What's a hungry girl to do when she's on her own for dinner, doesn't want to pick up carry-out, and doesn't want to cook? Why, make her usual stand-by, Chickpea Teryaki Stir-Fry, of course!
Except that when I went to get my frozen stir-fry veggies out of the freezer, I realized that I didn't have any. Oops. And the last thing I wanted to do was go to Kroger to get some. I'd already been to that nuthouse once that day.
Okay, Plan B. In the produce drawer I found a slightly shriveled (but still good) red bell pepper and 2 squash from the Farmer's Market last week. On the counter we had some gorgeous red ripe tomatoes. In the drawer we had a can of - you guessed it - chickpeas. Would it require more work than the frozen veggie stir-fry? A bit. Could I still whip up a delicious dinner in less than 30 minutes? Easily.
It ended up being a really nice change anyway. It was definitely more light and fresh than the stir-fry. This made a really large bowl of veggies so it could easily serve 2 people, especially if you want to add some pasta or a grain. I'm calling it "Dinner for One," however, because I ate it all myself. The whole entire bowl. I was pretty full when I was done but since it was just veggies I wasn't weighed down and thus didn't stay full for too long.
Steamed Squash Italiano
(printable recipe)
Ingredients:
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch half moons
1 yellow squash, sliced into 1/2-inch half moons
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1/4 cup vegetable broth or white wine
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Balsamic vinegar (splash or two)
Italian seasoning, to taste
Nutritional yeast, to taste
Directions:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the squash, pepper, and broth or wine. Stir and cover with a lid. Steam for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times, until vegetables are tender.
2. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and some of the liquid cooks off.
3. Scoop into a large bowl and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.
Makes 1 large serving.
those unplanned gourmet moments are always the best, especially if they include chick peas.
ReplyDeleteAnd with me, they almost always include chickpeas! :)
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