Chickpea Puttanesca

I’m generally not a big noodle fan. Homemade fresh pasta is great, but I rarely go through the trouble to make it myself. Also, pasta isn’t particularly healthy and I’m happy to keep it as a special occasion food.

But sauce is a different story. I love a chunky summer tomato puttanesca sauce. In the past I have made a big batch, put the first serving on rigatoni, then used the rest on whatever I happened to have in the fridge over the next few days. I’ve tried it on brown rice and quinoa (neither is particularly good), but one day all I had was some chickpeas I made in the pressure cooker.

This changed everything.

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a perfect match to a thick Italian red sauce. At this point I actually prefer my puttanesca on chickpeas rather than pasta. And I feel way better after eating it. This is also a wonderful substitution if you are sensitive to gluten.

I doubt chickpeas would hold up as well with all sauces, but I think red sauces are safe. My guess is lighter sauces that rely more on the distinct flavor of pasta would prove disappointing. Pesto might be nice, but probably as more of a side dish than a main course.

This is a new version of my puttanesca recipe. In a pinch you can substitute a 28oz can of diced tomatoes for fresh ones.

Chickpea Puttanesca

(serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh tomatoes (Early Girl or San Marzano are best), diced
• 8 anchovy fillets, minced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2-3 tbsp good olive oil
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas

If you’re starting with dry chickpeas, soak 1 cup (or more) dry beans overnight. Cook in pressure cooker until tender ~20 min, or boil covered in a pot (~1 hr). The rest of the cooking takes about 20 minutes, so adjust accordingly. You can make these a day or two ahead as well.

Press or finely mince garlic and soak it in 1 tbsp of water in a small cup or bowl. Let sit 5-10 minutes.

Heat a large pan on medium and add 2 tbsp olive oil. When the olive oil swirls easily in the pan add anchovies, garlic mixture and chili flakes. Stir continuously until garlic just begins to brown, about 2 minutes, then add tomatoes and simmer.

Allow tomatoes to cook, stirring occasionally. If the tomatoes begin sticking to the bottom of the pan, add 1/4 cup water to thin the sauce. You may need to do this several times, depending on your tomatoes. When the tomatoes begin to soften, use a wooden spoon to crush them a bit in the pan to create smaller chunks.

After sauce has simmered about 12-15 minutes toss in capers, olives, and parsley. Mix to combine. I tossed in some excellent olive oil at this point to brighten it up. (Don’t bother with this if you only have cheap olive oil.)

Pepper is a nice addition, but salt is probably not necessary because of the anchovies.

Drain chickpeas and scoop about 1/2 cup into a bowl. Remember that chickpeas are much more filling than pasta, so you will likely need less than you think. Spoon over sauce generously. Serve immediately.

You may also enjoy Better Than Pasta Subtitutes: Summer Squash Noodle Recipe and Video

Have you tried beans as a pasta substitute?

Photo by alancleaver_2000

Are you looking to gain a few pounds over the next 3 years, slow down your metabolism or develop an unhealthy relationship with food? Then dieting is the perfect solution for you.

But my guess is that is not what you want.

Diets are seductive because everyone who tries one loses weight and, for awhile, looks great. They rave about how good they feel and you congratulate them, all the while secretly plotting your own personal transformation. (“This time it will work!”)

You start your _(insert latest trend)_ diet. Maybe you feel good for awhile, maybe you lose weight. But it is a struggle, it affects your social life and, worst of all, it never lasts.

Diets are a trap.

Similar to drug use, a diet gives you brief, immediate satisfaction (short-term weight/water loss) at the expense of your long term health and happiness. And just like a drug, with each use you need more and more to achieve the same results.

But dieters are actually a lot stupider than drug users, who sadly have an excuse to maintain their self-destructive behavior. Drugs are physically additive, diets are not.

You can think your way out of dieting, so let’s start now.

10 Reasons Dieting Is Idiotic

1. Diets don’t work.

Maybe this is obvious, but if diets really worked you would only need one in your entire life. The reality is that diets are a short-term fix, like putting a Band-Aid on a cut when the bleeding is internal. Diets don’t solve the real problem.

2. You’ll probably gain weight.

Not at first, in the beginning you will lose weight. But studies have shown that in the long term, dieting is a reliable cause of weight gain. That’s right, even if you’re overweight you’re better off never dieting.

3. Diets make you miserable.

Calorie deficits make you grumpy. Nutrient deprivation makes me grumpy. I think there are better ways to spend our time, how about you?

4. Diets screw up your metabolism.

When you lose weight too quickly, you’re bound to lose some muscle. Also, when you dramatically decrease your calorie intake, your body adjusts to this lower level and learns to use less energy. These two strikes against your metabolism mean that when you go back to your old eating habits (if you’re lucky and don’t over compensate for your starvation by eating more, like most people) then you will store more calories as fat than ever before.

4. Diets make you a buzzkill.

Friends and family with restrictive diets ruin it for everyone. If you won’t even pretend to eat or drink what everyone else is having in celebration you make people uncomfortable in at least two ways: 1) they can tell you aren’t having as good a time as they are, which isn’t fun, and 2) they feel judged being less virtuous than you. Suffer on your own time.

5. Diets destroy your relationship with food.

Diets set you up for a feast or famine mentality, where you oscillate between barely eating anything and binging on 12-packs of deep-fried bacon-stuffed cupcakes. You can’t win.

6. The food tastes horrible.

Eating bad tasting food won’t kill you, but it’s hard to argue that you’re really living either.

7. Diets are hard.

Diets take lots of time, energy and self-discipline. They aren’t easy to keep up, and they’re nearly impossible to maintain. Since they don’t work, this is particularly unfortunate.

8. They’re temporary.

Even if you can stick out a diet and meet your weight goals, you know that as soon as you go back to your old habits the pounds will return (and probably bring some friends). So if it isn’t going to last, what’s the point exactly?

9. They cost money.

Not all diets are expensive, but chances are high that if you start one you will invest in a book or program, and probably special foods as well. It’s true that good food costs money, but do you need to pay extra to suffer and gain weight?

10. There’s a better way.

All the above inconveniences might be acceptable if weight loss is very important to you and there are simply no other ways to achieve it. But that isn’t true. Small, customizable lifestyle changes can transform your body and your health. The changes are slower and much less dramatic, but they last because they are permanent. Losing a simple 2 lbs a month (.5 lb/week) will set you down almost 25 lbs in one year. More important, for most people a shift to healthier eating greatly improves quality of life. Not only do you get healthier and lose weight, the food is amazing and you discover a world of flavors and food culture you never knew existed.

It’s amazing, and it works.

How smart is your diet?

Tomatoes

One of my favorite Summer Tomato contributors recently took a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and visited the farmers market there.

Virginia Griffey is an editor in Oakland. She spends her time running, snowboarding, cooking, and hanging out with her friends and dog, Pebbles. Virginia is currently training for her third marathon while trying to raise $1,500 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated.

Follow her on Twitter @virginiagriffey.

Farmers Market Update: Santa Fe

by Virginia Griffey

I am lucky enough to have some wonderful friends, Henry and Kristin, living in Santa Fe, the unique and beautiful 400-year-old city that is the capital of New Mexico. I went there at the end of May for a visit, but I didn’t get a chance to go to the Santa Fe Farmers Market. When I went back again this month, I made visiting the market a top priority.

First I visited the Santa Fe market’s website to find out what to expect. The market operates year-round with four markets a week during the summer (two Tuesday, one Thursday, one Saturday). The agricultural products sold at the market are grown in a 15-county region of northern New Mexico. Crafts and processed items are made with agricultural products from that region. The market accepts WIC and food stamps. As is the norm at farmers markets, no dogs are allowed (besides service dogs), but there is a free dog-sitting service.

Shallots

Squash Blossoms

I also examined the website to see what kinds of products to expect. Santa Fe is at an elevation above 7,000 feet, so I thought there might be some interesting vegetables that aren’t available in the Bay Area, but I didn’t see any fruit or vegetable vendors offering anything that stood out much. I did, however, notice that there was a vendor selling yak meat, and I was very excited about trying some. Yaks are high-elevation animals, so it seemed to make sense that someone might raise them in the area.

Yak

I headed to the market on a Tuesday morning. I wasn’t going to be in town for the Saturday market, so I was crossing my fingers that Tuesday’s market would have a good showing of vendors. It did. There was a lot of squash, corn and stone fruit available, but Henry and Kristin have squash in their garden, and we’d just bought corn and peaches the day before at a fruit stand in Velarde, about 40 miles north of Santa Fe. So I looked around for what else was available.

White Peaches

Chard

Following Darya’s farmers market suggestions, I made sure to walk around the market, check out all the vendors and try a few samples before buying anything. I tried white and yellow peaches and honeycrisp apples at Freshies of New Mexico. I admired the lovely allium offerings at Funnel Farm’s booth — leeks, shallots, early bosque garlic and onions. I ate some yellow carrots at Tina’s Farm. To me, they seemed milder and less sweet than the orange carrots that I’ve had.

Yellow Carrots

After walking the length of the market, I came to Jacona Farm, which had a colorful selection of heirloom tomatoes as well as baskets of padron and shishito peppers. Best of all, they had samples of their tomatoes. Trying these tomatoes was my first true “Summer Tomato” experience. They were the best tomatoes I’d ever tasted: pure tomato flavor, the perfect soft but not mealy texture. Though each tasted like a tomato, they all tasted different from the others. I couldn’t help but think that this amazing variety of flavors is one of the things we risk losing by buying off-season “notional tomatoes“ at supermarkets rather than supporting these amazing local farmers.

I ate some grilled shishito peppers from Monte Vista Farm. Kristin had told me about these mild peppers, which often are fried, so I sought them out. Monte Vista also was selling garlic scape powder, so I bought a packet to bring home. I stopped by South Mountain Dairy’s booth to sample a few goat’s milk products. The dairy’s motto is, “It’s all about the girls.” I tried apricot chèvre, green chile chèvre and queso fresco. The vendor was selling goat’s milk but didn’t have any samples, but I did get to try some blackberry-flavored goat’s milk yogurt.

Chevre

Shishito Peppers

Next, I headed to the Taos Mountain Yak booth. The vendor said the meat is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef but high in omega-3s and stays very tender when cooked. Henry and I were planning a barbecue for later in the week, so I picked up a couple of yak tenderloin steaks to grill up. I also grabbed a bag of yak jerky milk bones for Henry and Kristin’s dogs.

That Friday, Henry threw the steaks on the grill. They were small, and generally I like my steaks about medium rare, so I was worried it would be very easy to overdo it, especially since neither of us had any experience with yak meat. Henry flipped the steaks over a few times as I became increasingly concerned that they were getting overcooked. Finally, I just couldn’t watch anymore. I went inside to get something to drink, came back out, and Henry finally had taken them off the grill. I looked at my steak, thinking about all the money I’d spent for it to end up overdone, and took a bite. It was the most tender meat I’ve ever tasted. I think Henry could have cooked them a lot longer without any problem. As far as taste and tenderness, I give yak meat two thumbs up!

Inchelium Red Garlic

Leeks

Purchases:

• striped German tomato – Jacona Farm
• rainbow chard – Santa Cruz Farm
• blackberries – Santa Cruz Farm
• yellow carrots – Tina’s Farm
• honeycrisp apples – Freshies of New Mexico
• inchelium red garlic – One Straw Farm
• shallot – Funnel Farm
• pinto beans – Shirley Martinez
• shishito peppers – Monte Vista Orchard
• garlic scape powder – Monte Vista Orchard
• green chile chèvre – South Mountain Dairy
• yak tenderloin steaks – Taos Mountain Yak
• jerky milk bones for dogs – Taos Mountain Yak[link:
• baguette – Cloud Cliff Bakery

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Many thoughtful stories on the internets this week. I love JC’s piece on clean eating and food dogma. And if you’re curious about genetically modified salmon or other foods, I’ve included some very informative links. Enjoy

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete reading list join me on Digg. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• In Worries About Sweeteners, Think of All Sugars <<You call it corn syrup, I call it corn sugar, but the reality is it’s all the same unhealthy junk. This is a great explanation of the similarities and differences between sugar types. (New York Times)
• Clean Eating: Why I Still Call it a Scam <<Very thought provoking piece on food dogma. If you’re low-carb, paleo, Atkins, vegan or locavore, you should probably read this. (JCD Fitness)
• FDA to consider OK of genetically engineered salmon <<BS of the week. You know how it’s bad to have milk from cows that have been given growth hormones? Well these fish have extra growth hormones (from other animals) added directly to their DNA! You shouldn’t need a PhD in molecular biology to understand what you’re eating. (CNN)
• Genetically modified foods in supermarkets: how many? <<Great article explaining the extent of GM foods in supermarkets. (Food Politics)
• Making healthy food is easy. Making people eat it is not. <<The first part of this statement is true, but not in the way they mean. Fake, processed, “healthy” food tastes like cardboard. But in my experience getting people to eat real, seasonal foods is remarkably easy (because they are delicious). And they’re actually healthy. (Economist)
• Gluten-free has gone big time, but why so popular? <<An interesting examination of the gluten-free trend. (Associated Press)
• Last Call for Peaches <<Important safety tip, thanks Sean. (SFWeekly)
• Doctor’s Orders: Eat Well to Be Well <<Excellent article about educating doctors and medical students on the value of nutrition. (New York Times)
• Estimating calories may be more difficult than you think <<The health halo strikes again. (Los Angeles Times)
• Stuffed Indian Eggplant <<This recipe makes me want to eat my computer. Maybe I will. (Mark Bittman)

What inspired you this week?

Fuji & Golden Delicious Apples

Huge thanks to Alex and Becky for sharing with us their local farmers market in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.

Becky, is a kindergarten teacher and a mother of two boys, a preschooler and a one year old. Alex is a recent college graduate and an aspiring graphic designer. Visit his site www.alexfelts.com and follow Alex on Twitter @alexfelts or Digg (alex3540).

Farmers Market Update: Lansdale, Pennsylvania

by Becky Geremia and Alex Felts

The Lansdale Farmers Market is a newer market. This is only its second year, but the quality they deliver is fantastic. Lansdale is a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. The market is hosted in Railroad Plaza every Saturday from June to November.

Cheese

Summer Veggies

My brother and I have been loyal customers since it began. We both are big supporters of the revitalization of Lansdale and have enjoyed seeing the patronage coming to our town through the Lansdale Farmers Market.

The requirement of being a vendor is that you sell only what you produce. All products sold at the market must be grown, baked, crafted by the seller and must be done locally. The products vary but produce, meat, wine, breads, plants, herbs, cupcakes, and even furniture are for purchase at the market.

Melons

Meats

We begin the morning walking the few short blocks from my house to Railroad Plaza. We start with a stop by the Tabora Farm and Orchard stand, where my brother always gets breakfast, an orange cranberry muffin and my son gets a sweet treat, a happy face cookie.

Happy Face Cookies

Cranberry Orange Muffins

We continue our walk with a quick preview and then set our sights on buying. We have been hooked on corn and peaches all summer long. Now that fall is just around the corner, apples, squash, and pears are plentiful. A great buy is the all natural anti itch soap and the novelty soaps from Green Street Luxuries. This year, special kids events (bouncy house, crafts, story time, birthday cake, etc.) are scheduled too.

Tomatoes, Potatoes, Onions

Peppers

At home, it is a decision what to make first. While my son enjoys cutting the ends off the beans, my brother lights up the grill to cook us up some steaks. Now… if only we could find an occasion to pop the jalepano wine from Boyd’s!

Purchases:

• Orange Cranberry Muffin (Tabora Farm and Orchard)
• Happy face Cookie (Tabora Farm and Orchard)
• Pumpernickel Bread (Tabora Farm and Orchard)
• Onion (Windy Springs Farm)
• Tomatoes (Windy Springs Farm)
• Ground Beef (Windy Springs Farm)
• Hot Italian Beef Sausage (Windy Springs Farm)
• Fuji Apples (Orchard Hill Farms)
• Peaches (Orchard Hill Farms)
• Peppers (Orchard Hill Farms)
• Lettuce (Jett’s Produce)
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Jett’s Produce)