Grad Student Soup Nights

I am now a graduate student, which means that there are certain weeks where I do not have the time to make dinner during the week. So, I have gotten back into the swing of making a couple of dishes over the weekend--that way, all I have to do when I get home from school is take 10 minutes to reheat dinner and maybe make a side salad. Stew, lasagna, casseroles, and chili are all excellent one-pot wonders that can easily be reheated for dinner. Recently I have enjoyed making one or two hearty soups on Sunday that Brendan and I can enjoy throughout the week. Our dinners are increasingly becoming soup nights...grad student soup nights, as I would like to call them. I already posted the recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Apples--a really simple soup that tastes great with a side salad and slice of rustic bread. Here are some additional soups I have made over the last couple of weeks:

·      Turkey Meatball Soup with Greens

·      Vegetarian Chili

·      Butternut Squash Soup with Poblano Peppers

·      Chicken Curry with Vegetables

·      Autumn Vegetable Soup with Sausages & Lentils

All of these dishes are relatively easy to make, except for the Autumn Vegetable Soup with Sausages & Lentils—that soup has a lengthy list of ingredients and takes much longer to make. However, it is TOTALLY worth the time and effort, and is legitimately one of the best soups I have ever made (or tasted for that matter). And though it takes dedication to make it, the end result is enough soup for a few nights of dinner, plus some left to freeze! Happy soup making!

Turkey Meatball Soup with Greens (from Cooking Light)

I followed directions almost exactly as written from the magazine! My only change: I used beet greens and broccoli rabe as the "greens", because that's what I had laying around my kitchen. Click on the link for directions. 

Vegetarian Chili  (from Fight Back with Food)

Serves 4

Ingredients

-2 x 15oz. kidney beans, canned & low-sodium

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 onion, chopped

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-1 red bell pepper, chopped

-1 green bell pepper, chopped

-1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks

-2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)

-1 tablespoon light brown sugar

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 ½ cups canned crushed tomatoes, no salt added

-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (plus extra if you like your chili spicy!)

Directions

1. In a soup pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic for 7 minutes, until onion is translucent.

2. Add the bell peppers and butternut squash. Cook for 8 minutes, until peppers are tender.

3. Stir in the cocoa powder, brown sugar, oregano, and salt, and make sure the veggies are coated.

4. Add the beans, 1 cup water, tomatoes, and chipotle pepper. Bring to a boil.

5. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until all veggies are cooked through (particularly the butternut squash).

6. Serve hot with shredded cheddar cheese on top and a side of corn bread.

Butternut Squash with Poblano Peppers Soup (from Love Soup)

Serves 6

The reason I made this soup is because we received a TON of poblano peppers in our CSA and I was running out of ideas for how to use them. I ran across this recipe and thought “bingo!”

Ingredients:

-1 large butternut squash, sliced in half and seeded

-1 sweet potato

-4 poblano peppers

-2 onions, chopped

-2 tablespoons olive oil

-4 cups vegetable broth or water

-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

-1 lemon, seeded and juiced

-salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Lay the squash, flesh side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Pierce holes throughout the sweet potato (whole) and place it on the same baking sheet as the squash.

3. Bake for 1 hour, until you can easily pierce through the squash skin and sweet potato.

4. Scoop out the flesh from the squash into a bowl. Halve the sweet potato and scoop out the flesh into the same bowl.

5. Turn on the broiler in the oven. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet (I just used the same one that the squash was on) and broil the peppers for about 15-20 minutes, until skin is charred.

6. Take peppers out of oven, place them in a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the peppers “sweat” for about 5-10 minutes, until they are cool to the touch and you can easily peel off their skin. Chop the peppers.

7. While the peppers are in the oven, heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes.

8. Add the squash, sweet potato, cilantro, and 2 cups of water + broth (or just 6 cups of water).

9. Bring soup to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until perfectly smooth. You may need to add a bit of water, if the soup is too thick for your taste.

11. Once the soup is pureed, stir in the chopped pepper and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

12. This soup tastes great with some pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.

Chicken Curry with Vegetables (from Fight Back with Food)

Ok, so this is not technically soup, but it is damn good!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

-1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch chunks

-2 teaspoons olive oil

-1 onion, cut into thick slices

-4 garlic cloves, minced

-3 carrots, thinly sliced

-1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks

-2 teaspoons peanut butter

-1 large head of broccoli, cut into large chunks

-1/2 teaspoon salt

Spice Mixture

-1 tablespoon turmeric

-1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-1/2 teaspoon sugar

-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl combine the spice mixture with the chicken. Toss to coat.

2. In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until onions are translucent.

3. Add ½ cup water, the carrots, potatoes, peanut butter, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the chicken and stir it until chicken is no longer pink (about 5 minutes).

5. Stir in 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Add broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender.

7. Serve warm

Autumn Vegetable Soup with Sausages & Lentils (from Flour Too Cookbook)

Serves 10

*Since this soup makes SO much, I suggest freezing at least half of it. It will last for about 1-2 months in the freezer.

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

-3 sweet Italian sausages, casing removed

-1 onion, chopped

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1 carrot, chopped

-2 celery stalks, chopped

-1 small potato, peeled and chopped

-1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

-1 leek, well rinsed and chopped

-8 baby bella mushrooms, cut into quarters

-1 turnip, peeled and chopped

-1/4 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (about 1-2 cups)

-2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock (if using store bought, try to get low-sodium)

-1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, no salt added

-3/4 cup lentils

-2 cups greens (kale, Swiss chard, etc.), chopped

-2 tablespoons tomato paste

-2 bay leaves

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Spice Mixture:

         -1 tablespoon paprika

         -1 teaspoon thyme, dried

         -1 teaspoon turmeric

         -1 teaspoon oregano,

dried

         -3/4 teaspoon cumin

         -1/2 teaspoon fennel

seeds, finely chopped or ground

         -1/2 teaspoon curry

powder

         -1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat and sauté the sausage. Split up the large chunks with a wooden spoon and cook until the meat is mostly cooked through (about 5 minutes).

2. Remove sausage from pan using a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in soup pot for about 4 minutes. Be sure to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan (from the sausage) because it adds a lot of flavor!

4. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato paste, ½ teaspoon salt, and 2 bay leaves. Stir to make sure everything is covered by paste (about 1 minute)

5. Add spice mixture. Stir for 2 minutes, making sure all veggies are coated with this mixture. 

6. Add the reserved sausage, potato, parsnip, leek, mushroom, turnip, and squash. Raise heat to medium-high and stir for 3 minutes.

7. Add the stock, canned tomatoes, and ground black pepper. Raise the heat and bring the pot to a boil.

8. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

9. Add the lentils and simmer for an additional 40 minutes.

10. Add winter greens and simmer for another 1 minute.

11. Find the bay leaves and discard them (this can be a bit tricky, but make sure you take them out because you don’t want to accidentally chew on a stiff bay leaf!).

12. Serve warm with a additional salt/pepper for garnish and a nice slice of bread on the side.

Pastelon!

Last year for the Super Bowl I ended up testing out a recipe for work: Pastelon (Sweet Plantain "Lasagna"). The kids in a class that I was teaching wanted to make this traditional Puerto Rican dish and so, it was my job to find a way to make the recipe a bit healthier. My healthy Pastelon was an absolute hit at the Super Bowl party I attended (especially for the gluten-free party goers) and the kids in my class ended up enjoying my healthy modifications. Sure, as we began making the dish, their initial reaction was "this is NOT Pastelon"...but they were very pleasantly surprised by the end result. 

As I contemplated what to make for this evening's Super Bowl game, I decided to abandon creativity and instead remake last year's glorious Pastelon. Brendan had never tried the dish, so it would be a new experience for at least one of us. But despite a quick grocery store run to "get the ingredients", I ended up forgetting a few key components of the dish--this is what happens when you don't bring a shopping list to the store! I forgot the cilantro, green bell pepper, and corn. 

Having committed to making the dish, I succumbed to making even more modifications to the already altered 'healthy' Pastelon. It ended up being a new dish for me as well. And much to my surprise, the end result was even more delicious than last year's version. So here is my take on Pastelon (which proves that what is available in your cupboard is sometimes all that you need to make a good meal!): 

Pastelon (Plantain "Lasagna")
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
-4 ripe plantains, sliced lengthwise (plantains should be yellow with lots of black spots, or completely black--if you want a sweeter taste)
-1 onion, chopped (in lieu of the bell pepper/corn)
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 15oz can of hearts of palm, diced (the original recipe calls for 1 green bell pepper, diced, so if you remember to get the pepper then use it!)
-2 carrots, grated (a simple addition that gave the dish more color and flavor)
-1 pound ground turkey
-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-2 teaspoons dried oregano
-2 teaspoons coriander (or if you remember to buy fresh cilantro, use 1/2 cup chopped)
-1 8oz can tomato sauce
-1/3 cup raisins
-10 green olives, sliced
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-cooking spray
-salt
-pepper
-1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and evenly line sliced plantains on the sheet (do not overlap). Spray tops of plantains with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes (until crispy and golden brown)
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add onions & garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until onion starts to soften. 
4. Add hearts of palm and shredded carrots. Cook for another 5 minutes
5. Add ground turkey, mix well, and cook until browned (about 10 minutes). Add vinegar, oregano, and coriander, and cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the raisins, olives, and tomato sauce. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 

7. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Line half of the plantains on the bottom of the dish. Pour all the ground turkey & veggie mixture on top. Layer the remaining plantains on top of turkey mix. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
8. Bake for 15 minutes (until cheese is melted and bubbly). 
9. Serve hot!

*Tastes great with a side of hot peppers and a crisp salad (try radicchio, endive, chicory, sliced pear, salt, & pepper)

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!

Massachusetts finally hit a cold spell...nay, a below freezing spell. All of last week the weather fluctuated between 5°- 20°F. Brrrrrrr! Needless to say, I wanted something to warm me up; and what better way to do so than by cooking and eating some hot 'n spicy food?! Now, I recognize that not all of you are fans of spicy food, but do not be afraid of the recipes that lay ahead. All of the recipes use the same "spicy" ingredient--chipotles canned in adobo sauce--and you can alter all of the recipes to include more or less of this spicy flavor, according to your personal taste. Also, do not scoff at the tofu recipe. It is INCREDIBLE. If you're not a fan of tofu (and unwilling to try it...though shame on being close-minded), then use the marinade on something else because the taste will blow your mind. 

The recipes are all fairly easy to make, absolutely delicious, and would be great for Super Bowl Sunday (for those of you planning ahead). Regardless of how spicy you decide to make these recipes, they'll definitely get you feelin' hot, hot, hot!

Was anyone else freezing last week? Did you cook anything to make you feel warmer?

Chili Fest Chili (from Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking For Health)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 
-1 onion, diced
-2 bell peppers (I used one green, one red), diced
-2 carrots, diced
-3 celery stalks, diced
-1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
-1 tablespoon ground coriander (this is ground cilantro...if you don't have this ingredient, don't worry about it. Try adding a bit more oregano instead)
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-1 tablespoon paprika
-1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced (plus 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce)
-1 28oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably no salt added)
-1 tablespoon molasses or brown sugar (I didn't have molasses, so I used brown sugar and I think it turned out great)
-2 15oz. cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
-1-2 cups water
-salt
-2 tablespoons oil
Optional:
-1 1/2 cups cooked barley, bulgur, or brown rice (adding some sort of grain makes the chili a bit bulkier)
-greek yogurt (to use as a topping)
-grated cheddar cheese (to use as a topping)

Directions:
1. In a soup pot on medium-high heat, warm the oil for a few seconds and then add the onion & bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes. 
2. Add carrots and celery to pot. Cook for 5 minutes, until carrots start to soften.
3. Stir in all the spices (cumin through paprika). Cook for 5 minutes (make sure to stir, so that spices don't stick to the bottom of the pan)
4. Add the canned tomatoes, minced chipotle pepper & adobo sauce, sugar, beans, and water. Start by adding 1 cup of water and add more according to how soupy you want the chili to be. 
5. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Be sure to stir. 
6. Add cooked grain(s) to the pot, making sure to mix well. 
7. Serve hot, with greek yogurt and/or cheese on top!


Chipotle-Apple Turkey Burgers (from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook)
Makes 8 palm-sized burgers
Ingredients: 
-2 celery stalks, finely diced
-3 green onions, finely chopped
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-1 apple, shredded (I used Granny Smith, but Gala or Fuji would taste good too!)
-1 pound ground turkey
-1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
-1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional: 
-bread or slider buns
-sliced cheese
-sliced tomatoes
-lettuce or spinach

Directions: 
1. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and cook celery, green onions, and garlic until just browned. Set aside. 
2. Combine the grated apple, turkey, chipotle chili, salt, pepper, parsley, and cooked veggies in a large mixing bowl. Stir everything until well combined. Form the mixture into 8 palm-sized patties. At this point you can cook the burgers, or place them on plates (cover with plastic wrap) and keep in your fridge for a few hours, until you're ready to cook them
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Heat your sauté pan over medium-high heat and evenly space turkey burgers in pan. Cook until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes each side). 
5. Place burgers on a baking sheet and cook in oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 175°F (internal temp. of meat)
6. Serve hot, on top of bread or salad greens. 
Tastes great with sweet potato fries and roasted brussels sprouts!

Tofu with Chipotle-Orange Barbecue Sauce (from Your Organic Kitchen)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup orange juice (preferably fresh)
-4 tablespoons honey
-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced 
-1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from can)
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 pound firm tofu, drained and cut into 8 slices

Directions: 
1. In a 13x9 inch glass baking dish, combine all the ingredients except the tofu. Whisk together. 
2. Add sliced tofu to the dish. Place dish in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Be sure to flip tofu slices over, every 30 minutes. 
3. Preheat your broiler
4. Place tofu on baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes on each side, until skin starts to become brown.
5. Serve hot!
*Tastes great with brown rice and sauteed greens (like collards, kale, or bok choy!)

Burgers 'N Fries for All

It is officially September, which means that summer is coming to an end. However, the season for grilling, cookouts, and burgers with fries is hardly over. As I mentioned in my previous post (where I cooked a variety of meals for an incredibly eclectic group of eaters), one of the nights I made a burger-and-fries dinner that satisfied not only the carnivorous taste buds, but also the vegan and vegetarians in the room. To me, burgers with fries is a staple summer/fall meal, so it is important to be able to make this oldie-but-goodie for whomever. 

Fortunately, neither burger recipe takes very long to assemble and they both require relatively few ingredients. So, if you are looking for a quick, inexpensive, and delicious meal to make, these recipes are definitely fail-safe options. Before you start cooking, here are a few tips regarding the purchasing, prepping, and cooking of these recipes: 

1. Buy lean ground meat. What do I mean by this? When you look at the cover of a package of meat you will see two numbers. One of the numbers is much larger (80-93), the other number is much smaller (7-20). The larger number refers to the amount of meat in the package, while the smaller number refers to the amount of fat. Typically the less meat/more fat packages (80/20) are the cheapest option. However, when you cook that meat (especially in a burger), you will end up throwing most of the fat away - it either drips from the grill or you drain it from the pan. This means you are literally throwing away 20% of your money, since you are discarding - and therefore not eating - 20% of the package. Therefore, I encourage you to spend the extra dollar to purchase a package of lean (less fat) ground meat (90/10 or better still, 93/7). Not only is this a more economical buy (you get more meat for your money!), but it is also the healthier option of meat to eat. 

2. Buy low-sodium canned beans. Too much salt can have adverse health effects, so regardless of whether you have high blood pressure now, you should try to be conscious of the amount of salt you consume. Beans are usually canned in water and salt (to help preserve the beans). However, the amount of salt typically used is far too much and incredibly unnecessary. Fortunately, some companies have started canning their beans using significantly less salt. These cans are labeled as "low sodium". Regular canned beans can have as much as 20% of your daily value of sodium, whereas low-sodium options have only 5%. Chances are that in whatever recipe you are using the beans, you will add "a pinch" of salt, if not more; there is no need to start out using beans that already contain a high amount of sodium. Of course, there are other ways to get rid of some of this added salt (see tip #3), if for some reason you cannot purchase a low-sodium can option. But definitely try to buy your beans low-sodium whenever possible. 

3. Drain and rinse beans. This technique will help you get rid of 30-40% of the salt in canned beans. How do you drain and rinse? Pop open the can and dump the beans into a colander . Then, turn on the faucet and rinse the beans off with water. You will see bubbles forming (that is the salt), so when the bubbles start to subside you can stop rinsing (usually 30-40 seconds). Finally, let the beans sit in the colander in your sink in order to drain off all the water. Whether you use low-sodium or regular canned beans, this technique not only gets rid of a lot of the added salt, but also rinses away the congealed water that typically clings to the beans in the can. 

4. Use different cutting boards. Remember my post on defrosting meat? Do you recall how quickly bacteria multiplies and the only ways you can actually kill bacteria? If not, you should read that post again. For the burgers, one recipe uses meat and the other only uses vegetable/bean products. You do not want any of the bacteria from the raw meat cross-contaminating with the veggie burger. Why? Well, if the veggie burger does not heat through all the way to the center, then not all of the bacteria will be killed. Food poisoning anyone? Be safe and do not cross contaminate.

5. Have multiple topping choices. Though the standard lettuce-tomato-and-onion is always a winner, it is nice to have a variety of choices for your guests - and yourself. The topping choices I offered: spinach, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. Additionally, the condiments you use can make a difference as to how fantastic your burger will taste. Some suggestions: ketchup, mustard, mayo, horseradish, and salsa. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box!

Whether you are cooking for two, your family, or a crowd of hyped up football fans, you can feel confident in making these burgers 'n fries for all!

Ground Beef (or Turkey) Burgers
Ingredients:
-1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
-1 egg
-2 green onions or 1/2 red onion, chopped
-1/2 cup breadcrumbs (tear up the ends of bread loaves!)
-1 tablespoon dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you have available)
-dash of cayenne pepper
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well (with your hands)
2. Form into 7-8 patties (should be the size of your palm)
3. Heat either a pan on top of your stove to medium heat or an outside grill
4. Add patties and cook for about 8 minutes on each side; cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees fahrenheit (if do not have a meat thermometer you should definitely buy one!) or cut a patty in the middle and see if it is pink enough for you.
5. Serve on top of whole wheat buns

Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients:
-1 15oz. can black beans (low-sodium!), drained & rinsed
-1/3 cup red onions or 2 scallions, chopped 
-1/4 breadcrumbs (again, tear up the ends of bread loaves!)
-1/4 cup store-bought salsa (use Newman's Own medium or mild salsa)
-1 teaspoon cumin 
-pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Mash beans using a fork or potato masher
2. Mix in remaining ingredients
3. Use hands to shape 7-8 patties (should be the size of your hand)
4. Heat either a pan on top of your stove to medium heat or an outside grill
5. Add a drizzle of olive oil, then add patties and cook for about 8-10 minutes until browned on both sides
6. Serve on top of whole wheat buns!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:-4 sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges

-2 tablespoons canola oil

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/2 teaspoon pepper

-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit or heat outdoor grill

2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl; make sure potatoes are fully coated (drizzle a bit more oil if sweet potatoes seem too dry)

3. Cook for 25-30 minutes in the oven, stirring the sweet potatoes every 10 minutes; or grill for 20 minutes until a fork can pierce the potatoes

4. Serve hot, warm, or cold...they taste fantastic any way!