Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

I made this soup for the first time last week and it was excellent.  It was one of those meals where I was sad when I finished the last serving.  This soup is full of vegetables and chickpeas, plus ginger, garlic, curry powder and a bit of coconut milk to give it some Indian flavors.  It is hearty and satisfying, but also happens to be vegan.  

The coconut milk added at the end gives it just the right amount of richness in my opinion.  I actually made my own coconut milk from unsweetened shredded coconut and water in my vitamix, but you could also use light canned coconut milk.  

While the recipe was written for the slow cooker, I needed dinner within an hour and so I made it on the stove.  It worked out great that way, but next time I will try the slow cooker method.

If you are a soup fan and a curry fan, give this a try!

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
serves: 8

The recipe can be found here.

Kaitlyn's Notes:

• You can definitely make this on the stove.  There are stove-top instructions at the bottom of the recipe.
• Feel free to substitute other vegetables.  I used 3 red bell peppers instead of the 1 red and 1 green.  You could also substitute sweet potatoes for some or all of the regular potatoes.
• Don't skip the coconut milk!  It really helps to finish the dish.  Light coconut milk would be fine.
• This tastes great when reheated.  I had it 4 times within 4 days for dinners and lunches.  YUM!

Thai Red Duck Curry

A couple of months ago Mark helped our neighbor process some of his ducks.  If you don't know what that means, just take your best guess and use your imagination.  A couple of days later, we had a duck in our freezer!  I had never had duck before, but I had heard that it is a bit more gamey and oily than chicken.  I also heard that one duck is not that much meat, so I kept my eyes out for a good recipe.  Just a week or so later, this recipe for Thai Red Duck Curry showed up on the Love and Olive Oil blog!  Given that I rarely, if ever, see a duck recipe on the blogs I read (and I love Thai food), I figured it was fate.

I finally got around to making the recipe recently and it was delicious!  If you don't have or want duck, it would work equally well with chicken or cubed firm tofu (I will definitely make this again with one of those alternatives).  Since we had a whole duck, we first cooked the duck in the slow cooker and then Mark carved off the meat and shredded it for the curry. This worked very well.  The original recipe had you cooking the meat in the curry, which would also be great I am sure. 

The most frustrating part of this recipe was trying to make the red curry paste from scratch.   I couldn't find all the ingredients and so I ended up with a combination of the from-scratch curry paste and a jar of pre-made curry  paste.  In the end it tasted great, but I wish I could have found everything!  The two ingredients that were hardest to find were red curry powder and dried guajillo chiles.  If you have easy access to these ingredients, follow the link to the original recipe and use that.  If not, you can see how I ended up modifying the recipe below.

We both really liked this meal.   Besides the duck, the pineapple in the curry was key for rounding out the flavors.  Overall it was rich, warm, spicy, and satisfying-- perfect for a ridiculously cold Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. :)

Thai Red Duck Curry

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 dried red hot chiles (optional, for heat) softened in 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 shallots, halved
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro stems
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 14-ounce cans light coconut milk
• 2 cups water or broth (I used water because that's what I had)
• 1 pound cooked and shredded duck or chicken (or cubed tofu)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh or from a can)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (omit if using tofu and you want to make this vegetarian)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce/tamari

For Serving:  cooked brown jasmine rice, thinly sliced red onion, cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1)  In a small bowl, combine dried chiles and boiling water.  Let sit until softened.    Drain and reserve the soaking liquid.

2)  If you would like to serve this with rice (which I highly recommend), get started on cooking it now.

3) Combine softened chiles + 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, coriander, turmeric, and red curry paste in the bowl  of a food processor.    Process until combined.  Add additional water or soaking liquid (if you want it extra spicy) until a smooth paste is formed.  1 more tablespoon of liquid might be needed.

3)  Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add curry paste mixture and cook, stirring constantly,  about 5 minutes until it starts to darken a little bit.  Add coconut milk and water or broth and whisk well to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

4)  Add shredded meat, pineapple, grape tomatoes, and red bell pepper to curry.  Stir to combine.  Return to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until tomatoes are soft and peppers are tender.  Stir in brown sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce.  Carefully taste (it's hot!) and add more sugar/fish sauce/soy sauce if needed.

5)  Divide curry among bowls and top with red onion and cilantro leaves.  Serve with rice.

(recipe adapted from Love and Olive Oil)

Chickpea Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuits

This is sort of like chicken pot pie except with chickpeas instead of chicken, and biscuits baked on top instead of a pie crust.  Mark called this a "poor man's pot pie".  I thought he made it up when he said that, but according to Google a poor man's pot pie really is a thing!  Chickpeas and veggies are cooked in a broth, and then topped with biscuits made with oats, sweet potatoes, whole wheat flour, and coconut oil.  After they are baked in the oven the tops of the biscuits are crispy while the bottoms are soft and it is all around delicious.   This is a hearty meal full of good for you ingredients.   I was really pleased with how it turned out!  I thoroughly enjoyed this on a cool spring day, but I know it will also make a great meal in future falls and winters.

Chickpea Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuits

serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

For the Chickpea/Veggie Base:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped (1 medium large onion)
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped (about 4 stalks celery)
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped (about 4 medium carrots)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried drosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup cold water
  

For the Sweet Potato Biscuits:

• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup cooked sweet potatoes, cooled (you can cook these in the microwave and scoop out the insides)
• 2 teaspoons honey

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2) In a large oven-safe pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are starting to brown and soften, about 5 minutes.

3) Add garlic and all spices to the pot with the veggies and stir to combine.  Cook for about 1 minute.

4) Add vegetable stock, chickpeas, and apple cider vinegar to the pot and bring to a low boil.  Re-whisk cornstarch with cold water and then pour into the pot.  Stir, return to a boil and then turn heat down to low.

5) To make the biscuits, grind oats in a food processor. Then, add flour, baking powder and salt to the food processor with the oats and pulse until combined.  Add coconut oil and pulse until crumbly.  Add egg, sweet potatoes, and honey and pulse until combined and a dough is formed.  Don't overmix.

6)  Scoop scant 1/4 cup portions of the biscuit dough evenly on top of the chickpeas and veggies. [I ended up with about 14 small portions].  You won't completely cover all of the filling.

7)  Put the pot (uncovered) into the preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until biscuits are brown.  

8)  Remove from the oven (it's hot!) and let stand for a few minutes before serving.  

(recipe adapted from Perry's Plate and peas and thank you)

Creamy Vegetable Chowder

This soup is very similar to the Santa Fe Chowder that I posted in the past.  Both soups are from the same Moosewood cookbook, are loaded with vegetables, use Neufchatel cheese to add creaminess, and use pureed vegetables to add thickness.  The difference is this chowder is less spicy, and has a different variety of vegetables.  While I usually prefer the Santa Fe Chowder because I like spiciness, I also really like this one!

This vegetable chowder is definitely a great way to eat a lot of vegetables.  You can't tell from the pictures how many there are because the vegetables kept sinking to the bottom of the bowl!   This soup tastes thick and creamy, but isn't loaded with cheese or cream like a lot of chowders are.  It uses lowfat milk and a small amount  of cheese that really goes a long way!  I like having this as a main dish with crusty bread.  You could also have a smaller serving as a side dish.  Either way, it's a great way to warm up on a cold day.

Creamy Vegetable Chowder

Serves: 4 as a main dish

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small/medium onions, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 cup peeled and diced carrots
• 1 1/2 cups diced russet potatoes (peel, or scrub clean)
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning (or mix or oregano, thyme, marjoram, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + more as desired (this will depend on how much sodium is in the vegetable broth and your personal preference!)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 small/medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup frozen green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 cups milk (lowfat is fine)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
• crushed red pepper flakes, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1) Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Once hot, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.  Add celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.

2)  Add carrots, potatoes, broth, and all seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are just tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.

3)  Remove 2 cups of vegetables with a slotted spoon and put in a blender.  Set aside for now.

4)  Add bell pepper and zucchini to pot and simmer, until tender, about 4 minutes.  Add in green beans and peas and return the mixture to a simmer.

5)  Puree the vegetables that were set aside in the blender with the milk, cheddar cheese, and Neufchatel cheese until smooth.  Stir into the sauce.  Taste and adjust seasonings and/or add some red pepper flakes if desired.

(recipe adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special Recipes)

Quick Mixed Bean Chili

I have been making this chili for years as my go-to quick and easy chili recipe.  It is really very simple and fast to make, but has a few key ingredients that give it some interesting flavor.   It is almost vegetarian except that there is Worcestershire sauce in it, which traditionally contains anchovies (you could omit that if you want and adjust the other seasonings to taste).  It can be made start to finish in 30 minutes and it really always surprises me how good it is!  I've served it a few different times at large gatherings with cornbread and it is always very well received.  We almost always have it with shredded cheese on top, though sometimes we will add other toppings such as green onions and sour cream.  This recipe makes a lot, and could serve 8 depending on what else you have with it.  When I'm not serving a crowd, I like to freeze half of the batch to pull out again another week.

Quick Mixed Bean Chili

serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium or 1 large onion, chopped (to yield about 2 cups chopped onion)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium if possible, divided
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder (optional, but really good)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (omit to make vegetarian)
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, low-sodium if possible, undrained
• 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, low-sodium if possible, rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas)
• 1 15 ounce can black beans, low-sodium if possible, rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 cups cooked black beans)
• 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, low-sodium if possible, rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 cups cooked kidney beans)
• 1 15 ounce can cannellini/white beans, low-sodium if possible, rinsed and drained (or 1 3/4 cups cooked white beans)
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• shredded cheddar cheese for serving (optional, but not optional if you are Mark!)

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes until tender.  Add 3 cups of vegetable broth, sugar, chili powders, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and all beans.  Stir to combine.

2)  In a small bowl, whisk remaining cup of veggie broth with tomato paste.  Stir mixture into pot with beans.  

3)  Bring to a boil.  Then, reduce heat and simmer at least 5 minutes.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

4) Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese (and/or other toppings such as green onions) if desired.

(recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

This soup, adapted from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks, was one of my favorites growing up.  It's probably one of the few recipes that I make regularly today that I've had almost my whole life!  The first time I made it for Mark he LOVED it, and it helped to make him a cauliflower convert.  This is a creamy and comforting soup (that's pretty healthy), with chunks of cauliflower and a few crucial spices that help to make it taste anything but boring.  By the way, if you like the Moosewood Cookbooks (or this recipe), check out Mollie Katzen's website!  She is the author of the cookbooks and her website has lots of great recipes.

I make this soup similarly to how it is written in the New Moosewood Cookbook, though I've changed the proportions of ingredients a bit and added buttermilk powder.  The original recipe suggested adding a bit of buttermilk at the end (it adds a great flavor!), but I somehow think the buttermilk powder makes the soup even creamier.  This soup is perfect on a cold winter night with a hearty bread on the side.   I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Serves: 8 (can easily be halved to serve fewer)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups russet potato chunks (scrub potatoes before cutting)
• 1 large head cauliflower, stems removed
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped carrot
•  1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 6 cups water (or stock)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1.5 cups skim milk, plus more to thin soup if desired
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup buttermilk powder

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Start by prepping the cauliflower.  Cut the head of cauliflower in half.  With half of the cauliflower, chop if roughly and add it to a large pot or dutch oven.  With the other half of the cauliflower, carefully chop/tear it into small florets.  Put these cauliflower pieces in a small pot with about 1 cup of water.

2)  Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, carrot, salt, and water to the large pot/dutch oven with the roughly chopped cauliflower.  Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down and simmer for 15 minutes.

3)  Meanwhile, place the small pot with the cauliflower florets and water over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender (about 10 minutes).  Set aside.

4)  After 15 minutes, check to make sure the vegetables in the large pot are mostly tender.  If not, continue cooking a few more minutes until they are.  Then, turn the heat off and let the vegetables sit for about 5 minutes.  

5)  Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the vegetables in the large pot.  Add the cheese, milk, spices, and buttermilk powder and blend again until smooth.  Alternatively, you could puree the mixture in a blender in batches.   

6)  Add the cooked cauliflower florets to the soup and stir.  Add more milk to thin soup if desired.  Turn the heat back on the soup to low and keep the soup warm until ready to serve.  

7) Serve with a hearty bread on the side.  Store leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days.  I have not tried freezing this soup.  It would probably be fine, but I can't make any promises!

(recipe adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)

Santa Fe Chowder

I love having soup at least once a week during the winter.  It's warm, comforting and delicious.  It also makes great leftovers for lunch.  I discovered this soup about a year ago in the cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special.   As you can see from the recipe, it has a LOT of ingredients.  It is mostly vegetables, put there are a fair amount of potatoes and some cheese for richness.  This soup uses a great technique for creating a thick, rich-tasting soup--  after cooking all of the vegetables, you puree about half of the mixture.  The result is very, very good.  This has been my favorite soup for the past year.  It is perfect with some sourdough bread.

Santa Fe Chowder

Serves: 4 as a main dish

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrots
• 4 cups diced potatoes (a mixture of sweet potato and regular; washed, but not peeled)
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 2 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
• 1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk (fat-free okay)
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, oregano and salt.   Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

2)   Add the carrots, potatoes, and water.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.

3) Add green pepper, can of tomatoes, corn, and zucchini.  Cover and cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat until vegetables are tender.

4)  Once vegetables in pot are tender, scoop about 4 cups into a blender.  Add cheeses and milk to blender.  Blend until smooth.  Then, stir back into the pot to combine with the unblended vegetables.

5) Taste and add crushed red pepper flakes if desired.

(recipe adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook)