The Cupboard Chef

I love to cook and I love to eat.  And I do both of those things as healthfully as I can.  But all of that can be pricey, so I've been more conscientious about the products I buy. Also, I have lately been on this trip to clean out my cupboards.  I've been eating my way through all those things that manage to sink back on the shelves and just take up space.  This has been a little hard for me because I love to cook and I especially love to follow recipes.  But I've found a way to be creative about it.

Now, the last few weeks I've been eating my way through pasta and frozen veggies.  I was away for a few days this week, so I couldn't remember what I had left.  Luckily I have several things to get me through the next paycheck or so. 

Tonight for dinner I had something I've made before:

Chickpea Salad

Here's what you need, but you can make all kinds of alterations based on what you have and/or flavors you like:

- 1 regular sized can of chickpeas

- Lemon juice

- 2 ribs of celery

- Tomato

- Red onion

- Olive oil

- Mayo

- Parsley 

- Salt and Pepper

- Bread

- Arugala

Now, you are going to do some easy prep work.  Mash up the drained can of chick peas with a fork.  Chop up a 1/4th cup onion, celery, tomato, and a few table spoons of parsley.

Next you are going to mix in your wet stuff; lemon juice (I used a lot), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of low fat mayo, lots of salt and pepper.  Then I scrounged my spice rack and threw in some rosemary, crushed red pepper, and basil (just for fun). I tasted the whole way to make sure it didn't get gross.

Then jar it up (I've been saving old jars, cleaning and ripping labels off. I think it encourages me to eat what I put inside, it just looks pretty.  Tip: getting the labels off can be tricky, but if you rub some olive oil on a paper towel it helps.)

Now, let it chill for an hour or so and all the flavors will soak up.  In the meanwhile, toast up some bread and toss some arugula on top.  When your chickpea salad is nice and cold, scoop a good hunk on top.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top if you want.  Voi la!

Oh! One last plug!  The bread I used was this amazing lemon rosemary loaf I got when in Freeport, Maine last week from Flying Pig Bakery. I am going to have to come up with a few ways to eat it, though toasted with butter is doing just fine also :)