A Lot to Be Thankful For…Including Delicious Vegetarian Recipes!

From all of us at the Gaples Institute, we want to express our gratitude for the ability to engage in work that is so meaningful and important—improving health through education and empowerment.

We hope that you take the time to count all of the blessings in your life, including your health, and to appreciate what’s really important.

To celebrate our gratitude, I wanted to pass along some special vegetarian recipes from my good friend, gourmet chef and nutritionist Carol D’Anca. One of the featured recipes, Roasted Chickpeas and Vegetables, is pictured.

With gratitude,

Steve Devries
Executive Director, Gaples Institute

 A Note from Chef Carol:

Holidays sometimes bring special challenges for food choices. However, when armed with great-tasting and healthful recipes, we can avoid the challenges that may take place. Here is one that you may find especially delicious and easy to prepare. For more recipes I invite you to visit my website!

I invite you to fill your plate with great-tasting real food and be grateful for all we have, particularly the gift of health! Carol D’Anca MS, LDN, CNS

Roasted Chickpeas with Grilled Vegetables 

The flavors of roasted vegetables and chickpeas come together nicely and the “pop” of flavor at the end from the Sicilian Lemon balsamic vinegar is a great combination.

• 12 small mushrooms, sliced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow pepper, cut in strips
• I red onion or 1½ c. leeks, cut into wedges
• About 6 cloves of garlic, left unpeeled
• 2 – 14 oz. cans of chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Balsamic Vinegar – Sicilian Lemon (available from the Olive Tap) or a white wine vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees if roasting in the house or prepare a hot grill (preferred method for best flavor)
2. Put the mushrooms, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, onion and garlic in a large roasting pan. Roast for about 30 minutes or until you can see the vegetables carmelizing.
3. Remove the pan and turn the vegetables over. Add the chickpeas and rosemary and return to the oven or the grill. Roast for another 30-45 minutes until the edges of the vegetables are starting to turn dark and the chickpeas are browning.
4. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, toss together and serve warm. This dish can be served on its own or over quinoa.

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach and Walnuts

These are delicious and easy to make. They can be arranged on a platter as an appetizer or placed on small plates in groups of three to serve as a first course for a sit down dinner.

• 1 lb. white mushrooms, wiped clean with a paper towel and stems removed
• 3 cloves of roasted garlic (roasted in their skins)
• 2 t. olive oil (optional)
• 1 lb. lightly steamed spinach
• 1 c. fresh walnuts, chopped finely in a food processor
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a heavy baking pan with parchment paper. Place the mushroom caps (stems removed) on the parchment paper and bake until bottoms of mushrooms are browned (about 7 minutes).
2. Chop the mushroom stems, place in a skillet with roasted garlic and cook together for about 3 minutes. Adding oil is optional here.
3. Stir in the spinach, walnuts and fresh ground pepper.
4. Fill the reserved mushroom caps with the filling mixture and arrange in the baking pan with lined parchment paper. Bake until mushrooms are tender and filling is hot, about 10 minutes.