Sunday Dinner

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Our dinner today comes from the recipe I submitted to Ready, Set, Cook! this week.

Moroccan Spiced Beef Roast and Sweet Potatoes (I'm also adding white potatoes--spiced and roasted the same way--to this for the kids who don't eat sweet potatoes.)
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Benne (Sesame) Seed Wafers


Moroccan Spiced Beef Roast and Sweet Potatoes
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 lb beef roast (ours is larger today)
3 large sweet potatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t kosher or sea salt
2 t ground cumin
2 t sweet paprika
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t cayenne pepper
olive oil

Combine garlic, salt and spices. Rub half of the mixture into the roast, cover and chill for 2 to 12 hours.

Was sweet potatoes well and cut into thin wedges. Coat wedges with olive oil and the other half of the spice mixture.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place roast on a rack in a shallow baking pan and surround with potatoes. Roast, covered, for 1 1/2 hours until roast reaches 160° (well done) in the center and potatoes are tender.


Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
6 servings
Printable Recipe

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced small
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

Combine chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, and basil in a large bowl.
Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, and salt over the top, and toss all ingredients well to combine. Cover and chill at an hour or two so flavors blend.


Benne Seed Wafers
24 cookies
Printable Recipe

1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease baking sheets and set aside. In a heavy pan, toast
the sesame seeds over medium heat until they are golden brown.

Mix the brown sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add the egg, flour,
salt and baking powder and mix together to form a soft dough. Add the
sesame seeds and vanilla extract; blend well.

Drop the dough onto the baking sheets by the teaspoonful, leaving space between them
for the cookies to spread. Bake for 15 minutes, or until they are lightly brown at the edges. Let them cool on the baking sheets for a minute or so, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.