Wild Rice and Garbanzo Bean Soup

It's been wonderfully dreary and rainy here lately.  Normally, this alone is enough to get me craving a hot bowl of soup but, add in the fact that I'm fighting a stubborn cold that just won't go away, and it's pretty much guaranteed there's going to be some sort of comfort food happening here and this was exactly what I needed.

Cooking this soup, I was tempted to add a little heavy cream, mostly out of habit, but after tasting it I realized it was completely unnecessary.  The turmeric really gives a nice Indian flavor and if you're inclined to add some some sort of carb to the meal, I would suggest a garlicky naan bread.

2c herbed wild rice blend, cooked

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP butter

1/4c yellow onion, chopped

1c carrots, diced

1 large stalk celery, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme

1/8 tsp. dried turmeric

1 bay leaf

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

6c vegetable broth

2 - 15oz. cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1.  In a medium size pot, heat olive oil and butter over Medium High heat.  Add the onions, carrots, and celery.  Cook and stir 4-5 minutes, until softened.

2.  Stir in the garlic, thyme, turmeric, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Cook and stir an additional 1-2 minutes.

3.  Add the vegetable broth and garbanzo beans.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to Low, cover, and allow to simmer 20-30 minutes.

4.  Remove cover and stir in the cooked rice.  Allow to simmer another 5-10 minutes, or until rice is heated through.  Serve warm.

Red Beans and Quinoa

Southern-style comfort food that just happens to also be high in protein, gluten-free and vegan!  Served alongside Beer Braised Collard Greens, here, and a slice of cornbread, you've got a hearty, delicious meal:

1 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP yellow onion, chopped

1/3c green pepper, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2c vegetable broth

1c quinoa, rinsed

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning, or to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over Medium heat.

2.  Add the onion, green pepper, and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until vegetables have softened a bit.  Add the garlic and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes.

3.  Add the thyme, kidney beans, and vegetable broth.  Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to Low, cover, and allow to simmer 10 minutes.

4.  Stir in the quinoa and season to taste.

Goat Cheese Quinoa with Spinach and Pine Nuts

It was one of those days when very little went according to plan and I was *this* close to letting the pizza man handle dinner...

but then I remembered the gorgeous okra and corn on the cob just bought two days ago at the farmers market.  I needed a dinner that incorporated both these purchases.

Oh, and there's that partial bag of spinach I need to use or lose... and that goat cheese I bought with no real plan for its use (I love the stuff and can't help myself sometimes) ... this meal was clearly meant to come together.

Paired with oven-roasted okra and corn on the cob with Old Bay seasoned butter, this was an easy, and delicious, dinner:

1c quinoa, cooked according to pkg. directions

1 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP pine nuts, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2c spinach leaves, rough chopped

2 TBSP goat cheese, crumbled

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2.  Add pine nuts and garlic, cooking 1 - 2 minutes, until lightly toasted.

3.  Add cooked quinoa and spinach, cooking and stirring occasionally until quinoa is heated through and spinach is wilted.

4.  Remove from heat and fold in cheese.

5.  Garnish with additional 1 TBSP pine nuts and serve warm.

Yields 2 generous portions.

Creole Spiced Quinoa and Kale

I have to admit, I wasn't sure if this alone was going to be enough for a meal.  But that's because I had forgotten how surprisingly filling quinoa can be.  This recipe yields two servings that are not only full of flavor but also satisfying.

This was my first time actually cooking with kale.  I had only used it frozen in smoothies before so I was a little concerned an entire bunch would be too much but it wasn't at all.  It was actually the perfect amount.

Notes:
* I used the Lacinato variety of kale, also known as "dinosaur kale"
* Better Than Bouillon makes a fantastic vegetarian version of chicken broth base

1/2c quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 bunch kale

1 tsp. olive oil

1/8c yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning, or to taste

1.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add the kale and blanch for 1-2 minutes.  Drain and rinse immediately with cold water.  Chop into bite size pieces and set aside.

2.  In a medium pot, bring broth to a boil and add the quinoa.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer until liquid is absorbed; approx. 15-20 min.

3.  In a separate medium pot, heat the olive oil.  Sauté onion and garlic 2-3 min., until softened.

4.  Stir in the kale and cook another 2-3 min.

5.  Add the quinoa and Creole seasoning, stirring to combine everything and serve.

Spinach Risotto

This risotto is a good, simple meal on it's own but if you want to get fancy, try this:  heat a little oil in a small pan and sauté sliced mushrooms with garlic, dill, black pepper, and a splash of white wine.  The addition of mushrooms take this dish to a whole other level of yumminess!

1 1/2c baby bella mushrooms, sliced

 1 large clove garlic, minced

1/8c olive oil

1/4c onions, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

1c arborio rice

1/4c white wine

2 1/2c vegetable broth

4c fresh spinach, chopped

1/2c Mediterranean flavor feta, crumbled

1.  In a medium size pot, over medium high heat, add 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil and sauté onions about 3 minutes, or until golden.  Add the garlic and cook another minute or so.

2.  Add the rice an stir until fully coated with oil. 

3.  Pour in the wine an stir continuously, until all the wine is absorbed by the rice.

4.  Add the broth, 1c at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more.  

5.  Once all the broth is absorbed, stir in the spinach, reduce heat to low and continue stirring occasionally until spinach is wilted.

6.  Top with feta cheese and serve.

                    

Served topped with mushrooms and a side of oven-roasted asparagus.

Mayan Couscous

If you've never had couscous, I highly recommend trying it. 
It's even easier to make than rice. 
Seriously, you can't mess it up.

The blackbeans, corn, cilantro, jalapeno...it's just all very yummy together. You can find the recipe here.

 We had this last night with tofu tacos and it was fabulous!
Even with the jalapeno, this really is not a hot dish. 
I think this is what made it such a nice
compliment to our spicier tacos.

1 cup couscous
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 clove unpeeled garlic

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
 
1.Combine the couscous, cumin, and salt in a large bowl.
Stir in the boiling water and seal with plastic wrap.
Set aside for 10 minutes.


2.While waiting for the couscous, cook the unpeeled
garlic clove in a small skillet over medium-high heat until toasted and
the skin has turned golden-brown. Peel the garlic and mince.
Stir the garlic into the couscous along with the black beans,
corn, onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, olive oil, and lime juice.
 
Serve warm or allow to cool.
 

The recipe makes alot but that's okay
because the leftovers will be my lunch today!  ;)