Recipes: Chickpea dip with grilled pita

Chickpea Dip With Grilled Pita

Serves 8.

Note: Plan in advance. The chickpeas need to soak overnight.

• 1 large onion, diced

•¹/₂c. olive oil, divided

• 1 c. dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained

• 1 tsp. dried oregano

• 1 bay leaf

•¹/₂tsp. pepper

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1¹/₂c. vegetable or chicken stock

• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

• 6 pita breads

• 3 tbsp. minced fresh mint

Directions

Sauté onion in¹/₄cup oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Add soaked chickpeas, oregano, bay leaf, pepper, salt and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chickpeas are tender and stock absorbed, about 1 hour. Discard bay leaf.

Put mixture into a food processor along with garlic, lemon juice and remaining¹/₄cup olive oil. Pulse until combined.

Preheat grill or broiler. Broil pita bread until warm, about 1 minute per side. Cut in triangles and arrange around dip. Serve chickpea dip topped with lemon zest and mint.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 310 Fat 15 g Sodium 485 mg

Carbohydrates 36 g Saturated fat 2 g Calcium 66 mg

Protein 8 g Cholesterol 0 mg Dietary fiber 5 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 2 bread/starch, 3 fat.

Herbed Olive Purée

Serves 10.

•¹/₂c. pitted oil-cured black olives

•¹/₂c. pitted large green olives

•¹/₄c. chopped onion

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 10 fresh mint leaves

•¹/₄c. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp. fennel seeds

• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 tsp. ground coriander

•¹/₄c. minced assorted fresh herbs, such as parsley, mint and basil

• Assorted vegetables for dipping

Directions

Purée olives, onion, garlic, mint, olive oil, fennel seeds, cumin and coriander in food processor until smooth. Place purée in serving bowl, top with minced herbs and plate with assorted veggies.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 72 Fat 7 g Sodium 180 mg

Carbohydrates 2 g Saturated fat 1 g Calcium 20 mg

Protein 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1½ fat.

Minted Garlic Spread

Serves 10.

• 3 c. cubed crusty bread, crusts on

• 3 tbsp. fruit vinegar

• Water

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tbsp. honey

•¹/₂tsp. ground coriander

•¹/₂tsp. ground cumin

•¹/₂c. grated Parmesan cheese

•¹/₂c. extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

•¹/₃c. mint leaves

• Assorted raw vegetables for dipping

Directions

Place bread cubes, vinegar and¹/₂cup water in a food processor. Let stand until bread has absorbed all the liquid, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, honey, coriander, cumin and Parmesan. Purée until smooth.

Slowly add olive oil and continue to purée until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add mint leaves and pulse a few times to incorporate. Serve in a bowl surrounded by raw vegetables.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 163 Fat 13 g Sodium 153 mg

Carbohydrates 10 g Saturated fat 3 g Calcium 82 mg

Protein 3 g Cholesterol 4 mg Dietary fiber 0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 vegetable, 2½ fat.

Braised Chicken With Peaches And Squash

Serves 4.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, advised cooking meat with fruit. He thought the fruit made the meat easier to digest and healthier.

• 4 chicken legs and thighs, separated

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Flour, for dredging

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp. caraway seeds

• 1¹/₂tsp. ground cumin

• 1 acorn squash, peel on, sliced¹/₂in. thick

• 2 c. dry white wine

• 1 peach, fresh or canned, thinly sliced

• 2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

• 2 tbsp. minced watercress

Directions

Liberally season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. In large sauté pan, warm oil over high heat and brown chicken on all sides. Remove chicken from pan.

Remove all but 3 tablespoons remaining pan juices and add caraway, cumin and squash. Cook squash until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine to squash slices and bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan, cover with a tight lid and reduce to low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and squash from pan and arrange on a serving platter.

Add peach slices to pan juices and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro and watercress and pour over chicken and squash.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 432 Fat 23 g Sodium 110 mg

Carbohydrates 22 g Saturated fat 5 g Calcium 72 mg

Protein 32 g Cholesterol 105 mg Dietary fiber 4 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: ½ fruit, 1 bread/starch, 4 medium-fat meat, ½ fat.

Red Snapper In Parchment

Serves 4.

This is a favorite recipe because it takes only minutes to assemble, can be made hours in advance and is bursting with classic Mediterranean flavors.

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

•¹/₄c. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

• 4 bay leaves, crushed

•¹/₂tbsp. whole pink peppercorns

• 2 tbsp. capers, rinsed

• 15 oil-cured black olives, pitted and halved

• 4 red snapper fillets, about 8 oz. each

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 lemon, cut in wedges

Directions

Combine lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, bay leaves, peppercorns, capers and olives in a large bowl. Add red snapper to marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Have ready 4 sheets of parchment, each 12 inches long.

Brush both sides of parchment paper with a little olive oil. Remove a fillet from marinade, season with salt and pepper and place on paper topped with several spoonfuls of marinade. To close the packet, bring top and bottom edges together and fold over about¹/₂inch. Continue folding until you reach the fillet. Tuck sides of parchment on each end under the fish. Repeat for the other 3 fillets.

Place parchment packets on a baking sheet with sides. Bake packets 10 to 12 minutes. Serve fish in paper with lemon wedges on the side.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 346 Fat 18 g Sodium 430 mg

Carbohydrates 4 g Saturated fat 3 g Calcium 52 mg

Protein 42 g Cholesterol 116 mg Dietary fiber 1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 6 lean meat.