Friday, February 24, 2012

Chick- Peas in Chunky Tomato Sauce...and Red Gold Giveaway

I'm truly happy to announce to you, that I have the most amazing 100 % all natural tomatoes to have had the privilege of trying, almost exactly one year ago, when I won the beautiful giveaway pack, from my friend Wendy, @ Weekend Gourmet.

I did not even know that our local Publix Supermarket in West Palm Beach carries the Red Gold tomatoes, when I suddenly discovered it, yesterday! More importantly, I got my "six pack" ...no, I don't mean a six pack "abs"...not even nearly, or my six pack of "beer"...although beer would go nice with my Chick- Peas in Chunky Tomato Sauce, made with the Red Gold Tomatoes, that I received the "six pack" of different 6 type of their wonderful tomatoes.
I must tell you, that this is a truly Vegan dish, made with dried chickpeas (garbanzo) that have been soaked, and slowly cooked till it became just the right crunchiness on the outside, and al-dente on the inside, and the tomato stew, slowly cooked with Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes, and combined with Red Gold Stewed Tomatoes, that looked and smelled absolutely fresh, ruby red, and "heavenly"! Served over Israeli Couscous, an you've got yourself a satisfying Vegan/Vegetarian dish, or a side dish with any type of meat, if you prefer it that way! The best part...I get to share these "six pack" of tomatoes with the winner of this giveaway!

 I think it's always helpful to learn about the nice people, behind their products, so I wanted to share this with you...read on!
about red gold
We are tomato people…people who grew up where tomatoes grow best - Tomato Country.
Red Gold began as a family business in 1942. Sixty-some years and three generations later, we still concentrate on growing tomatoes and using them to make over a hundred different products. Day in and day out, we pursue our mission, “To produce the freshest, best-tasting tomato products in the world.”
We harvest our well-tended fields at the moment when tomatoes are at their ripest, and carefully treat those tomatoes with the respect they deserve until they're tightly sealed and on their way to you.
You might be surprised how passionate we can be about tomatoes.
Learn more about Red Gold and our people

Now you can understand a little better...so let's get on with the recipe, and the giveaway. All you need to do is to follow my blog...if you haven't already...no facebook, foodbuzz, twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin, required to follow, since I'm the worst active blogger in all those. Can't even remember when I tweeted about something, but I will for sure tweet about RED GOLD Tomatoes!...and indeed, it's worth its weight in GOLD. Couldn't have come up with a better name for these amazing 100% natural tomatoes; and by now, all of you who know me from comments, know that I am sincere about my feeling of things, and this is one of them!
Cristy, at Red Gold contacted me by e-mail if I would like to participate in this giveaway, and you couldn't get me fast enough to say YES!

Please leave a comment, and mention what you would like to prepare with Red Gold Tomatoes...I will post all the six types that I received, and certainly there are a lot more products...this are just six, of the many!


Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes

Red Gold Diced Tomatoes Chili Ready







Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes, with Green Chilies

Red Gold Tomato Sauce









My favorites:
Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes

Red Gold Stewed Tomatoes








You've got till Monday, Feb. 27, 2012 @ 11:00PM Eastern Standard Time to enter, and I will announce the winner on Tuesday... just make sure you are following my blog...I will be sure to follow you back as well on your blog.
I will use Random generated number for the winner! Sorry, only U.S. and Canada are eligible for the giveaway!



Chick-Peas in Chunky Tomato Sauce
my own adaptation from an old Bon Appetit magazine recipe, circa (early 90's)

1 medium chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic chopped
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1- 14.5 oz. can of Red Gold Crushed tomatoes
1- 14.5 oz. can of Red Gold Stewed tomatoes
2 15-to 16 oz can chick-peas (garbanzo beans)
rinsed. ( I cooked my own garbanzo beans) and used 4 cups...also saved the liquid to cook the Israeli Couscous)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley ( I used 1 teaspoon freeze dried parsley)
Save some parsley leaves for garnish ( I used fresh cilantro)

Homemade dried oregano on the left side... from Italy! The BEST!

Combine chopped onion, minced garlic and olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. (I used a large pot)
Cover and cook mixture over low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices, chick-peas, and all the above mentioned spices, and bring to a boil.







Stir mixture, crushing tomatoes with side of spoon. (I left my beautiful sliced stewed tomatoes as they are, to cook till tender)
Add fresh parsley. Season to taste with salt, and pepper.












Spoon Couscous into shallow bowl, and ladle tomato mixture over it!
WW Points value: 10













This is what my freezer door shelf looks like. I freeze my best dry spices, to assure the fresh flavor. Just making sure that I don't let them expire. Either way, they should not be kept for more than one year.







Aren't they beauties?...you can also order them online from the company, if you cannot find them in your local supermarket, or specialty markets.
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33 comments:

Junia said...

elizabeth, yay for vegan dishes. i must say that chickpeas is one of my favorite legumes. i love mixing them with tomatoes sauteed onions and bell peppers, and adding in curry powder! so good and simple.

ps - congrats on making top 9 with the paula dean banana bread!

Pacheco Patty said...

Loving the dish you've created here with your chunky tomato sauce, yummy! I'm feeling like pasta with veggies, maybe a little meat,lol! for my dinner tonight;-) Have a great weekend Elisabeth;-)

laurie said...

what a beautiful tasty dish, sounds wonderful,

Lyndsey said...

First of all how cool we can get Red Gold at Publix, I will have to check it out. But then I often discover many things at Publix that I never knew they had.
Second, I just picked up some Israli couscous at Earth Origins yesterday...and I always have organic chick peas on hand...so how cool is that?!

Third, I am so much like you as far as tweeting and facebooking and now pintersting and other stuff...:0 it's scary :p

Haha! Have a great weekend Elisabeth!

Daisy@Nevertoosweet said...

My partner and I are such meat lovers but I really think we should try goin on a vegan diet soon to clean out our system thanks for sharing!

Peggy said...

I love Red Gold tomatoes and these chick peas sound phenomenal!

trollanyu said...

Imádnivaló lehet ez az egyszerű, de nagyon fincsi étel:) A csicseriborsót mostanában nagyon megszerettem, sokszor használom zöldséges ragukhoz, levesekhez. Nagyon szimpatikusak ezek a "paradicsomos" emberek:) Szép hétvégét kívánok:)

Pegasuslegend said...

I cant tell you how great this looks those tomatoes looks so fresh outstanding even! Love this dish!

Patty said...

This looks so good and perfect for a meatless Friday dinner.

ping said...

I want! ... I meant the chickpea dish :D I love chickpeas! I'd have them in salads, stews and all sorts. Pity I can't have them often enough since hubby isn't quite the fan. I do sneak them in whenever I can.
The tomatoes certainly have a beautiful color, wish I could find some here to try out. We do have some pretty good brands anyway.
This was a great promo for them :D

Jane said...

I am most interested to learn that you keep your best spices in your freezer. I will be giving this some serious consideration... I LOVE the labels on these tomatoes - so inviting! I would use them to make more turkey chili, which I plan to make a big batch of again this week to freeze. Your chickpea dish looks wonderful and I have to agree that starting with dry and slow cooking them would definitely give the optimum result.

Katerina said...

Mmm, I can smell it even here Elizabeth! This is such a wonderful vegan dish full of flavors and vitamins! I am keeping it!

Jacqueline said...

That looks like a really tasty dish and with lunchtime hovering tantilisingly close, I am in torture.

wendyweekendgourmet said...

Thanks dear friend! You know of my love of Red Gold...but don't enter me in the giveaway. I have received plenty of goodies from them ;)!!

Angie's Recipes said...

Love chickpeas and this is a simple and delicious dish that I could eat them every day!

Monet said...

Red Gold also sent some tomatoes my way...and my goodness, they are great! Thank you for sharing with me. It brightened my Saturday and inspired me to get back into the kitchen and make something delicious. I hope you have a blessed Sunday!

Gizi said...

Elisabeth ez az étel csodálatosan szép, és nagyon-nagyon finom lehet. Nagyon szeretem a paradicsomot, itt nálunk is többféle konzervváltozatot lehet kapni. Na persze az igazi az amit én nevelek a kertbe, de sajnos arra még várni kell. Van itthon szárított csicseriborsó,van még saját befőzésű sűrített paradicsomom, így már csak egészet kell vennem, és én is megcsinálom ezt a fantasztikus finomságot.

Szép hétvégét kívánok az egész családnak!!! Puszi

marisz57 said...

Szimpatikus a recept, de a csicseriborsó nálunk nehezen beszerezhető.
Sajnálattal vettem tudomásul, hogy a fekete cicót nálad hiába keresem.

Elisabeth said...

Csodálom hogy nem tudjátok még a száraz csicsereborsót sem kapni. A feket cicus már egy jó pár hónapja nincs nálam...sokan elvitték magukhoz, de vissza hozhatom!

Lizzy said...

Beautiful dish, Lizzie...so healthy and flavorful. I'm a huge fan of Israeli couscous, so pile both on my plate, please :) Hope you're having a fabulous weekend.

PS...you were right, I blogged about French Onion soup before I started French Fridays with Dorie. You have a fabulous memory!!!! xo

Jasna's kitchen creations said...

I love using chick peas in vegetarian dishes; your version looks delicious!

Angela said...

I make a really similar dish and love the chickpeas with the tomato sauce--so good!

scrambledhenfruit said...

Your chick pea dish sounds wonderful! We've been eating mostly vegetarian these days, so it would make a perfect dinner for us. I'd surely try this dish with those tomatoes! :)

Becky said...

Your dish looks so fresh and inviting, especially with those tomatoes! We can't get good quality tomatoes during the winter, so I'll try these drained, diced tomatoes in my my guacamole.

Elisabeth said...

Becky-Seriously, these wonderful tomatoes, diced, or the stewed tomatoes are like fresh ripe tomatoes...never seen any tomatoes like that. They look fresh, and they smell fresh. If we couldn't get fresh ripe tomatoes here in S. Florida all year round, I would certainly make salsa with them...which I may just do! It will be great in guacamole, as well!
If you can't find them in your supermarket, you can order from them online:D

Katalin said...

Nagyon guszta amit főztél, biztos finom volt. Én még sosem ettem csicseriborsót :(

Eri said...

I dont know if I manage to be on time and took part in your giveaway, it's ok, if I didnt..
I love chickpeas and I have to try your recipe!

Gria Loka said...

Hmm. I usually have peas with curry. Not sure with tomatoes only. yours remind me of pasta though but with peas. Love reading your blog :)

Elisabeth said...

As the saying goes..."to each his own"! It's not just with tomatoes, but here's the list of the herbs I used. (with curry, it would be with different spices.)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley ( I used 1 teaspoon freeze dried parsley)
Save some parsley leaves for garnish ( I used fresh cilantro)

Elisabeth said...

Eri-you have plenty of time till 11:00pm EST. tonight! Thanks for entering, and commenting:D

Amelia's De-ssert said...

Hi Elisabeth, how are you? Sorry I'm late cos was away for 2 days to attend a classmate's daughter wedding.

wow... your chickpea in tomato sauce look delicious. Love your picture, very well taken and beautiful presentation.
I love chick pea anytime as a snack especially with curry powder and curry leaves.

Have a nice day. *hugs*

Parsley Sage said...

Never heard of them! I'm not a big tomato fan (texture issues) but my husband is :) I just bought some tomato seedlings for him so I'll bookmark this recipe for once they're fruitbearing!

Kathy said...

Elizabeth, This dish looks so amazing! Chickpeas are a favorite of mine...I love them in so many dishes....so many ways! This recipe sounds wonderful...I must try it!