Vegetable Cummin Soup

6 c. chicken broth

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

1/4 lb red potatoes, sliced thin

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1/2 c. salsa verde

1/4 c. heavy cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 can garbanzo or white beans

OR 2 c. cooked shredded chicken

(Or some of both)

Combine broth, onion, garlic, cauliflower, potatoes, cumin, and salsa verde in a large pot. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender but not soft. Add the zucchini and simmer until both are soft. 

Stir in the heavy cream and beans or chicken. Simmer until heated through

Tomato, Avocado, and Mozzarella Salad with Chickpeas

It's June. My apartment doesn't have air conditioning. I don't want to turn on the stove. I realllllly don't want to turn on the oven. I do want to eat grilled wurst every night, but I shouldn't, and you probably shouldn't either.

Make this instead: Mozzarella, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

(I used buffalo mozzarella - I find the pearls to be cute, but kind of insipid tasting)

Add it to a green salad, and throw in some chickpeas.

Happy summer!

Hot Pot with Kale

This was definitely inspired by/based upon the Chickpea Hot Pot at 101 Cookbooks, but I also made a few changes to better suit our tastes and needs - most notably, I changed the spices around, and substituted potatoes for the bulgur wheat since we have gluten sensitivities in our house. It's another easy, healthy, weeknight win - we'll definitely be cooking it again.

3 T. olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

3 c. chicken or vegetable broth (use vegetable if you want the dish to be vegetarian or vegan)

1 can chickpeas

3-4 red or yellow potatoes

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (3-4 c.)

1 head cauliflower, in bite sized pieces (about 3-4 c.)

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. dill

1/2 -1 tsp. crushed red pepper

salt and black pepper to taste

In a large saucepot or soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until they begin to brown. Add chicken broth and beans and bring to a simmer. Add the rest of the vegetables and cover. Simmer over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender. Add the seasonings, combine well, and serve.

As always, if you are gluten or soy intolerant, be sure to use a brand of bouillon and spices that you know is safe for you.

Carrot Curry Dip

This is something I created when I ran out of spinach for saag. I made used the same seasonings, just changed the vegetable.

Splash Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
3 inch piece of ginger
1 1/4 c. water, divided
1 Tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
3 c. carrots, cut into chunks
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp. vegetable bouillon (I used Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)

Heat the olive oil in a pretty large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger an cook just until fragrant.

Add the carrots, seasonings, remaining water and vegetable soup base. Let that simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender.

Pour into a blender and puree until smooth, then add the beans and coconut milk and puree until combined. Taste and season with salt to taste.

Rice and Veggie Bake

Splash Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1/2 lb. Spinach
2 Carrots, cut into coins
1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
1 small bottle pimentos
2 Yellow Summer Squash, cut in half and sliced

1 can White Beans, drained (Or Garbanzo)

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk
1 soup can rice
1 envelope lipton onion soup

Saute onion and spinach in the olive oil. Add the carrots and saute until the spinach is dark and wilted. Add all the remaining vegetables and saute 3 minutes.

Combine the vegetables and remaining ingredients in a large casserole dish.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 450 minutes or until rice tender, stirring once about halfway through cooking.

Thai Pasta Salad

12 oz pasta,
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 1/2 c. bean sprouts
1 1/2 c. julienne carrots
1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped


1/4 c. La Choy crispy chow mein noodles
1/4 c. Cashews


Sauce:
3/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
juice from 1 a lime
3 or 4 cloves chopped garlic
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
12 leaves basil, chopped fine
3 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
cayenne pepper to taste
2 Tbsp honey or agave
1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk solids, liquids drained off and reserved for another use

Cook pasta according to package direction. Drain and plunge unto ice water to stop cooking. Toss with vegetables and sauce. Refrigerate for two hours.

Top with cashews and chow mein noodles right before serving.


For the sauce: Whisk all together until smooth. Taste and add salt or adjust flavors as needed


Other Addition that might be tasty:
Pea Pods
Green Onions
Chopped Chicken
Pineapple
Spicy Peppers

My top 5, from 2010

1. Gumbo

2. Palak Channa

3. Chicken Style Bean Stew

4. Pumpkin Cream Pasta

5. Caramelized Quinoa and Black Beans

Chick Pea Pot Pie

This isn't exactly a new recipe, more and idea how to use (or use up leftover) chick pea stew. The recipe is here.

Use it as the base for a pot pie. Pour it into a casserole dish and top with puff pastry or biscuits, or with a traditional crust on the top and bottom.

Another way to change it up a little, is make it without the potatoes in the stew, but remember to reduce the liquid, and serve it over or with a side of mashed potatoes.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

3 carrots
1 onion
1 small eggplant, purple skin sliced off
4 cloves garlic
1/2 butternut squash, peel sliced off
olive oil
salt

2 c. couscous
3 c. chicken broth (imitation or vegetable both work)
3 green onions, sliced
dash black pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

Cut all the vegetables into small pieces that are roughly the same size, about 1/2 in in diameter. Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Spread out on pans in a single layer. Roast at 425 until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

When cooked boil together chicken broth, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. When boiling add the couscous, immediately remove from heat and cover tightly. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid.

Combine roasted vegetables, couscous, garbanzo beans, and bacon. Toss to mix well.

Serve with a salad.

You can drastically change the dish my changing the spices. Try it with curry, Italian, Moroccan or southwestern spices too

Beans and Greens

1/4 head cabbage, sliced into ribbons
1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces
2 leeks, slices greens too
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb. potatoes peeled and sliced
3 links Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cans garbanzo beans
2 - 3 c. chicken broth


Cook Italian sausage until no longer pink. Add the leeks and the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer until potatoes and greens are tender. Make sure you check the pot several times to make sure it hasn't boiled dry, adding more liquid as needed.

Chickpea Masala with Green Rice

For the Chickpea Masala:

2 onions, diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. butter or olive oil

2 tsp. sweet curry powder

1 tsp. Garam Masala

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 c. coconut milk

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Satue onions and butter in a large skillet over med-low heat until onions are soft. Add garlic and spices and saute a few minutes more, stirring so as not to burn. Add tomatoes and simmer until much of the liquid has been evaporated, then add coconut milk and stir to combine. Using a handheld or traditional blender, blend mixture until smooth. Return to skillet and add chickpeas. Heat gently until very hot. Serve with green rice.

For Green Rice:

4 T. butter or olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 lb fresh spinach, very finely chopped

2 c. white rice

4 c. chicken or vegetable broth, or lightly salted water

In a medium saucepan, cook onions in butter over medium heat until soft. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is shiny and beginning to lightly brown in a few spots. Add broth or water and cover. Cook at a simmer until rice is soft and water is absorbed. Stir in spinach and let the hot rice cook it. Serve.

Potato Curry

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
5 or 6 large red potatoes
1/4 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 lb. greens, chopped (spinach, kale, or collards all work)
Water
Enough chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes to accommodate the water
3 Tbsp. Green Curry paste
1 tsp. curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste



Cut the potatoes into quarters and slice thin.

Saute the onion in olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and ginger and saute just until fragrant. Add mustard seeds and cook 10 seconds longer. Mustard seeds taste really bitter when overcooked so make sure you have the potatoes and water ready to add right away.

Add the potatoes and cauliflower and just enough water to cover. Add the appropriate number of bouillon cubes for however much water you used.

Add remaining ingredients, except cilantro, and simmer until potatoes are very tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Baba Ganoush Wrap

Tortilla
big glob of baba ganoush
1/4 c. garbanzo beans
leaf lettuce

I used a tortilla but a more traditional bread would bet better here. More like naan or lavash. Even a soft pita would work.

Mash the garbanzo beans pretty well but not puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the tortilla with the baba ganoush, a leaf of lettuce on top and spread with bean mix. Roll up and eat.

Israeli Couscous and Greens Vegetables

This also works with garbanzo beans, just add 1 can of drained beans in when the directions say to add the lentils.

1 c. lentils
1 c. Israeli couscous
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
1 c. frozen green beans
3 large handfuls spinach, chopped
2 zucchini, sliced
2 1/2 c. beef broth (imitation or vegetable work too)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp tarragon
Salt & Pepper to taste

Simmer lentils in lightly salted water until tender.

Meanwhile, saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add green beans and spinach. Saute until vegetables are starting to cook. Add the broth, tomato paste, zucchini, herbs and couscous. Simmer until couscous and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in cooked lentils. and heat through.

Thanksgiving Balls

The stove top brand stuffing isn't vegetarian so make sure whatever brand you buy is if you don't eat meat.

1 large carrot, chopped pretty fine but not as small as grating it
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 Tbsp. butter
1 box. Stovetop Savory Herb Stuffing
2 chicken bouillon cubes (Or imitation)
1/3 c. red lentils
1 can garbanzo beans
splash milk
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
dash black pepper

Combine lentils, 1 chicken bouillon cube and 2 cups water. Simmer until lentils are very tender. Drain any excess liquid.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the carrots and saute over medium high heat until the are starting to brown a little. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring until the onion is tender making sure not to let the onion burn. Add 1 1/4 cup water and 1 chicken bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, add the stuffing mix, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes.

Drain the garbanzo beans, Remove 1/4 of the can and puree with a splash of milk. Lightly mas the remaining beans to break up into smaller pieces but not made a paste.

Combine the cooked lentils, stuffing, pureed beans, mashed beans, eggs, and seasoning. Form into meatball sized balls and bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 2o minutes, turn over and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve with Gravy

Onion Gravy
4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, sliced
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth (OR imitation vegetarian bouillon cubes dissolved in boiling water first)
dash black pepper
3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Saute onions in butter until translucent. Turn heat to medium and continue cooking 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Add the flour and cook 2 minutes more. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and black pepper and cook and stirring until combine and thick. Whisk in the cream and and heat through

BBQ Meatloaf

I just added some beans to my moms meatloaf to stretch the recipe

Loaf:
3/4 lb. Ground Beef
3/4 lb. Ground pork or turkey
1/2 can of garbanzo beans, pureed
1/2 c.lentils, cooked until very tender in beef broth or water, will expand to about 1 cup of cooked lentils.
2 eggs
1/4 c. plain bread crumbs
1 1/2 Tbsp. parsley
1/4 c. water
1/2 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cracked pepper

Sauce:
1 c. Del Monte Chili Sauce
1 c. Catchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. mustard
dash Tabasco

Combine all of the loaf ingredients and mix well. Shape into 4 to 6 loaves. Combine sauce ingredients. Top loaves with sauce and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Baste 3 or 4 times during cooking.

I have made these loaves and then frozen them with great success. I just combined the meatloaf ingredients, topped with sauce and then froze them until solid before wrapping them in plastic wrap and then tin foil. When ready to use just remove from the freezer the night before and defrost in the fridge. Then bake according to the directions.

Creamy White Bean Stew

This tastes a lot like Alfredo with it's creamy garlicky sauce. If your beans are really soft don't add them with the potatoes or they will fall apart. Instead add them at the end with the cream cheese

2 cans white or garbanzo beans
1 Tbsp fat (butter, olive oil, or bacon grease)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. black peppers
1/2 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1/2 tsp. Marjoram
1/2 tsp. Basil
1/2 tsp. Oregano
4 cloves garlic minced
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese cut into cubes
2 c. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes (real or imitation are great)
3 large potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 in cubes
3 or 4 carrots peeled sliced into coins
1 c. peas (optional)
3 Tbsp flour

Combine the salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, and oregano. Heat fat in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the water, bouillon cubes, potatoes, carrots, peas, and beans. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes and carrots are tender enough to eat.

When cooked turn the heat to low and add the cream cheese in cubes. Stir until combined. Combine the flour and water to form a thin paste. Stir into the sauce after the cream cheese is thoroughly combined, whisk and cooked until thickened

Serve topped with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

This is also tasty if you want to add some chicken in place of part of the beans. You can check out how to use fresh chicken, or just throw some cooked and shredded (read leftover) in after you cook the vegetables.

Chicken Style Bean Stew

Check my notes about Vegan at the bottom sent to me by a friend.

UPDATE as of 03/11/11 - I didn't have any cream soup on hand so I just simmered the vegetables in the chicken broth and then added some milk at the end right before stirring in the flour/water mix. I actually liked it better.

1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 carrots, cut into coins
olive oil
1 can garbanzo beans, drained (Or white beans)
1 can corn, drained
1 c. frozen peas
1 can cream of anything soup, undiluted (I usually use cream of chicken soup, but have used vegetarian cream of potato soup and it is great too)
5 c. water
3 chicken bouillon cubes (Imitation works just fine, still has the taste)
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp. McCormick Rotisserie style chicken seasoning (Or a pinch of paprika and salt to taste, it doesnt contain any animal product though)
Large dash black pepper
1/4 c. flour

Saute onion and celery in oil until starting to get tender. Add carrots and saute 4 or 5 minutes more. Add water, chicken cubes, soup, corn, peas, beans, potatoes, and seasonings. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

Mix flour and enough cold water together to form a thin paste. Stir that into the hot stew and cook, stirring, until thickened.

The two pictures are from different batches of stew made on different nights.


Vegan Alteration Added on 9/23/2010: Ok, I friend sent this to me, she used my favorite Edward and Sons Vegan NOTChicken bouillon cubes and then flour to thicken it and just left out the cream soup all together.

Avocado Pasta Salad

1 small avocado
3/4 c. ranch dressing
2 Tbsp. Greek Yogurt, plain yogurt, or sour cream
Granulated Garlic to taste

1 can garbanzo beans, drained
2 or 3 green onions, sliced
1 c. grated carrot
1/2 c. slivered almonds
3 or 4 cups cooked and cooled small pasta

Chop the avocado into cubes and drop into the ranch. Puree until smooth. Add yogurt and garlic to taste.

Combine remaining ingredients. Toss with dressing to coat. Chill 2 hours or until ready to serve.


Combine remaining ingredients

Stroganoff

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and lightly mashed
1/2 c. lentils
1 small onion, chopped
dash olive oil
1 1/2 c. water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
large pinch black pepper
2 Tbsp. catchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. gravy browning
3/4 c. sour cream

Saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add garbanzo beans, lentils, water, beef cubes, mushroom soup, and black pepper. Simmer until quinoa and lentils are tender, making sure not to let the pot go dry. Add more liquid as needed. Add catchup, Worcestershire sauce, and browning. Simmer a minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles