Meatless Monday and PantryCleanerOuter - 3 Bean Soup

This post is in honor of my friend Cindy over at The reNOUNed Nest


Every few weeks, I go through the need to organize my pantry. There are a few reasons.

- my dear husband hates when I live at the grocery store every day of the week. If I know what I have, it could keep me from going (so I keep telling myself)

- I forget all the great ingredients I have which would be key to making a quick, easy meal.

- My pantry is the whole reason I like to cook - use what I have on hand for ease and for delicious meals.

That said, I bring you today a Meatless Monday soup compliments of my pantry.


1 can of each of black, garbanzo and cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can of stewed tomatoes (take a knife and kind of chop inside the can or use diced canned tomatoes)
1 small can of diced green chilies
½ cup of corn
2 cups of veggie broth (feel free to use chicken broth or beef)
1 TBS chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Handful of tortilla chips, crushed and tossed in

Put everything in a crockpot and simmer on low for 8 hours or high for 5.

Yum!

My food is good, my pictures stink!

REMEDY: Too many veggies, not enough eaters (Veggie broth)

I accomplished two things today. A great flavorful veggie broth and a picture I can live with. I had not done veggie broth before and I was inspired by Cafe Fernando and his wonderful photos and use of veggies to make a broth. I followed his tips and preferences for making a fat free broth by not browning the vegetables in oil first. I just cut them up in a rustic manner meaning since I wasn't presenting these on a plate or dish, they don't need to be pretty but they do need to be cut. Sorry for the lack of exact quantities but frankly, it doesn't really need to be exact.

3/4 lb baby carrots, chopped (I had two partial bags that I combined. One was a little dried but nevertheless, once they were submerged in the water they came alive again).
4 stalks of celery with ends sliced off and chopped
half of an onion chopped in to large peices
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 TBSP chopped garlic
1 TBSP kosher salt
generous amount of black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 container of organic mushroom broth


Throw it all in a stock pot with about 8-10 cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer for at least an hour. If you like a richer broth, let it reduce more. I would add salt and pepper minimally until you strain and give it a taste first. I wanted mine to be a little more rich so I went to Sprouts and bought a container of organic mushroom broth and added to it AFTER I strained it. I have a good strainer for broths that catches all the large peieces of pepper and garlic leaving me with a nice clear broth. Discard the veggies or find something to do with them. I guess you could puree them and use them for a veggie gravey. Since I'm not a vegetarian (yet), I got lazy and *gasp* threw them out. I know. I suck. Extremely disappointed in myself.

Bring broth to room temperature. Divide in to 1 or 2 cup storage containers or place in ice cube trays. Read Cafe Fernandos pointers. They are really awesome. (The link is at the top).

Quick Collard Greens? Wha?

Did it, love it, try it. I don't think I've ever had collards but if I did, I'm sure I had ones where the life and nutrients were cooked the hell right out it because someone's grandmother buried it in ham hocks and hours and hours of cooking. Not necessary. I feel about 15 times healthier having just had this one time.

http://nourishnetwork.com/2010/12/31/quick-collards/

QUICK COLLARDS

1 pound fresh collard greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken OR vegetable broth

Trim the center ribs from the collard leaves. Stack the leaves and roll them up like a cigar; slice very thinly.

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add a large handful of collards to pan; cook until collards wilt. Repeat with remaining collards until all of them are in the pan. Stir in salt and peppers; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates and collards are tender.

Serves 4-6

Pickled Daikon and Carrots (Vietnamese)

love love love the marinated carrots and daikon that are served in Vietnamese Vermicelli bowls and on Banh Mi sandwiches so being that I'm bored I'm making some of my own to munch on.

1/2 lb. carrots (I used baby carrots sliced as matchsticks in 4's.
1/2 lb. daikon radish – cut same as carrots.
3 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons distilled or rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you want your pickles
2 tablespoons salt

Dissolve all together and place in containers to marinate for a few hours. Good for a week.

Green beans that taste homemade but from a can

I have to give credit to my late step mother for this one but its been on regular rotation in my house and to potlucks for about 5 years.

2-3 TBS Olive Oil
chopped Onion (Quantity to your liking or personal taste)
salt and pepper
leftover ham or bacon or any meat of choice. It can be deli meat, sliced, whatever you have.
2 regular sized cans of green beans

Drain the green beans.
Heat olive oil on low-medium heat (olive oil does not like high heat).
Saute Onion until translucent.
Add finely chopped meat and stir.
Add salt and pepper
Once the onion, meat, salt and pepper flavors have all combined and heated through, add green beans.
Stir well and cover for about 40 minutes on low eat, stirring occassionally.

This recipe scales up nicely. I've cooked this for about 30 people before or just 2.

Black Bean and Chickpea "refried beans"

I made some a bag of dried chick peans (garbanzo beans) the other day and I had no idea what to do with them honestly.  Last night I was making mahi mahi and thought they would be good so here's basically what I did.

2 cans of black beans - 1 drained, 1 not.
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely.
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup of chickpeas
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp of chopped garlic
sprinkle of salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan saute onion, olive oil and spices until onions are translucent. In your food processer or you can just mash in the pan, mash 1 can of the black beans (with their juice) and the chick peas.  I used the food processer because chick peas are hard to mash.  Combine this mixture with the oil, onion and spices and mix well. Add last can of black beans, drained (you don't need to rinse). Cook until hot.

Sweet Potato Bread / Muffins

Modified Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/sweet-potato-bread-i/Detail.aspx

Here’s how I modified because I didn't want to use the vegetable oil or as much fat. So I split the fat in half, used 1/4 cup of butter and a 1/4 cup of applesauce. I also doubled it after I modified it.  Below is just the single version. 

For the cooked and mashed sweet potatoes - some cooks bake the sweet potatoes then take the skin off. I find that entirely too labor instensive. I peeled the raw sweet potatoes (1-2) and then cut them in to 1 inch peices and boiled until soft, then used a hand mixer to mash.

When I doubled it, I used one loaf pan and one 12 muffin tin. If you are doubling, fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full THEN do the loaf pan so you are sure you have enough for the muffins and don't pour too much in to the loaf pan.  The muffins came out more dry than the loaf.  Both are great.  The kids love the muffin size.  Also on the loaf, in the last 12 minutes I poured about 2 Tbs of butter and sprinkled some cinnamon sugar over top.  

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar  (used 1 c.)
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup water
•  ¼ cup applesauce
• 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

It also called for chopped pecans which I did not use.

1. Combine sugar and butter; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes, applesauce and chopped nuts (optional) 
3. Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about one hour. (The muffins don't take as long - maybe 30-40 minutes!) Stick a toothpick in to test doneness. If it comes out clean they are done)

Killer Turkey Burgers

1 lb lean ground turkey
2 egg whites
1 cup of chopped spinach
2 small chipotle peppers finely chopped ( i had a can of them in sauce and just pull two from it - be careful, they can add alot of heat)
dash kosher salt
dash ground pepper
tsp of paprika
tsp basil
enough breadcrumbs to help with binding meat (I used leftover garlic bread that I dried out in the oven - use what you have)
Combine all ingredients and form in to 4-5 patties.

Topping:
Finely Chopped yellow or sweet onion
Finely chopped mushrooms
1 TBSP Olive oil
Sautee together - top burger with it.

Grill them until cooked through and then top with the onion mushroom topping.

We added finely chopped grape tomatoes, romaine lettuce and dill relish to the top also.

enjoy!