For a quick, nutritious, low-fat, yet filling and satisfying meal for two (with plenty of leftovers for bringing to work) look no further.

I’ve been getting into the Gourmet Everyday Quick Kitchen recipes in a big way during these hectic months of belt-tightening. This recipe, from the March 2009 edition, is absolutely stellar.  I only got my magazine a few weeks go, and already I’ve made it twice. 

The secret is in the spices, which are basic and when combined, give this dish a delicious kick that’s not too overpowering or spicy. I’ve been grinding many of my own (in this case, the dried chilies and the coriander) spices lately in my coffee grinder. This time I threw in the already ground spices as well to create a custom blend.

I’m a huge sucker for tomatoey recipes, and love that Gourmet is embracing one of my favorite adjectives. This recipe works great year-round, just try to use the highest quality tomatoes you can get.

I keep expounding upon the virtues of soaking dried chickpeas (so good, so cheap, etc.), but I’ve been terrible at actually planning ahead. I could do so much better!

The first time I made this I skipped the mint and the parsley and used some basil I had leftover, which worked great.  This time I got the proper ingredients and they made the dish so much more amazing, especially the next day, and especially the mint. If you can, go for it! I also added some rice vinegar for a little tang.

A nice dollop of yoghurt makes this dish super-special. The tangy yoghurt compliments the spices so well, it’s as good as any chickpea curry I’ve had at my favorite Indian places.  The best thing about this recipe: It’s ready in under half an hour and can feed (and satisfy!) you for days.

Tomatoey Spiced Chickpeas
Adapted from Gourmet, March 2009

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Rounded 1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes

1 (1 1/2-inch) piece cinnamon stick

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice

1/4 cup rice vinegar (balsamic would also work)

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook cumin, coriander, ginger, red-pepper flakes, and cinnamon stick, stirring constantly, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes with juices, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, then add chickpeas and vinegar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick.

Stir in parsley and mint. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The feedback from blog readers was so positive for for my Roasted Tomato Garlic Hummus, that I decided it couldn’t hurt to share this yummy variation that looks quite similar but bursts with the flavor of fresh roasted red peppers. I whipped it up last night when we were feeling too lazy to get out of the house and it was delightful with a little homemade herb focaccia. 

I love making hummus because it can be prepared and enjoyed almost instantly. 

Just 20 minutes in the oven on 350 degrees and presto – the garlic is almost melting in its skin and the peppers are perfectly softened.

If you’re not into spontaneous hummus making and you plan ahead you can soak your chickpeas and save yourself some money. Since this was a last-minute decision, I used a 12 oz can. Put you roasted garlic cloves, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, the juice of one lemon (no zest this time – it overpowers the pepper flavor), and salt and pepper to taste into the food processor. Start with one tablespoon of olive oil in there as well, adding more if you would like a more creamy hummus. Allow the food processor to do its thing until you are satisfied with the texture. Plate and serve (shown here garnished with a cilantro oil that Brian made) or put in the fridge for later. 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 fresh red pepper

3 cloves of garlic

olive oil

1 lemon

salt and fresh ground black pepper

Remove the seeds from a red pepper and slice it into fourths. Place on a pan with three cloves of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peppers and garlic are soft.

Place roasted peppers into the food processor and squeeze the garlic out of its skins on top of the peppers. Add 12 oz. drained chickpeas, the juice of 1 lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and begin to run the food processor. If you feel that the mixture is too dry, ad more oil as needed. Blend until you are happy with the level of smoothness.

Plate and serve warm, or cover and place in the fridge to serve chilled at a later point in time.

I just started a new job and I’m thrilled to not be working downtown for the first time in almost four years! For a long time I had been dreaming of the day that I would not have to brave the crappy commute, the depressing streets surrounding the stock exchange, and most of all, the lack of decent lunch options. In fact, I ate at the same soup counter day after day, and I only got one type of soup – the three lentil chili. you’d think I’d be sick of it after four years, but I found myself missing it yesterday, and decided to whip up some chili of my own.

Chili is a superfood – full of vegetables and protein and very filling, but without a lot of fat and absolutely vegan (unless you add some dairy later). I like mine tangy, spicy, and just a little sweet – all at the same time. A good chili begins with a large, sturdy pot with onions and garlic caramelizing in some olive oil on the bottom with some salt and ground black pepper.

My chili involves a few types of peppers. I like bell peppers (I used red and green, but any combination works great) because they provide nice flavor and balance to the chili, and I use Jalapeños for the heat. Be sure to remove the seeds of both before chopping. The bell peppers need to be cut into larger pieces (no bigger than an inch on any side,  and the jalapeños should be diced as small as possible.

Add the peppers to the pot with the onions and garlic and sautee for 15 to 20 minutes on medium to high heat. The goal is to get the peppers nice and soft without burning anything.

I prefer veggie chili to be very heavy on the tomatoes. I use two large cans of organic chopped tomatoes and I highly recommend the Muir Glen brand (the ones in the picture) if you can find them, since they are fire roasted and add a lot of flavor.

On the issue of corn in veggie chili I am emphatically pro-corn! I am also, however, very much anti-canned corn. For this batch, I decided to use two ears of hot house corn, which frankly, sucks. Maybe frozen corn is the answer? What a paradox that chili – a delicious winter food is enhanced by corn – a food that  is only at its best during the month of August (at least for on the East Coast).

Once the tomatoes and corn have gone into the pot, be sure to add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. This is also the time to add the spices and white basalmic vinegar, which is the secret to tangy, yet not overpoweringly acidic chili.

Once the tomatoes and corn have gone in, it is time to add the spices. I opt for a whole lot of chili powder because it gives it flavor without bite and lends a nice color to the chili. I also like cumin in my chili, but that is a personal preference. Add the ground red pepper a little at a time depending on the heat that you are going for. Adding beer only helps if you want more liquid and nostalgia or testosterone – in veggie chili, I really don’t see the point and didn’t actually added it to this batch – it just looks badass in the picture.

In my recipe, the beans come last. This time, I used a can of Goya black beans and a can of Goya chickpeas. Under usual circumstances I would have planned ahead and soaked dried beans overnight, but that was not in the cards. Either way you should end up with approx. 1 and 3/4 cups of each type of bean. Be sure to rinse them (especially if they come out of a can) and then add them to your chili pot. Let the whole thing simmer for at least ten minutes (or longer if you want to cook off some of the liquid).

And there you have it. Delicious, protein rich, vitamin heavy, delicious, and vegan – until you add the sour cream and cheddar, which are optional (no really!). This one pot will provide about 8 meals. It did the trick and made me stop craving the chili that I used to get at my job downtown, and now I happily commute to Brooklyn.

Veggie Chickpea Chili

2 cans of organic, fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 Jalapeño peppers

4 cloves of garlic

1 large onion (white or yellow)

2 ears of corn cut from the cob (or 1 12 oz package of frozen corn)

olive oil

salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons ground red pepper (or to taste)

4 tablespoons chili powder (or to taste)

1 tablespoon cumin (or to taste)

1 and 3/4 cups chickpeas

1 and 3/4 cups black beans (or other bean of your choice)

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

Sour cream (optional)

cheddar cheese (optional)