Chickpea Piccata and Happy Mother's Day!

Last night we had the Chickpea Piccata with Caulipots from Appetite for Reduction. Piccata, if you don't know, is a caper-lemon-garlic sauce. I'd made a seitan piccata dish in the past and didn't care for the flavor, but I decided to give it another try. Glad I did! This is a pretty impressive-looking dish that I was proud to serve my little family, and it tasted awesome.

The recipe calls for serving the chickpeas and caulipots on a bed of arugula. My salad-loving husband finished off the arugula before I made this recipe, so I substituted spring mix. I think the idea is just to have some greens involved for a textural contrast with the creamy mashed potatoes and cauliflower. The spring mix worked great.

I also didn't have any white wine, so I just used an extra half cup of vegetable broth. If, like me, you're not a big wine drinker, another thing you can do is buy a bottle of dry vermouth. Unlike wine, it keeps indefinitely, so you can always have it on hand for cooking. I've found it to be pretty much interchangeable with white wine in recipes.

Mother's Day is this Sunday...what are your plans? I won't see my own mom until summer, but we will talk on the phone and I'll be thinking of her. I know she wishes she could spend the day with her grandbabies, but my dad is a school teacher and they can't travel until the term is over. I wish I got to see her more often. In a couple years my dad will retire and they will visit more. They even talk about moving to Texas. That would be great.

 

I'll also be remembering my Granny, who passed away a few years ago at age 92. She was a sharp, fun lady who ran a beauty parlor for many years. I never saw her without her hair done and fresh nail polish and lipstick. My brother and I spent a lot of weekends at her house and she doted on us. So many of my memories of her revolve around the kitchen. When I was very small, she showed me how to pick fresh tomatoes from her garden, make perfect creamy mashed potatoes, crimp the edges on a pie crust so it looks nice, and a million other little things that I will soon be teaching my kids. I just hope I can summon up some of her endless patience!

Today we are driving up to Oklahoma to spend the holiday with my mother-in-law. It is a surprise visit (don't worry, she doesn't know about my blog!) She hasn't seen the kids since Thanksgiving. Now that we are settled in our new place, she is getting really anxious to spend time with them. I really lucked out, as far as in-laws go. She is awesome.

See you when I get home. Happy Mother's Day!

Check out a couple of giveaways before they end! Midwest Vegan is giving away a copy of Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook (ends May 11) and Small Steps on Our Journey is giving away a huge jar of Tropical Traditions coconut oil (also ends May 11.)