Chickpeas and olives and feta, oh my!

[bluesilverkdg]

I wanted to share a super easy, yet yummy recipe that I've been making a lot lately. I got the idea from nonspecific and...I don't know where she got it.

The ingredients are canned tomatoes, chickpeas, olives (I like Kalamata, but whatever), lemon juice (real lemon juice, not that crap in a plastic lemon), feta cheese, olive oil and spices.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add whatever spices you like to it. I enjoy toasting spices to release the flavors and oils, and black ground pepper takes on a whole new dimension when it's been heated. I usually add some garlic powder, oregano, thyme...just whatever I feel like throwing in.

When the spices are combined and heated, add some fresh lemon juice, however much you like. I prefer it tangy, so I tend to use a good bit. Let that get sizzly, then throw in the chickpeas (drained and rinsed) and olives (drained.) I like to mix them all around in the olive oil/lemon juice/spice mixture until all the flavors mesh and the chickpeas start to soften a bit. Add the tomatoes last and stir well. Right before serving, put in some crumbles of feta cheese. It will melt a little, but still holds up very well in the heat.



That gives you this:

Nom nom nom. If I'm feeling saucy, I'll put it over some couscous or brown rice, but honestly, I like to just eat it like this. It's a vegetarian dish, obviously, but if you just HAD to put some dead animal in there, you probably could. But I mean, honestly...why would you want to?

All righty...I'm off to eat my concoction now. It smells SO GOOD.

(Oh..angline, you can see my potholder to the righthand side. It's the same style as the cute towel you sent me as a housewarming gift!)

Comments

[leicester-lad.livejournal.com]

Off-topic, but I love your icon pic

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Dan. :-)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

This is just the ticket then. And it's lowfat and super healthy, too!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Let me know what you think, if you try it! I love the tanginess of it, with the lemon juice, feta and olives. Also, because the olives are so salty, I don't add any additional salt after I drain and rinse the beans. Actually..I rinse the beans off in a strainer, then pour the olives over them. That's twofold: I'm draining the olives, but also sort of infusing some of their flavor into the beans. I do put some black pepper and garlic powder on them while they're in the strainer, which seems to add some extra flavor.

I hope you like!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I think that may be two recipes..

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

But for the tomatoes it sounds yummy.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

You know what you are? You are an anti-tomatite!

[headbanger118.livejournal.com]

Nay, nay! We need tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and salsa con queso. I view tomatoes like I do sodium and chloride. Apart they are bad and poisonous, but mixed together, they are salt! Thus endeth my theory on tomatoes.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

You forgot ketchup!

I still say you discriminate.

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

It was inspired by your couscous stuff. :P

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Sooo, basically I unknowingly inspired my own takeoff of your version of my recipe.

That's pretty deep.

[nonspecific.livejournal.com]

Ha! That icon was so perfect for that!

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

UMMMMM< YUMMY! that looks and sounds SO GOOD.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

You should try it! It's become one of my favorite meals when I'm in a hurry or just don't feel like cooking a lot, but still want something filling, good and nutritious.