Sweet Potato and Adzuki Bean Soup

Quick Gingered Sweet Potato Soup with Adzuki Beans and Miso
1 T olive oil
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed and cubed (skin on)
1 sweet onion minced
1 bay leaf
2" of ginger minced
1/2 t fennel seeds, lightly crushed
2 t red miso
1/2 vegan bouillon cube
1/2 cup adzuki beans, cooked (I cook mine with just a 1" piece of kombu for flavor and add a little salt at the end)
1/2 t smoked paprika
cilantro for garnish

Sweat the onions in a large sauce pan with the olive oil. When the onions start to become fragrant (about 5 minutes) add the cubed sweet potato and continue to stir until the sweet potato becomes fragrant. Toss in the fennel seeds, ginger and bay leaf. Stir for a minute or two before adding the water, miso and bouillon. Simmer until the sweet potato starts to fall apart, then remove the bay leaf and buzz lightly with an immersion blender. The soup should be chunky rather than silky. Add the adzukis and the smoked paprika and remove from the heat. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Another quinoa salad, this one Persian-style

I just discovered food52.com and made this salad the other nite. I made a ton of alterations - swapped in healthier quinoa for couscous, eggplant (in need of use) for squash, and cherries for raisins (eww!). The great thing about this recipe is that you can, and should, use what you have on hand. Following is my version and what I was munching on in class yesterday. That lentil salad topper on there will have to wait - that involves cookbook transcribing and I can't procrastinate that much!

Quinoa salad with eggplant, cherries, pistachios, and mint, aka Persian Love Salad

Serves 6-ish

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups dried quinoa, cooked according to directions
  
• 1 diced eggplant
  
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
  
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and let them steep for about 30 minutes.
2. Next, cook the quinoa - rinse the grains, boil in water till the little germ spirals pop out, and drain. Toss it with a fork so the grains don't start clumping together, pour into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
3. In a skillet over medium high heat, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then, add the chopped eggplant, salt and pepper. Saute until semi-soft with nice brown edges. Then add the shallot, cherries, pistachios, and more salt and pepper. Only cook for about a minute or two -- you still want the eggplant to be al dente. This just ensures all the flavors can marry before they hit the couscous. Set aside until everything reaches room temperature.
4. Once the veggies have reached room temperature, add them to the bowl with the couscous and combine.
5. Then, remove and discard the cloves of garlic from the dressing, and toss it with the couscous (add the dressing gradually, as you may not need it all). Fold in the mint, season with additional salt and pepper if necessary and serve at room temperature.

Read more: http://www.food52.com/recipes/5425_summer_squash_couscous_with_sultanas_pistachios_and_mint#ixzz0z3teL1AP

Cleaning out the fridge quinoa salad

I had a few things lingering at the bottom of my produce drawer from last week's box from Irv and Shelly's that were begging to be roasted and tossed together with some quinoa and harissa for a quick healthy dinner. I let the roast veggies and the quinoa cool before throwing it all together to make it feel lighter and more summery, but I think it would also be excellent hot.

1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
5-6 small beets, sliced
1 1/2 c. cubed butternut squash (I had some already cut up and frozen leftover from a recipe a few months back)
1 small spring onion, sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
a healthy pinch each of cumin, coriander, aleppo pepper
a few grinds of salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c. roughly chopped swiss chard
1 c. roughly chopped beet greens
2 tablespoons harissa

In a medium bowl, toss the beets, squash, onion, some of the olive oil, cumin, coriander, aleppo, and salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in a 350F oven for about 35 minutes, moving them around with a spatula about halfway through. While the veggies are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package directions. When finished, rinse with cold water and set aside. Next, saute garlic, chile pepper flakes, and greens in the rest of the olive oil until greens are just beginning to wilt, put aside. When the beets and squash are finished, remove from oven and let cool. Toss greens, quinoa and roasted veggies together, with harissa and a bit more olive oil as needed. Enjoy!

Black Eyed Pea and Potato tacos!

Yesterday I went on an awesome date. That date involved an amazing spice shop in the East Village where there are also amazing bulk dried fruits, beans, jarred chutneys, etc. And, today there was amazing watercress at the farmer's market...So, this little gem of a dinner was born. These tacos (plus the spicy dark chocolate and trappist ale I washed it down with...) were the perfect end to a beautiful day and the satisfying meal I needed after a 30 mile bike jaunt! Sadly, I gobbled them down before taking a picture...But, I guarantee you that it was a BEAUTIFUL, colorful meal. These are light and surprisingly complex and flavorful for a super quick meal, and seriously satisfying. I think these would be great with sweet potatoes or squash in place of the yukon golds too! Dare I recommend pairing these tacos with your favorite beer and an evening on the porch with someone sweet? Bliss.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 cup cooked black eyed peas (Save the rest of your batch for another meal...I'm thinking tumeric scented empanadas!)
1 clove garlic, minced
smoked paprika
ground cumin
ground coriander
cayenne pepper
1 t honey or maple syrup
sea salt
lime


A healthy amount of rinsed and dried watercress
1 bell pepper, chopped small
1 large carrot, chopped small
A hefty handful of chopped cilantro (like 3/4 cup!)

1 avocado, sliced
whole grain tortillas (I like the Ezekiel ones, toasted over the stove until a bit crispy)


In a large nonstick skillet, heat some olive oil over low-medium heat and start caramelizing the onions. When they start to get clear, add the potatoes and let them sit until they begin to brown. Cook the potatoes and onions together for about 8 minutes and then add the cooked beans and chopped garlic. Let the beans brown for a minute or two and then add about 1/2t each of cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Stir lightly. Let the beans, onions and potatoes continue to brown. When they are getting a lot of color, add a dash of cayenne pepper, some salt and the honey or syrup. Let cook until dry...You want like a hash consistency, this takes some time and requires that you not stir too much. Remove your delicious pile of smokey carbs and beans from the heat and squeeze half a lime over the top.

While the beans and potatoes are turning into magic taco filling, toss the watercress with the carrots, peppers, most of the cilantro, a little olive oil and lime juice and some salt and pepper.

Assemble each taco with a bit of the salad, a scoop of the potatoes and beans, a slice of avocado and some more cilantro.

Carrot, Bean + Herb Salad

This is a riff on one of my 101 Cookbooks faves and it's as easy as it gets. Heidi's version calls for white beans + dill; I make this with whatever beans I have cooked and herbs on hand. My latest version was especially fantastic and here it is: with ramps, mini Yellow Indian Woman beans, cilantro, and chives. Instead of pan roasting carrots and adding raw shallots, I oven-roasted the carrots with a couple of chopped ramps. Holla! While the almonds may seem like a weird addition, they are lots of the reason this is so amazing. Great for vegans and those watching the calories!

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt

2 T. olive oil
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots/garlic/ramps/other allium

3 cups cooked beans (from 1 c. dry - I often use Allubia Criollo from Rancho Gordo; most kinds work, just experiment)
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs - dill is what Heidi uses; I love this with cilantro or parsley, and some chives
Honey to taste, about 1 tsp to 1 T.
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

salt, pepper, and Aleppo pepper (optional)

Oven roast the carrots at 350 degrees with the olive oil and the chopped shallots/ramps/whatever for 30-45 mins, depending on the size of the carrots. They should be bright orange with some nice brown edges.

Toss the beans and herbs with the carrots and add a squeeze of lemon juice, honey, and salt + pepper. You shouldn't really need more olive oil but if things look dry, add a splash.

Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. A sprinkle of Aleppo pepper works really well too. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.

Serves 6 - 8 as a side.

BRAIN FOOD

Garlic roasted lima beans, wheat berries, and arugula salad with avocado, bell pepper, sprouts and lemon and garlic dressing.

A simplified version of my favorite Winter soup.

I think I made that Kabocha squash and French lentil soup from 101 cookbooks at least 20 times in the months since Heidi posted it. I am obsessed. It is the best soup ever. (Okay, its tied with the white beans and greens soup and black bean soup that my mom has been making me since I was very wee.)But, it's labor intensive and uses a lot of dishes and squash season is over. So, I've re-done the recipe to make it a one pot, one cutting board, one knife kind of pantry recipe. The lovely thing is that this soup costs about $5 to make, thins out beautifully (so you can really stretch it), and lends itself to impulsive variations. It also makes its own tasty broth, so there's no need to whip up or buy veggie stock saving both money and time, things I am definitely short on lately! I've made it three times this week and have had it cold, over rice, with a salad, thinned out with water, thickened up with greens, topped with red pepper purée...and it just keeps satisfying me. So, I hope that if you try it, you'll like it at least half as much as I do.



Necessary Ingredients
(about) 1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, 1/4" dice
1 small sweet onion, 1/4" dice
1 medium size thin skinned potato, 1/4" dice (I like Yukon Gold and you could add 2 potatoes if you want it to be heartier.)
1 large clove garlic, minced
3/4- 1 cup French Lentils
2 dried bay leaves
1 star anise
1/2 tsp dried ginger
5- 6 cups filtered water
1 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
sea salt to taste

Optional Ingredients
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, 1/4" dice (added in with the carrots and onions, this will add a rich sweetness to the soup)
any cubed vegetables that you have lying around. I think some quartered and roasted brusssels sprouts sound like they'd be good thrown in at the end.
puréed roasted bell pepper (1/4 cup) (as a drizzle on top)
chard or kale, chopped
cooked wheat berries or brown rice (to thicken the soup and add body)
a hefty wedge of warm bread (because soup is better with bread!)
cubed avocado (because its great on everything)
Chopped and toasted walnuts as a garnish (Omega 3's!)
...you get the idea.

Start with a large or medium soup pot. Heat the oil and add the onion and carrot, cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. The onions can get a little brown, but you're going for clear, fragrant and that good caramelizing smell.

Add the cubed potato and garlic. Stir and cook for just another minute. Do not let the garlic get any color or it will be bitter.

Add the lentils, 4 cups of water and the bay leaves. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 5- 8 minutes (This is a good time to wash your cutting board and clean off the counter...Or, check your email or whatever...This is truly a procrastinatory soup!)

Reduce the heat to low and add the ginger and anise. Simmer partially covered until the lentils are soft. Then add the balsamic and salt to taste. It is important not to add salt or acid until the lentils are fully cooked! Remove the anise and bay leaves and set aside. (I like to throw them in with the left overs...But, you can probably thrown them out.)Add 1- 3 cups more water (depending on how brothy a soup you want) and simmer uncovered for about 10 more minutes. At this point you can ladel out what you're going to store and add greens to the pot, but I wouldn't put the greens in the soup you plan to hold as leftovers.

Enjoy!