Kale & White Bean Stew

Packed with nutrition from Kale and protein packed cannelloni beans. I often add in roasted tempeh or for meat eaters, lamb sausage.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive oil
3 carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
2 shallots or 2 cloves garlic, chopped

4, 15oz cans vegetable broth ( about 8 cups)
1 cup water
2 , 15 oz can cannelloni beans
dried parsley, thyme  & oregano ro rosemary (optional)
sestet & pepper
2 bunches kale, stems out and chopped large

12 one sausage or roasted/bbq tempeh (optional)

Step 1
Heat oil in a large pot. Add tempeh or sausage if using. Fry up and remove.

Step 2
Add carrots, onions, shallots, celery.
Saute 3 min.
Add garlic if using- 1 min

Stir in veg or chicken broth, water, herbs & season with seawall t& pepper.
Bring to a simmer for 15 min. Add back in sausage or tempeh if using.
Add cannelloni beans. Stir. add more broth if it is too thick for you.
Add in chopped kale. Cover Let simmer until kale is texture you like, I like it chewy).
Serve as is.

Roasted Carrot and Red Lentil Ragout

Ingredients:

6 large carrots, peeled & cut lengthwise
10 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional0
1 cup red lentils
5 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

1. Lay carrots in a roasting pan and toss with 5 Tablespoons olive oil. 

Season with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the carrots, add the onion & drizzle rest of Olive oil on them. 

Roast 15 minutes, until the carrots are brown and tender. 

When the carrots are cool enough cut them in to 1/4 inch dice. Dice onion as well.

2. Warm a sauce pan. 

Add the carrot and onion mixture, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the lentils. Add the chicken stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until lentil are falling apart. Season to taste.

3. Serve with rice, or as a thick soup.

If I want to pump up the veggie content, I add in some sweet potato. parsnip, celery....

Creamy Golden Chick Pea & Kale Stew

Spiced chick peas are crisped in olive oil, the simmered in coconut milk for a crazy creamy stew often found in South India & parts of the Caribbean.  The chick peas alone would be a great side dish, but then you'll add in stock, bolstered with dark, leafy greens of you choosing, and finish with a handful of fresh mint.  Be sure to avid low fat coconut milk or the meant fo drinking: all are very different and would not be suitable here.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
4 garlic cloves or 2 shallots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stick celery sliced thin
3 carrots cut in chunks
1, 2inch , peeve of ginger, grated
sea salt
pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2, 15 oz, cans of chick peas, drained and rinsed
2, 15 oz cans of full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 inch swiss hard or kale or collard gens. stems removed, torn or cut into small pieces

Garnish:
1 cup mint, chopped
Yogurt

Step 1
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic/shallots (if using), onion, celery & ginger. Season with sea salt & pepper. Put on low and let simmer for 5 min until onions are translucent.

Step 2
Add in turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, if using, and check peas.  Let fry in spices for 8-10min. Stirring frequently.  With a master, mask the chick peas to release the starch to thicken the stew.

Step 3
Add in the carrots, stock, coconut milk. Season with seas and pepper again.
Let simmer, stirring occasionally,  until carrots cooked as you like and stew has thickened. 30-35 minutes.

Step 4.
Add in greens. Stir. Cover and let sit on low for 5 min or until greens are the texture you like. I like them super crunchy almost raw.  Check salt and pepper seasoning.

To serve top with olive oil, mint and a dollop of yogurt...

Vegetarian Chili with Smoked tofu

I love this dish, because, as with many bean dishes I can either put it in the slow cooker, or in a Dutch oven and in the oven fat a low temperature, for the afternoon , and have it ready when we get home from sports!

2 TBL vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)

2 onions, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper , Chopped in medium sized pieces

   (I don’t use this as I do not like peppers I substitute by adding 1 tsp of paprika)

Seasalt and pepper

3 tBL / soup spoonsTamari or soy sauce to taste

4 garlic cloves minced OR 3 shallots

250gr button mushrooms, chopped fine

1 Tbl/ soup spoon chili powder (or to preference of hotness)

2 Tsp / coffee spoon cumin

1 tsp/ coffee spoon coriander

1 tsp/ coffee spoon paprika

2 cans (400 gr each) pinto beans (berlotti beans) or red kidney beans

2 cans (400gr each) of whole peeled tomatoes,

   drained, coarsely chopped

1 jar (15 ounces) tomato puree

12 ounces / 400gr smoked tofu cut in small pieces

1 cup/ 250 gr pumpkin puree (optional- takes the edge off the acidity)

1 cup / 250ml vegetable broth

1 zucchini cut into medium small sized pieces

1 yellow squash (or another zucchini) cut into medium small sized pieces

Heat oil in Dutch oven  over medium high heat until shimmering.  Add onions, red bell pepper (if using), mushrooms and shallots (if using) 1 tsp seasalt and cook until vegetables are softened, lightly browned and some of the mushroom’s water has evaporated out.

OR put all into Thermomix, chop coarsely. Set at 90 C for 10 minutes. Speed 2-3- so it moves.

Add garlic (if using) and spices and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. If using Thermomix, add the same. 5 min. 90 C, Stir at speed 2-3 so it moves.

If you used the Thermomix, place all at the bottom of a Dutch oven or a Slow Cooker.  If you chopped and pan fried by hand, leave it in the Dutch oven!

Layer the rest of the ingredients---

Carrots

Beans with some of their liquid

Smoked tofu

Pumpkin Puree (if using- you won’t taste it)

Zucchini & yellow squash

Drained tomatoes

Vegetable broth

Cook in Dutch oven, without lid, until the veg are cooked and the sauce has thickened.  In Slow Cooker, place on HIGH for 5 hours +

Serve over whole basmati rice or creamy millet or with corn pasta, a but of feta cheese and some slices of avocado on top…

Spiced Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)

When I need a meal in a quick minute, I almost always turn to lentils. Lentils are 25% protein, are High in fiber, Vitamin B and Iron.  Authentic Dal should have a porridge-like consistency, without the need for a blender.  You cannot substitute different lentils for red lentils in this dish; they have a very different texture. Plus, the red ones cook in 20 minutes! Just enough time to make the Coconut rice…

1 TBL coconut oil, melted

½ tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground turmeric (I grate fresh turmeric into the pan about a half a thumb sized piece)

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic or 4 large shallots, minced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger (about a large thumb-sized piece)

4 cups water

 8 ½ oz / 1 ¼ cups red lentils, rinsed

1 lb / 500gr plum tomatoes, chopped (I often use tomatoes I have frozen in the summer, I put them as is in the pan until the defrost enough to “cut up” with scissors!)

½ cup fresh coriander, minced

2 TBL ghee or unsalted butter or olive oil

sea salt & pepper

Lemon wedges

Heat up a large saucepan over medium heat, until oil is shimmering.

Add powdered spices and stir until fragrant. Stir in onions and shallots (if using). Cook until softened, about 5 min. Stir in garlic (if using) and ginger and fresh turmeric (if using), about 30 sec.

Stir in water and red lentils. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to lowest or smallest burner and let simmer, uncovered, until lentils are tender and resemble a coarse puree, 20-25 min.

Stir in tomatoes, fresh coriander, and buuter/oliveoil/ghee. Season with sea salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges. Coconut Rice  and Palak Paneer make great sides! (See recipes)

Best Black Beans - EVER

I have a history of loving black beans- Cuban style, Mexican style, you name the bean, I love it.
This week I finally decided that it was time really eat Mexican food again, and since I can't buy it in France, I'd have to make it. In the spirit, I decided to use a new recipe to see how it turned out. Rick Bayless' Everyday Mexican, is the MAN. I twisted one of his recipes to suit my ingredients and cooking options. It ROCKED! Even the kids were asking for more. Next time I will double the batch.
I am sure this recipe will work with dried garbanzo beans (chick peas), pinto (burlotti) beans or dried fava beans too.

Oven-Cooked Black Beans

2 1/2 cups (400grams) black beans, soaked overnight or all day, change the water whenever you rememeber.
2 Tbl vegetable oil
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
2 bay (laurier) leaves or dried avocado leaves
2 inch (10 cm) piece dried Kombu seaweed
seasalt

Large Dutch oven (large cocotte)

Soaking and changing the water of the beans helps thier hard cover open and cracrack, getting thenm ready for sprouting. Doing this, and cooking with them with kombu greatly increases thier digestibility. No matter what anyone else says to me, this is years of my personal experience.

Pre-heat oven to 275F/140C

Place Dutch oven on stove on medium heat. Add oil. When hot, add chopped onions. Fry until transparent. Turn off heat.

Place kombu under the onions. Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Place on top of the onions and kombu. Fill with water until water level reachs apprximately 1 inch (5 cm) over the beans. Add the bay(laurier) or avocado leaves.

Place on stove at high heat and bring to a boil.
Cover and turn off heat.
Place in pre-heated oven.
Let slow cook for 2-3 hours. I always go out!

Remove from oven and taste a bean to make sure it is soft. Season with seasalt.
Note: NEVER add the salt before the beans are soft. If you do they will stay hard no matter how long you cook them!

Serve with creme fraiche or sourcream, chopped onions, chopped cilantro (coriander), fresh salsa or just some chopped up tomatoes and cucumbers!
You can have these as a meal, or as a side dish with chicken or pork, if you eat it.

Mexican Baked Eggs

I know this is straying from my typical ingredient list. But it is a great cold day,
I-want-to-cook easy and delicious recipe! I use it as a dinner food as we eat bread & avocado for breakfast.

Best is to use free range, organic (bio/AB) eggs. Yes, they do make a difference. You can even use only EGG WHITES to drastically cut down on fat and cholestral. Actually, I think it's better this way! If you do, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg. I plan 2 eggs per person, including kids.

You can also substitute a jar or 2 of pre-made salsa for the tomatoes and green chilis for a truly simple, 10 minute prep meal.

MEXICAN BAKED EGGS

1 large red onion, diced small (yellow or any other kind of onion works too)
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced or grated (optional)
2 Tbl olive oil for cooking
1/4 cup chili peppers sliced thin (optional)
1 can diced tomatoes or 6 fresh tomatoes, diced small
1 TBl cumin powder
6-8 whole eggs or 12-16 egg whites
salt & pepper to taste
1- 1.5 cups Monetrey Jack or Emmental grated cheese (to your liking)

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Grease a 10inch/30cm baking pan. I like to use a glass Pyrex pan.

Heat pan on medium heat. Add olive oil. Saute onions and garlic until soft. About 5 min. Add cumin, chilis if using and tomatoes.
Pour into prepared baking pan.
Crack eggs on top, keeping yolks whole.
Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Top with grated cheese.

Bake for 15-25 minutes. Keep watch after 15 min as egg yolks can quickly go from soft adn gooey to hard and over cooked.

Serve immediately with a large green salad.

Moroccon Veg Stew

Serve with couscous.
Freezable.
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

MOROCCON VEGETABLE STEW

2 Tbl olive oil
2 med-lg red onions
4 lg carrots cut in 1 inch/5cm pieces
2 large potatoes cut in 1nch/5cm pieces
1 small butternut or "potimarron" pumpkin squash cut in pieces
1 small eggplant/aubergine, cut in pieces
1 med courgette/zucchini, cut in pieces

4 Tbl ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp ground coriander or cardamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground anise (optional)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Salt & Pepper

3 cups veg or chicken broth (low/no salt)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chick peas, rinsed well


In a large Dutch oven (Cocotte) or heavy-bottom pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Saute onions until soft. Stirring occasionally. 5 minutes or so.

Add spices and cook until you can smell them, about 1 min.
Add carrots, potatoes and pumpkin/squash, salt & pepper. Stirring until the begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add broth and tomatoes until veg are just covered. Taste and season with salt & pepper.
Bring to a gentle simmer & cook, uncovered for 20 min.

Add eggplant/aubergine and courgette/zucchini. Stir to combine. Cook about 20 min until tender.
Stir in chickpeas, taste & seasona gain with salt & pepper if needed. Cook until chickpeas are warmed through, about 5 min.

Serve with couscous or rice. Top with freshily chopped coriander if desired.