Mama's Chili Beans

I tried making chili beans from this recipe from "Creme de la Crumb"-it was okay...my husband liked it, but I thought it was quite bland. Plus when I actually make the effort to cook, I like to make it as difficult as possible for me. So I've started making it with dried beans rather than canned beans. And I've messed with the other ingredients a bit too-just to make it tastier. My new version of the chili gets rave reviews!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups dried beans (I use "chili bean mix" from winco)
2 tablespoons baking soda
6 cups water (estimate)

1 tsp salt
1 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced (red, yellow, or orange-I use whichever I have on hand)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use pre-minced in a jar, can use fresh-about 2 cloves)
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. Place beans and baking soda in a large pot.  Add water to 2-3 inches above beans, approximately 6 cups. Let soak (room temperature) for 6-8 hours.

2. Drain and rinse beans, then return to pot. Add salt and onion. Then add water to 1 inch above beans. Place on stove (with lid) on high and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until beans are soft, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Stir every half hour or so and check on water levels-if water reduces too much (to level of beans, add more, about 1/2 cup at a time). If beans are nearly soft, but too liquidy, take lid off.

3.  Add bell pepper, garlic, bouillon, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Raise from simmer to low-medium heat, and cook for 15-20 minutes. If flavors need a little more time, reduce back to a simmer at 15 minutes and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar on top. Can also add sliced green onions and/or sour cream if you'd like.










No pix to post-always disappears too quickly!! I'll try to add some the next time I make it.

Chili Beans

Chili Beans

I made delicious chili last year from a recipe I found and modified on pinterest. I thought this was it:
Five Bean Vegetarian Chili, so I tried to recreate it...

I thought it turned out quite bland, but my husband loved it. I still thought it was good, but not spicy chili that I wanted.

Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 red onions, diced
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cans tomato sauce
10 cups Bob's Red Mill 15 Bean Soup beans, presoaked and cooked
5 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Directions:
1.   Add red peppers and onions to a large pot. Saute over medium high heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute until fragrant. Add broth, tomato sauce, and all beans. Bring to a boil.
2.  Add cumin, paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15-20 minutes longer, stirring throughout. Serve hot with sliced green onions, cheese, sour cream, or other toppings as desired.

*If I make this again, I will add a can or two of tomato paste, a 28 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes, and some chili powder. Seems strange to me that this chili didn't include chili powder :-/
*this can be a quick dinner if use canned beans-would need about ten cans different beans.

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes
It is important to peel the tomatoes-the first time I made this, I left the peels on and they all came off when I added the warm pasta-kinda yucky!
Feel free to use heirloom tomatoes-will change up the flavor and add more color. SUPER yummy!
Can use other pasta, just be sure to cook according to package directions. Can also use whole wheat pasta.

I modified this recipe from one I found here: Spaghetti with Raw Tomatoes

Sorry for the blurry pic! Was the only one I took :-/
 
 Ingredients:

 About 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
About 10 leaves fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves peeled garlic
12 ounces angel hair pasta
salt and pepper-to taste

Directions:

1.  Place tomatoes in a large bowl. Add olive oil, fresh basil, whole garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Toss gently, then cover and set aside in a cool place. Allow flavors to meld for about 30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta  al dente according to directions on the package. Drain.

3.  Remove garlic from sauce and discard. Add pasta to sauce, mix, and serve.


Serves 4.

Sweet Potato Farfalle

Sweet Potato Farfalle

This is sooooo good!!
The first time I made it, I was unsure-it sounded a little strange to me, but I tried it anyway. I'm so glad I did! Even my youngest loves this, and she doesn't like anything with onions or that has any flavor whatsoever!

Ingredients:
6 ounces farfalle pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Herbes d' Provence
kosher salt
4 cups kale, washed and sliced
1 can cannellini beans (14.5 oz), drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Parmesan cheese-to taste

Directions:
1.  Bring a large pot of water (with a heavy pinch of salt) to a boil. Add pasta and boil for 8 - 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2.  While pasta is cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, pecans, onions, and sweet potatoes-saute for 5 minutes.
3.  Add in the balsamic vinegar, herbes d' provence, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender.
4.  Add in kale, beans, garlic, cooked pasta, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook until kale is wilted and cooked down-about 3 minutes.
5.  Add parmesan cheese to top after serving.

Makes 4 servings.

I modified this recipe from one I found at The Fresh 20 when I was a member-they are a great source for healthy meal plans! Great simple recipes with tons of fresh ingredients.

Vegetarian Pot Pie

This is a perfect dish for the vegetarians (and everyone else) in your life! 

A perfect addition to any holiday meal. 

I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian (I eat eggs and dairy, but no meat or meat products, including meat broths and meat oils) since 1990. My children have been raised on a vegetarian diet, but have been free to choose for themselves. At this point, my 18 and 19 year olds eat anything but my 14 year old is still a vegetarian.

As a vegetarian, I struggled with a "main dish" for holiday meals. We generally celebrate with others, so there is usually the traditional holiday fare: turkey or ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, some sort of yam/sweet potato dish, a vegetable dish, a salad, rolls, ... I make sure that we have stuffing and gravy made without traditional broth. So we used to just eat the side dishes. But at one pot-luck Thanksgiving, someone brought a pot-pie that was absolutely delicious! So I worked on making my own... 

Ingredients in THIS pot pie: 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 russett potatoes, diced

1 sweet potato, diced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 carrots, chopped

4 spears celery, chopped

1 pear, chopped

2 handfuls kale, sliced

1 cup water

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1 can cream of broccoli soup 

Directions:

1. Make crust. Use your favorite crust recipe (if you are making this for vegetarians, make sure your recipe does not include lard!) or mine: http://mamasnotperfect.blogspot.com/2013/12/pie-crust.html

I make this in a large dish, so when I make this crust, I divide it into two, and use one full plus half the other for the bottom. Then I make another batch and use one and a half for the top. I use the other half for a pumpkin pie or something else. (My crust never works out if I double the recipe, so I always make it in two separate batches.)

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (I use a large deep dish iron skillet) over medium-high heat. When oil is warmed, add potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions. Saute over medium-high heat until potatoes start to soften.

2. Add salt, pepper, bell peppers, carrots, and celery. Continue sauteing over medium-high heat for about five minutes. Heat 1 cup of water with the bouillon cube in microwave for about one minute, enough to dissolve bouillon. Add the water/bouillon to the vegetables and continue to saute. Cook until the vegetables are soft (but not mushy!).

3. Add pear and kale. Stir to combine, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the can of cream soup. Mix.

4. Oil the dish, put in the bottom crust, then pour everything from the skillet into dish. Then add crust on top. Poke a few holes in the top, then bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees (F) for 50 minutes.

This is always DELICIOUS! Everyone raves about it, vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Notes: I never make this the same. I always use sweet potatoes or yams, just because they are so yummy. I use whatever potatoes I have on hand: russets, new potatoes, red potatoes, whatever. I've made it with yellow or red onions. Leeks work too. I use any color bell pepper or the little sweet peppers. I nearly always put carrots and celery in it, unless I run out when making stuffing. Sometimes I use apples instead of pears. Fruit seems odd, but it adds something so yummy! And I throw in spinach or kale, depending on what I have. I have also added frozen peas (at the end, when I add the pears and kale) or corn or green beans (fresh-add with the carrots, frozen or canned, add with the pears). You can use canned vegetable broth instead of water and bouillon. If you are serving this to vegetarians, just be sure it is VEGETABLE broth and not chicken or beef broth. I don't add tofu, as I have to be careful about ingesting too much estrogen, but if you want to add tofu, saute it first and add with the pears. I haven't tried adding beans, but that would be another easy way to add protein. Add canned beans in step 3, with the pears. I'm thinking kidney beans would be best.

Yummy Pasta!

I'm not a fan of cooking... But I'm working on it!!

I didn't feel like cooking dinner, so thought I'd try a simple pasta recipe I had pinned. It is from the PopSugarFood website--here is the link:  http://www.yumsugar.com/Spaghetti-Garlic-Olive-Oil-Chili-Flakes-21398824/

It looked quick and tasty, and I was pretty hungry. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly (although I will admit-I did not measure anything. Just estimated). It was soooo good!

My younger daughter doesn't like spicy food-or pretty much anything with any flavor. (Unless it is sweet. She loves "sweet" flavors!) So first I mixed everything in except the chili flakes and dished some out for her. Then added the chili flakes for my older daughter and I. We all added shredded parmesan. It was surprisingly tasty!! I say "surprisingly" because it was so simple.

My youngest said hers was kind of bland, so she added a little bit of chili flakes. And liked it! I was impressed!

Here is the recipe:
Pasta with Garlic, Olive Oil, and Chili Flakes
Ingredients:
10 ounces angel hair pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. Cook pasta al dente according to directions on package.
2. Strain pasta and place in serving dish. (I put it back into the pot I cooked it in. No need to get more dishes dirty!!)
3. Add garlic, chili flakes, oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
4. Serve. Add shredded paremesan to taste.