October Recipes

Beef and Bok Choy Hot Pot
from Cooking Light

2 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup low-salt beef broth
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 cups chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot
2 cups hot cooked wide rice noodles

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add beef, browning on all sides. Add broth mixture, green onions, garlic, and ginger; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Stir in bok choy and carrot, and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Serve beef mixture over noodles.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups beef mixture and 1/2 cup noodles)


BLACK BEAN CHILI
from THE GREENS COOK BOOK by Deborah Madison and Edward Espe Brown - again, I got it from Margo.

2 cups black beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
4 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 or 3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium yellow onions, diced into 1/4 inch squares
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 lbs ripe or canned tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped; juice reserved
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped chipotle chili
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Rinse the black beans well, drain, and place in a pot. Cover them generously with water and let them soak overnight. Next day, drain the beans, cover them with fresh water by a couple of inches, and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf. Lower the heat and let the beans simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, and sauté the onions over medium heat until they soften. Add the garlic, salt, and ground herbs and chili powder, and cook another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and about 1 teaspoon of the chipotle chili. Simmer everything together for 15 minutes, and then add this mixture to the beans, and if necessary, enough water so the beans are covered by at least 1 inch. Continue to cook the beans slowly until they are soft, and hour or longer (could be several hours). Keep an eye on the water level and add more, if needed, to keep the beans amply covered.
When the beans are cooked, taste them and add more chipotle chili if desired. Season to taste with vinegar, additional salt if needed, and the chopped cilantro. Serves 6.

Margo's Note: for garnishes we use cilantro, diced sweet red bell pepper, feta cheese, and olives. Chopped hot chilis are on the table in a separate bowl for those who want them.


CHICKPEA CURRY
(from my dear friend Margo, who has known me since I was but a babe.)

2 Tbl olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chopped fresh ginger (I usually grate it)
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbl ground coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 - 150z cans chickpea's rinsed well
1 - 16oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c. chopped onions
Chopped fresh cilantro for top.

* Heat oil in saucepan, add onion & cumin and saute. Add turmeric, coriander, paprika, salt and ginger. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce & stir for 1 minute. Add chickpeas and 3/4 cup water. Stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro. Cook the rice, and chop the cilantro while the curry is simmering, the whole meal will take 25 minutes or so to cook.


CHICK PEA AND PUMPKIN SOUP (MOROCCO)
from NORTH AFRICA The Vegetarian Table, by Kitty Morse (but I got it from Margo.)

1 pound Mediterranean, butternut, or acorn squash, or sugar pumpkin
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, liquid drained and reserved
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
12 fresh cilantro sprigs, minced

Last time I made this I added cumin (Margo's note.)

Preheat the oven to 375. Place squash in an ovenproof dish and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until tender, 50 minutes to an hour. Let cool, then peel and seed the squash and scoop the pulp from the shell. Set the pulp aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil and cook the onion, stirring occasionally until tender (6 to 8 minutes).
In a blender or food processor, puree, in batches if necessary, the squash, onion, broth, reserved liquid from the chick peas, and half the chick peas. Return the puree to the pan. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Heat the soup and add the remaining whole chick peas. Before serving, sprinkle with minced cilantro.


Chicken Curry

2 - 3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (I usually poach or cook in crock-pot - any other way you like.)
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C onions, diced
1/2 C. green pepper (Capsicum), diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp thyme
28 oz can stewed tomatoes
salt & pepper to taste

Saute onions & green pepper in olive oil. Add spices & cook 2 minutes. Mix in canned tomatoes (& juice) and shredded chicken. Simmer for 20 mins. Serve over rice. Serves 6.

Note; I like to have peanuts, golden raisins & coconut on the table for people to add if they like. As a time saver I like to cook a whole lot of chicken all at once, then shred it all & freeze in smaller batches. It makes meals like this, enchiladas, Hawaiian chicken, etc a snap.

Erin’s Hearty Cream of Tomato Soup

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1 ½ C minced onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dill (or more to taste)
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1 12oz can crushed concentrated tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs maple syrup
½ cup heavy cream (more or less to taste)
2 medium sized fresh tomatoes, diced small

Heat olive oil & butter in a duct oven or kettle. Add onion, garlic, salt, dill and black pepper. Stir over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add canned tomatoes, chicken broth, maple syrup. Cover & simmer over low heat for 20 – 30 minutes. With mixer, blend until smooth, or leave chunky.

About 5 minutes before serving whisk in heavy cream and stir in diced fresh tomatoes. Serve hot, topped with freshly minced herbs.


Honey Baked Chicken

1/3 C. Butter, melted
1/3 C. Honey
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp curry powder

Arrange chicken in shallow baking pan. Combine ingredients & pour over. Bake at 350F for 1 hr, basting occasionally.

Note; I usually use split breasts (bone in, skin on) for us and a few drumsticks for the kiddos. The baking time may vary, depending on the type of chicken pieces you're using. Check on it, and take out when internal temp is 165F.

Lentil Soup
adapted from The Joy of Cooking

I swiped this right from Lindsey's blog. If you don't regularly visit her blog, you really, really should. I haven't tried it yet, but if Lindsey says it's good - it is. So, I'm abandoning my usual lentil soup recipe & going with this one this month.

1 lb. lentils, picked over and rinsed well
8-10 cups water, chicken, or vegetable broth (more or less depending on your preferred thickness)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3-4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4" pieces
3-4 stalks of celery, rinsed well and cut into 1/4 " pieces
1 large or 2 small onions, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves
1, 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes plus juice, chopped
1/2-1 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot. Add the vegetables and cook on medium heat until tender, but not browned. Add the lentils, water, tomatoes, and dried thyme. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring often to prevent the bottom from burning.

Before serving, add balsamic vinegar. Taste and add more salt if needed, and pepper, to taste.

Makes enough for 8-10 people. Serve with warm bread (or biscuits) and salad.

Pumpkin Walnut Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
600g pumpkin, peeled and diced (use a whole good sized sugar pumpkin)
4 cups water (thin it with a little more water if needed)
2 vegetable stock cubes
4 tsp tomato paste
4 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Pour oil into soup pot and saute onion and garlic over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. Blend or process until smooth. Soup can be made a day ahead, and frozen for 2 months.

My Note; I've been making this soup for years, and it is one of of my favorites. It always tastes so "earthy" to me - perfect for this time of year, and really couldn't be easier.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef (I use ground turkey.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg mild taco seasoning
16oz can corn
16oz can small red beans (can use kidney, or other pone you like.)
16oz can stewed chopped tomatoes
16 oz can of tomato sauce
tortilla chips
grated cheese

Brown meat in heavy saucepan, drain off fat. Saute onions, add to ground turkey / beef. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, kidney beans and tomato. Simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Serve topped with tortilla chips and grated cheese.

My Note; This is the super-easiest recipe I have. I feel like it's a night off from cooking when we make this.


Yogurt Parmesan Chicken

2 C. crushed Ritz crackers
3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp seasoned salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8oz plain yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine 1st 4 ingredients & set aside. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt, then in cracker mixture. Arrange chicken pieces in 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle chicken with melted butter. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes, or until coked through. Serves 8.

My Note: I cut the breast into strips about 2-3 inches wide, otherwise the center of a whole breast can be bland, because there's not enough crumb mixture. I usually use the fat free Ritz, but have also used the whole wheat and they are both fine. I use garlic powder - and only 1tsp of it, instead of garlic salt. I find it's too salty if I use the garlic salt.