Tag Archives: salty snacks

Spicy Chickpea Spread

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This is not a revolutionary recipe. (Truth be told, I made it one day because I didn’t have any tahini and was too lazy to use my blender.) But maybe you need a little something different. This chickpea spread reminds me of a Mahón & chickpea cheese spread that I used to buy at Stinky Brooklyn cheese shop over on Smith St. in Carroll Gardens. (Sadly, Stinky Brooklyn are no more). It comes together quickly and then you can enjoy it as a sandwich spread or a dip with substantial crackers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained
  • 1-2 TB olive oil
  • 1 TB or so of Nutritional yeast (eyeball it)
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Tajin

Put chickpeas in a bowl and mash up with a fork. You can leave slightly chunky; it doesn’t have to be a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Adjust spices to your liking.

I guessed on the measurements for olive oil and nutritional yeast and spices. You can make it super spicy, or not. It’s up to you. Trust yourself. There is really no way you can mess this up!

Refrigerator Pickles

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Yes, I do own a Paul Frank Pickle Pants wallet. It’s one of my favorite Paul Frank designs ever.

Paul Frank pickle wallet

My coveted Paul Frank wallet.


I loved pickled vegetables. Okra? Yes. Green Beans? Check. Carrots? Peppers? Yes! But mostly, I love pickles in their original cucumber form. My grandma used to can pickles and beets and store them in her cellar. That was an all day process and I didn’t really want to do that right now. I wanted something that could be made quickly and easily. So, I decided to make some refrigerator pickles. I started with plain, dill pickles:

first foray into refrigerator pickles!

My very first jar of pickles, ready to go into the fridge.

They turned out really well. So, I decided to make a couple more jars: dill and then a jar of spicy garlic pickles:

Spicy garlic pickles.

Spicy garlic pickles.

You can make as little or as much as you wish. It’s only me here, so, I make one or two jars at a time. These keep in the fridge for a week. This recipe doesn’t require sterilizing jars and lids, but, please make sure you have super clean jars/lids. I used Ball 16oz mason jars.

Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickles

  • 2-3 Kirby cucumbers, thoroughly washed
  • 1-2 TB salt
  • White distilled vinegar
  • sprig of dill, chopped

Wash the cucumbers and slice into 1/8th inch pieces, pack tightly into the jar until they reach the lip of the jar. Pack those suckers down. Add the dill and salt (you may want to start out with less salt, it’s up to you. You can also add a clove of garlic or teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes if you’re making spicy pickles). Then, pour vinegar over cucumbers, leaving a little room at the top. Screw lid on tightly and shake jar to mix up salt, dill, etc. Put in refrigerator and remember to shake the jar every few hours. You will have pickles in about 4-5 hours, or, leave overnight and enjoy the next day. Really, you can’t go wrong here.

dill & spicy garlic pickles

Sunday pickle making. Yay!