Yesterday was a stellar day to make snacks, then eat said snacks for dinner.
Don't eat all of these snacks for dinner...an hour later, you'll be asking, "what's for dinner?!". Not exactly a balanced meal...whoops. Truth be told, I meant to grill chicken, too. Somehow I completely forgot to prepare it in my naan-making happiness.
Chickpeas! I always have a few cans of garbanzos on hand. They're versatile, and it's way cheaper to make your own hummus than to buy tubs at the store. We aren't whizzing chickpeas up today, though, we're pan-frying them!
You'll want to heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Throw in a smashed garlic clove, you'll remove it when the beans are done. Drain, rinse and dry a can of chickpeas. Add chickpeas and let them hang out for 5-10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. When they start to get brown spots, it's time to add spices. I chose the following:
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 heaping tsp. Cajun seasoning (I use Spice Hunter brand, it's salt-free and the best around!)
Salt and pepper to taste
I let the spices cook in for about 2 minutes, then finished them off with the juice from half a lemon.
The sky is the limit with spices...get crazy! I read a few recipes that also suggested tossing the chickpeas around in a bit of flour before adding them to the pan. This would help them get more crispy bits, so I might try it next time I make them.
Tzatziki! Everyone's favorite Greek treat. This is a super quick version, so it's on the thin side, which I don't mind if I'm spooning it onto a sandwich.
1 cup Greek yogurt (whichever fat-content floats your boat)
Approximately 1/4 cup minced cucumber (2 inch chunk, I cut off some of the skin)
1 clove garlic, super finely minced or crushed (I scrape my knife against the board to make a paste)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
To make it thicker, you just need to strain the yogurt and cucumber. Easy, I just didn't have a few hours for the yogurt to sit in the fridge and expel it's excess liquids.
Next up, we have naan. Delicious Indian bread. So surprisingly easy to make, too. Here's the recipe I used for the dough...
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups A.P. flour (You may need more or less)
Add warm water and yeast to a large bowl, let sit a few minutes until frothy. Stir in rest of ingredients, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead dough with floured hands for about 5 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a towel, let rise in a warm area until doubled.
Now, there's a few different ways to cook the naan. I have an electric griddle, so I used that heated to 400 degrees. There's also using a pizza stone in a very hot oven, or making them on a grill. Griddle seemed easiest, no opening and closing a 500 degree oven every few minutes. They cook quickly, and there is some smoke, so be sure to open a window or three.
Tear off portions of the dough and roll them with a rolling pin so they're quite thin. I'd suggest shooting for 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick. It doesn't have to be an exact shape, or perfectly even.
Spray the griddle down with cooking spray (or brush with butter or oil...or if you're doing this on a stone/grill, brush the dough down) and slap a naan on!
It's kind of like making pancakes. The edges raise a bit when it's ready to be flipped. Take a peek and make sure it looks grilled and toasty, then...flip!
They cook quickly, maybe 3-4 minutes total for each bread. Keep them warm in a basket/dish lined with a towel. I had melted butter to brush them with before eating. The rest, I'm freezing. The recipe made about 12 naan, I may have gotten more if I tried to make them a more uniform size.
Meanwhile, I had roasted some sweet potatoes...
And made some veggie kebabs, seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano.
Look at those peppers! Would you just look at them! So tiny. I saved the seeds, so I can grow my own tiny peppers.
Mmm. Tasty snacks. I'd highly recommend putting some veggies in a warm naan, and topping with tzatziki. I couldn't take any pictures of that...because I was busy chowing.
Until next time!
Cait
