This week has been a great week for leftovers!
We have been enjoying all kinds of reheated meals from Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze, to Tomato Barley Risotto, and some Holiday Soup For The Soul that I defrosted from the freezer. I don’t know why leftovers get such a bad rep…I’m always so happy when I realize that dinner is already cooked for me. I like to pretend that I have a personal chef when I eat leftovers.
After making Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze this week, I had some leftover cheeze sauce to use up. I have been drizzling it on wraps and sandwiches and even dipping tortilla chips in it. It is quite a versatile little sauce!
Then I decided to put a new spin on a favourite recipe of ours, Tomato Barley Risotto.
I made a double batch this time, which is always great for leftovers. This dish reheats nicely and it is really fun to sprinkle on wraps or just reheat in a bowl with a splash of milk.
But back to the sauce.
I think you know where I’m going with this idea…
It was such a simple addition to the Tomato Barley Risotto, but the outcome was amazing. With just a bit of sauce stirred in, this dish was transformed!
I mixed in about 1/2 cup of the cheeze sauce for a double batch (I didn’t really measure, but just added it to taste). It was mind-blowing good food.
Eric said, ‘Who knew you could eat something that tastes so creamy and cheesy and it would be vegan?’
I lit up like a Christmas Tree.
This dinner is going on a regular rotation for sure. I think it was the creamiest and most cheesy tasting vegan dish I have ever made (aside from the mac ‘n cheeze of course).
Lunch
I don’t show too many lunches on the blog, but this lunch was new and unusual so I thought I would share it with you.
The star of the show was Fresh Dill!
Do you guys ever cook with fresh dill?
I have been in love with anything Dill flavoured ever since I was a kid (but mostly just Lays Dill Chips!). Growing up, I couldn’t get enough of those salty, deep-fried, crispy, tangy bites of processed crap. I needed an intervention.
Fast forward to today, and while I love the idea of cramming a bunch of dill chips into my mouth, I’m not so keen on the idea of MSG or other mystery ingredients that lurk in these foods. I’ll take fresh dill any day.
For some reason though, I don’t buy fresh dill very often (I guess I just don’t know what to use it in!), but I really think I should. I originally planned on making Homemade Dill Chips (adapting the Salt & Vinegar Chip recipe), but I forgot to buy potatoes, so I decided the next best thing would be to make Dill Chip Chickpeas. They turned out wonderful.
Eat your heart out Lays.
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Dill Chip Chickpeas
Yield: 2 servings (~2 cups)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, minced with stems removed
- 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions: Mix all ingredients to taste. Note: I tried roasting the chickpeas, but I preferred the flavour much more before roasting. Eat them on their own or sprinkle them onto salads or wraps for a fresh kick to any lunch.
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I roasted these, but I preferred the flavour before roasting, so next time I will just mix and serve!
I enjoyed it with a rainbow of chopped veggies, sprinkled with dill and lemon, and served with hummus.
It was such a great lunch and it really got me in the Spring mood. 
In home décor news, we finally have something on the walls I can show you.
I picked up this plate-inspired wall décor on sale at Pier 1 last week. I thought it was perfect for the warm colours in our house.
Eric said The Crazy Dish Lady now has dishes on the WALLS and he laughed at me.
I guess he has a point…
Today we are knee deep in taxes (personal and business), bill payments, and I also have a bunch of paperwork to complete. It’s one of those days when you wake up and you realize that you can’t put it off another day longer or two men will show up in dark suits and you’ll never be heard from again.
On a happier note, don’t forget to Spring Forward tonight! Yawhoo!! I have some fun Spring-inspired recipes coming up this week to get you in the mood.
When you mention that you used the leftover cheese sauce, is this pre or post adding the butternut squash for the mac and cheese?
I never cook with fresh dill, but those dill chip chickpeas are so amazing. I definitely have to try this. And, the dishes on the wall look very nice of course. Thanks.
Hey, you’re not the only one obsessed with dishes! I am too! :-)
I love the new dish artwork!
Yum everything on this post looks so yummy! Maybe I’m just hungry but wow :P Also, love the plates! I never go to Pier 1 … bad things happen to my visa there :P
The hanging dish-display is beautiful! I’m currently adding it to my list of decoration DOs when I have my own place. I don’t think I can currently justify hanging one in my bedroom…
Angela~Your recipes look amazing!
I have started seeing a nutritionist who is introducing me to an whole new world of food!
It is really exciting…and I already feel better!
I could honestly spend the day over here checking out EVERYTHING!
Your story is very inspiring!
So glad you are living LIFE with such PASSION!
Thanks for sharing!
You are a tremendous resource!
xo
I NEED to make these chickpeas…yum!
I don’t use dill very often but I added it (dry) to our pasta last night and my husband went nut for it, I have to remember to use it more often! I just planted a bunch from seed so hopefully I will soon be overwhelmed with it and will be making these chickpeas all summer!
I LOVE dill but I always forget about it for some reason. Those chickpeas look tasty!
And love your plate wall display! So adorable, what a great idea!
Your plates are such a beautiful decor! And mmmmmm, these dishes look really good! I’m getting an appetite for dill now. :)
I made the chocolate cupcakes that you posted a couple days ago. I modified them a teensy bit but everyone (even the picky family) liked them! Vegan-ified success!
I absolutely adore Chickpeas!!! Do you think I could blend this up and make Hummus out of it? :D
xoxox
Kathleen
I had a go at the barley risotto last night and it was delicious!! I used fresh tomatos as well as tinned, and threw in a bunch of spinach as well and it was utterly delectable! My meat-loving partner thought it was awesome and we both really enjoyed the texture of the barley. Such a nice change form rice, which I am not a huge fan of anyway. Thanks heaps for the recipe, glad it caught my eye this time :) I think it will definitely be a staple in my house from now on!
Your dill chip chickpeas have inspired me to make bbq chip chickpeas with some left over seasoning i have!! I looove bbq chips but clearly they aren’t as good for you as chickpeas. I’ll let you know how my experiment goes tonight :)
Update: A little BBQ seasoning is fantastic on crispy chickpeas!
We had your Tomato Barley Risotto tonight and OMGoodness! It is so good. Everyone ate it all up. Next time I will have to try it with some cheeze sauce. Dill and Cilantro are my favorite herbs, personally I can’t think of much that they won’t be good on. Can’t wait to try the dill chip chickpeas!
Love the plates on the wall!! Love chickpeas too. Have you heard of “The Indian Slow Cooker” by Anupy Singla?? She takes DRIED beans, unsoaked, and uses the slow cooker to make amazing Indian food. It is so simple & so dirt cheap. Nearly the entire book is vegan and she has lots of yummy black chickpea, and regular chickpea recipes. I have blogged many of our results with the recipes.
Love your blog.
Great minds think alike! I have the same exact dishes on my kitchen wall! Although, I like yours better with the green paint rather than my yellow. :)
Hey Angela,
Your risotto looked so delicious that I had to make my own. I adapted your recipe and made a Vegan Mushroom and Farro Risotto. I’ve never made vegan risotto before and it definitely exceeded my expectations. Thanks for the recipe inspiration! Here’s a link to my post if you’re interested: http://amourpetitgateau.blogspot.com/2011/03/vegan-mushroom-and-farro-risotto.html
Thanks, Angela! I made the risotto last night and it was a big hit! I accidentally bought wheat berries instead of barley (I live in South America, so sometimes I forget to look up the spanish name for what I’m buying!), but it still turned out nice and chewy. Right before all the broth absorbed, I added two big handfuls of spinach and let it cook into the risotto … delicious!
Chickpeas and dill is delish!
I have to say I love the dishes on the wall but honestly there’s not enough of them. Imagine the impact of the whole was was covered with crazy lady dishes. Now that would be a work of art and this is coming from a professional artist.