Sriracha, Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chickpeas

**My daughter found this delicious recipe (on mom.me website) and we made it because she wanted a healthy snack! I love having kids that like to look up recipes and try new things!  We doubled this recipe and next time will triple it.  It is a good snack to take to a movie, on a trip, or just for a daily snack.  Enjoy!

Sriracha, Cilantro and Lime Roasted Chickpeas

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans) (I use organic beans)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce* (We used extra because we like spicy!)

1 teaspoon lime juice (1 lime)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped (We love cilantro so we used half a bunch)

1 teaspoon grated lime zest (1 lime)

*Sriracha Sauce is a Thai pepper sauce available at most grocery stores. Look for the bottle with a rooster on it.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain chickpeas. With a paper towel, pat dry the chickpeas. Not to worry if some of the skins come off. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, Sriracha sauce, lime juice and sea salt. Add chickpeas to the sauce and toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the chickpeas evenly on the pan. Place in the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crunchy. Add cilantro and lime zest to the roasted chickpeas and toss to coat. Allow to cool and serve. Best eaten warm … and with a beer. (We had to cook them for about 50 minutes.  Then we turned the broiler on and finished them in the broiler to make them crunchy…about an extra 5-10 min.  Do not store in a sealed container or they get soft.  Cook them until they are crunchy)

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pumpkin Seeds

From: Whole Foods online recipe box

**I LOVE brussels sprouts but my family..not so much!  These were a hit with everyone except my teenage son.  I think he didn't even give them a chance.  They are delicious!

Ingredients:
2 pounds brussels sprouts (The bag at Costco is 2 pounds)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup raw green pumpkin seeds (I buy these at Trader Joe's)

Directions;
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and cut the brussels sprouts in half or quarters.  Put in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast, stirring once, until sprouts are browned and just tender when pierced at the base with a paring knife, about 25 minutes.  After roasting, place back in bowl and drizzle with maple syrup.  Toss the pumpkin seeds in and stir until sprouts are lightly coated with syrup and seeds.  Serve immediately.

Serves 5-6

Quinoa breakfast bowl

From: Ohsheglows blog
Breakfast is always challenging for me because it's hard to get enough protein when you don't eat eggs.  I love this dish and make it one day and have leftovers for the following day or two!  It is very easy.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
1 can light coconut milk (14ounce) from Trader Joe's  (If you use another brand use regular coconut milk…some light milks aren't very good)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
dried cranberries
nuts (pecans or walnuts)
hemp seed/chia seed
**You can buy all these ingredients at Trader Joe's!

Directions:
Rinse quinoa and place in sauce pan with can of light coconut milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Cook covered for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.  Stir.  Place desired amount in bowl and top with nuts, dried cranberries, hemp seed, and chia seed.  I add extra almond milk to taste.  Put left over quinoa in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  Reheat leftovers in microwave and top with ingredients.  Enjoy!

Cherry tomato marinara with Spinach

I made the name of this dish up because my friend gave me the basic recipe and I've just made it using my own measurements.  It's a little bit of this and a little bit of that…measurements are not exact but you can't mess it up!  It's a favorite with my kids as well and it is fabulous!!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:  (I don't measure so these are approximate measurements for my family of five…reduce the amounts for less people)

1/4 cup olive oil
Lots of fresh garlic minced (I used at least 10-12 large cloves…I love garlic!)
4-5 pints cherry tomatoes (I buy the large container of grape tomatoes at Costco because they are less expensive.  I use two of the large containers)
Lots of spinach (I buy the large container of organic spinach from Costco and use at least half of the container)
fresh basil
pasta noodle of choice (I used farfalle)
salt and pepper to taste (I did 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper)

Directions:
Saute the fresh minced garlic in the olive oil for 3-5 minutes.  While the garlic is cooking, make the noodles according to the directions.  Then add the cherry tomatoes to the garlic mixture.  Keep the heat on medium  and cook the tomatoes until they get shriveled and wrinkly.  Then mash them up with a potato masher until it makes a chunky marinara sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Then add spinach and simmer until the spinach is wilted.  Serve over noodle of choice and add fresh chopped basil on top.  Soooo delicious!!

Serves: 5