A recipe that isn’t really one. It is a meal that, like many others, is a result of using what is available. After knowing what is in the fridge and pantry comes the figuring out what to do with it part. And this one is a result of having a bunch of greens, legumes, and some old rye bread that was too dry to eat as it is but too good to just throw it away. I very very seldom throw away food, as I believe you can make something out of every leftover.
Lack of time often leads us to make unhealthy choices, let it be food that is highly processed, or maybe other things that would benefit our well-being which fall short. For me, cooking is like meditation. Making our food relaxes and grounds me. Like reading a good book or gardening.
That was not always the case; I had times where I was so overwhelmed with life that I thought I don’t have time for anything else than for work and solving problems. Everyone who awakens to their consciousness does it for a specific reason. Sometimes we get sick, and our body forces us to take the time to re-think our choices. Sometimes it is the passing of a loved one or another major event in our lives. Suddenly, we realize how important it is to have a healthy body and that only a healthy body can host a healthy soul. If you haven’t already started to be kind to yourself, now is always the time!
For this plate, I layered a can of chickpeas on a baking sheet, seasoned it with some lemon garlic, and baked it around 15 min at 400°F/200°C. Asparagus and mushrooms are also oven-baked at the same temperature and duration. Before baking, I seasoned with fresh garlic and my all-time favorite herb cilantro, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. I covered the baking pan for the first ten minutes and took it off for the last five minutes for a nice browning.
I had leftover rye bread that I cut in squares and roasted in a heated pan with some lemon-garlic spice. It makes delicious and crunchy topping. The rest is a mix of different fresh greens, yellow beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, and walnuts as an additional topping. Voila! A gorgeous meal is ready!
Tip: if you have old bread that is too good to throw away, let it dry out and process it in a blender. You can use it as breading, next time you fry something. Or roast it and use it as a topping for your salad.
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