Paprika-Spiced Sauteed Chick Peas

Hello everyone,

I love chick peas. I love them on salad. I love them straight out of the can. I love them coated in oil and still sorta good for you … And really, who doesn’t love a good snack? I’m certainly a sucker for them! I finally put two and two together and spawned a new favorite recipe for Paprika-Spiced Sauteed Chick Peas.

This recipe is incredibly quick and easy. It’s the type of “thrown together” dish that will shock your tastebuds and your friends! This recipe calls for just four needed ingredients (but you can add others) and takes under 20 minutes to make. Plus, sauteed chick peas are a protein-packed, healthy-ish snack that’s perfect for your next potluck! The texture is a little crunchy, a bit chewy, and it’s chock full of flavor.If you happen to have a lodge cast iron skillet it will give the outer shell that extra crispy layer. I can’t recommend this recipe enough. Go on and give it a try!

Happy snacking!

Jocelyn

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

Paprika-Spiced Sauteed Chick Peas

***Please feel free to share widely, just give me some credit or a link back

Prep Time: ~2 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
Supplies: cast iron skillet

Ingredients

1 can chick peas, thoroughly drained (do not remove the skins!)
1 tbs, olive oil
2 tsp, pimenton/ paprika
1 tsp, harissa powder
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Place the drained canned chick peas on a paper towel and pat them down to remove excess moisture.
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until simmering.
While the oil is heating up, mix the spices together and toss them with the chick peas until well-coated.
Place the chick peas in the skillet. Toss the chick peas occasionally until they become brown and the outer shell looks crisp. This should take about 15 minutes.
Enjoy while warm!

The Impossible Burger: My 5-Minute Review

Hello everyone,

Staying warm? Enjoying the snow? I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold outside I crave comfort food. One of my favorite comfort foods is a hearty vegan “burger.” That’s right—a faux meat patty topped with gooey, melty vegan cheese, Heinz ketchup, banana pepper rings, and a dollop of Just Mayo. It always hits the spot! Well, I’ve been hearing buzz about the Impossible Burger for months and months, so I finally decided to find one nearby to give a try. Today I am here to finally provide The Impossible Burger: My 5-Minute Review.

After years of research and $180 million in funding, the Impossible Burger debuted in the summer of 2016 in NYC at Momofuku Nishi. Now, this restaurant is not a burger joint. It’s an asian fusion restaurant. Possibly an odd place to launch a veggie burger, but it worked! People were lining up hours before the restaurant opened to get a bite of the Impossible Burger.

So why was everyone in a tizzy? Well, the Impossible Burger is a plant-based burger that looks and cooks like ground beef. These qualities are supposed to make it satisfy vegans/ vegetarians and omnivores alike. How does it achieve this? It includes heme—a molecule extracted from fermented yeast that mimics the same molecule that’s found in animal blood. This enables this meatless burger to “bleed” and sear, just like animal-based burgers.

Now, these qualities are off-putting for many vegans/ vegetarians, but considering I didn’t cook the burger, I didn’t mind it. The Impossible Burger looks like a medium cooked regular burger, but so do many other veggie burgers. In fact, I found it to be similar to Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger in both flavor and texture. The Impossible Burger tasted juicy and a bit greasy, with a slightly crispy exterior and soft center. I ate mine topped with pickles, vegan cheese, lettuce and ketchup, and boy, did it hit the spot! Continue reading “The Impossible Burger: My 5-Minute Review” →

Recipe: Vegan Elote-Style Roasted Corn Salad

Hello everyone,

My partner and I traveled to Mexico last year, and ever since, he has been on a roasted corn kick. He has been grilling corn on the cob all summer long and recently made a fabulous Vegan Elote-Style Roasted Corn Salad.

What is elote? It is a popular street food found throughout Mexico and parts of Central America. Generally, the corn is served boiled or grilled in the husk, but it is customarily eaten while skewered on a stick. The husk can serve as the “handle.” While it is known as a street food, it is also served in many upper scale Mexican dining establishments as an appetizer. Elote can be served smothered in everything from butter to cheese, even mayo! Traditionally, the corn is then topped with chile powder and a healthy squeeze of lime juice.

We opted to create a hybrid spread utilizing vegan butter, mayo, as well as, lots of lime juice and chile powder! This vegan elote-style roasted corn salad is so satisfying! The flavors work well together, and opting to create a corn ‘salad’ eliminates all the problems of getting corn stuck in your teeth. I think this is going to become a quick favorite in my household! Why not give it a try?

Cheers and happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate and referral links. I may earn a commission or bonus if you click through to make a purchase. All opinions are my own. I only work with companies and brands I personally support.

Continue reading “Recipe: Vegan Elote-Style Roasted Corn Salad” →

Summer Party Ideas & Recipes

Hello everyone,

Are you busy preparing for the long holiday weekend? If you’re like me, that means three trips to the grocery store to pick up all the items you keep forgetting and hours in the kitchen obsessing over which side salad to make for your guests. Well I’ve got a helping of 4th of July Party Ideas & Recipes ready to go. And the one thing I know I don’t have to worry about is which faux meat to grill.

My hands down, favorite veggie dog is the LightLife Jumbo Smart Dog. This slightly larger dog actually fits the length of traditional hot dog buns, and it has the perfect texture + taste combo. Try it topped with a little mustard, ketchup, red onion and vegan cheese.

It’s so good and without the guilt—it’sonly 100 calories with 3.5g of fat and 4g carbs, plus it has 13g of protein! Even better, they are vegan and non-GMO. Healthy and hot dogs don’t exactly go together like pb&j, but this veggie dog seems to do the trick!

These veggie dogs are especially good if you lightly char them on the grill. And I do mean lightly. If you let them go too long, they’ll blacken and get a little “rubbery.” However, if you cook them just long enough, it makes for the perfect summer snack! If it’s a rainy day youcan also use a griddle. As you head to the store this weekend, remember to pick some of these up. Right now you can save $2.00 off any two LightLife products through Mambo Sprouts.

Okay. So now you know which veggie dog to cook. What else? Well for me, I’ll probably whip up a creamy, vegan old-fashioned coleslaw or maybe opt for an asian-inspired slaw. Of course, I have to make my signature macaroni salad, and maybe a summer bean salad, too. Plus, you can’t forget dessert! Perhaps I’ll go with vegan Rice Krispie Treats or maybe some melty, satisfying s’mores if the weather is just right for a fire.

Tell me, what are you planning for your holiday weekend?

Cheers!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Additionally, I received Light Life coupons for free products in return for my honest review. As always, all opinions are my own!

Recipe: Vegan Zucchini Roll Ups

Hello everyone,

If you know me, you know that I love pasta, but sometimes I want something a little lighter with drastically less carbs. Spiralized carrot or zucchini is certainly on trend, but for whatever reason I simply want my noodles to taste like noodles. I can’t help it! Not to worry – there are many other healthy pasta alternatives, and my new favorite is a hearty helping of vegan zucchini roll ups.

This recipe includes all the flavor you seek in an Italian dinner, but no heavy pasta. You simply use finely sliced zucchini, sort of like a lasagna strip. The dish also includes my new favorite nut cheese which uses a mixture of pepitas, tofu, and Daiya mozzerella. It’s so, so good, and it’s much better for you than traditional ricotta cheese. Aside from the rich flavor, the best part of this recipe is that it has a quick cook time, and the “rolling” is actually quite fun.

I think this would be the perfect dish to make with your loved ones help! Please give it a try and let me know what you think!

Cheers and happy cooking!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

Continue reading “Recipe: Vegan Zucchini Roll Ups” →