Warm chickpeas tossed with freshly toasted spices, caramelized shallot, preserved lemon, and feta cheese is a delicious Mediterranean-inspired side dish or light meal that can be made in just 10 minutes! Serve it alongside garlic and herb lamb chops for an easy and healthy weeknight dinner.
I’m so glad that the holidays are finally winding down. I remember when I was a kid, Christmas was so exciting and I seemed to have endless amounts of energy. Now, it’s just exhausting. I stayed up too late, woke up too early, and spend way too much time in the car. I’m more than ready for a weekend spent at home, curled up on the couch with a steamy mug of tea and a good book (Do you have any recommendations? Leave me a comment!)
I’m also more than ready to swap out December’s diet of cookies, cookies, and more cookies for something a little lighter and healthier. And I’m not waiting until the 1st to do it!
This month, the Progressive Eats crew cooked up a Mediterranean feast that I’m so excited about. From Greek Salad Skewers to Lemon Chicken Soup to Stuffed Eggplant, every recipe looks light, healthy and full of flavor.
I picked up a jar of preserved lemons at the co-op a few weeks ago knowing that they’d be perfect for this month’s menu (if you have trouble finding them, you can always make your own). I love their bright flavor and I really wanted to create a dish that let them shine. At first, I thought I might make hummus but then I saw these spiced chickpeas from Food+Wine and that plan went out the window. They’re light, fresh, and insanely simple to make. They’re delicious as a side dish, but they also make a great lunch, either on their own or with a loaf of homemade pita.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon za'atar
- 2 cups chickpeas cooked
- ½ preserved lemon peel minced
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- In a hot, dry pan, toast the fennel and coriander for 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to grind the spiced into a fine powder.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan until shimmering. Add the shallot; cook 1 minute, or until softened. Stir in the ground spices, za'atar, and chickpeas. Cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and serve warm.
Mediterranean Feast
Appetizers
Greek Salad Skewers from Miss in the Kitchen
Herbed Labneh from Spice Roots
Salad
Prosciutto and Pomegranate Salad from Creative Culinary
Soup
Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken soup) from The Heritage Cook
Main Course
Sumac Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Relish from Stetted
Bread
Veggies/Sides
Roasted Greek Lemon from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Ricotta and Herb Stuffed Eggplant from Lana’s Cooking
Drinks
Hibiscus Rose Sharbat (Turkish) from Pastry Chef Online
Dessert
Vassilopitta (New Year Wish Cake) from girlichef
Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Marble Cake from Life’s A Feast
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party. This month’s theme is Mediterranean Food and is hosted by Megan Myers who blogs at Stetted. Try something new for the New Year; a mix of appetizers, salads, main dish and desserts all featuring recipes with a Mediterranean look and feel.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
