Veggies and Chickpeas in Arugula Pesto

I love one dish (one pot is even better) meals. Everything you need, all in one place. What could be better?

Growing up, one dish meals meant mostly casseroles, so it was only natural that they would be part of my basic repertoire.

When Tim and I first got married, I barely knew how to cook. I could read though, and was constantly finding recipes to try out on Tim. Like chicken divan. Turns out, eating that before going on a road trip was like joining the pit crew at the Indy 500.

Chicken Divan is basically, chicken, broccoli, some kind of cream sauce and the teeniest bit of curry. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

Apparently, something in the casserole did not agree with Tim (for years he blamed the curry; just the sight of it would make him shudder) and we completed our four hour trip in probably three hours, mainly by going ninety miles an hour between rest stops.

Basically, we would roar into the place like a pit stop and Tim would barrel roll out of the car before it came to a halt, then run like a maniac toward the restroom. His sister and I, like any good pit crew, would stay with the car and be prepared for the next frantic lap, until we finally crossed the finish line.

And that was the last time I ever made chicken divan.

I promise there is no curry in this dish, so if you want to eat it before going on a road trip, you should be perfectly safe.

Ingredients:

4 cups bite-sized pieces of cauliflower
12-15 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1 head of garlic (about 8-10 cloves)
1 cup peas (I used frozen, defrosted)
1 can chickpeas, drained
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 batch of arugula pesto (recipe follows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450
Toss the cauliflower, sprouts, garlic cloves and chickpeas in the olive oil and salt. Place on a baking pan and roast 20–25 minutes, or till crisp-tender, stirring after every 10 minutes. Add the peas for the last 5 minutes.
When done, toss in pesto and serve.