Maybe cassoulet

I was a vegetarian for close to a decade before my daughter was born. I really didn't fully venture back into the world of meat eaters until a bout with severe anemia left me craving bacon cheeseburgers.

I still resist cooking meat. Of all the meats to prepare, sausage is my dreaded least favorite. Gooey and gross.

But I work tonight and thought I'd fire up the crockpot again with something that resembles a hearty French cassoulet.

On the bottom of the crock pot:

- 1 large clove garlic, sliced

- 1 can petit diced tomatoes 

- 1 tiny can tomato paste

- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (all I had)

- 1 approximately 3/4 chunk cube of homemade chicken stock from my freezer

Next I browned a pack of sausage links. 

Being cheap, I put three in the fridge for later and sliced the other two, putting that and the dribbles of grease from the frying pan into the crock pot.

Finally I added:

- 1 can white/ Great Northern beans (bean slime rinsed off)

- 1 can whole potatoes 

- about 3 tablespoons parsley 

- about 1/2 cup frozen sliced mushrooms

Or maybe I dumped more parsley than that...

I plan to cook for seven hours on high. Adding water if liquid is needed. 

Even at first stir it looks great:

I did not add water, but after the first two or three hours I turned the heat down to low.

This was what my small bowl looked like:

My family enjoyed it. Daughter announced it was only a tiny bit less amazing than Saturday night's Kedjenou. I expected it to be more tomato soup-like but I'm happy to report that it's more of a savory stew. (I don't like tomato soup.) Success.

I wish I'd made a bigger batch.

Chicken leftovers

The chicken I made in the crockpot turned out very yummy, if you like chicken. Personally, chicken on its own doesn't excite me.

Tonight's dinner excited me much more. We took some of the leftover chicken and made fajitas of romaine lettuce, cheese, chicken, black beans, and salsa. 

Garden Beans Caeser Zaatar

One of my colleagues gave me some beans from her garden so I made a variation of green beans Caesar.

I steamed the yellow beans for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Make a sauce of two parts extra virgin olive oil to one part balsamic vinegar. Add about 1/2 teaspoon four color pepper and 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder.

Make crumbs of about 1/4 breadcrumbs,  2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 teaspoons zaatar spice.

Toss beans in sauce. Sprinkle with paprika. Top with crumbs. Bake 15-20 minutes.

I put mine on a bed of shredded cabbage and cucumber.

Maybe kale burgers

I was reminded today that I have poor luck in the kitchen when the recipe calls for transforming beans into patties.

Falafel. Vegetarian burgers.

Always end up as too wet hash. And yes, I realize this means I should add more dry ingredients but who wants to turn the resulting item into mostly rice or breadcrumbs?

I attempted a variation of Thug Kitchen's Spinach Kidney Bean Sliders.

Mine were a mix of kale, white beans and kidney beans. They are in the oven now. They felt too wet at the get-go. Big shock.

In the food processor, combine:

- one can kidney beans, liquid drained and beans rinsed

- one can great northern (white) beans, liquid drained and beans rinsed

- 3 cups raw kale, chopped

- 1/2 cup crumbs (my homemade breadcrumbs often includes the ends of bags of crackers, pretzels, etc)

- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, sticky and cold

Add seasonings, I used:

- a splash of soy sauce

- a big glob of Annie's Goddess dressing

- about 1 tablespoon oregano

- about 1 tablespoon zaatar spice/sesame seed

- generous garlic powder

- some paprika

- some cumin

Form patties and bake at 350, at least 15 minutes each side.

Okay... These are really ugly patties but I tasted them and they are really good...

My efforts to dry them out via slow cooking left some bites too crispy, but I layered these patties on a toasted hot dog bun, with kale and habanero salsa just like my "ultimate" sandwich last night. Then I threw on some Alexa multigrain onion rings.

Scrumptious!

Sausage chili

I got the last few coconut flour cornbread muffins out of the freezer and wondered what I could make to go with them. I had ground Italian sausage in the fridge, so I thought a chili with sausage might work.

I lightly browned the sausage in my big ol' Le Creuset skillet, with a little bit of coconut oil. I added a can of petite diced tomatoes (and yes I've read how now canned tomatoes are on the no-no list for many wholesome eaters, not only are they probably GMO but the cans are treated with... What is it? BHA? If I grow enough to can my own, I won't have to worry about it...)

Anyway, the tomatoes and meat are simmering away... I start tossing spices in, totally willy nilly as I've often seen Rachael Ray do. A lot of chili powder, some garlic, a few shakes of cumin, a few shakes of oregano, a little four color peppercorn, a pinch of paprika, and a good dump of cocoa. This is an operation done by smell. You want it very aromatic, because the beans will dilute it.

I added some water so it wouldn't stick and believe or not I piled about two cups frozen baby carrots on top. Stirred all that in. Then after 45 minutes or so of simmering on medium-low, I transferred it to the crock pot on high. I added one more cup water, 2 cans dark red kidney beans (reduced sodium, rinsed and drains), and the leftover black beans AND the leftover corn from the fridge.

I put it on high for an hour and then reduced the heat to warm for the rest of the afternoon.

Crazy Southwest Pizza

I saw something similar to this on the back of a can of Del Monte corn at work.

I made one of my multigrain pizza crusts, this one with organic white flour, unbleached white flour, whole wheat flour, dark rye flour, sorghum flour, and corn meal.

For the sauce, we used Archer Farm raspberry salsa. Then we piled on spinach, pinto beans thawed from the freezer, and leftover turkey.

Someone ate all the black olives so that's out.

We topped with some of my home-canned corn salsa and a cup of grated cheddar cheese from the farm. We intentionally kept the cheese minimal because of girlie's ears.

It's now baking and before I serve I'm going to sprinkle with the crumbs of organic blue corn tortilla chips.

Child soft tacos

We're reinstating the child-makes-one-meal-per-week policy and she opted for soft tacos.

In the skillet, she combined:
- water
- about 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 finely diced garlic clove
- 1 pinch Indian chili powder
- 1 pinch Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

- 1 lb ground beef
- about 16 ounces corn
- about 16 ounces beans
- 1 bell pepper from the garden, diced
Cover with water and boil at medium to medium high for one hour, adding more water and stirring every 15 minutes

Multi-bean burritos

Do you ever have those days when you convince yourself "there's nothing in the house to eat"? And then you look around the house and you realize you're just lazy and blind?

Or is it just me?

So, today we made bean burritos for lunch.

Ingredients
- black beans (reduced sodium from a can since I couldn't find dry black beans at the store)
- red beans? Or pinto beans? I'm not sure. I made them all from dried beans and froze them in individual packs and I didn't label them.
- extra sharp cheddar
- small tortilla shells
- archer farms raspberry salsa
- red leaf lettuce, organically grown in my garden

Now, honestly, these did not need the cheese. Would be an awesome vegan lunch without the cheese.

Served with a side of tropical fruit salad

And I thought we had nothing to eat...

Almost vegan chili

A batch of chili is something that can never be the same twice. Not in my house.

I started with a Le Creuset cassoulet with a tablespoon or two of canola oil and a pinch of minced garlic. I added the following spices, while the pot heated over medium-high:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa

Added:
- one 15 or so ounce can of Italian seasoned tomatoes

Heated to boiling.

Added 2 grated carrots.

Boiled.

Added about 20 ounces of Pacific Foods organic Homestyle tomato soup. And about 1/4 cup diced pineapple in juice. (a single serving cup I got on clearance on Target)

Boiled, covered, simmer for an hour.

Now, I'm adding three varieties of beans: 1 pound red kidney, about 10 ounces black and 10 or so ounces of white. I made all of these from dry beans, which is why I added the soup for liquid. The Betty Crocker recipe suggests using the sludge from canned beans.

Red kidney beans

I'm reeling from shock as I realize my family has eaten two pounds of black beans in two months.

Today I'm making kidney beans as my husband accidentally opened a can of petit diced Italian seasoned tomatoes last night, so I'm figuring I have to make a pot of chili.

This is my first experience using dry kidney beans and I'm surprised how quickly they wrinkle in hot water.

I'm using the quick soak method: rinse, add water (6-8 cups per pound), boil for two minutes, cover and remove from heat. Let sit one hour.

Reduce sodium intake and save money!

Turkey-white bean burgers with spinach

During the day today, I plan to prep these:

http://m.finecooking.com/recipes/seared-turkey-white-bean-burgers.aspx

I plan to adjust some ingredients and add spinach.

I have some serious preparations to make since my ground turkey is frozen and my beans are dry beans that I need to soak and cook. Once I get these beans ready, cooked and divided into freezer bags, not only will we have turkey burgers but we'll have black and white beans in the freezer.

Stuff in the freezer is my secret weapon.

I had some problems, so measures are approximate.

Mix into patties:
- about two cups beans, mashed (mine weren't tender enough to mash well, since I didn't use canned beans)
- two tablespoons olive oil
- two teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups cooked spinach, drained as best as possible
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup cornflake crumbs
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Newman's Own sesame ginger dressing
- juice of half a lemon
- 1.25 pounds ground turkey

Taco 'clearance' feast

We started taco beef in the Le Creuset skillet for our taco 'clearance' feast (so-named for all the goodies we got at Target.)

This is the taco post, though I didn't use beans today since we have refrieds instead of whole.
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/tacos.html?m=1

Yesterday we got the following items on clearance or at a reduced cost:
- refried beans
- multigrain tortillas
- Spanish rice
- salsa
- avocado
- bagged salad

Dried Beans in Crock Pot

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/cooking-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html

Another batch of chili

So... It's raining. I'm making a batch of chili.

I started with one idea and due to my mistakes ended up with quite another.

I started with a partial teaspoon of olive oil, some garlic powder and some diced tomatoes. I added four color pepper, Italian seasoning, a pinch of cumin, a teaspoon of chili powder, and I meant to add a pinch of Indian chili seasoning but I ended up with closer to a teaspoon. Oops!

So I added almost two teaspoons of cocoa powder and another can of diced tomatoes, this one Italian style, and more garlic. Then I added a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple. I boiled it for about 15 minutes, then simmered it for an hour and added two cans of no salt added dark red kidney beans, one can light kidney beans, and one can black beans.

I made the cornbread dumplings to go with the chili, and I didn't have enough milk, so I reduced the amount of milk, added some water (do-it-yourself skim milk) and a little extra canola oil.

VERDICT: The chili wasn't spicy and because I cooked the pineapple and tomatoes together for a couple hours, everything more or less melted into one flavor. And the flavor was very rich and despite the lack of spice still had taste.

Now the dumplings took over the pot, but they were yummy, even if it was hard to find the chili underneath.

Perhaps my best batch of chili ever.

Said to my husband, I probably won't be able to replicate it, but then he said I probably wouldn't try...

This is the link to only the three recipes I usually blend to make my chili:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/2008/12/five-alarm-chili.html

All my chili-related recipes:
http://angelfoodcooking.blogspot.com/search/label/chili

Garden Chili

I wanted to make something a little different for dinner, something we hadn't had in a while and chili seemed right. But we're seriously lacking ingredients, so I had to make do with what I had. So this is what I call "Garden Chili."

Garden Chili
In a big pot, combine:
About three teaspoons fresh oregano
One tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
About 1/4 cup fresh spinach, shredded
About 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley

Cook until spices are aromatic and tender.

Add:
Two tablespoons tomato sauce (it was leftover, certainly not 'needed')
Two tablespoons garlic powder
Three tablespoons commercial chili seasoning

Cook until well combined.

Add:
14.5 ounce can diced tomatos with basil, oregano and garlic
10 ounces crushed pineapple 1/2 teaspoon Indian chili powder
2 tablespoons cocoa

Mix and bring to a boil on high. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add:
15.5 ounce can black beans
15.5 ounce can dark kidney beans, organic

Return to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Add:
15.5 ounces of sweet yellow corn (Del Monte in this case)
Cook for 15 minutes.

These were literally the only things in my garden and cabinets that would remotely work for chili. We'll be eating at five. I'll edit this post to report in on if it's gross, indifferent or yummy.

And the verdict is: Two bowls each husband and chef, daughter ate all of her bowl and ate well. It was the best bowl of chili I've made in a long time. Not spicy, yet flavorful.

White Bean, Spinach and Ham Soup

Shannon's Black Bean and Ham soup has got me thinking of how to use a bag of white beans and the remaining ham hock from the freezer. (See January 16 or click "ham hocks" below to see Shan's recipe.) I did a quick web search and found several similar variations of Shan's black bean soup for white beans. I'm starting with boiling water, then I plan to throw the frozen ham hock into the pot. Then. I'll wait about ten minutes and add the bag of beans and a clove or two fresh minced garlic...

I put the ham hock and the great Northern Beans in the boiling water. I added one clove chopped garlic and covered. In the blender, I put two cloves garlic and a can of undrained spinach, and some of my four color pepper blend and liquefied. That will get added in a couple hours, but for now the spinach and garlic flavors can meld.

So after boiling for about ninety minutes, I noticed the water had just about been absorbed/boiled off. So I pulled the ham hock out to slice the meat off, added about two quarts more water and combined the bean soup with the spinach mix. I then ran about half of the results through the blender. I then put everything back together, added the sliced ham bits, and got the soup going to a simmer. So far it tastes bland, but I'll let it simmer a while before I start adding things.

Shan's Ham Hock and Black Bean Soup

Shann wanted to cook for us, specifically her super easy, fairly fast black bean and ham hock soup. We went to the store for dried black beans and ham hocks, surprised to find that the only dry black beans were in the international foods and the ham hocks only came in smoked.

Shan's Black Bean and Ham Hock Soup

Large stock pot

2 bags black beans

2 ham hocks, depending on size and how much meat, about a pound (or shanks)

garlic powder, to taste

Boil beans, garlic and ham hock (ham may be frozen does not need to be fresh/thawed) for 2 hours. When meat cooks thoroughly, carve meat from the bone and remove fat. Meat gets returned to pot. Get rid of bone (perfect for dogs). 

Also delicious with dumplings.

Five Alarm Chili

Yesterday, my family ate leftovers and string beans with ham (blech) from my inlaws. I worked crazy hours so cooking did not happen. For lunch, I thawed a container of my infamous five alarm chili. It was meant to be mild, but I used Indian Chili Powder instead of McCormick. Oops.

I adapt my batches of chili from three recipes. I've listed them below.
Wegmans Slow-Cooked Pineapple Chili
1 lb ground beef (I omit);
8 ounces diced peppers;
8 ounces diced onions;
1.5 cups matchstick or grated carrots;
8 ounces sliced mushrooms;
28 ounces crushed tomatoes with herbs;
31 ounces dark kidney beans, drained;
8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained;
2 tablespoons chili powder;

1. Brown ground beef and remove drippings. (Or skip! Really, this recipe does not need the meat.)

2. Combine everything in a slow cooker and set to high for four hours or low for eight.

Now I present the another classic chili recipe. This came from my vegan cooking course with Eileen Breslin and my husband adores the dumplings.

Chili with cornbread dumplings
2 cans kidney beans;
2 cups corn;
2 cans stewed tomatoes;
2 tablespoons chili powder.
Combine and simmer.

Then, for the dumplings:
1.5 cups cornmeal;
1 teaspoon salt;
1.5 cups flour;
3.5 teaspoons baking powder;
2 tablespoons sugar;
1.5 cups (soy) milk;
1/3 cup oil

Mix dry ingredients. Then add wet. After chili has cooked at least 30 minutes, turn up heat and spoon batter in like dumplings (plop). Do not cover entire surface. Cover chili, reduce heat, and cook another 15 minutes.

But for plain old chili, I make Betty Crocker's recipe vegetarian, mix up the beans with some black beans and I simply add carrots and pineapple. Then I add dumplings if so inclined.

Betty Crocker's Chili Con Carne
1 pound ground beef (I substitute black beans. My family like different colors in their food);
1 cup chopped onion;
2 cloves crushed garlic;
1 tablespoon chili powder;
1/2 teaspoon salt;
1 teaspoon ground cumin;
1 teaspoon dried oregano;
1 teaspoon cocoa;
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce;
16 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained;
15.5 ounces kidney beans, undrained

1. Cook ground beef, onion and garlic in 3-quart saucepan, stirring occasionally, until meat is brown. Drain.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients except beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat.
3. Cover and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in beans. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, at least twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ugly Bean Dip

My mom made this bean dip yesterday and gave it to us with some Fritos scoops. It looked nasty, but as you can see we demolished it. I don't like most of the ingredients, but together... it was fantastic. As a matter-of-fact, we skipped dinner because we ate so much throughout the day.

My mom made the comment that she usually hates anything good for you, but she actually requested the recipe for this. She had it at a work party. The top photo is the dip once I put it on china and tried to pretty it up. The bottom is how in looked in the original storage container. Same food. Big difference.

Nancy's Bean Dip
1/2 cup sugar (my mom uses less);
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar;
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (can substitute vegetable);
Bring this mixture to a boil, stir and cool.
Chop one green pepper and one red onion very finely.
Drain one can of diced tomato, one can of pinto beans (I swear my mom used white beans), one can black beans and one can white corn (my mom used yellow). Mix together.

Homemade Hummus

My daughter had another huge bowl of cream of wheat for breakfast, followed with some of my homemade granola at 9 a.m. We stopped by her daddy's office and got invited to share the leftover covered dish items from the luncheon yesterday, which included my spinach dip. Primarily, my family enjoyed ham and spinach dip (though I didn't touch the ham). My daughter ate at least a cup, if not two, of spinach without dipping it in anything.

My original plan for lunch had been peanut butter and jelly on the potato wheat bread my father-in-law gave us last week and carrot sticks with blue cheese dressing and fruit juice to drink. But the surprise lunch out got me thinking... I want hummus for dinner.

My husband bought sesame bagels over the weekend at the grocery store so hummus would be perfect. The carrot sticks will also go well. And the green pepper I bought a while ago will be a nice addition.

I discovered my hummus recipe online about ten or so years ago. A guy had made a chart of hummus and its variations. The basic recipe is as follows:

In the food processor, blend:

Three cloves garlic, minced;
16 ounces chick peas;
1/2 cup lemon juice or juice of 1/2 a lemon (I used all);
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (fry briefly in skillet until aromatic) and/or tahini (I forgot the exact volume of tahini but I would say at least a tablespoon or two);
1 teaspoon salt;
1 teaspoon olive oil;
1/4 teaspoon cayenne;
cumin if desired;
parsley if desired.

Chill thoroughly before serving to allow flavors to blend.