Moroccan Style Tomato Soup With Chickpeas

Here's another recipe that I've had in my to-make pile but haven't done because the Robber doesn't like soup. Which is really a shame because now that I have made this recipe I think he would really like it over some rice. I like it just plain without rice. In fact, I think I really like. The spices are just spicy enough for me, it just hits the spot in cold gray New York, and it is super easy to make. This one might be something I return to again and again.... pending the Robber's approval.

From Mark Bittman: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/07/magazine/mag-07eat-recipes.html?ref=magazine#Moroccan_Style_Tomato_Soup_With_Chickpeas

(He has another recipe very close to this one, only with bread instead of chickpeas: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/08/07/magazine/mag-07eat-recipes.html?ref=magazine#Garlicky_Pappa_al_Pomodoro)

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. ginger
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
2 C. vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (I just used a 15 0z. can)
Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Cook onion and garlic and ginger in olive oil for 5 minutes.

2. Add 2 teaspoons each cumin, coriander and cinnamon; cook for 1 minute.

3. Add tomatoes, stock and cooked chickpeas.

4. Simmer until saucy. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This recipe I did not make, but rather enjoyed at the home of our friends H&J D. I asked H for the recipe because it was so delicious, but also rather different than the chili I make and I like having two or three versions of a dish in my box o' dishes, just because. I loved the white beans and the lighter feel of this chili, and the Robber ate two big bowls (I think mostly to get away with eating four more pieces of cornbread, bless his cornbread loving heart.)

From All Recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/white-bean-chicken-chili/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

4 T. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth

3 tomatillos, chopped

2 16 oz. cans seasoned diced tomatoes

1 jar salsa verde

2 7 oz. cans diced green chiles

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground coriander seed

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

4 ears fresh corn or one bag frozen corn

2 lbs diced, cooked chicken meat

2 15 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed

Chili powder, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Lime slices for garnish

Directions:

1. In large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft.

2. Stir in broth, tomatillos, tomatoes, chilies, and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add corn, salsa, chicken, and beans: simmer for 45 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala ala the Robber

The Robber made this awesome chicken tikka masala, and just the chicken alone would make a pretty awesome meal, quoth the Robber. "What I would almost want to do," says he, "the grilled chicken is always super tasty coming right off the grill and I think the chicken tikka masala is going to be better on day 2, so we should make extra chicken and eat it fresh with rice and veggies and use the leftover chicken in the masala sauce." Good logic Robber!

For the marinade:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chicken, boneless skinless breast and thigh meat

2 C. plain yogurt

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1) Pound the chicken to flatten it and prepare it for the marinade. Mix together the yogurt and spices. Pour the marinade over the washed chicken and refrigerate overnight.

Next day:

2) Take the chicken out and scrape off the yogurt. Heavily salt the outside of the chicken according to your salting preferences.

3) You can broil or grill the chicken.

-- To broil: Cover the inside and edges of a baking dish with tin foil. Broil for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

-- To grill: Heat the grill on high, once the grill is maximum temperature (20 min or so) put the chicken on, let it cook for two minutes and flip it, then allow it to cook two minutes more. May need to cook additional minutes if not done.

4) When chicken is cool, chop into desired size of pieces for dish.

For the sauce:

Ingredients:

1 C. heavy cream

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

2 tsp. ground cumin

1-2 tsp. paprika

1-2 tsp. chili powder

2-4 tsp. garam masala

1-2 T. white sugar

Optional: additional cayenne pepper

Optional: 1/4 C. ground almonds

Directions:

1) Saute onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until onion becomes translucent. Add spices. Stir fry 1-2 min more.

2) Add in tomatoes (including juice) and sugar. Simmer for 10-20 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add in cream. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

3) Add chicken. Simmer for another 10 minutes until ready to serve.

Serve over basmati or brown rice.

Chana Masala 1

I put a 1 here because this is a dish I definitely want to learn how to make well, but I'm not sure this is the recipe I'm going to keep and use for life. It got better with time, but the Robber thought it smelled like marijuana on the first day (probably the fried cumin powder, oh the silliness of trying to make substitutions in cooking food you know nothing about.) I thought it was just fine but needed some more tomato. In the end of course it all got eaten with plenty of happiness with our leftover naan, but in the future I might try another recipe or tweak this one or just make this one with all the proper ingredients.

From Manjula's Kitchen: http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/01/28/chola-chana-masala/

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can of chickpeas (kable chana, Garbanzo beans)

3 T. oil

Pinch of asafetida (Hing) -- didn't have any of this

1 tsp. cumin seeds -- used ground cumin, hmmm

1 T. gram flour (Besan) -- replaced with cornmeal

1 large tomato

1 tsp. ginger paste -- used chopped fresh ginger

1 tsp. chopped green chilies -- omitted

2 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp. red chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garam masala

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro (Green coriander)

Thinly sliced tomatoes for garnish

Directions:

1. Drain the water out of the can of chickpeas and wash the chickpeas well.

2. Blend the tomatoes, green chilies and ginger to make a puree.

3. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed crack right away oil is ready.

4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds.

5. After the cumin seeds crack, add the gram flour and stir-fry for a minute.

6. Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili powder and cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.

7. The mixture will start leaving the oil and will reduce to about half in quantity. Add the chickpeas and a half cup of water and let it cook for 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat, covered. Press the chickpeas with a spatula so they soften. Note: add more water as needed to keep the gravy consistency to your liking, and let it cook for few more minutes on low heat.

8. Add the garam masala and cilantro. Let it cook for another minute.

9. Garnish with thin tomato slices and serve.

Note: We added about 2 T. brown sugar to this the first day to make it a little sweeter which made it better tasting to our poor American palettes.

Spicy Citrus Beans

The Robber and I both agreed that these are the bomb diggity and we would eat them with anything. With tortilla scooper chips. With sour cream. With guacamole. In a tortilla. With quesadillas and salsa. With spanish rice. Just plain. So good and not that expensive or difficult to make. The Robber was inspired by our friends S&C B who fed him citrusy chili, which recipe I have, but I found this one and thought I'd make it first. What a good call.

From Simply Recipes, adapted by my new food love Annie:

http://annies-eats.net/2009/08/11/spicy-citrus-black-beans/

Ingredients:

1 (28 oz.) can black beans

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

Pepper, chopped or minced (bell, Anaheim or jalapeno depending on your taste-- I used three bell peppers, yellow orange and red)

½-1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1½ tsp. dried oregano

2 bay leaves

½ tsp. salt

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 tsp. pureed chipotles in adobo-- (I omitted this, and the cumin which shockingly I was missing)

1½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Juice of 2 limes (added lime zest – optional-- I did it and they were super limey but good)

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Chopped fresh cilantro, to taste, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the beans in a colander and rinse throughly. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and pepper until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the beans. Mix in broth (more or less depending on how much liquid you would like) and bring to a simmer.

3. Mix in the oregano, bay leaves, salt, chipotle puree, cumin, orange juice, lime juice and vinegar. Once simmering, reduce to medium-low or low and let simmer, covered, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from the heat, stir in chopped fresh cilantro to taste and serve.

Peppery Bean Salad

From the Best Ever Indian Cookbook by Baljekar et al.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can red kidney beans
15 oz. can black-eyed peas
15 oz. can chickpeas
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
6 radishes
1 T. chopped scallion

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 T. ketchup
2 T. olive oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1) Drain the red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and chickpeas and rinse under cold running water. Shake off the excess water and put them in a large bowl.

2) Core, seed, and chop the bell peppers. Trim the radishes and slice thinly. Add the bell peppers, radishes, and scallion in the bowl.

3) Make the dressing. Mix together the cumin, ketchup, oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add a little salt and hot pepper sauce to taste and stir again thoroughly.

4) Pour the dressing over the salad and mix. Cover the salad and chill for at least 1 hour before serving garnished with the sliced scallion.


Notes:

For the salad I used 1 15 oz. can black beans instead of black eyed peas, used 1 whole red and 1 whole green pepper for extra vegetables and omitted the radishes.

For the dressing I omitted the ketchip and hot pepper sauce and added in chili powder and lemon juice to taste.

Robber and I both agree this would be delicious when served along with some hot cornbread.

Squash Fries with Chili Cumin Salt and Maple Sour Cream

Here's another recipe I made from RebEatWorld. We ate these fries with homemade pizza and the Robber just about died and went to heaven. He loved them and the sauce, which is a perfect counter-point to the salty seasoned fries. He downed a boatload of them, so the next time I am willing to wrestle with a butternut squash I think I will make these again.

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash, halved, seeded, and peeled
2 T olive oil
1/2 c sour cream
2 T maple syrup
salt
cumin
chili
2 limes, wedged

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425. Cut squash to half-inch wide fries. Coat with olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and crispy at the edges. I even like them quite brown at the edges, about 35 or 40 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, stir some maple syrup into sour cream to make a dipping sauce, and mix the salt with the spices. Sprinkle some of the spiced salt over the squash fries and squeeze some lime juice over them, pretty liberally.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

First inspired by a trip to the Moosewood last fall, this was my second go around with these burritos and I am a big fan. I made 15 of them last night, we ate 10, and I'm freezing the remaining 5 for a future date. They are very hearty and filling while managing to feel exceptionally healthy when you are eating them. What an awesome find.

From Epicurious: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Vegetable-Wraps-5926

Ingredients: (my modifications are in parentheses)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil --(peanut oil as needed)
2 large garlic cloves, minced --(omitted)
1 cup diced red bell pepper --(chopped up one whole pepper)
1 cup diced yellow bell pepper --(chopped up one whole pepper plus a whole orange pepper)
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces zucchini --(chopped up three zucchinis)
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash --(maybe three cups? a lot)
1 cup chopped red onion --(chopped one whole onion)
2 teaspoons ground cumin --(to flavor)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained --(1 16 oz. can + 1 16 oz. can red kidney beans)
1 cup (packed) grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese --(grated a whole medium sized chunk)

4 9- to 10-inch-diameter flour tortillas (burrito size) --(15 tortillas)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro --(lots)

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add bell peppers, zucchini, squash, and onion and sauté until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. (I sauteed the squash separately and then pureed it in the blender with a little left over pumpkin). Mix in cumin (plus salt, pepper, and other spices) and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Place beans in large bowl; mash coarsely with fork (I didn't mash my beans, just the squash.) Mix in vegetables and cheese.

2) Place tortillas on work surface. Spoon a generous 1/3rd cup of filling down center of each. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cilantro. Roll up tortillas, enclosing filling. Arrange wraps, seam side down, on baking sheet. (Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

3) Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover wraps with foil. Bake until filling is just heated through, about 10 minutes. Cut each wrap into 2 or 3 sections.

Rooftop Couscous

A couscous I dreamed up using what Jane had lying around in her Manhattan apartment:

Cook some couscous. (Jane did this, I didn't watch how much she put in.)

Saute some chopped carrot in olive oil, after a while add in chopped onion and minced garlic. Right before they are done, add in blanched or sliced almonds until oiled and barely browned.

Chop raisins. Drain and rinse red kidney beans.

Mix everything together with the couscous, seasoning with salt, cumin, nutmeg, and ginger. Delicious!

Pepper & Onion Shortcake

This recipe is also from the New Moosewood Cookbook by Katzen, and drove the making of the cornbread, see below. After a few days of perpetual exhaustion right before finals later this week, I needed something warm and comforting. I also had some chopped vegetables left over from Mormon Med Student dinner on Sunday, so in the spirit of Vegetable Tuesday I went looking for a recipe that would use the vegetables I had while satisfying my need for sustenance. In the end, I was surprised by homeyness of the simple combination of cornbread and sauteed vegetables. Why did we never try this at home? I think the coarser cornbread that my mom makes would suit this dish even better. After eating, I went and studied for three and a half hours without falling asleep and came home and did my Lenten exercise while watching The Office.

Ingredients:

1 batch corn bread (see previous post)
2 Tbs. olive oil, butter, or margarine
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
3 medium sized bell peppers (any color), in thin strips
1/2 tsp. cumin (optional)
black pepper and cayenne to taste
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup yogurt at room-temperature (optional: add 1 to 2 Tbs. sour cream)
freshly minced dill, if available
paprika

Directions:

1) Make a batch of corn bread ahead of time. You can warm it in a 300F oven while preparing the topping, or toast corn bread chunks or slices just before serving. This makes a perfect lunch on a chilly day, especially when served with Spicy Tomato Soup.

2) Heat oil (or melt butter or margarine) in a medium-large skillet.

3) Add onion and salt, and saute over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until onion is very soft and beginning to brown.

4) Add bell peppers, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne, and continue to saute until the peppers are tender (about 10 minutes more.)

5) Add garlic, and cook just a minute or two more. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt (and optional touch of sour cream).

6) Serve immediately, spooned over split chunks of warmed or toasted corn bread and garnished with dill and paprika.

Having cut my vegetables previously, they were mostly diced instead of thinly sliced, but I don't think that affected their cooking time or meshing with the cornbread too much. But then, I haven't had the original. I used Mayan Sweet Onion, a green and yellow bell pepper (it would have been prettier with red), and Italian sweet pepper, some celery, and a little bit of green onion along with fresh garlic and dill. I thought about adding some mushrooms, and refrained. I seasoned it according to the recipe, adding a just a bit of black pepper and a dash of cayenne.

This might be another recipe that's forgiving of some vegetable mix-and-match, but I can imagine some larger vegetables (like broccoli) being hard to mix with the cornbread.

Chickpea Salad With Ginger

I saw this recipe on the Minimalist Blog on the NYTimes and was immediately intrigued. I think it was the charming picture of chickpeas nestled among the colorful peppers and deceptively enticing red onion. I hadn't been planning to make the salad immediately, but when I had an unexpected little trip to the grocery store, I picked up the remaining ingredients and made it the following evening. First I give the original recipe, then my modifications, and then my comments:

The original recipe on the Minimalist Blog can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/dining/031mrex.html?scp=3&sq=chickpea%20salad&st=cse

Time: 10 minutes with precooked chickpeas

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (rinse canned ones)

2 bell peppers, red, yellow or orange; cored, seeded and diced

1 red onion, diced

1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced, or more to taste

1 tablespoon sugar, optional

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

Instructions:

1. In a dry pan, toast cumin seeds over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Grind to a powder using a spice mill, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. If using ground cumin, lightly toast.

2. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients but cilantro. (You can prepare dish up to this point in advance; let sit for up to 2 hours.)

3. Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if you like, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

My modifications:

I didn't have cumin seeds or a ginger root, so I substituted the ground cumin and about 3 teaspoons of powdered ginger. I also didn't have any fresh cilantro, but I did have a whole big punch of fresh parsley, so I threw about 1/3 C. of chopped parsley in the salad as well. I also think this salad could feed 6, not 4.

Thoughts:

This salad was STROOOONNNGG. The red onion was positively pungent. I couldn't eat more than a few bites at a time. At first I solved this problem by eating the salad with smaller scoops of sour cream, but after a time I had to buy a large container of plain yogurt and mix the salad into the yogurt in order to tone down the flavors. I think this salad could be quite excellent if made with a lesser onion-- perhaps a white one instead of red?-- and mixed generously with yogurt and eaten all in one sitting. I imagine having fresh ginger would have given it even more of a bite. Yikes! If made again, however, I would use fresh ginger and omit the parsley and stir the whole thing in some yogurt/sour cream mix and serve fresh.

Nonetheless, this was a good culinary experience for me because it branched me out into a whole new realm of cooking that I had not yet explored. Despite the potency of this project, I am likely to try something in the genre again.