February 2, 2010

I'm a bit behind on my postings - not on my cooking, just my posting. I had an accident a few weeks ago, and I've got a badly sprained ankle. So I spent last Tuesday in Seattle, off my feet, which invariably meant out of the kitchen (though I did spend a few hours experimenting with homemade pasta, which WILL make its way into another entry!).

Now, since my ankle is still not back to its former self, and since I now lack the ability to keep up with my exercise regime (though I am tempted to look into "Sit and Be Fit" programs...), I thought it was a good time to bust out another meal to satisfy the healthy and simple categories. When I think "healthy" and "simple", I tend to jump to Meditteranean. But rather than go with one of my staples - whole wheat pasta with tomato, fresh basil, and balsalmic vineagar - I decided to go a tad more adventurous, and make something that a bit Greek-inspired. I am learning to like Greek food; I disliked it greatly for many years because lots of cheap Greek inevitably combines tzaziki, tomatoes, olives, and, for some ungodly reason, sprouts! Not that those foods are bad, I just don't care for them in abundance. And for a long time, tomatoes and tzaziki were too acidic for my stomach. But I have recently discovered falafel and moussaka, whose fabulousness made me more accepting of the Hellenic cuisine in general.

However, moussaka falls under neither "healthy" nor "simple" headings, and I want to save falafel for when I can make my own completely from scratch (certainly not a simple task!). Lamb also screams Greek, but runs up against the same problems. So I scanned my recipe sources and found a few recipes. The first I stumbled upon was this Chickpea and Leek by seven spoons. Though not traditionally Greek, I thought the combination of lemon and rosemary would have the same acidity and herbiness I find most Greek has. Then I found this Quinoa and Avocado Salad that I thought would pair lovely with the first dish. Top it off with some basic Chicken Kabobs (a recipe which calls for marinating, which I modified in the name of quickness), and you've got a quick and easy meal!

All in all, very very delicious. The salad was outstanding - creamy, but with that lovely quinoa texture. The chickpeas were also great (a good option for vegetarians, since they pack a healthful punch), though I do not recommend using dried chickpeas, since mine never fully softened to my liking. But the rosemary lemon flavour was scrumptious. And the simplicity of the chicken was grounding, the right kind of savoury to let the other dishes sing.