Tonight I got all caught up in my little Giggle Monsters (we were playing with Monster Puppets) and left dinner to the last minute. You know what that means? Yup. A no brain dinner. Pasta & veg + roasted chickpeas. My Goto Dinner.

Tonight this meant: Boxed pasta tossed with Garlic Confit and freshly grated Parmesan, along with Roasted Green Beans and Crispy Chickpeas.

I happened to have roasted the green beans yesterday, so all I needed to do was to drain and rinse the chickpeas, then toss with a teaspoon of of Garlic Confit and roast in a hot oven. After 20-30 minutes, the chickpeas weren’t ask crunchy as C likes them, so I broiled them to get them really crispy.

End Result: Both babies looooooooved their pasta (I tossed theirs with butter instead of Garlic Confit, and who doesn’t love butter??). R gobbled the chickpeas up BY THE HANDFUL. No real surprise there. This kid is a bean-eating champ. She eschews most red meats and poultry, but give her a bean in any form and she goes NUTS!

And me? haaaaaaaaaaa

I am a FireBreathingGarlicMonster!!!!!!!

*wink*

Garlic Confit Pasta with Fresh Parmesan by Moi

Printable Recipe HERE

Ingredients:

1/2 Box Pasta, shape doesn’t matter **We used 1/2 box for 2 people and have at least enough leftover for another meal. For boxed pasta, I like Barilla pasta best. In case you care. Don’t worry, I don’t get paid by them.

1 Tablespoon Garlic Confit **If you don’t have any of this magical elixir already in your fridge, you can heat up a few garlic cloves in 1/4 cup olive oil in a small frying pan. Toss in some salt and peppercorns for flavor, but strain out when tossing with pasta.

1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated **We used this for 2 people, but your tastes may vary.

How To:

1- Make the pasta according to the box.

2- Drain and toss with Garlic Confit/Oil.

3- Add in Parmesan.

4- Try not to drool while you serve. Not attractive.

Roasted Green Beans and Crispy Chickpeas by Me

Printable Recipe HERE

Dairy-FREE, Gluten-FREE

Ingredients:

Green Beans, topped & tailed (this means both ends trimmed off) **I usually buy them in 2-4lb bags. I crazy.

Olive Oil **Amount you need will vary depending on how many beans you buy. I use about 1 Tablespoon/lb in this recipe.

2 cans Chickpeas, drained and rinsed **I like Goya brand, but use what you like/have on hand.

1 teaspoon Garlic Confit **Or Garlic Oil (see above)

Salt and Pepper to taste

How To:

1- Heat oven to 350º.

2- Wash and trim your Green Beans. THIS TAKES FOREVER! Don’t worry. It’s worth it. Really really worth it. Have I told you how much I love love love Green Beans?? Again, I crazy.

3- Toss your g-beans with Olive Oil to coat and lay out on a baking sheet. Don’t overcrowd the pan, try to lay the beans out in a single layer. If there are too many they’ll steam and not get crunchy. It may also take you longer to finish cooking them. Don’t stress. The deliciousness will still be there. **Side Note: you can add aromatics like Thyme and/or Rosemary to the baking sheet while roasting. Very good.

4- Whack the pan in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, shaking the pan(s) every 10 minutes or so. That way the entire bean will get brown and YUMMY. When the beans are done to your liking, take the pan outta the oven and season with salt and pepper.

5- While the g-beans are roasting you’ll take your drained chickpeas and toss them with the Garlic Confit/Oil. Lay them out on a foil lined baking sheet. They’ll need 20-30 minutes to get mostly crunchy, then another 3-5 under the broiler to get über crunchy.  When they’re done, season with salt & pepper to taste. **If I’m making the g-beans & chickpeas at the same time I’ll let the green beans cool in a bowl while I’m broiling the chickpeas.

6- Try not to eat the chickpeas while you’re standing there at the stove. You’ve gotta leave some for everyone else!

RANDOM: my first chickpea memory is of my great-uncle Sanders eating them. He liked them drained, seasoned only with a little salt and pepper and then served in a bowl. I remember the blue bowl on his side table while he drank his cocktail and smoked his cigar with my grandfather.