minestrone/pasta e fagioli

two days ago, i slightly adapted a minestrone/pasta e fagioli from mark bittman's awesome 'how to cook everything vegetarian.'

i began with with chopped onion, carrot, and celery. you will notice that the celery is in large blocks so that i can remove it later, because, as we all know, celery is evil.

after a bit of cooking, i added a bit of potato, parsnip, and turnip.

plus some awesome hard cheese rind. yes, it is locatelli, because i have italian blood in me and therefore i am a snob about such things.

and, finally, two cans of chopped tomatoes and about seven cups of broth.

after this cooked a while, i decided it was rather unsophisticated, and needed the help of my trusting sidekick, the immersion blender.

oooh, smooth!

then came some zucchini (which i would leave out next time, as the final texture didn't seem right), and some green beans. plus full cup of ditalini pasta and a can of beans. the kale went in a few minutes before serving.

so did the minced garlic.

this was good - leftovers were better. must make again.

black bean and sweet potato chili!

i made sweet potato and black bean chili last night, because it was time to cook and i realized that i thought we had all the ingredients.

also, i decided to just kind of wing it, for once, and not really follow any specific recipe. and, you know what? it worked! also, its kind of impossible to mess up chili.

i chopped up an onion and some garlic and let them brown for a bit. in the meantime, i chopped up the biggest sweet potato EVAR, along with some carrot coins, and popped them in the microwave for a few minutes to get a little head start in the softening process, since i was hungry.

i added cumin, chili powder, and some chipotle to the onions/garlic, and, after a minute and a spash of water, dumped in the sweet potatoes and carrots with a small amount of tomatoes in juice.

later on came salsa, more tomatoes, black beans, and, at the last minute, some frozen organic corn...

here you see some chili pictured with a bit of cheez and a lovely organic blue corn chip. easy-peasy, as the cool kids like to say.

three sisters stew / bountiful vegan thanksgiving!

a few weeks ago i was surfing one of my many beloved food blogs, and i came across the small e-cookbook 'a bountiful vegan thanksgiving.' its technically a compilation of 65 recipes, although over the half the recipes are by nava atlas. it was only $9, and all the profits go to charity. i like cookbooks and i like charities, so it seemed like a win-win situation.

if you're still looking for recipes for this week - or just want some fun fall recipes - you should (click here) and check it out yourself.

last night, i finally got around to trying the 'three sister's stew (three sisters being the native american trio of corn, squash, and beans), and it was pretty good. nava has posted the recipe on her website, which you can check out (here)...

to begin with, you have to roast butternut squash. this, of course, means cutting the thing in half and dumping it in the oven. i was impressed that i was able to do this myself and not hurt myself.

the trick is roast until soft but still firm, so that you can then cut up the squash into little cubes when it is cool, like so...

then they sit aside for a second while you cook (wait for it).... onions and garlic.

now the squash can go back in...

plus tomatoes...

plus corn, chiles, peppers, beans, veggie stock, and spices.

here is what it all looked like before half an hour of covered simmering...

and after, which is kind of the same. some of you may be wondering what i do during such simmering periods that don't really require much except occasional stirring. this time, it was dishes. that, and an exciting random playlist. i had just finished transferring some random songs from old computer to new computer to ipod, and so i was treated to such delightful random old-yet-new songs as digital underground's 'humpty dance,' joni mitchell's 'help me,' and joseph arthur's 'honey and the moon.' all three are pretty good songs, if i do say so myself. anyway.

here is how i served the stew, which was pretty good, although i must remember to add red pepper flakes next time.

and, as proof that i do actually buy them, here is a baguette, which was eaten on the side. that is all.

sweet potato / black bean quesadilla (minus the queso)!

i was all set to make sweet potato and black bean quesadillas a couple nights ago for dinner, but then the cold set in during the prep work and i felt like cooking nothing....but the good news is that lunch today was a snap since the sweet potatoes were ready to go and there was just me to please.

i put a handful of chopped onions and some garlic on to saute with a bit of cumin...

and added some mooshed up sweet potato, black beans, and a bit of salsa.

and corn. remembered the corn right after i took this picture. we love frozen, organic corn. yes we do.

and, lastly, a bit of this: tabasco brand chipotle sauce. i was introduced to this a few years ago, and i love it so much, that i would marry it if it were legal. we would have beautiful, fiery, red-headed children:

put the mixture in a tortilla, and cover with cilantro before folding and grilling lightly in a pan on both sides.

i like to eat mine with a little salsa and avocado on the side. it was a tasty and delicious lunch - well worth the wait.

p.s. the cold is finally on its way out. kleenexes everywhere can relax.

p.p.s. the neko case concert last night was awesome - we were in the front row and, once, she totally looked at me. this means we are now BFF!

festive black bean chili!

today you see before you a picture of a recipe that i made before i put this blog up. as in, a week and a half ago. which is why there is only one. but i made sure its the large sized pic, to make up for it - since i know you all care.

its festive black bean chili, and its from one of my absolute favorite cookbooks: moosewood low fat favorites, which you can find by (clicking here).

what's particularly awesome about this recipe is that i was able to find it on the internet in at least ten different places - probably more because i stopped after that. this means i think i finally feel ok about posting some one else's recipe. without further ado - here it is:

MOOSEWOOD'S FESTIVE BLACK BEAN CHILI!

INGREDIENTS

2 c Chopped onions

2 Garlic cloves; minced or

1/2 c Water

1 tb Ground cumin

1 tb Ground coriander

1 c Prepared Mexican-style red

2 Red and green bell peppers;

3 c Cooked black beans; or two

28 oz Canned tomatoes; with juice,

2 c Frozen corn; or fresh

Salt; to taste

Tabasco; to taste or other

1/4 c Fresh cilantro; chopped; or

PREPARATION

* Prepared salsa gives this chili a "finished" flavor without a lot of cooking. We recommend a clean-, crisp-flavored salsa, such as La Victoria brand Casera Salsa or Pace brand Picante Sauce. Serves 4 to 6.

In a covered soup pot, cook the onions and garlic in the water on high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and stir on high heat for a minute. Stir in the salsa and bell peppers, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans and tomatoes; simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and Tabasco to taste. Stir in the cilantro, if desired.

**hello - nicole of the lower-case letters again. i should point out that i did indeed use 'pace' picante sauce (it was on sale), and i found the texture worked quite well. plus lots of tobasco. and only red peppers, since i don't like green. also, lots of cilantro if you like it.

and, i used fresh corn and it makes a huge difference. that, and, due to other parties being unable to eat with me at the expected time, this dish cooked more slowly for way longer that half an hour, and i don't believe it made any difference at all. its chili.

and, this dish was made with 'almost fat free cornbread,' also from the moosewood cookbook. it was pretty and tasty and there was a lot and then it was placed in tupperware and then in a cabinet and forgotten and a week later it was discovered the cornbread leftovers had grown a beard. oh well.

that is all. soup expected on tonight's menu.

peace out.