Chickpea & Wannabe-Chicken

Hello and thank Faramir it is Friday!

This has been such a good week, and I hope it has by your end as well, been up to much? I just finished one out of three weeks of training, and passed that little test that we get, so - yarr! Right, let's move on to some much shall we?

Original recipe was topped with a piece of pan-fried trout, BUT I decided to top it off with a couple of Quorn fillets instead, and it was still a treat!

My chickpea craze continues and this time, we make a lovely tomatoey mash with it, I mean...why not, right?

Chickpea & Wannabe-Chicken
(Serves 1-2)

2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp (smoked) paprika
1/2 green chilli, finely chopped (or 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder)
225g chopped tomatoes OR 3 tbsp tomato purêe and a cup of water
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 Quorn "chicken-style" fillets, or trout
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/4 or 1/2 of a lemon, plus wedges to serve
Coriander leaves to garnish

- Heat oil in pan and soften the onion and garlic for about five minutes, before adding the spices, and some dried coriander - if you've got some.

- Now, add the tomatoes and chickpeas along with a splash of water and simmer over low heat to allow for the flavours to come together. I added my quorn fillets here to allow for them to defrost in the same process - saves time and effort, score!

- If you did the same sneaky step as I did, take out the fillets and put them aside. If you are preparing this dish with trout, you can pan-fry it with a little salt, pepper and oil for a few minutes on each side until cooked through.

- Mash the chickpea mixture, and add a little extra water if it is a bit too dry. Squeeze in lemon juice to your liking (I used 1/2 lemon) and season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

- Now, it is time to serve it up! Divide the mash between two plates, top with protein of choice, garnish with fresh coriander, and serve with some lemon or lime wedges on the side, et voilâ! Dinner is served, and it features chickpeas, yarr!

PS. Should you be one person only, and have made up a double portion - I can tell you that the chickpea mash tasted pretty darn sweet in a bun too! That was how I had it the second time around with leftovers.

Aaaand on Wednesday it happened... I finally got to see Dylan Moran -and I had no. flippin'. clue! My friend Anna had booked me for the Wednesday, telling me she had a surprise, and she got me all side-tracked: Asking if I liked dancing, telling me that we had to go by the Taco Mazama inside the trainstation and not outside it as we were going to take the train and go on an adventure! Little did I know, that she only meant two stops on the train, and down to the stage that is most famously known as the Armadillo....

This is what she handed me a little away from the venue...

Many a little happy dance was danced (so technically...she was right in mentioning dancing, it was somewhat relevant!). The show was fantastic, and I feel a little overwhelmed still, being a maaaassive Black Books and Mr. Moran fan. He also touched on the subject of vegetarianism, and so that is why I decided on this little number today. I am getting used to the vegetarian diet as well, so far it has been no problem (apart from having to stay away from marshmallows). But yeh, Dylan Moran's "Off the Hook" was amazing *speechless*.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! I myself have planned to just take it easy, go to a friend's get-together tomorrow, and chill out. I had my first session back in the gym after over half a year today after work, and it felt amazing to actually have the energy to do it!

What have you got up your sleeve for the coming days?


Original course:
Good Mood Food, p. 85

- Jules