WIA[and Made for My Sister]

I love my themed WIAW posts.  I don’t know if they’re fun for y’all to read, but they’re really fun for me to write.  Wednesdays are just great in general!  Thanks, Jenn, for always making my favorite day even more awesome! 

So on Sunday, I promised I would share some of the good eats I made for my sister.  Well, today is the day!  Let’s begin…

These little brown muffins (and yes, they are muffins) are Chocolate-Zucchini muffins.  They are the same ones I found on Katie’s blog a while ago and decided to send to my sister as part of a care package.  Now, if you aren’t sure about using zucchini in sweet muffins, trust me. Aekta was asking me when I was going to make these from the moment she got off the plane (if not before).  They are super healthy and delicious…you CAN’T taste the zucchini at all.  Promise!

So, I’m proud to say that I can now officially claim that I am a member of Mama Pea’s Mmmm Sauce fan club!  This stuff is seriously the bomb!  This was my first time using nutritional yeast, and I almost didn’t make this, but I decided to go for it.  So glad I did!  This sauce goes with everything…even Indian food.  Just wait until the end of the post…

As a small side note, the only two things I changed in my almost exact copy of Mama Pea’s version of the sauce was to use chili powder in place of curry powder and to use dry basil in place of the dry cilantro. 

Now these are no ordinary chickpeas!  These are my very own roasted chickpeas.  I wanted my sister to have something nutritious to snack on on her way back to school.  Seriously, y’all, if you’re looking for a quick, healthy snack that travels well, this is it. 

All you have to do is…

Preheat your oven to about 425 degrees.  Rinse and dry a can of chickpeas and try to get as much of the skin off as possible.  Toss the chickpeas in a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, a few dashes of garlic salt, a few dashes of garlic powder, and a few dashes of paprika.  Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet in one even layer.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes.  THAT’S IT!  Easy as pie!

Try it out and let me know if you do.

This is probably not the last time you’ll hear this from me, but I REALLY wish Indian food photographed better!  This, my friends, is a really simple dish made with black eyed peas, onions, diced tomatoes, and spices.  It’s actually really cool because once you master the sauce, you can add whatever beans you want in here. 

A Simple Indian Onion and Tomato Gravy

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small pinch asafoetida
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, pureed to a pulp
1 can of diced tomatoes, slightly pureed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder*
2 teaspoons ground cumin and coriander powder*
1 teaspoon salt*

*or to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat.  Add cumin seeds and asafoetida.  Allow the seeds to brown a little (few minutes) and then add the garlic.  Let the garlic heat up and cook in the oil.  You know you’re ready to move on when it starts to turn light brown.  Then add the onion and mix well.  Allow the mixture to cook over medium heat for a good 5-7 minutes.  Make sure to mix it around frequently.  Next, add the pureed canned tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder, cumin and coriander powder, and salt.  Turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer away for 15-20 minutes.  Before you are ready to serve, add in the beans and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

This particular gravy is awesome with quinoa…and a little Mmmm sauce!

If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself!

Well, there you have it.  Some of my favorite eats of the week (all made on Sunday…after my half marathon if you can believe it)!

I hope y’all have a great night!

What’s the best thing you ate this week?  Have you tried Mama Pea’s Mmmm sauce!?