"Meatless Monday" Recipe of the Week - Mediterranean Chickpeas

This week's "Meatless Monday" Recipe of the Week is Mediterranean Chickpeas. Red Pepper Flakes heats this dish up! It's from one of my favorite Cooking Recipe sites, CooksRecipes. The Cooks site is packed with recipes for all tastes or cuisines. Enjoy and Eat Healthy in 2017! http://www.cooksrecipes.com/index.html

Mediterranean Chickpeas

Spicy hot Mediterranean-style chickpeas with chopped spinach, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano and fresh lemon juice.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1 (10-ounce) package of frozen spinach, chopped and defrosted
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1 - In a large saucepan, over a medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are tender.
2 - Add the chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes, pepper flakes, and oregano. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings.

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/mless/mediterranean-chickpeas-recipe.html

Condiment of the Week - Chimichurri

Chimichurri (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃimiˈtʃuri]) or chimmichurri is a green sauce used for grilled

Chimichurri

meat, originally from the Rio de la Plata, Argentina. It is made of finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white vinegar. In Uruguay, the dominant flavoring is parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano.








The origin of the name of the sauce is unclear. There are various stories explaining the name as a corruption of English words, most commonly the name 'Jimmy Curry' or 'Jimmy McCurry'. But there is no contemporary documentation of any of these stories.

Another theory for the name of the sauce comes from the Basque settlers that arrived in Argentina as early as the 19th century. According to this theory, the name of the sauce comes from the Basque term tximitxurri, loosely translated as "a mixture of several things in no particular order".




Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, Red Chili Flakes, and white or red wine vinegar. Additional flavorings such as paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, basil, cilantro (coriander leaf) and bay leaf may be included. In its red version, tomato and red bell pepper may also be added. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat. Chimichurri is available bottled or dehydrated for preparation by mixing with oil and water. Variants may replace the parsley with herbs such as coriander (cilantro) and culantro.