04 April

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April 21, 2021

Chtit’ha Djedj

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Chtit’ha Djedj

(Algerian Chicken with Chickpeas)

April 21: National Chickpeas Day

Islander’s brother, Kahuna, loves chickpeas and requests that his sister cooks something with it when he is able to visit and stay with us. This Algerian chicken stew with chickpeas is an easy and hearty recipe that he enjoys as a home-cooked meal.

We also treat him to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern meals, which feature his favorite garbanzo beans as ingredients in this cultural cuisine, at nearby restaurants in our Texas town. Some offer tasty stews with chickpeas on their menus.

As we are unable to see each other due the coronavirus, he cooks this chicken and chickpea stew for his religious community of brothers. Kahuna also serves a side salad with—no surprise—extra chickpeas!

We are sure he is enjoying National Chickpeas Day—whatever he is eating with garbanzo beans—and we hope our readers do, too, when they cook Algerian chicken stew with chickpeas.

Recipe

(Adapted from Handful of Joy)

Ingredients

  • Oil for frying
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 5 chicken legs
  • ½ – 1 teaspoon harissa spice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions

In a large pot, saute the onions in oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add the chicken legs and brown the skin. Sprinkle harissa spice.

Add the tomato paste, crushed garlic and drained chickpeas.

Add the chopped chicken breast. Pour enough water to cover everything (less if thicker gravy, more if soupy). Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 35-45 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with couscous or rice.

Notes

  • Ground harissa is a mildly spiced mix, not the chili paste. We used McCormick’s brand found at our local grocery store. Middle Eastern stores also carry different brands with mild and hot options.

  • Search our blog for other recipes containing chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

 

April 22, 2020

Earth Day Cookies

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Earth Day Cookies

April 22: Earth Day

Long before Hawaii was the first to ban plastic bags in America, Islander had won a design contest for a non-profit organization in her home state that wanted to give away free reusable grocery store bags. We have collected other freebie bags at festivals and events and bought some fancy ones at other stores (Islander admires fellow designer’s artwork on those bags). We always use them when we go shopping as we feel it is just one little but significant way to protect the environment. The few plastic bags that we do get from the stores are returned to their designated recycling bins.  [Learn more about the effects of plastic bags on the environment from the Health Guidance website.]

If the kanaka (Hawaiian people) revere the ‘aina (land) and it is just a small island chain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, imagine if everyone could have the same love towards the whole world. We know we could do more than just reuse our grocery bags and recycle items. But if everyone could start becoming more aware of protecting our environment then we are taking important steps to save our planet. With this premise, the movement for Earth Day was created.

Earth Day is celebrating its 50thyear as an international “holiday” in 2020 and we made cute cookies for the milestone occasion. They are easy to make but we added the tiny fondant heart to make a bold statement on this global goodie.

Enjoy these cookies on April 22 but celebrate everyday Earth Day!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup sugar, granulated white
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 ¼ cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • blue and green food coloring
  • red fondant

Directions

In a covered measuring cup, melt the butter in the microwave. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix the dry ingredient with the wet ingredients until a dough comes together. Divide the dough in 1/3 and 2/3 portions.

Color the larger dough portion with blue food coloring. Color the smaller dough portion with green food coloring. Pinch out a 1-inch ball from the blue dough. Pinch out little pieces from the green dough and randomly stick to the blue dough. Roll gently into a ball.

Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, being careful not to overbrown the cookies. Remove from the oven, cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, roll a small piece of red fondant on a clean, lightly floured surface to 1/16-inch thickness. Use a heart cutter/plunger to cut shapes. Brush the back of the mini fondant hearts with a dab of water. Position the hearts on the cookies. Serve on a tray. Store leftover cookies in a covered container.

Notes

  • We halved the recipe above just for the two of us.
  • Refrigerate the dough balls for 15 minutes before baking (optional).
  • If possible, wash the reusable grocery bags often to keep them clean and the food items safe from bacteria.
  • Learn more about the history of Earth Day from the History website. 
 

April 19, 2020

Garlic Garbanzo Soup

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Garlic Garbanzo Soup

April 19: National Garlic Day

At the time of this post, the world is still battling the COVID19 pandemic. During self-isolation at home, even though we still had work projects to do, we had a little extra time to cook more and catch up on our blogging. With limited ingredients at the stores (sometimes we could not find chicken or bananas!), we had to make do with what we had in our pantry. We came across a simple soup recipe that was healthy—garlic garbanzo soup. Especially during the coronavirus crisis and flu and allergy season, this soup features immune-boosting properties from the garlic and garbanzo. Garlic also is the main flavoring in this soup; it may be strong but it softens and becomes less bitter when cooked longer. Make this tasty garlic garbanzo soup while the world tries to overcome the coronavirus. It is especially appropriate to eat it, too, during National Garlic Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Houston Chronicle)

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup garbanzo beans (chick peas), dry
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (we reduced it to 2 ½ tablespoons)
  • 20 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 celery stick, chopped
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt (we reduced it to ¾ teaspoon)

Directions

In a bowl, place the garbanzo and cover with water. Soak for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator (they should double in size). Remove from the refrigerator, drain and rinse.

In a large pot, bring 4 cups of new water to a boil and add the garbanzo. Cover the pot and simmer until soft (anywhere from an hour to 2 hours). Add more water, a cup at a time, if the liquid has lessened. In a frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the garlic cloves until golden brown. Lower the heat and add the cumin seeds and chili.

Add the celery and cook for about a minute before putting into the soup pot. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fenugreek and bring to a boil. Season with salt. Check the water levels and add more if necessary. Lower the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes until the garlic is softened. Turn off the heat and let the soup rest for another 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot.

Notes

  • Learn more about the health benefits of garlic from Healthline.

 

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