could modify that and make it work.  And it did. 

Here's what I put in:

- 15 oz diced tomatoes (I had diced not crushed like the recipe called for)
- 2ish T of tomato paste (You'll see a lot of 'ish in this, I don't exactly measure...)
- 1 med onion, chopped (Oops! Forgot it!)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced (sorta)
- 1/2ish t cumin
- 1/4ish t cinnamon
- 1/4ish t coriander
- 1/4ish t black pepper
- 1/8ish t ground clove
- 1/8ish t nutmeg
- pinch of cayenne (um cajun seasoning because I couldn't find my cayenne)

Mix all of the above together and then if you want more "crushed" tomatoes, use a potato masher just a bit :o)

I heated it on low while I was making the quinoa and roasting garlic.

Add:
- 1 can chickpeas, drained

I did this with about 20 minutes left before serving.

Last, Add:
- 1/3ish c heavy cream (yeah, I just poured some in, my guess is it was about 1/3c.)

Instead of rice, I used quinoa because 1) I had it 2) It has good stuff in it 3) I can probably use it in some manner to have for lunch.  I RINSED my quinoa this time.  I assumed it was pre-rinsed from the bulk section, but last time I made it and didn't rinse it, it was super bitter.  Rinsing = better quinoa thus far.


Alright, now for the baby bok choy:

I used this recipe I had pinned (gosh I love Pinterest, I even used it for affective skills instruction today!) as my "pinspiration" for the Bok Choy.

- 6 little baby bok choylettes
- a handful of garlic cloves, whole (really I think its a personal preference of how many cloves)
- some olive oil
- salt & pepper

So first, heat the olive oil over med-high heat til it's nice and toasty.  Add the garlic cloves, reduce heat to medium and let the buggers roast, turning them every so often so they don't burn.  Next, add the baby bok choy and a bit of water (I poured some from my glass... maybe 1/4-1/2c.?) sautee for about 2 minutes, then use a smaller lid to cover and let it steam for another minute.  Sprinkle on a little salt and pepper to your liking, and ta-da!  All done!  :o)

*wishes I had a fancy set up like the food bloggers, but hey, it is what it is* 

 And now, just for fun:

The never-ending game of keep away between Lucy & Rudder