Author Archives: vanessa

Kung Pao Chickpeas

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  1. cook diced carrot, onion and red pepper in coconut oil
  2. add a can of chick peas, a clove of garlic, some minced ginger
  3. add your sauce:
    1. add a few teaspoons of rice vinegar
    2. a few tablespoons chili sauce
    3. a few tablespoons teriyaki sauce
    4. a few teaspoons soy sauce
    5. a few tablespoons of either honey or real maple syrup
    6. a teaspoon of sesame oil
    7. a few drops of liquid smoke
    8. and a teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce
  4. cook until sauce thickens and reduces
  5. top with chopped peanuts, red onion, green onion, cilantro
  6. squeeze of lime on top when served

Cashew Dressing

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  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • Zest and juice of 2 lemons (1 tablespoon zest, 1/3 cup juice)
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives

Soak cashews in boiling water and let sit 30 minutes; drain and rinse. In a blender, combine soaked cashews, 3/4 water, lemon juice and zest, yeast, garlic, pepper and salt; blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in chives. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

 

Turkey, Sweet Potato and White Bean Chili

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  • vegetable oil
  • ground turkey
  • sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. each ground cumin and coriander
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. chili flakes
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • cooked lentils
  1. Brown the ground turkey in vegetable oil
  2. Add sweet potatoes, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes
  3. Add seasonings and cook for one minute
  4. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the chicken broth
  5. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
  6. Add the beans and simmer for about 20 minutes
  7. Add cooked lentils, stir, and serve

Sweet Potatoes with Chile-Cilantro

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  • ¼ cup plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • ½ tsp. honey
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 2 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch wedges
  • ½ bunch cilantro, leaves only (1/2 ounce)
  • 2 green chiles, seeded and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. sliced blanched almonds
  • 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup oil, the honey, juice from 1 lime, a large pinch of salt and pepper to taste, and toss with potato wedges. Spread in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until tender and lightly browned in spots, 45 to 55 minutes. Sprinkle with additional salt to taste.
  3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse to combine 1/3 cup oil, the cilantro, chiles, garlic, almonds, juice from remaining lime, vinegar and a large pinch of salt, until it forms a chunky purée. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  4. Spoon the sauce over the potatoes, dollop with some yogurt, drizzle with oil, and serve with any remaining yogurt on the side.

Lamb Chili with Lentils

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  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds lean lamb, preferably from the leg, coarsely ground or cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 cups finely chopped onions
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and chopped fine
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon crumbled fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken broth, fresh or canned
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 cup dried green lentils
  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot, and add the meat. Cook over medium-high heat for three or four minutes, stirring with a heavy metal kitchen spoon to break up any lumps.
  2. Add the onions, garlic, celery, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, cumin and chile powder, and stir to blend well. Cook until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add the oregano, bay leaves, tomatoes and chicken broth along with 1 cup water and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook for 20 minutes.
  4. Place the lentils in a saucepan with 3 cups of water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Drain.
  5. Add the lentils to the meat mixture. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove bay leaves.

 

Boston Baked Beans

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  • 2 cups of white pea beans (navy beans)
  • 1 scant teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 medium onion, peeled
  • 4 pork spareribs, or 8 baby-back ribs
  • ⅓ cup dark brown sugar or molasses
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  1. In a large bowl, soak the beans in 2 quarts of water for 6 hours. Drain the beans and put them in a large pot. Add the salt and enough cool water to cover 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are just barely tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain well.
  2. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In the bottom of a large casserole with a tight-fitting lid, place the peeled onion — yes, whole — and spareribs (or baby-back ribs). Spread the beans on top. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar (or molasses), mustard and black pepper and add this to the beans and pork. Pour in just enough boiling water to cover the beans, put the lid on and bake, occasionally adding more boiling water to keep the beans covered, until they are tender but not falling apart, 4 to 5 hours.
  3. Remove the casserole from the oven. Season the beans with salt. Pull the meat from the ribs. Discard the bones and excess fat and stir the meat back into the beans. With the lid off, return the casserole to the oven and let the beans finish cooking, uncovered and without additional water, until the sauce has thickened and is nicely caramelized on top, about 45 minutes more.

Grains and Beans

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  • 1 cup whole grains, such as barley, wheat, emmer, einkorn, rye, spelt or wheat berries
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
  • ½ teaspoon salt, more as needed
  • 6 slices bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced, plus celery leaves for serving
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons thyme leaves, more for serving
  • 3 ½ cups (two 15-ounce cans) cooked red kidney beans, drained
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • Hot sauce, for serving

  1. In a medium pot, simmer grains in chicken stock, adding salt to taste if stock is unsalted. Different grains will cook at different rates, but 35 to 75 minutes is the general range. When grains are just tender, drain, reserving any extra stock.
  2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet.
  3. Add onion, pepper, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt to skillet and cook until vegetables are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes longer, until garlic is fragrant.
  4. Stir beans, black pepper and nutmeg into skillet and cook until vegetables are very tender, 10 to 20 minutes, adding some reserved chicken stock from the grains or water if pan looks dry.
  5. Add drained grains to pan and stir until heated through, adding more stock or water if needed. Stir in bacon, and salt to taste. Serve grains and beans topped with celery and thyme leaves, with hot sauce on the side.

Turkey Breast

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1 turkey breast
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.) If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.

Lentil Soup

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  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch of ground chile powder or cayenne, more to taste
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
  2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
  3. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
  4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.
  5. Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired.