Spicy Chickpea Casserole with Quinoa

I wasn't sure how well this would be received - my children aren't picky eaters by any stretch of the imagination, but they are all under 6. I needn't have worried though. Miss Four thought "chicken peas" was hilarious, and after I told them that chickpeas were the main ingredient in hummus, which they all adore, Master Five couldn't get enough of his "hummus nuts"! Pictured is DP's serve, which had less tomatoes than was really proportionate, so it doesn't look as red as it should, but this was a fitting meal for the Cookbook Challenge "Red" week.

In turn, I love this cookbook, all slow cooker recipes, with a lot of attitude, and hilarious mum talk asides that had me bookmarking quite a few pages.

Spicy Chickpea Casserole with Quinoa (from How to make Love & Dinner at the Same Time by Rebecca Jager)
1 red pepper [capsicum], chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 [425g] cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 [400g] cans diced tomatoes
1/3 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
Remove the bay leaf, and serve.

This was an entry for
The Cookbook Challenge: Week 22 - Red.

"Red" Pasta

Again, I am unashamedly cooking a meal purely for a blog event. This time, it's not even something we would normally eat. I made this up specifically for the Food in Colours event. I was going to submit the Strawberry Cupcakes the kids and I made two weeks ago, but submissions had to be vegetarian (no eggs), so there went that idea. At least I saved a lot of food colouring, in making them pink and not red ;)

I was planning on using sun dried tomatoes in this, but chickened out at the last minute because I know DP doesn't like them. So, this was simplicity in itself. I boiled up some penne, and when it was done, added a jar of char grilled marinated capsicum strips, some red wine, a little balsamic vinegar (almost red!), some delicious tomato paste with basil and oregano in it, and about two tablespoons of garden vegetable pasta sauce, only because the pasta wasn't 'red' enough for my liking, and the sauce was very thin. I dished a bowl up for DP, and then added fresh tomato wedges. I quite raw tomato in my cooking, especially pastas, because you get a bit of texture, and a little burst of freshness. DP doesn't like his tomatoes raw though, that's why I served him first.

The funniest thing was, even though it was so simple, everyone loved it! Maybe less really is more!

This was an entry for Food In Colours: Red
***Round up is here***