recipe review: curried chickpea cucumber wrap

With temperatures heating up, I excited to try this wrap from this blog. Another that I frequent in search of new recipes to try.

Kathy calls it the Sweet, Spicy, Curry Chickpea Cool Cucumber Wrap - a mouthful, but a delicious one. :) You can see the original recipe and pictures here.

Find my other recipe reviews here.

For the most part, I kept to the recipe with only a few modifications: I eliminated the coconut oil and raisins, kept the turmeric to 1 tsp, added an extra garlic clove, replaced the coconut sugar with date paste and reduced the pepper to a few dashes and did not add the apple cider vinegar to the cucumber salad. I also added lettuce to the wrap because I felt it needed it. The first time I tried it, I forgot the cashews. I think it tastes better with them in, but if you need to leave them out for dietary reasons, the wrap still is tasty.

Here's the recipe slightly re-wrapped:

Curried Chickpea Cucumber Wrap (recipe notes follow)
dairy free, fruit sweetened, nut free option, oil free, peanut free, soy free, sugar free, vegan

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
few dashes pepper
1 Tbsp date paste
15-17oz. chickpeas, cooked
2 extra large or 3 medium-large wraps
1-2 lettuce leaves per wrap
1/4 cup raw cashews (optional)

Cucumber Salad:
1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple, chopped or sliced in rounds
2 tsp tahini
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of black pepper

Saute the onion and garlic in a little water until softened, then add in the lemon juice, spices, and date paste. Stir to combine and break down the date paste and then add in the chickpeas. Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber salad and lettuce. To assemble the wraps, add the lettuce to the wrap first, then add the cucumber salad and chickpea mixture and sprinkle on the cashews. Roll up and enjoy.

Recipe notes: I might try this with a little coconut oil (as the recipe originally called for) next time I make it for the added flavor dimension and moisture. Either than or use unsweetened shredded coconut plus a little extra water. I think a sweetener of some sort is necessary for the recipe because it compliments the curry and I went with date paste to keep this sugar free. I also would try slicing the apples into rounds to mirror the shape of the cucumber. While the chickpea mixture can be stored in the fridge for a few days, I think the cucumber salad tastes best fresh so make only enough for your wraps or use it all.

favorite asian inspired salad

 

Ever since I discovered the Thai-style peanut dressing and then modified it to this, I've been pouring it over a salad of sturdy veggies from the brassica family.

At it's most basic (and when I'm in a hurry and running low on ingredients), I tear up kale, dice rutabaga, toss it all in a bowl and garnish it with the thai dressing and sunflower seeds. If I have cabbage, cauliflower and leftover pasta (I use Trader Joe's brown rice fusili pasta) and sweet potato fries in they go too. Carrots occasionally will also make an appearance.

Since this salad has been a hit with many people and it's one I rarely go a week without preparing, I had to share. Feel free to adjust to your won favorite combo of veggies, though I'm not sure lettuce and it's cousins would work too well, though romaine might hold up okay.

In the recipe picture, the combination features kale, cabbage, carrots, a bit of onion, brown rice fusili and sunflower seeds along with the dressing. The recipe reflects how I would prepare it for guests and I've added other suggestions for mix-ins or mixing it up.

Asian Inspired Salad (recipe notes follow)
candida diet friendly*, dairy free gluten free, oil free, paleo friendly*, peanut free, refined sugar soy free, sugar free, vegan

kale, destemmed, roughly chopped
red or green cabbage, roughly sliced or shredded
carrots,*peeled into strips or shredded
green onions, finely sliced
sunflower seeds

Additional mix-in/combination options:
cauliflower, roughly chopped
sweet potato fries*, diced
rutabaga, diced
raw brussel sprouts, finely sliced or shredded
brown rice pasta*
red pepper, finely sliced

Prepare all veggies and mix together in a large bowl. Prepare the dressing (recipe here). If making for guests, prepare the basic recipe and provide additional mix-ins for each guest to customize their own salad.

recipe notes: omit these options for the strict portion of the candida diet and/or for a paleo-friendly salad

raw & roasted salad

Last night we had this for dinner:

Yum!

A perfect combination of summer and winter in one bowl. Inspired by the "Rip's Roasted Salad" recipe from the Engine 2 Diet book.

And the best part for a mom of four children who maddeningly do not like the exact same things to eat? Completely customizable to your family's tastes and favorite veggies.

The second (and third) best parts? Super easy to prepare and lends itself to leftovers.

Check, check and check.

The recipe below is for the salad I created last night. Additional ideas for raw and roasted ingredients can be found in the recipe footnotes box.

Raw & Roasted Salad. Serves 6. Here we go:

raw ingredients:
romaine lettuce
kale
mandarin or naval oranges
small red pepper, diced

roasted ingredients:
2-3 sweet potatoes for sweet potato fries
1 head of cauliflower
2 stalks of broccoli
1-2 handfuls of frozen green beans
1-2 onions, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup of frozen corn

Roasting instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel 1-2 sweet potatoes (or more if you want leftovers). Cut into classic fry shape. Spread over parchment paper and sprinkle with cinnamon and chili powder. Cook for 1 hour flipping the fries at least once to ensure even cooking. If desired, cook a little longer to achieve a thicker skin on the outside of the fries.

3. (optional for the cauliflower): Dilute 2-3 tablespoons in approximately 1/4 c almond milk. Season to taste with garlic powder. I didn't measure the ingredients as I was doing this - sometimes I like to live on the wild side when I'm cooking. ;) Toss cauliflower to coat in the mixture.

4. In the last 15 minutes of cooking the sweet potatoes, put the cauliflower, broccoli and onions in the oven until the cauliflower and broccoli are fork tender and the onion begins to caramelize.

5. 10 minutes before the other veggies are roasted, pop in the green beans and corn to defrost.

6. Cool roasted veggies slightly so they don't wilt the lettuce then toss together with the greens and add your favorite salad dressing (see recipe footnotes).

Recipe Footnotes

Suggested dressing: Orange Hummus Dressing (also from the Engine 2 book)
I really liked this sugar- and oil-free dressing - the ginger pairs well with the warm veggie flavors.
3T hummus
2T balsamic vinegar
3T fresh orange juice
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp fresh, minced ginger

Mix all ingredients well. Makes enough for two large salads.


other raw ingredient options:
your favorite raw greens
mango
shredded carrot
sunflower seeds (raw)

other roasted ingredient options:
potatoes
diced butternut squash
carrots
eggplant
mushrooms