Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Stew

This stew is both unusual and delicious! VERY hearty, and sure warms you up on a nice chilly day. Originally from a A Year of Slow Cooking.

 

Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Stew

–1 cup dried lentils
–1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
–1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
–1 onion, chopped
–2 garlic cloves, minced
–1/2 cup chopped celery
–1/2 cup chopped carrots
–28 oz can of diced tomatoes (and juice)
–4 cups vegetable broth
–1 1/2 tsp garam masala
–1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
–1/2 tsp cumin
–1/4 tsp nutmeg
–1/4 tsp cinnamon
–1 inch ginger, peeled and grated


Use at least a 5 quart crockpot for this. It makes a lot.

Chop up all of your vegetables and add them to the crockpot. Drain and rinse off the beans, add to the pot. Add the dried lentils. Grate your ginger, and add it along with the dried spices. 

Stir in the vegetable broth and tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Soup tastes best the longer you cook it, and it is even better the next day. I thought it needed a bit of salt added, but that could just be because I used no-salt tomatoes, and low sodium broth. - If it's a bit spicy for your taste, add a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt to each individual bowl.

Before serving, use an immersible blender and pulse to blend some of the vegetables and beans together. This isn’t necessary, but it really improves the texture of the soup and melds the flavors nicely.

*Note: I’ve been talking a lot about making large batches of soups and freezing the leftovers, but this one is NOT a good soup to freeze…the pasta and beans come out all mushy in the thawing process. You could, however, cook the soup without those two ingredients, and then throw them in when  you reheat.

This recipe is by far the soup that my husband requests most (and I make a LOT of soups!). Since it’s such an easy one to throw together-even on a tight schedule, I don’t mind one bit. Serve it with some crusty french bread to soak up the broth, and you’re good to go!

Tuscan Soup

4 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 cup water
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (if necessary)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup uncooked small spiral pasta – I use whole wheat
3 cups thinly sliced fresh escarole or spinach (or use a thawed/drained package of froz. spinach)
I season with marjoram,oregano, dill, red pepper flakes, garlic, and basil to taste
Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a large saucepan, saute onion and carrot in oil until onion is tender. Add the broth, water, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in beans and pasta; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add escarole; cook until just wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Yield: 4 servings.

Eastern Pacific Rim Chowder

2 T olive oil
3 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, cubed
2 onions, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 T  ground cumin
2 T  ground coriander
1 t black pepper
3 dashes of sea salt
2 oz minced garlic (this is a lot of garlic to mince by hand, I cheat and get the pre-minced jar at the market)
4 oz sweet chili sauce
2 cans light coconut milk
1 oz Worcestershire sauce
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Cooked seafood medley of your choice – we love crab legs (just half a crab is fine), shrimp (maybe 10-15 or so broken in half), and tilapia (half a filet roughly chopped)
Chop carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery. Heat oil in a large stock pot, add veggies, and saute until slightly softened. Add cumin, coriander, salt, pepper,  garlic, and just enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are soft. Add sweet chili sauce, coconut milk,  and Worcestershire. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes to blend flavors. Add the cilantro and seafood right before you serve it up!

Annnnnd, enjoy :-)

Roasted Fall Vegetable Galette

Roasted Fall Vegetable Galette

*Adapted from this recipe...

Thin pizza crust dough
5 small carrots (or 3 medium), peeled and sliced
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced
Half a butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 large sweet onion, peeled and roughly chopped
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bulb of garlic, outer layers peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 oz. creamy goat cheese

Place all vegetables and on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Place rosemary sprigs on top. Cut off the top of the garlic bulb and wrap in aluminum foil. Place the foil-covered bulb in with the vegetables, and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice or until soft.

Remove rosemary twigs (if some needles have fallen off, that's fine...just leave them with the veggies). Unwrap garlic bulb and squeeze the soft, roasted garlic into a bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the roasted vegetables and half of the goat cheese. Mix well.

Gently place rolled out pizza dough onto a stone or greased baking sheet. Pile vegetable mixture onto the center of the crust, dot with remaining goat cheese, and fold/loosely drape the excess crust over the filling. Bake for  35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden and cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve!

Grilled Black Bean Burgers

Grilled Black Bean Burgers

This delicious meatless recipe is from my mom. It's filling, full of good nutrition, and always satisfies the men in the group too. Just add a bun and any normal hamburger toppings!  Enjoy!

1 lg. onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
1 medium carrot, shredded
1-2 t chili powder (depending on taste)
1 t cumin
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or you can just use 2 cans of black)
1 1/2 c quick cooking oats
2 T dijon mustard
2 T soy sauce
1 T ketchup
1/4 t pepper
 
In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in carrot, chili powder, and cumin; cook 2 minutes longer or until carrot is tender. Remove from heat. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mash beans. Stir in oats. Add mustard, soy sauce, ketchup, pepper, and carrot mixture. Mix well and shape into 3 1/2" patties. It will make about 8. Fry in a non-stick frying pan coated w/ cooking spray, or bake on a stone until heated through and nicely browned (about 30 minutes on 350).

Super yummy w/ salsa on top! These also freeze really well.

Sunday Morning Muffins

I love these not-too-sweet yet packed-with-goodness muffins. I always include them on my list when I have a freezer cooking day, because they are just perfect to bake up in large batches and then pop a few out for breakfast or a snack whenever you want them!

Sunday Morning Muffins

Yield: 24 muffins 

Ingredients: 
2 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar (Sucanat or agave can be substituted as a natural sugar)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
½ cup applesauce
2 cups grated carrots
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
½ cup undrained crushed pineapple

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 12-cup muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, soda and salt.
3. In a small bowl mix eggs and applesauce and add to flour mixture. Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
4. Fold in carrots, pecans and pineapple. Stir until blended.
5. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Cool in tins for 10 minutes before removing.