Weekly Menu April 8-14

Whew! I just returned from a stock the pantry grocery trip.  I thought the store would be quiet on Easter morning, but I was wrong.  I had run out of several pantry items so had a lot to bring home (cans of beans, tomato products, walnuts... ).  Now all is back in order.  Here's the weekly menu.  That just happens to be all vegetarian.  Bon Appetit!

Cara's kale and walnut pesto that was recently included on Food Gawker and saw a huge spike in views last week.  Have to try this one out!!

The ever delicious black bean and sweet potato burrito.  Still not tired of this gem, also from Cara.  Have you tried this yet? Do. It. Now!

New recipe from Mark Bittman's blog: curried chickpea salad... with pita bread for a light and easy dinner.

New recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker...  creamy tomato soup with Israeli couscous this will probably be paired with a grilled mozzarella sandwich.  MM!

Homemade pizza.  Gotta use that second Bon Appetit no-knead crust.  Toppings: fresh mozzarella, basil and red peppers. I kind of want to eat that right now!!

Have a great week.  What's for dinner where you live?

-Allison 

I Made Your Dinner!

I made the sweet potato black bean burritos tonight.  I will admit that at first I was a bit leery of the sweet potato and black bean combo for what reason I cannot understand since I LOVE both ingredients.  The aversion was 100% foolish.  What a terrifically tasty combination.  This is a delicious and easy dinner.  Just be careful not to burn the cumin seeds or the potatoes (I almost did!) the outer edges of those potatoes will brown before the rest is tender.  Watch the heat carefully and you'll be all right. 

sweet potatoes with cumin seeds

sweet potatoes combined with corn, beans and diced tomatoes

A couple things I did differently...  I made about a half recipe (our fridge is full of leftovers!).  Ryan had 2 small burritos, I had one and there was a little left over.  Also, I had some leftover diced tomatoes with green chiles from the last time I made black bean soup so threw those in.  I also didn't have any cilantro or fresh limes wedges so I omitted them.

I paired the burritos with a side of quiona with golden raisins and chopped almonds.

Bring 1 Cup water + 1 tsp veggie bouillon to a boil.  Add 1/2 Cup quinoa.  Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.

Toast a teaspoon of ground cumin and a some red pepper flakes in a hot skillet.  Add about a handful each of chopped almonds and golden raisins to the skillet and heat until raisins begin to puff up (don't walk away it doesn't take long).  Add to quinoa.  The quinoa is done when most of the liquid is gone and the quinoa has grown larger and formed little rings around the outside.

This quinoa dish is a perfect example of my "well-stocked pantry" mentality. I hadn't really planned a side for this dinner and threw this together by taking a quick peek in the pantry while thinking about the spices included in the main dish.  I usually stock up on walnuts (I put them in so many dishes), almonds and other dried fruits for snacking, to toss in with my hot cereal, baking whims, etc.  I like to keep a variety of versatile grains on hand: several kinds of rice, lentils, quinoa, bulgur, barley, etc. to mix with veggies or other ingredients as I have done here. 


I highly recommend this dish to everyone!

Your Kitchen Table Friend,
Allison 

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos

Here's an easy meal we put together last weekend. In the winter I'm always looking for delicious ways to get more veggies in while I wait for those farmer's markets to open up again late spring! Sweet potato sauteed in spices make this burrito a very satisfying lunch or light dinner. Prep time is only about 15 minutes. That's pretty quick in my opinion!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp veg oil
2 tsp paprika
salt & pepper
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup corn
a handful of chopped fresh cilantro
some sour cream or whole fat yogurt
lime wedges, to garnish

Toss the sweet potato with the paprika, salt & pepper and the oil. Dry roast the cumin in a hot pan until fragrant. Add the sweet potato mixture and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the edges are golden brown and the insides are tender (about 10 minutes.) Meanwhile, combine the black beans, chopped tomatoes and corn in a small saucepan and heat through. Add the cilantro.

Spoon bean and sweet potato mixtures into warm flour tortillas. Add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lime, roll up and enjoy.

Cooking Report: What I Made Yesterday

I made the carrot ginger soup yesterday, creating my recipe from others I found online.  Here's what I used....

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced with the slicing tool on my food processor (!!!).
one onion, minced.
2 inch piece of ginger, minced.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
2 cups vegetable broth.
2 cups water.
1/4 teaspoon cayenne.
2 teaspoons cumin.
1/2 teaspoon curry powder.
salt and pepper.
olive oil.

heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.
put the onions and garlic in the large pot and cook for about 5 minutes.
add carrots, ginger, spices.  cook for about 5 minutes.
add liquid and cook for 30 minutes. leave uncovered if you desire soup to be thicker, or leave lid on to preserve the liquid. I did about half covered, half uncovered, but found the soup to be a little too watery so next time, I'll leave the lid off most of the time for a thicker consistency.
puree soup with immersion blender (turn off the heat first, for safety!).

I liked my soup,  but there was something left to be desired.  Maybe it was the omission of dairy... many recipes I looked at used heavy cream or coconut milk, which I didn't have or want to use this time around to create a more healthy soup.  Due to the large amount of ginger, it was a little too spicy and not carrot-y enough. I am going to try again.  Suggestions encouraged!!!

I also wanted to share how I made the black bean burritos... 

1 cup brown rice.
1 can black beans, rinsed.
1/2 green pepper, chopped.
1 green onion, chopped.
1/4 -1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes with green chiles.
homemade taco seasoning.         ----------->
olive oil.
salt and pepper.
shredded cheddar cheese.
cilantro.
whole wheat tortilla.
salsa.




cook rice, using 1 1/2 to 1 water to rice ratio.
prep other ingredients and mix homemade taco seasoning.
when rice is almost finished cooking (approximately 15-20 minutes in) start heating olive oil in a medium pan.  add green peppers and green onion.  season with salt and pepper.
when veggies start to soften, add beans, tomatoes and 1-2 teaspoons of the taco seasoning. 
Mash some of the black beans with the back of a spoon.  Mix and keep on low.
Stir 1 teaspoon taco seasoning into the rice.  When it is done, add rice to bean mixture. Mix it together and if you want a little more liquid, add more diced tomatoes.

I topped my bean and rice mixture with a little bit of cilantro, salsa and shredded cheese and rolled it up in the tortilla.  My husband created a salad with spinach, green onions, shredded mozzarella (resourcefully from a piece of string cheese), and topped it with a little lime juice and the salsa. 

This hit the spot. Healthy and delicious!