Coconut Vegetable Stew

One pot meals make my kitchen life so easy at times. If I can nail a recipe that I will enjoy making and eating many times, it’s even  better. This recipe is just that. I got inspired to make this after reading a post from this amazing blogger: Pumpkin and peanut butter. I wanted to make her recipe as is the first time I read it but had to modify because of what I had on hand. I have since made it twice and every time it becomes something slightly different. The version I am sharing with you today is one that my husband raves about. I decided it was time I wrote down exactly how I made it so I could make it again. I made this to bring to a big family trip to the mountains we just had last week. I made a huge batch so it could feed 12 of us. I am sharing that recipe here. You can either half the recipe to make a smaller batch, or better yet, make a huge batch and freeze some for use!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch cube of ginger, grated
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBS cumin
• 1 medium head of cauliflower,chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 talks of celery,chopped
• 2 cups red lentils
• 9 cups water or vegetable broth (I mixed both)
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 19 oz can of coconut milk (smaller or bigger is fine)
• salt to taste

Steps:

• in a large pot heat the oil and add the onion
• cook onion for a few minutes until it becomes transluscent
• add the garlic and spices and cook another couple minutes until the fragrance comes out
• add everything else and cook covered on low for about 30 minutes or until all vegetables are soft
• serve as is or with a side of black forbidden rice and rosemary roasted potatoes like we did

Since making this dish ahead of time, all the flavors got to marinate really nicely together. This is a dish that gets better as it sits. Freezing some of it would not be bad idea!

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Potato Leek “Chowder”

I hadn’t set out to make this, but the end result was far better than what I imagined. I love it when recipes take their own form into something even better than what I plan. This dish is not a soup, and it is not a puree, that is why I chose to call it chowder. I don’t think I’ve ever had chowder before so I cannot testify to the resemblance of the dish, but the texture seems appropriate. The baby loved it and my son asked for more, so I am sure I will be making this again. I will probably triple this recipe next time to make a few extra servings for my freezer meals.

Ingredients:

• 2 leeks, sliced
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 3 potatoes, cubed
• 2 TBS oregano
• 1.5 cups almond milk
• 3 cups broth
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 tsp salt or more to taste
• some cracked pepper

Steps:

• In a large skillet warm some oil and sautee the onions for a bout 5 minutes
• add the washed and sliced leeks with the sliced garlic and sautee for another 5-7 minutes until leeks are tender
• in the meantime cut potatoes in 1 inch cubes
•  put everything in a large pot
• bring to a boil on high, then cook on medium-low until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes
• roughly  blend everything together, leaving chunks for texture. (I used my blender and I did this in batches, making sure to not over process. If you have an immersion blender that is even better.)
• Serve with some sliced avocado or shredded cheese.

Zucchini Patties

Most times I end up making patties it is because I have left over grains of some sort. I love making patties for the kids because it is such an easy way to pack veggies in without them paying attention. This is such a quick lunch to make if you have everything on hand. Here is my latest patty creation. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 small zucchini
• 2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
• 4 mushrooms
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS rice flour (any flour will do)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS olive oil

Steps:

• mix everything together in the for processor with the S blade until well combined. 
• make 3 inch patties on a skillet and cook about 2 minutes each side. 
• makes about 12 patties

Since the only ingredient that needs cooking is the egg, there is no need to cook for too long. 

I served it with a leftover red bell pepper sauce that I had made. I didn’t write down the recipe for this one as I was making it but I really liked it so I will be making it again. Stay tuned for an update on that 🙂

Vegetable “Couscous”

I am all about big family style dishes full of vegetables. First of all, its an easy way to get a bunch of veggies in at once, second of all, when they are all mixed up and have sauce on them, it’s harder for my kids to pick out the ones they don’t like (though they still do it). Also, it’s always nice to have leftovers which almost always happens when I make big dishes like this one, (unless I am serving it a party). And personally, I love the flavor created when so many vegetables are combined.

Here is a dish that I grew up on. My grandma made this often and I always loved it. We always added Harissa hot sauce to ours to give a nice kick. Any hot sauce will do though if you cannot find Harissa. I was gifted a dutch oven a few months ago, and I knew that this recipe was perfect for my new kitchen toy.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 small butternut squash or pumpkin or something of the like
• 2 turnips
• garbanzo beans, 3 cups cooked
• 3 artichoke hearts, taken from whole artichokes that have been boiled and then the hearts separated (optional)
• vegan sausage (optional)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 3/4 cups water
• olive oil 3 TBS
• paprika 1tsp
• coriander 1tsp
• cumin 2 tsp
• salt

Note: I prefer to have all the veggies chopped somewhat big for this recipe, about 2 inches. 

Steps

• Melt the onions in about 3 TBS olive oil, about 4 minutes
• Add the fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce
• once heated, add the paprika, then the water
• once the water is boiling add all the vegetables and spices
• 20 minutes before removing from heat, add the artichoke hearts and vegan sausage so they can warm up and get some of the flavors.

If like me you choose to make this recipe in a dutch oven, start this whole process on the stove, on medium low heat and then once all the vegetables are in, put the dutch oven in the oven at 350 F, for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

If you do not have a dutch oven, this dish tastes great made in a large pot on the stove. Just let simmer for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve this dish over couscous grain, or any other grain you choose. The couscous grain is the way I was brought up to eat it and I love it that way! Don’t forget the hot sauce!

Do you have a dutch oven? What’s one of your favorite recipes?

Sweet Potato Chili

This weekend we are going camping with about 20 other families from my daughter’s school. One night we will be doing a potluck. I love potlucks. I love getting to try a bunch of different dishes and always tasting something new. With that said, while camping, people tend to take the easy route and buy pre packaged foods and convenience foods, not to mention all the meat and white bread. I want to make sure my family and I get a good amount of veggies in.

That’s why I am bringing one of my all-time-favorite-large-group-feeding-dishes: vegetarian chili. This chili is pretty easy to make and will save for several days in the fridge, and freezes great. This was one of the dishes I made a huge batch of when I was pregnant and was so happy to find in my freezer once my son was born. And because of the amount of veggies I use, this is packed with nutrition.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 large celery stalks
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 2 cups tomato sauce, plus 2 chopped tomatoes, OR 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
• 4 cups of pre cooked black beans, OR 4 cans (15 oz each) of organic black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 TBS cumin
• 1 TBS chili powder
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Steps

• Warm up the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion, belle pepper, garlic, celery and salt. Cook bout 4 minutes.
• Add the sweet potato and lime zest, cook 10 to 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the cilantro, cover and cook about another 10 minutes.
• Serve as is, or over brown rice or your favorite grain. I love having mine with fresh cilantro, a good sharp cheddar and some fresh avocado.

I doubled this recipe for this weekend.

Do you have a chili recipe you love? Please share! I really love chili 🙂