Eat More Chickpeas 3

We tried these recipes from Chickpeas: Sweet and Savory Recipes from Hummus to Dessert and they were so good we wanted to share them. The Spinach & Chickpea Quiche redefines brunch (and breakfast, and snack time). And, the Chocolate Brownies with Ganâche are so good they'll hurt your feelings.

We invite you try these recipes with your friends and family. Then, come back here and tell us what you think of them. Share them on Twitter with the hashtag #ChickpeasatCharlesbridge and be sure to send folks to this post with the URL www.charlesbridge.com/blog/Chickpeas. And you can find more amazing recipes with chickpeas in Chickpeas!

Spinach & Chickpea Quiche

Ingredients (Makes one 9-inch tart)

Crust

Filling

Preparation

1. Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, sift together the flour and salt. Add the butter, and pulse until course crumbs form. Mix in the egg, until a dough forms. If the mixture is too dry, add just enough water to form a dough.
2. Shape the dough into  disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Prepare the filling: In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, red pepper, chickpeas, spinach, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the liquids are almost evaporated.
4. Pour in the cream, and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs, and then set aside.
5. Grease a 9-inch fluted tart pan with cooking spray Lightly dust your work surface with flour, or place the chilled dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough and cut a 13-inch round.
6. Tuck the round into the tart pan, gently pressing it into the edges and up the sides. Transfer to the freezer and chill for about 10 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Remove the shell from the freezer and trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Line the shell with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Remove the partially baked shell from the oven, and remove the pie weights and parchment paper  Distribute ½ cup of the cheese evenly into the shell. Top with the vegetable mixture, and then top with the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the filling sets and the top is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. May be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Brownies with Ganâche

Ingredients (Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies)

Brownies

Ganâche

Preparation

1. Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 350° F and line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with a parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.
2. In a blender or food processor, pulse the chickpeas until smooth. 
3. Transfer the chickpeas to a large bowl, and mix in the eggs, vanilla extract and oil, until blended. 
4. In another bowl, mix the cocoa, sugar, baking powder, flour and salt. Combine with the chickpea mixture, and then fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour into the pan and bake for 20 minutes until toothpick, inserted into the middle, comes out with a few crumbs on it. Set aside to cool slightly.
6. Prepare the ganâche: Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat just until boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips, stirring until smooth and glossy.
7. Cut the brownies into 16-equal pieces and then top each piece with chocolate ganâche. Serve warm.

Enjoy! And don't forget to come back and tell us what you think!

Chanukah begins at sunset on Sunday, December 6 0

Chanukah is the eight-day Jewish festival of lights and takes place in winter. The holiday celebrates the victory of Judah and the Maccabees against the Syrian army when they fought to defend their right to practice Judaism. When the Jewish people took back the temple in Jerusalem, they lit the eternal light using the tiny bit of oil left. While the messenger sent to get more oil was gone, a miracle happened. The tiny bit of oil lasted for eight days and nights until the messenger returned. Each evening during Chanukah, an additional candle is lit in the menorah to remember each night the oil lasted. People eat potato pancakes, called latkes, which are fried in oil and served with sour cream and applesauce.

The Three Goldwasser Girls’ Crispy Potato Latkes

Ingredients
4 large potatoes
1 small onion
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup olive oil for frying

Directions
1. Peel and grate the potatoes.
2. Wrap the potato gratings in cheesecloth, and press to remove most of the liquid.
3. Chop the onion.
4. Mix grated potato with chopped onion, egg, salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder in a bowl until a batter forms.
5. Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat.
6. Spoon batter into hot oil, spreading to form 3-inch pancakes.
7. Fry until edges are browned.
8. Lift the latkes out with a spatula, and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.

From Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons, by Alice B. McGinty and illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt.

ALA Midwinter Meeting Author Events * Booth 1921 0

Saturday, January 9

10:00 AM  Kristen Remenar and Matt Faulkner sign Groundhog's Dilemma

10:30 - 11:15 at the Book Buzz Stage    Illustrators Tell Their Side of the Story

                      Including: Gareth Hinds, David Hyde Costello, Jef Czekaj, and Nicole Wong

11:30 AM  Jef Czekaj signs A Call For a New Alphabet 

1:00 PM  Gareth Hinds signs Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune

2:00 PM  David Hyde Costello and Megan Dowd Lambert sign A Crow of His Own

3:00 PM Nicole Wong signs To the Stars!

4:00 PM Nancy Bo Flood signs ARCs of Soldier Sister, Fly Home

Sunday, January 10

10:00 AM  Megan Dowd Lambert signs Reading Picture Books with Children

11:00 AM  Nancy Bo Flood signs ARCs of Soldier Sister, Fly Home

1:00 PM  Peter & Paul Reynolds sign Sydney & Simon GO GREEN!

2:00 PM Jane Sutcliffe signs Will's Words: How Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk

3:00 PM  Hazel Mitchell signs Kenya's Art

4:00 PM Jeannie Brett signs Wild About Bears

Monday, January 11

10:00 AM  Anne Sibley O'Brien signs I'm New Here

11:00 AM David Biedrzycki signs Breaking News: Bear Alert

See you in Boston in January!

I’M NEW HERE Takes Off with Great Gusto!<br /><font size=3>by Julie Bliven, Associate Editor</font> 0

When a picture book is published and finally makes its way into the hands of readers, this marks the end of a long journey of editing, rewrites, illustrating, designing, and discussion. It’s also the beginning of sales, publicity, promotions, and CELEBRATION.

Author/illustrator Anne Sibley O’Brien’s latest picture book I’m New Here (ages 5–8) officially pubbed on August 4, 2015, and was celebrated last week at the Portland Public Library. The event included a reading from the author, the premiere of a student-driven video, an interactive photo stand, and so much more.

That same day launched National Welcoming Week across the United States, with an event at the White House that prompted national discussion about welcoming immigrants as well as refugees fleeing violence. How fitting for I'm New Here, as Annie’s picture book is about three immigrant students struggling to speak, write, and share ideas in America. These characters experience language barriers and difficulty understanding new traditions and culture. But with a little support—and a lot of courage—Maria from Guatemala, Jin from Korea, and Fatima from Somalia, begin to participate and feel at home.

Annie partnered with Kirsten Cappy of Curious City (an organization that builds creative outreach projects for authors, illustrators, and publishers) to hire a local videographer to film public elementary school kids discussing I’m New Here. When the film played at the book launch, students in the audience giggled and cheered at seeing themselves and their peers on screen. The students had drawn pictures and explained what it feels like to be new (answers ranged from sad to stressed to excited). Many expressed the desire to befriend anyone who might be new.

Student artwork was also on display, and photos were taken of all attendees holding giant paper speech bubbles that said “welcome” in various languages. Annie went on to sign books as many mingled and tasted treats from around the globe. Even Portland’s mayor showed up, demonstrating how the day was a community triumph on many levels.

Perhaps the most poignant moment came when watching Annie’s interview during the film. The author/illustrator explained how the book began with her hope to show that immigrant students bring full, rich lives with them when they move to new countries. They’re not blank slates.

While Annie spent much of her childhood in Korea, learning to assimilate in a new country as the daughter of medical missionaries, she sees that children new to America today face far greater challenges than she did. As one of the founders of I'm Your Neighbor, an organization that promotes children's literature featuring "new arrival" cultures, she is creating books, discussions, and community projects that demonstrate how our global community—at home and in the classroom—can work together and build a home for all. The launch of I’m New Here was certainly a memorable celebration with this sentiment at the very forefront.

(l to r: Author Anne Sibley O'Brien, Charlesbridge Associate Editor Julie Bliven, Kirsten Cappy of Curious City)

Learn More!

• I’m New Here video, Welcoming Immigrant Students
• Author Anne Sibley O'Brien Talks about Immigrant Students
• I’m Your Neighbor Organization
• Visit Anne online