Summer Bruschetta

This post is a few months too late because there are only a few good summer tomatoes left and that is the most important ingredient. But my good friend Marie asked me to post the recipe, so here we go.

You will need:

4-5 big juicy tomatoes (I like 2-3 different colors)
a bunch of fresh basil
half a block of feta cheese
a good handful of freshly shredded parmesan
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt

Dice up the tomatoes, quite small. Chop the basil, brake up or chop the feta cheese, mince your garlic. Combine all of it in a big bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the top and generously drizzle the vinegar over the top. Salt to taste. We just eat it with blue corn tortilla chips, but it's also amazing on some broiled baguette or just bread.

I think Trader Joes hat THE BEST balsamic vinegar. It makes this entire dish.

Hummus

Thank you my friend Monique for your encouragement to keep this blog going!

Everybody loves Hummus, right?! It's not that cheap at the store but so cheap and easy and good homemade. Here we go:

You will need a blender (I have a Nutribullet)
1 can of (organic) chickpeas
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1-2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/4 tsp of salt
splash of water

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Combine all ingredients in the blender, blend - voila!

If it's too thick add a little more water and blend again. You can add other things like a jalapeno, pepper - whatever your heart desires! Serve with your favorite veggies or pita chips.

Coconut Curried Chicken Chickpea Stew

You will need a wok or big pan!

Ingredients:
4-6 chicken drumsticks or thighs (bone-in, skin-on!)
olive oil
3 cloves of minced or crushed garlic
1 diced onion
1 can chickpeas
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of these spices:
salt, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ground cloves, ginger (you can get these spices for a good price at Trader Joe's, Saigon market or at Food Lion in the Mexican isle)
a bunch of chopped fresh parsley
if you like it spicy, add some cayenne pepper

Brown your chicken on all sides in some olive oil over medium-high heat. Just brown, don't cook all the way through. Take out chicken put aside. Drain fat. With a little more olive oil cook onion until translucent over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, be careful not to burn it. Add all dry spices and cook for about 3 minutes.Your kitchen will smell like heaven! Add all canned goods and chicken. Bring to a boil, return to a simmer and cook with lid for at least 30 but better 45 minutes. The meat should be falling off the bone. Just before serving, add the parsley.

This is fantastic over basmati rice and/or naan bread.

Enjoy!