A Kitchen Experiment

 Not all of my kitchen experiments work out, but last week I made a concoction that I will definitely make again.

I always have several cans of garbanzo beans in my pantry.  They are supposed to be very healthy.  They are high in fiber and good for your cholesterol.   I put them in salads, and I throw them into curry dishes.  I decided to try them in a variation of "molletes".  I have written before about "molletes"... a type of Mexican open-faced sandwich.  A crusty roll known as a "bolillo" is split in two, topped with refried beans and cheese, and grilled until the cheese melts.  I have done a gringo version using English muffins instead of "bolillos". 

For this experiment I used a can of low-sodium garbanzos, drained and rinsed.  I put them in the blender along with a can of Mexican style dice tomatoes (with jalapeños).  I seasoned it generously with sweet paprika, cumin and tumeric.  I pureed the mixture and then added some sautéed, diced onion and garlic.  I topped my toasted English muffins with the garbanzo puree and shredded cheese.  It went into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.

It was very tasty, although it is definitely a knife and fork type of sandwich... too messy to pick up and eat with your hands.

It was so good that later in the week I made the garbanzo puree again for a different dish.  I was watching a cooking show on PBS and they were preparing vegetarian stuffed peppers.  I thought, "Why can't I use the garbanzo mixture to stuff peppers?"  I mentioned this to my friend Gayle (she called me while I was in the middle of cooking), and she suggested adding rice to the mixture.  Good idea!  I topped the stuffed peppers with grated cheese and put them in a 375 degree oven for a half hour.

The peppers were also very good, although if I make them again I will add even more rice.

Now I'm thinking that this garbanzo puree would also make a tasty sauce over chicken and rice.