Grab Bag Friday: Chickpea Tomato Stew

Cool tomato photo by Darwin Bell.

Here's another yummy recipe from The Six O'Clock Scramble. I've been sending this around to all my siblings because it's easy, healthy, filling, and delicious!

Chickpea Tomato Stew

Serve over Israeli (large grain) couscous. (I've tried it on regular couscous and that's tasty, too.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped (I've also used yellow onions or green onions)
2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp curry powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp. ground cumin
15 oz. canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
15 oz. diced tomatoes, with their liquid (don't get the kind with the spices mixed in)
1 cup red pasta sauce or tomato sauce
1/4 cup fresh mint and/or oregano, or 3/4 tsp. dried oregano, or to taste (fresh mint is the best!)
1 cup nonfat or low fat sour cream or plain yogurt, for serving (optional)

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté them until they start to brown, 3-4 minutes. (If you are making couscous, start that now.)

Add the curry powder and cumin and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and pasta sauce (if using dried oregano rather than fresh, add it now, too) and simmer it for about 10 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the fresh mint and/or oregano.

Serve the stew over the couscous, topped with a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt, if desired. For a make-ahead option, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months before serving it.

Grab Bag Friday: Tilapia Topped with Warm Cherry Tomatoes

For those of you who are regular readers of Please Come Flying, you may remember that about a year ago, Kevin and I decide to try a meal-planning website called The Six O'Clock Scramble. Well, we're still at it, and I officially give The Scramble a two thumbs up. For three reasons:

1. I don't have to plan out our meals (which for reasons good or bad, I can't stand doing)
2. Our grocery list is made for us (and when we stick to the list, we spend less at the store)
3. We are constantly trying new, delicious meals (there are only a *small* handful of Scramble meals we haven't liked)
4. Every single recipe has been so easy, that even I cannot mess it up (ok, that's four)
   

There have been weeks when we haven't used it, but even still, it's been well worth the $1 per week.

And every once in a while, there are dishes that are so easy and delicious I have to share them with everyone I know. Here's one that I can't stop raving about. So simple, so *quick*, so delicious! (I used regular black olives because Kevin's not a fan of the kalamata.) And the cucumber salad on the side just *makes* the meal.

Tilapia Topped with Warm Cherry Tomatoes

This dish takes about 10 minutes start to finish, but you would never know it from the beautiful presentation and delicious flavor. Tilapia is a great fish to use for weeknights, because it is inexpensive, earth friendly, and cooks quickly. Our kids also like its mild taste. Serve it with a loaf of whole grain bread and a Cucumber Salad.

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1 1/2 lbs. tilapia fillets (or use flounder, cod, or other thin white fish fillets)
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1/4 lemon, juice only, about 1 Tbsp.
• 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper, to taste (optional)

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fish and season it with salt and pepper. Sauté the tilapia, turning it once, until it turns white throughout and flakes easily, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a dish or platter.

In the same skillet (without cleaning it) sauté the tomatoes, parsley, and olives for several minutes until the tomatoes are softened. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the fish, top it with the Parmesan cheese (optional), and serve it immediately.

Tip:

For picky eaters, serve the fish plain with sauce on the side or on just one bite of the fish.

SERVE WITH CUCUMBER SALAD WITH HONEY AND FETA

To make the salad, toss two peeled, chopped, and seeded cucumbers with 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, 10 chopped fresh mint leaves, and 1 tsp. honey. Serve immediately or chill for up to one hour until ready to serve.

Grab Bag Friday: The Six O'Clock Scramble

I've always said that if I won the lottery, the one thing I might splurge on would be a private chef. I can't stand to plan meals. I'm not a great cook (though I can *bake* like nobody's business!) and Kevin and I only have a few standard meals:

• Burritos
• Tacos
• Chicken Soba Noodles
• Soup
  
• And our tried and true fallback--popcorn and smoothies.

Coming up with a unique meal plan for the week and figuring out what ingredients we would need is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

So recently, we've been trying out The Six O'Clock Scramble. It's an online program that plans out your meals for the week and spits out a grocery list to match. We tested a couple similar programs first, but settled on The Scramble because the meals were both tastier and healthier.

Here's the deal:

You pay $1 a week. You have to pay upfront for a year, but if you don't like it within 30 days you can get your money back.

You can choose how many meals you need for a week, and this takes a little experimenting. We've found that for 2 of us, taking leftovers into account, 3 or 4 meals gets us through a whole week.

You can swap out meals you don't like. Kevin hates fish, so anytime there's a seafood meal, we choose "Custom Menu" and search through the database to pick something else.

So far so good. I love not having to think about what I'm going to make for dinner tonight. The grocery list isn't perfect (it may list things twice if you need it in 2 recipies, so you just have to be vigilant), but it still saves a ton of time. We've had a couple meals we weren't crazy about, but overwhelmingly, they've been delicious. And they've added a *huge* amount of variety to our diet.

Here are just a few of the hits we've had in the last month:

• Southwestern Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing
• Barbeque Meatloaf
• Polenta Mozzarella Melt with Roasted Red Peppers
• Peanut Beef Skewers
• Fried Rice with Tofu and Snap Peas
• Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad with Salami)

I can't believe I actually made these things. And seriously. They were easy.

So I'd say The Scramble is worth a shot. I'm certainly enjoying dinnertime a whole lot more. :)