Quino and Black Beans

Recipe from Kate Wansgard

Serves 6

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 
  
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

We had this in tortillas as tacos.

Stir-Fried Broccoli with Garlic-Chili Sauce

Serves 4

Recipe from Kate Wangsgard

1/4 cup vegetable broth

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1/4 teaspoon sugar

Whisk broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and chili sauce together in small bowl. Combine garlic, pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in second small bowl. Heat remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add broccoli and sprinkle with sugar; cook stirring frequently, until broccoli is well-browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Push broccoli to sides of skillet to clear center; add oil-garlic mixture and cook, mashing with rubber spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir to combine garlic mixture with broccoli. Add broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until florets are cooked through and sauce in thickened, 30 to 45 seconds. Serve.

Falafel

• 1 cup dried chickpeas (or 1 can)
  
• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4-6 tablespoons flour

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into patties and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You can flip them over half way or you can broil them for the last few minutes to brown them, if desired.

6. Serve in pita with hummus and fresh vegetable (tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers).

This recipe is adapted from an a recipe off of epicurious.com. We prefer baking our falafel, rather then frying.

Snobby Joes

1 cup uncooked lentils

4 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, cut into small dice

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons chile powder (I only used 2 tablespoons)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

4-6 rolls or buns

Pour the lentils and water into a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, preheat a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more.

Stir in the cooked lentils, chile powder, oregano, and salt. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup to taste and the mustard, and heat through.

Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld. Serve on buns garnished however you would like. We did avocado and pepper-jack cheese and it was delicious.

Recipe from Anna Low and Kate Wangsgard

Red Kidney Bean Curry (Rajmah)

This is an Indian cousin of spicy red bean chili.

Serves 6

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger (I used a lot less then this)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 plum tomato, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large green chili, chopped (optional- I didn't use)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8 ounce can of tomato sauce or 8 ounces of one of your choice
3 cups boiled red kidney beans or 30 ounces canned red kidney beans, undrained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Heat oil in a deep sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add ginger, garlic, onion, green chili, and let sizzle for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, salt and remaining spices and cook for an additional five minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kidney beans with water or canned red kidney beans (undrained) plus one additional cup of water, and tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve over rice or with naan. A dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream on top is heavenly.

From Smitten Kitchen.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup from Ellie Krieger

1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

Courtesy of Anna Low

Bread Gnocchi with Tomato and Basil

8 slices day old Italian bread
3 T EVOL
2 T butter
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 c tomato sauce
3 small plum tomatoes, chopped
several torn basil leaves
2 c shredded mozzarella

Heat pan over medium heat. Chop bread into bit size pieces. Add EVOL, butter and garlic to skillet. Melt butter then add bread. Season with salt and pepper. Toss and cook the bread 7-8 minutes then add tomato sauce and tomatoes. Turn to coat and warm the tomato sauce, 3-4 minutes. Remove the gnocchi from heat and transfer to casserole dish, top with basil and mozzarella cheese. Put under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese browns and bubbles.

Recipe: Rachel Ray