What's for Dinner? Wednesday: Falafel Scotch Eggs and Radicchio

Happy What's for Dinner? Wednesday! As you may know I was in Australia last week for my little sister's wedding.  She was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen and we had a wonderful time! I have a few "snaps" (that's Australian for pics) over on Facebook if you want to check them out head here>>

While I was gone, I didn't have any time to cook! However, I did get to read some new health magazines and am excited to share with you a recipe I discovered while down under! It's not made with kangaroo (although I must say kangaroo meat is really delicious and healthy)!  Rather, it's the vegetarian dish, Falafel Scotch Eggs and Radicchio. The version I'm sharing has been modified from a recipe found in the March copy of MiNDFOOD magazine to make it even more healthy and easy.

If you've head of scotch eggs, you know they aren't normally vegetarian and aren't really Fit Armadillo approved! In fact, this dish that's from the UK is traditionally made by wrapping an egg in meat and frying it, but as you know I'm really not into frying things so I've cut out that step.

If you're a newsletter subscriber, you already got your list of ingredients for this meal on Monday.  When I made the recipe today, I found myself with a LOT of leftover ingredients even with the modifications I originally made so I've adjusted these in the list that follows. If you already bought all the ingredients listed in the newsletter, you'll have enough leftovers to double the recipe if you buy a second head of radicchio and four extra eggs.

If you are sad that you missed out on this week's newsletter, turn that frown upside down and become a part of the club by signing up HERE>>


Ready to try out this shiny new recipe with me?
Here are the ingredients you'll need to serve Falafel Scotch Eggs and Radicchio to yourself and three lucky guests:

5 eggs
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp flour
1/2 can chickpeas (200g)
1/2 can cannelli beans (200g)
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp allspice
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
cooking spray
1 radicchio
1 cup +1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Greek yogurt (topping)
Optional:
Oregano, thyme, and sesame seeds for seasoning

How to make your healthy, vegetarian version of scotch eggs:

Step One: Boil four of your five eggs for six minutes.  In case you haven't boiled eggs in a while and want to avoid embarrassment, you want to make sure the water is boiling before you add your eggs and start your timer.  Not that you'd make this mistake, but I recently did when I was really hungry and impatient and it wasn't pretty!

Step Two:  While your eggs are boiling, it's time to whip up your falafel coating.  You'll need 1/2 a can of chickpeas and 1/2 a can of cannelli beans.  Rinse each can before dumping the necessary amount into your food processor.  Add 1 tbsp each of water, flour, and cumin, 1 tsp of allspice, and 1/2 a cup of fresh parsley and processes the ingredients until they are smooth.  If your mixture gets stuck, add a little extra water.

Step Three: By now your eggs should be just about done. Take them out of the pot and rinse them off in cool water before removing their shells.

Step Four: Re-shell your eggs! Set up the following four small bowls to "re-shell" your eggs in tasty goodness: In bowl one add your recently processed falafel mix, in bowl two add 1/4 cup of flour, in bowl three whisk a raw egg, and in bowl four add 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs.  Take each egg one by one and coat it with the ingredients in each bowl.  When you're done you should have four eggs coated in falafel mix (use your hands to form the falafel around the egg so it sticks), flour, egg, and lastly, breadcrumbs.

Step Five: Cook up your covered eggs!  Spray a medium sized pan with cooking spray and heat it up over medium high heat. Add your eggs and continue to cook and turn them so that the outside is lightly browned (about 4 mins).

Step Six:  Add your finishing touches.  Make your radicchio salad by combining the radicchio with 1 cup of fresh parsley and 1/2 a cup of fresh mint before topping it with 1 tbsp of balsamic and 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Divide the salad among 4 plates and add 1 falafel scotch egg to each plate. Cut each egg in half and admire the interesting pattern that you've made.  Finish each plate off with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, oregano, and thyme if desired.

And there you have 'em: Falafel scotch eggs! Did you try this recipe? Don't forget to stop by later tonight to see the final product and share your thoughts below:

Dinner is served! Argentinian Flatbread Pizza

This Wednesday's dinner at Fit Armadillo was Argentinian Flatbread Pizza.  It takes a little time to wait around for the dough to rise, but the result is nothing less than scrumptious.  As is this flatbread is vegetarian, however, you can add your favorite meat to make it a more substantial dish.  Chock full of veggies and fresh herbs, one sixteenth of this flatbread is less than 150 calories.  To see the full recipe click HERE>>

Did you try this pizza? What do you think? Share your thoughts with a comment below:

What's for Dinner? Wednesday: Argentinian Flatbread Pizza for a Healthy Day One of 2014!

Last month seemed to be a month of pizza. At the beginning of the month, I hosted a giveaway contest for a Seasons 52 gift card good for one flatbread pizza. Last week, I was enjoying my favorite pizza of all time at Pizzeria Regina’s in Boston, Massachusetts.  Somehow, I still can’t get enough of this tasty meal so to start the New Year, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite flatbread pizza recipes of all time.  

The recipe is for Argentinian Flatbread Pizza and was originally published by Cooking Light.  I’ve saved this recipe for New Year’s Day because you’ll be making your own dough and that can be a little too time-intensive for a normal weeknight. However, if you have today off today the dough making process shouldn’t interfere with your schedule. Use the hour it takes for the dough to rise to enjoy a little cat nap to feel ready to go back to work tomorrow because you're well rested and well fed.  

The ingredients listed below allow you to make the flatbread base, a black bean spread topping, and roasted red peppers in your own kitchen. If you are short on time, you’re more than welcome to buy your own dough and/or roasted peppers.  I won’t judge!  

Read on to find out what you’ll need to make this delicious flatbread and the black bean spread:

Black Bean Spread Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 - 15  oz can black beans, rinsed and drained 
1 - 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained

Flatbread Base and Topping Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp cornmeal
Cooking spray
1 tbsp yeast
1/8 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp garlic, minced

How to make your delicious flatbread pizza:

*If making your own Roasted Red Peppers, preheat the broiler now

Step One: To save time, make your flatbread dough first.  You’ll need your yeast, sugar, half a cup of warm water, and a bowl.  Pour the water in the bowl and use it to dissolve the yeast and sugar.  Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so the yeast wakes up, gets something to eat, and gets ready to make the CO2 that will allow your dough to rise (did I mention I used to teach Biology? we had  a whole lab about yeast. It was a lot of fun except for when it came time to grade lab reports….).  

Step Two: While you’re waiting on your yeast, get your flour ready.  If you live someplace humid, like, oh, I don’t know, Houston, TX, try to measure the flour with a kitchen scale.  It will come out a LOT more scrumptious.  Once you have your three cups ready, add them, another half cup of warm water, and salt to your yeast mixture.  Stir it up until you’ve made flatbread dough.  Plop that bad boy in your bread machine if you have one (if you don't have one, you need to get on that-best kitchen gadget eva!).  If you don’t have a bread machine yet, get ready to get a little sticky.  Add some flour to a clean surface where you can knead your dough.  You’ll want to work on it for about 10 minutes so that it is smooth and flexible.  

Step Three: Set your dough up to do it’s thing! Find a bowl that could fit two balls of your flatbread dough and coat it with cooking spray.  Place your smooth ball of dough in the bowl, cover it, and place it in a warm place for about 1 hr or until it grows to double it’s original size. 

Before you take your nap, take the time to prepare the Black Bean Spread and Roasted Red Peppers by moving on to Step Four. Or don't-it takes about 1 minute to make the spread and 12 mins of cooking time to make the peppers...

Step Four: Make your Roasted Red Peppers. If you have the time, this will save you some good $$ since it's a lot cheaper to make your own that to buy pre-made peppers.  All you need to do is make sure your broiler is heated up and find a pepper.  Cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove any seeds and white sections.  Then line a baking sheet with tin foil and place the pepper halves on top skin side up.  Press on the peppers with your hand to flatten them and then pop them in the broiler for 12 minutes.  When they’re done they’ll be slightly blackened.  Put your freshly roasted red peppers in a zip-lock bag and seal them for 10 minutes before cutting them into smaller strips.  

Step Four point Five: Make your Black Bean Spread while your peppers are cooking or hanging out.  All you need to do is put your beans, onion, and tomatoes in a blender and whip them up until the original parts can’t be distinguished from one another.  You’ll only need 1.5 cups for the pizza so measure that out and then save the rest for a healthy dip!

Step Five: Back to business and flatbread time.  Check on your dough and if it has risen enough, preheat your oven to 450 degrees to get it ready.  Then, find a baking sheet and sprinkle your cornmeal on top.  Take your dough and roll it out to a 14 x 11 inch size before placing it on your baking sheet.  Then, get your 1.5 cups of designated Flatbread Black Bean Spread and spread it over dough. Sprinkle the top of the flatbread with your Parmesan cheese before putting it in the oven to bake at 450° for 13 minutes.

Step Six: While your flatbread is cooking, make your chimichurri drizzle. To do this, place your parsley and the remaining ingredients in bowl and mix to combine them.

Step Seven:  When your flatbread is done cooking in the oven, drizzle your freshly made chimichurri mixture on top. Cut up a slice and top it with your freshly (or store fresh) roasted red peppers.

Have you ever made your own flatbread pizza? Is planning on cooking this recipe a New Year’s Resolution you’d keep? Share your thoughts below and enjoy your first day of 2014!