Food goodness

This isn't really a curry, but it's more kid-friendly than a real curry, and you can tweak the spices however you'd like. Good for using up a lot of bits of random vegetables and not heating up your kitchen in the summer. Combine: 1 c water 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets [and/or other veggies; I've used string beans and peppers too) 15 oz chickpeas, draind and rinsed 1 can or just some diced tomatoes, with juice 1 medium or large sweet potato, peeled and cubed some onion, diced some garlic, diced 1/4 c quinoa (you can do without this but it helps the texture) Generous dash of soy sauce Generous dash of salt Plus some other spices: ginger and turmeric, a little curry, about 2-3 t of each Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, until the potatoes are soft. After it's cooled a bit, stir in about half a can of coconut milk. Serve warm over rice, garnished with cilantro or parsley, and with Greek yogurt and hot sauce on top.

From: Alton Brown I totally flubbed something when I made this, but it was still good.  I doubled the recipe, but as I was making it I added 4 qts of stock instead of 2.  I didn't realize my mistake until the very end when I went to add the dairy and thought it already looked pretty thin, so I went back to the recipe and realized my mistake.  So..... I still added the correct amount of cream, and I just left out the buttermilk completely.  My soup may have been missing a bit of the tang the buttermilk would have provided, but it was still tasty and I went back for seconds.  Also, I used chicken stock instead of veggie because that's what I had on hand. 1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning 14 ounces, approximately 3 small, Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small 1 quart vegetable broth ( I used chicken stock) 1 cup heav...

Adapted from the latest issue of Vegetarian Times (recipe not yet available online). I medium onion, diced [I used a red onion] 1 small red pepper, diced 1 small green pepper, diced [didn't have so I used a yellow one] 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 C cooked black beans, about 1 lb. dried [I used a mix of pinto and great northern] 3 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced [don't peel!] 2 T red wine vinegar 1 T ground cumin 1 large bay leaf 1 T oregano [I used dried] 1 T salt or to taste [if using canned beans, use less salt] pinch or two of cayenne 1.5 T canola oil 6 C water or low-sodium chx broth I made mine from scratch instead of using canned beans because I had the time. If you are short on time, just drain and rinse about 3 cans of black beans [or other type of bean if you prefer]. Start by making the sofrito: coarsely chop onions, peppers and garlic and throw into your food processor; process until finely minced. If you don't want to dirty your food processor, then chop b...

From: Serious Eats 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 orange pepper, diced 1 red pepper, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon cumin 2 teaspoons chili powder One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes Three 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (I used cannellini and garbanzos) 1 small chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce, minced ¼ cup chopped cilantro stems Kosher salt 1 bottle dark beer 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves 1/2 lime (optional) sour cream (optional) Heat oil in large Dutch oven or heavy-lidded saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and peppers until soft and beginning to caramelize, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and continue to sauté until very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, chipotle, cilantro stems, and 1 teaspoon salt. Turn heat to high, and pour in beer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes. Continue to simmer until potatoes are tender, but not fall...

From: Serious Eats Yum! This is a tasty, sweet alternative to mashed potatoes. I still have a ton of carrots from the CSA that I wanted to use up, and this will go well with the pork chops on the menu for tomorrow. I think it would also be a good side dish for fall/winter holidays. 16 ounces carrots (about 4 medium)peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds 12 ounces sweet potato (about 2 medium), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces Kosher salt 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/3 cup unpacked light brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or allspice 1/2 cup raisins Place carrots in medium pot and just cover with salted water. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes. Once boiling again, reduce heat to a rolling simmer and cook until carrots and sweet potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain. When carrots and sweet potatoes have 3 minutes left to cook, melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and applesauce and quickly stir to combine...

From: Simply Recipes This is pretty similar to Kelly's Senegalese Peanut Soup, except that it has chicken in it, no kale, and is a thicker stew-like consistency. I made a couple of meals to bring to my intern who just gave birth, and got a message from her afterward saying that of all the meals that people made them, this one was her husband's favorite. I did add half a bunch of kale to it, because I liked it in the soup version. 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings (I used boneless, skinless thighs) 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes 1 quart chicken stock 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup roasted peanuts 1 Tbsp ground coriander 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste Salt and black pepper Optional: half a bunch of kale, chopped 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro Method 1 Heat the vegetable oil i...

Based loosely on a few different recipes I found, primarily this one . 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled if you want 2 large carrots 2/3 c flour 5 cups milk; I used 1% 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I used the generic Wegman's 2% milk stuff) a few T chives or parsley salt and pepper good stuff for toppings: more shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions, bacon, etc. Cook the carrots and potatoes however you like, until they're very soft. (I diced them and put them in the microwave with cold water covering them, then cooked on high for about 30 minutes. But you could also boil on the stove or bake in a 400 degree oven or whatever.) Also, you could peel the potatoes if you'd like, but I think the skins add some good flavor. Drain the veggies and mash them with a fork, leaving some texture. Place flour in a large pot or Dutch oven; gradually whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly and somewhat reduced, about 10 minutes. ...

Adapted from Cooking Light . No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but it sort of felt like it for a while there. I've spent the last 3 months doing a lot of quick dinners with fresh summer produce and didn't have the time to try very many new tasty recipes. This is one I tried a couple of weeks ago and is probably my new favorite pancake recipe. Would also make good waffles. Note: I made this in the kitchen with Michael hollering out the ingredients to me from the living room. This was a mistake as the part about taking a 16 oz can of cut sweet potatoes, pureeing and then only using 3/4 C of puree was translated into 16 oz of sweet potato puree--hey, I only have a 15 oz can of puree so it'll have to do. Oops. But like most of my cooking mistakes, it turned out well and these pancakes are, dare I say it: moist (ick, that word sounds so gross) and truly delicious. So, feel free to add the whole damned can of puree, I say! 1 1/4 cups WW pastry flour (w...

This is from a Cooking Light cookbook we got for our wedding, and the best thing about it is that you get to do the "waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash" line from When Harry Met Sally over and over and over again. Also, Shannon: potatoes! They're really delicious with the sauce. 4 baking potatoes 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (we used some mysterious baggies of chicken from the freezer... also a good way to use up frozen stuff) 2 T AP flour 2 t paprika (I think it could have used a little more) 3/4 t salt 1/4 t red pepper 1 T butter 1/2 c coarsely chopped onion 1 8-oz package of pre-sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas and am totally sold on them) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 c chicken broth 1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream 2 T chopped fresh parsley 1. Bake potatoes however you like best. 2. Combine chicken, flour, paprika, salt, and red pepper in a large ziploc bag, and shake to coat. 3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken mix...

From: The Wednesday Chef The fried sage totally makes this dish. I wanted a piece of sage with every bite. Yum. 3 pounds baking potatoes, scrubbed, skin on, cut into 1-inch chunks 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 24 fresh sage leaves 1 cup whole milk 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1. Put the potatoes in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water by at least half an inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. 2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the butter over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. When it begins to foam, add the sage leaves and gently fry until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, place on a paper towel and reserve. Continue to cook the butter until it's golden brown and nutty, watching so that it doesn't burn, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve. 3. In a small saucepan, heat the milk ov...

Adapted From: The Kitchn (originally from Serving Up the Harvest ) 1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, thinly sliced 1 tsp Salt 4-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed 1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes, thinly sliced 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 1/4 pound smoked Canadian bacon or ham, diced (I used 2 roasted garlic chicken sausages) 6 eggs (I used a combination of whole eggs and bottled egg whites) Freshly ground black pepper (other seasoning to taste - I used a few dashes of Penzey's shallot-pepper mix) 1 cup grated Cheddar (I used fontina) 1. Combine the zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt in a colander and toss well. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes. 2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes and onion, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, flipping and stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft, about 20-30 minutes. Increase the heat to medi...

From: Culinary in the Country Yum! This recipe has been on my menu plan for many weeks now, and always seemed to be the recipe we didn't get to. In fact, it was on my menu plan for tomorrow, but I just found out we're going to a movie and may not have time for a proper dinner, so I bumped it up to tonight so it wouldn't be the menu casualty once again. And it was really good. I used frozen spinach instead of fresh. The parmesan on top makes all the difference, I think. I used a package of TJ's potato gnocchi. If you see this on my menu plan again soon it will be because it was so tasty and easy to throw together. 1 pound prepared gnocchi 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons pine nuts 3 garlic cloves, minced 10 ounces torn fresh spinach (Or about 5 oz frozen) salt and fresh ground black pepper 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) fresh grated Parmesan cheese In a large pot of boiling salted water, add gnocchi and cook according to package directions. Drain well. Meanwhile, in a la...

Adapted from vegan.com . I love corn soups and chowders and before my computer crashed in March I had bookmarked a thai-style corn soup. Sadly, my bookmarks are gone and I am slowly rebuilding my list of recipes to try. In my search for a thai-style recipe I found this one and adapted it to what I had on hand. Which reminds me, if you have a well-stocked pantry/freezer, you should already have most of these ingredients on hand anyway so it makes it ideal for throwing it together at the last minute. Use whatever veg you have on hand that you think would go well. Next time I'll plan to include some bok choy or other asian greens but it was still delicious as is. 1 can creamed corn 1/3 bag frozen corn 1 can lite coconut milk (I used Thai Kitchen) 1 medium bell pepper, medium dice 1 small red onion, medium dice 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 to 1/2 jalapeno, finely diced 1 T olive oil 2 T red Thai curry paste (or to taste) 1 sweet potato, medium dice chopped cilantro for garnish (ha...

I've never met a potato I didn't like. It's true. Which could partially explain the extra 10 pounds I would like to lose. In any case, I needed something quick and easy to do with potatoes, with the ingredients I had in the house. So I altered the original recipe by Pioneer Woman , and made these potatoes. They were tasty. 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean cooking spray 1-½ cup light cream ½ cups 2% Milk 2 Tablespoons Flour 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced 1 teaspoon Salt Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom of baking dish with cooking spray. Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths. In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cove...

I've really, really been wanting steak frites from Mon Ami Gabi lately, but with two kiddos, it's sort of difficult to get over there these days. Especially since I try not to ask friends and family to watch both girls at once -- that's like a double whammy for whoever we've asked. So, I set out to make my own for Valentine's Day. The fries were not the same as Mon Ami Gabi's, but they were good. adapted from this recipe , only because I have a deep fryer 1 1/2 pounds russet (baking) potatoes About 8 cups canola or peanut oil (I used peanut oil) Kosher salt Peel potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick sticks. Rinse well, then soak in cold water, chilled, at least 2 hours. Drain potatoes and pat dry thoroughly. Heat 2 1/2 inches canola oil to 275°F in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot over medium heat. (Or in your deep fryer, if you've got one) Fry potatoes in 2 batches, stirring once or twice, 3 minutes per batch (potatoes will not be golden), transferring with a slotte...

Adapted from Closet Cooking . I made this with Gimme Lean and, frankly, I'm sorry I did. It just had a taste to it that I did not care for. Next time, I'll just make it with potatoes and not bother with meat. But this is good soup. Here, the kraut is the star but I bet it would be quite tasty with ground beef if that's your thing. The kraut, tho, it was amazing. Serves a lot, probably about 6 servings. 1 pound ground beef (or not) 1 tablespoon oil 1 onion (diced) 2 cloves garlic (chopped) 1/2 cup long grained rice (I used frozen brown rice) 4 cups vegetable broth (use beef if using ground beef in soup) 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes 2 cups sauerkraut (with liquid) 1 teaspoon hot paprika 2 bay leaves salt and pepper to taste sour cream (optional) In a heavy pot or dutch oven, brown the ground beef (if using) and set aside draining the grease from the pot. Heat the oil in the pot add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 ...

This isn't really a recipe as much as it's a technique. We had friends over last night for a crab boil and I wanted to serve sweet potato fries but I wanted crispy fries that weren't fried in oil. Kind of a tall order for a juicy sweet potato, I know. So, here's the deal: *cut your potatoes into 1/4" half moons and toss them into a big bowl (we used about 2lbs) *drizzle over about 2 Tbs canola oil *sprinkle in about a pinch of the following: salt, freshly ground pepper, cinnamon and cayenne pepper (this is to taste--add more if you see fit) *toss to combine and set aside. Preheat your oven to 375 (preheat for at least 30 minutes) and line a large baking pan with foil and place in the oven while preheating. When oven is fully preheated, remove pan and spray foil with cooking spray. Spread potatoes in an even layer and return to oven. Bake for 12 minutes and then, using a spatula, turn potatoes. Return to oven for about 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 200. ...

Adapted from Vegetarian Times (because I can't leave well enough alone). This a great soup to make when you don't have a ton of time and I promise that both husbands and study partners will like it. 3/4 C quinoa, rinsed and drained 1 tsp cumin seed (or more) 2 1/2 C of roasted corn (frozen from TJs which requires one whole bag plus some) 1/3 of a medium red onion, finely diced 1 C fingerling potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into bite-size pieces 4 C veg broth 12 oz can fat free evaporated milk (you can use soy and make this a vegan soup) 1 medium bell pepper, finely diced 1 chile in adobo sauce, minced S&P to taste In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, toast quinoa and cumin seeds over med-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until it smells toasty and the quinoa takes on a golden color. Set aside and return empty pot to burner. Spray bottom of pot with cooking spray and add the onions, potatoes and corn. Saute until onions become translucent. Pour in veg broth and milk and brin...

Adapted from: Simply Recipes , originally from Food and Wine Magazine I know this might not SOUND like a tasty soup, but it was really good. It tasted like potato-leek soup, and was thick and creamy with a minimal amount of fat. I was sort of liberal with my adaptations with this, based on what I had in the house. I put the original recipe here so you can figure out what adaptations you want to make. I didn't have nearly the quantity of turnips called for, so I decreased the amount of chicken stock so it wouldn't be too thin. I had hakurai turnips, which are small and round, like white radishes. I'm not sure what the difference in flavor would be with regular turnips, but it was quite tasty the way I made it. 6 Tbsp unsalted butter ( I used 2 Tbsp ) 4 medium onions, thinly sliced ( I used 2 softball-sized yellow onions ) 3 pounds fresh, young turnips, peeled and thinly sliced ( I used 2 small bunches of white hakurai turnips ) 1 1/2 pounds of Russet baking potatoes, pe...

I know there are 2 shepherd's pie recipes on here already but I present you with a fabulous veggie version that is so good you won't miss the meat one bit. Not that traditional shepherd's pie isn't good or that meat is bad, lord knows I've been eating my fair share of meat these days. But this is a great way to take advantage of the autumnal goodies at the market. Adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen . 2 pounds Yukon gold or red potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes 1/2 cup skim milk salt and pepper, to taste 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 large carrots, diced 8 ounces mushrooms, diced 2 cups vegetable broth 15 oz. kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 handfuls of green beans, cut in 1" pieces 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp. dried) 1/4 teaspoon sage 3-4 cups baby spinach leaves, packed 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons water (or veg. broth) extra rosemary for garnish veggie meat product of your choice, optional...