By Rachel Priebe, Nutritional Sciences student, Sargent College

Every Wednesday Karen Jacobs EdD, OTR/L, CPE, FAOTA hosts the Sargent Choice Test Kitchen in Stuvi 2 Apt. 2302 from 8-11pm. She invites the BU community into her home to test new Sargent Choice recipes while we cook, drink tea, and have board game competitions.

Hola readers! Our latest installment of Karen Jacob’s Test Kitchen brings flavors from sunny Spain.  We made and tested three delicious tapas recipes, each with their own nutritious benefits.  For those who don’t know, tapas is a style of Spanish cuisine where many small plates are served and shared instead of one main dish per person.  This style of eating means you can get a lot of variety of food without feeling stuffed to the brim.

Our first recipe that we made was Patatas Bravas (“fierce potatoes”).  These were a cinch to make, but did take a little bit of time in the oven so plan ahead.  One thing to keep in mind is that we leave the skins on the potatoes.  This does two things: first it gives a little bit more texture to the dish, and second it means there is more nutritious bits left in the tots.  But make sure to rinse them well!

  The next dish we made was Spicy Roasted Chickpeas.  Chickpeas (also    known as garbanzo beans) are a great source of vegetarian protein and are extremely versatile.  The    masala spice isn’t for everyone though, so smell it before you decide to cook with it to make sure you  like it.

  Last we reinvented the way we eat Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  By using light mayonnaise and less    cheese, the fat and sodium was cut way down but the flavor remained.  Frozen spinach and canned  artichoke hearts means this recipe is a snap to pull together.  The testers noticed that the recipe didn’t  brown as much on top as traditional S&A dip, but the flavor was still spot on.  Try this for your next  game day, or to make any party special.

You’ll notice that each of the three tapas dishes we made focus on a different food group: carbohydrates (potatoes), protein (chickpeas), and vegetables (spinach and artichokes).  This is on purpose!  A well-balanced meal will have each food group represented in it, and the proportion should weigh heavily toward fruits and vegetables.  This rule also applies to snacks, so when snacking make sure to have carbs, protein, and a veggie or fruit.

So until next time readers, adios!

Recipes:

Sargent Choice Spinach Artichoke Dip      

Yield: 12 tapas servings
Ingredients:
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
¾ cup low-fat mayonnaise
½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 can or jar 14-ounce artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2.  Microwave the frozen spinach according to package directions. Drain all water and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and cheese. Stir in the artichoke hearts, scallions, salt, and spinach. Mix thoroughly.
4.  Spoon the mixture into a small casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until hot. Serve with raw vegetables (baby carrots, celery etc.) and whole grain pita torn into bite sized pieces for dipping.

Recipe from Joy Bauer, Registered Dietitian.

Sargent Choice Patatas Bravas (“fierce potatoes”)
Yield: 12 tapas servings
Ingredients:
3 lbs red potatoes, cut into 1-inch thick wedges
6 T olive oil, divided
6 tsp. minced garlic divided
1.5 tsp hot smoked paprika, or more to taste
1.5 cups canned crushed tomatoes

 Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400˚
2.  Toss potatoes with 4 T oil on large baking sheet. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper; cover tightly with foil and roast 20 minutes.
3. Remove foil, and continue roasting 12 minutes, or until potatoes are golden on bottom.
4.  Carefully turn potatoes, and roast 8 minutes more, or until browned.
5.  Sprinkle 2 teaspoons garlic over potatoes, and transfer to serving dish.
6.  Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 T oil in small saucepan over medium heat.  Add remaining 4 teaspoons garlic, and sauté 30 seconds, or until just fragrant.  Add paprika, sauté 10 seconds, then stir in tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
7.  Spoon the sauce over the potatoes, or serve in a bowl along with toothpicks for dunking the potato wedges.

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times.

Sargent Choice Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
Yield: 8 tapas servings

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce chickpeas, canned
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
2 tsp garam masala spice (or similar spice)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Pour the chickpeas into a colander and drain and rinse well under water. Pat dry.
3. Toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spread out on a large cookie sheet.
4. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until brown and crispy.
5. Turn and stir every ten minutes to prevent burning.
6. Take out and toss to taste with salt and spices.
7. Let cool completely before serving.

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