Slow Cooker Sweetpeatato Chipotle Soup

I'm kind of shocked I haven't posted this yet, it's a super easy vegetarian crockpot recipe that I've made 3 or 4 times since baby sparkles made her grand entrance. Not only is it easy to make but it freezes well too and contains some of my favorite things sweet potatoes, chipotle chilis, and cilantro.

What you need

1 1lb bag of dried peas

2 onions peeled and diced

2-3 sweet potatoes peeled and diced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp turmeric

1 1/2-2tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2-1 cup cilantro washed well

1/2-1 chipotle chili in adobo with seeds removed

6 cups of water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar or honey

1 can of coconut milk

What to do

Rinse and drain the peas and add them to the crockpot along with everything EXCEPT the tsp of lemon juice and the tsp of sugar. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until everything is mushy. Add the lemon juice, sugar, coconut milk and more salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves. If desired, let cool and puree in a food processor. My kids would not eat this lumpy, but happily gobbled it up after it had been pureed and served alongside rice.

Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in our house. Any occasion that permits me to eat Mexican food is a big deal, so Cinco de Mayo, Tuesdays, and every third Sunday or so rank pretty high on my list of good days.

Originally I was to be spending tomorrow evening at an appreciation dinner. Due to sick contagious kiddos I will instead be spending tomorrow night at home, much to my husbands delight. Unfortunately I had nothing planned out, but a plethera of old recipes to choose from, so I think we will be ok.

Vegetarian or vegan burritos

Vegetarian tortilla soup, with spicy unmeatballs

Oh my! I almost forgot about this dish, it was so tasty! I can't believe I haven't made it since.

Vegetarian bean and potato tacos

These are so simple it's ridiculous, even my super A.D.D sleep deprived self can make them.

Avocado and black bean tacos

These are very tasty, and another great taco for hot days. Great for avocado lovers, and well received by those who have tried them.

Drunken Veggie Fajitas

After having some fajitas in California with just a hint of tequila in them I couldn't resist but try them out on my own. You could most certainly omit this ingredient if you like.

Pumpkin and black bean enchiladas

This enchilada sauce is super simple and (check your ingredients) gluten and soy free! Winning! You could use it as a substitute for any enchilada recipe you like.

Looking at this I am thinking I will be making ALL of these in my near future....perhaps I shouldn't blog while hungry.

Other ideas....

Nachos - This is another really simple idea, use beans you've made or if you must use canned check out Amy's brand organic refried beans. Let family members add their favorite toppings, jalapeños, avocados, olives, diced onion, grilled veggies....you get the idea. You can make it as simple or elaborate as you like.

Seven layer bean dip....or seven layer bean dip casserole Once again, you can totally customize this to suit your families needs.

Tamales! If you have access to tamales go for it. Be they from your freezer, your favorite restaurant, or your local farmers market (If this is the case I don't wan to hear about it, I'm so jealous you don't even know). Serve with beans and rice.

...No fooling.....I seriously just took a break to make some chips and dip....alright...I'm settled again...

Mexican "pizza"

You can easily make your own Mexican pizza in the toaster oven. Brush a corn tortilla with olive oil and toast until crispy. Add toppings such as refried beans, salsa, cheeze, cheese, and olives. Heat again until warmed through. Add more toppings such as chopped tomatoes, lettuce, onion, jalapeños...etc. This has always been a favorite in our house, it's quick, easy, and an excellent meal on a hot day as it doesn't require the use of an oven.

Now that I've made the decision that much harder for myself, I'd love to know what you are planning on making.

Creamy Cabbage and Mixed Veg Curry

This was very tasty (note the spoon, poised and ready to attack). I wish I had a better picture for you, but I was hungry, we all were. I served this over rice and everyone gobbled it up.* The hubster and I love cabbage, I realize that there are a great many people with the opposite opinion. As always though, I urge you..if you don't like a vegetable....make it into curry. :) I haven't found a vegetable yet that I didn't like in curry. This dish is also creamy due to the coconut milk in it, and for me that makes it a comfort food. I've made it in the crock pot before and the smell of it cooking on a cold night drives me nuts.

What you need
1 TBS oil

1/2 tsp turmric

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

3 potatoes scrubbed and diced

1 tsp minced ginger

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 bag shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix)

1 cup mixed peas (or mixed frozen veggies, I prefer all peas)

1 cup chickpeas

1/4 cup of water

1 can of coconut milk

dash....or two of nutmeg

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the next six ingredients and cook for one or two minutes until fragrant, stirring to avoid burning.

Add the potatoes and cook for five minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and cook another five minutes.

Add the cabbage, veggies, chickpeas, and 1/4 cup water. Lower heat to medium low and cook covered for 15 minutes. Stir and cook another 15 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and nutmeg and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Taste and add more salt and cayenne as desired. Serve over rice.

*To be fair, my daughter only gobbled up her portion after throwing herself on the ground, covering her eyes and exclaiming that (horror of all horrors) there were cooked carrots in her dish........she doesn't like cooked carrots (obviously). We discussed the proper and improper (ehem...tantrum) way of dealing with foods we don't like. After picking out all of the carrots and trying a bite she declared the curried cabbage very tasty.

Why even mention it? Because, while my kids do eat a variety of foods, there are also foods they don't like, and I respect that. Can my daughter still get a very balanced diet without cooked carrots? Certainly! Now if she starts avoiding an entire food group I'll reevaluate our tactics. For now, the try a bite rule works very well. Also, I've heard it said before, "but your kids eat everything"....oh so far from the truth! My kids try everything, when it is healthy and they like it, I encourage them to eat more of it. It also encourages me to keep putting the healthy foods on the table that they actually like.

Marinated Bean and Potato Tacos and a Choose Your Own Adventure

Remember the "choose your own adventure" series? I loved those things as a kid, a book you can read again and again! What more would any eight year old girl want (I don't know friends maybe).


Anyhoo, this is a super simple recipe so I thought I'd turn it into a behind the scenes peek at what goes on in my kitchen when I am cooking and running on very little sleep. I fully intend to get seven hours tonight. With luck there will be no broken night lights, 2 am "frow ups", or 5am "I just decided I really like the sun and I want to sing about it.....loudly". It does make the recipe a little more confusing, however it is like I said a super simple recipe and I totally have faith in you.


What you need

2 cloves of garlic finely minced
12 oz jar of Mango Peach Salsa
2 baked potatoes cooled and diced
1 can of beans drained and rinsed. I suggest pinto beans, I did not have them and used butter beans. I think pinto would have worked better.
hot sauce and salt to taste.

tortilla shells

Add the salsa to a large mixing bowl one tablespoon at a time (no not really) until you realize you want to use the whole dang jar and dump that in.

Take a moment to look at how pretty the salsa jar is. Isn't it lovely? It vaguely reminds you of the cover of a book you once read.....you liked that book.
At this point you can either

1.) add the garlic, diced potatoes and beans to the bowl.
or
2.)contemplate the jar some more.....yes you could recycle it, but you could also get crafty with it...it's the perfect size for a candle isn't it?

If you chose 1 continue on with the recipe. If you chose 2 scroll to the bottom.

Carefully stir in the potatoes and beans and add hot sauce and salt to taste. Cover and put the bowl in the fridge.

Leave it there for about a half hour, while it is marinating you can fry or bake up some tortilla shells.

While your tortilla shells are frying (let's just say you fried them ok) your phone will beep.
You....

3.) Dutifully remain in the kitchen and dice taco fixings next to the stove where you can keep a watchful eye on your tortillas.
4.) Go check , and update, and otherwise get lost on facebook.

Those who chose 3 may proceed.....4....scroll to the bottom.

When your tortillas are done salt them and let them cool. Pull the taco filling out of the fridge and fill your tortillas with the marinated potato mixture, lettuce, bell pepper, cilantro, cheese, rice cheese or whatever else you like to put on tacos. As is this recipe is vegan (double check your ingredients). However I don't know enough about protein combinations to tell you whether or not it is a complete meal....perhaps someone out there can enlighten me?

After all of the tortillas are done, and your tacos are filled, take a picture for your blog. Because there is nooooo way you could have possibly done that while you were facebooking or waiting for the tortillas to cook.

Eat, enjoy, and be thankful that even in your current scatterbrained state there are still recipes that are pretty darn fool proof.




2.) Grab everything out of your craft closet (you have been wanting to organize it anyway). You are looking for candle wax or other things that might help you re purpose this jar. The end result being that your tacos will not be ready until eight o' clock at night.



4.) While on facyspace you lose track of time. Your taco shells are burnt and they won't open properly so you won't be able to get a lot of filling into them. You will say a quick prayer of thanks that your husband actually likes burnt food, and when no one is looking you will eat extra taco filling out of the bowl with a spoon........don't be ashamed, we've all done it.




Well I hope that all made sense, I'm about to go to bed as we speak. These tacos were tasty, and super easy to make. They will definitely be a go to meal in our house. I recommend the mango peach salsa, because a regular tomato salsa won't have as much flavor to it. Also I really like the sweet and spicy combo....could you tell?

Slow Cooker Tomato Chutney

Every summer amidst the abundance of fresh ripe tomatoes I dream big dreams. I always want to make new and exciting dishes.....and I always* end up with bruschetta. Why? Because bruschetta with roma tomatoes and basil from your garden is the bomb diggity. Plus it is quick to make and I usually can't stand the temptation of sweet, juicy, tangy, mouth watering tomatoes on the counter long enough to do anything else with them. So this recipe was a success on several levels. I broke my bruschetta habit (go me). It was fantastically tasty. And I now know that I can make chutney in a crock pot!

Mine was a little more watery than the jarred stuff, but I've changed the recipe to adjust for that. Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are you may have the same problem, if it bothers you the chutney can always be thickened in a pan on the stove top. This works great as an appetizer with toasted pita chips, over rice, as a pizza sauce, or on grilled cheese. Pictured served over chickpeas, with pita wedges, and cilantro for garnish.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (I used six)
Oil to coat pan
2 small onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbs minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
cayenne to taste
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbs if sugar (more to taste depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes)

Chop off the end bits (or stems, whatever) of your tomatoes and place them cut side down in the crock pot.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Wash peel and dice the onions and throw them in the pan. Cook for about three minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger, and salt. Cook for two minutes more taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add the rest of the spices and cook two minutes more.

Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the vinegar, sugar, and raisins.

Dump the whole mess into your crock pot over the tomatoes.


Cook on low until the tomatoes start to cook down. They will kind of crack, and wrinkle.
Like this. Beautiful eh? Turn off your crock pot now.

The next step is a matter of taste....or texture rather.

Pull the tomatoes out and let them cool. At this point you can either puree these bad boys, mash them, or some combination of the two. I did half and half.

Add the mutilated tomatoes back to the pot and stir them in.

Enjoy!

*Ok.....I'm lying, not always. But darn near every time.


Update: Taking the lid off for the last hour of cooking will reduce the watery issue! Remember though, if you use a less juicy variety of tomato (roma etc) you may not have to.

Vegan Malai Kofta.....kinda

Who loves a cell phone photo....show of hands? Alright then. This lovely dish is what we had for dinner tonight, and I gotta tell you it knocked my socks off. Malai Kofta is a dish made of... you guessed it unmeatballs (I know that is kind of becoming my thing) and a creamy sauce. Well traditionally they are packed with nuts and raisins, and all sorts of things my kiddos are allergic too. So this is my version, without the allergens, and packed full of chickpeas instead of cheese so they are vegan. They are great for a celebration, or special evening. You can make the unmeatballs a day ahead of time and cook them up when you are ready to make the sauce. Great served over rice, this recipe is also gluten free (be sure to check your ingredients).

For the unmeatballs
1lb bag of chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked according to package directions
3 baked potatoes with the skins removed
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
cayenne to taste

Heat the oil over medium low heat and add the garlic, salt, and spices. Cook for two minutes or until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic. then remove from heat.

Puree the chickpeas until smooth in your food processor and pour into a large bowl.

Mash in the potatoes and the spice/oil mixture until well combined. Taste, and add salt and cayenne as desired.

Shape into balls and refrigerate until ready to cook.


For the sauce

2tbs olive oil
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
cayenne to taste
1/4 tsp salt (or more, the amount you need will depend on the saltiness of your tomato sauce, I'm erring on the side of caution here. You are welcome to add more salt)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 cup of coconut milk

Heat the olive oil over medium low heat and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for about a minute taking care not to burn the garlic.

Add the spices and salt all at once. Add a dash of cayenne (you may add more later for more spice). Cook for another minute or two while stirring.

Add the tomato sauce, (lower the heat if your stove runs hot, mine does :) tomato sauce burns quickly) and stir in the coconut milk.

Heat just to a simmer (not boiling) and lower heat. Cook for about five minutes and add salt, and more cayenne to desired spicyness. *

Pour sauce over unmeatballs...enjoy! :)

Little man ate 5 of these over rice. Big man had about that many too, and would have had more, but he was saving room for pie. My darling girl only ate one, and some rice, it seems she was saving room for pie as well.

*Did you know that spicyness isn't a word?? A fact my spell check keeps trying to inform me of. That can't be right.....

Vegetarian Cinco de Mayo

This soup was a hit with everyone. It had crispy strips of fried corn tortilla, chickpeas, onion, garlic, refreshing cilantro....and oh yes, did I mention these......















Spicy un-meatballs anyone? I know, I've been on an unmeatball kick lately. I can't help it, they are so versatile, easy to eat, and a great way to pack my kids food with veggies that would otherwise be vetoed for texture reasons like spinach and eggplant.

Spicy un-meatballs

2 cups chickpeas
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 cup salsa (divided)
1 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup of COOKED brown rice
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup or less bread crumbs
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
2 tbs finely chopped cilantro
Tabasco and cayenne to taste

Defrost and drain the spinach. While the spinach is defrosting mix the chickpeas, 1/4 cup salsa, cream cheese, and garlic in your food processor until well blended. Pour into a large mixing bowl
and add the rest of the salsa, rice, pepper, drained spinach, cheese, cilantro, Tabasco, and ground cayenne. Stir and add the breadcrumbs slowly until the mixture becomes a doughy consistency that can easily be shaped. Form into balls and chill (I made these a day ahead of time)....fry those suckers up in some olive (the kind that says "for high heat cooking") until they are golden brown. Or bake them.
Serve over rice or in tortilla soup!

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
1 Onion Diced
1 cup chickpeas
2 cups frozen corn
2 cloves of garlic sliced
2 tsp chili powder
dash o' cayenne
olive oil
1 batch of spicy unmeatballs
corn tortillas cut into strips
4 cups stock or broth of whatever kind suits your fancy.
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat about 1 tbs of olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot, add the onions and cook until they are tender. Add the corn, chickpeas, garlic, spices, and cook for two more minutes stirring occasionally. Add the broth and bring soup to a simmer. Meanwhile fry strips of tortilla until crispy, and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt. Once soup is simmering and cooked through add salt and pepper to taste. Add the tortilla strips, and unmeatballs to individual servings along with cheese, sour cream, avocado, or any other toppings you desire. Enjoy!

Vegan BBQ "Wings"

I am not going to pretend like this recipe is revolutionary, it doesn't take a lot of creativity or know how to say "hey I bet this would taste good with BBQ sauce". It is probably also not low fat, or low calorie....but it is very yummy, vegan, packed with protein, and it was a great addition to our game night last night. I will for sure keep this recipe in mind next time we have mixed company*. It was so simple to make, and I'm actually quite ashamed of how much of this came out of a box or bottle, but I served it up with some steamed veggies and brown rice, so I think that makes up for it.


The "Wings"

1 package of seitan (drained)
4 tbs vegan "butter"
5 cloves crushed garlic
Tabasco sauce

The sauce
1/2 cup Amy's Organics sweet and spicy BBQ sauce (or sauce of preference)
Cayenne to taste

Melt the "butter" over medium heat and add a few dashes of Tabasco. When the butter is fully melted add the seitan and brown on both sides. Lower the heat to medium low and add the garlic, cook for a few minutes more, until the garlic has lost a little of it's bite. In a separate bowl mix the BBQ sauce, and cayenne. Toss the cooked seitan in the sauce until coated.



*For us mixed company indicates a gathering of vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores. I think this recipe would be received well by all.

Peanut Soup....only not really

You know when your expecting one thing, and you get something completely different, how you can't fully appreciate that different thing because you are still longing for the first thing. No....just me then? Well that is what this soup has been like for me. I saw a peanut soup, or stew,...or maybe it was a chili...well anyway, it was on food network, and it looked delicious. It was creamy, spicy and warm, I knew at that instant I must have that soup! However, five to ten instances later I had forgotten about that soup, probably it was pushed to the back of my mind in favor of a cookie or chocolate, as so often happens to me.

But then I saw it again on the menu somewhere "African Peanut Soup", and all of the longing and desire rushed back. Imagine my surprise when the dish served to me was more like a noodle soup with greens and little bits of crushed peanuts on top. It was neither spicy, or creamy, and it re-inspired me to make the peanut soup in my head......that didn't come out sounding as normal as I thought it would. Anyhoo, today I set out to do just that, I got some chickpeas out of the freezer along with some veggie broth....except I didn't have any veggie broth /sigh and I ended up making something else entirely.....so this dish was a journey, that started with desire, and ended up "Chickpeas in a spicy peanut sauce".....it was a good journey filled with ups, downs, and cookies (as all journeys should be), but a long one. So without further ado here is a recipe.

Chickpeas in a Spicy Peanut Sauce

2 tbs Olive oil
1 Onion
5 Garlic cloves minced
1tbs Ginger
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp salt
1 can coconut milk
3 cups chickpeas
1/3 cup peanut butter or sun butter...or cashew butter...mmmmm...I keep wanting to try this recipe with cashew butter.
cayenne to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the onions and cook for about four minutes, or until the onions are tender. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for a minute more. Stir in the next four ingredients and cook a minute more. Lower the heat and stir in the chickpeas and peanut butter until everything is coated with spicy peanut buttery goodness. Then add the coconut milk and simmer covered for about 10 minutes, add cayenne to taste. This satisfied my craving quite well...considering it was not at all what I set out to make.

A Celebratory Pantry Meal

We got our tax rebate today, and despite the fact that about 80% of our money is going to road trip 2010, I felt it was important to celebrate. If nothing else to be thankful that we have the money to drive 60 hours across the country stopping only to rest for a few hours in budget hotels, all so we can spend a few days in various places around the west coast.....wait....why are we doing this again?...I must really love my friends and family*. I however didn't feel like spending any of the money not already allocated to the trip on groceries, so I whipped up an Indian spiced dish that is one of the hubsters favorites and only requires things we normally have on hand.
As far as the picture goes....well...whenever I try to photograph Indian food it always comes out looking like dog food...sigh. So even though this isn't the prettiest of dishes, I used all of my limited photographic skillz** to make it look like....well...dog food.

Indian Spiced Black Beans in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

What you will need

Olive oil to coat the pan
6 cloves of minced garlic
1tbs minced ginger
3tsp garam masala
3tsp ground cumin
1tsp chili powder
1 or 2 dashes of cayenne
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
3 cups black beans
2 cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (omit for vegan option)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the ginger and garlic. Stir and heat for one minute. Add the spices and heat for one more minute or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add the black beans and stir to coat with spices. Add the tomato sauce and heat thoroughly. Take off of heat and add the heavy whipping cream and the cilantro. Serve over brown rice.


*I really really do love my friends and family, I hope you know that. I also love sourdough....which may have had some impact on my decision.

** I made it small and used an odd angle to distract you from how bad the food looks.

I heart my rice cooker

I made Spanish rice today...with brown rice...in my rice cooker....don't tell Grandma.
My rice cooker cost about seven dollars, and it has never done me wrong. I won't say that this recipe will work in just any old rice cooker, but it came out perfect in mine. If it doesn't work for you, you are welcome to come on over and use mine....but bring tortilla chips...and avocado...mmmmm avocado.

2 1/2 rice cooker cups of rice
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 onion chopped
1tbs butter
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
dash o' cayenne
1 can of tomato sauce
water

I mixed the first eight ingredients in my rice cooker (the butter can be omitted or replaced with a vegan substitution for a vegan version of this dish) then I added water up to the top line. We ate this with beans and potatoes fried up with bell pepper and onion, simple, cheap, delicious.

Pantry cooking....really mostly lentils

The dishwasher, and bathtub broke.....so we didn't go grocery shopping this week. I love that I live in a place and time where even when we "don't have anything to eat", we still have food. And I feel incredibly blessed to have a dishwasher in the first place so I am not going to complain if it doesn't work for a week or so.
I love a challenge, if they cooked with lentils, and artichokes on Chopped, instead of eel and scallops I would totally go on that show. I may bomb, but I think I would have fun. Now I don't have measurements, because I wasn't paying attention, because I was really absorbed in the fact that I felt like poo....but if I make these again (which I totally will because they were the bomb diggity) I will come back and amend this blog.
The first dish, I have decided to call "citrusy lentils and Thai lime pilaf salad". I sauteed some garlic, ginger, and a healthy dose of cayenne in olive oil and soy sauce. Then I added about a cup of lentils (rinsed...always rinsed) and enough water to cover, a bay leaf, and about 1/4 cup of orange juice. I simmered it until the lentils were done, adding more water and O.J. as needed. Then I tossed this mixture (minus bay leaf) with some Thai style lime pilaf from T.J's...it was fantastic, I could totally see myself serving this in lettuce cups on a hot day. DH loved it.

The second dish is a lentil curry I make quite frequently in my rice cooker, it's just two parts lentils, one part rice, an onion, crushed garlic, cayenne, curry powder, turmeric, salt, and a couple handfuls of raisins, it comes out delish, and DD loves it!

Jalapeno Cheese Bread Strata

Say hello to my little friend.....

Stratas are a fantastic way to use up left over bread or veggies that are about to go bad. For this one I used jalapeno cheese bread, caramelized onions, baby spinach, and feta cheese. In the summer I make one with pesto and roma tomatoes that is also quite delicious. So never throw away that old bread*, it is just a strata in the making!

*unless it is moldy, then for goodness sakes throw it out!!! Bleck!

Those are Nacho Beans Fool

get it???.....
not your beans...nacho beans

You have no idea how hard I laughed when I thought of this title, and to think it was just one of many equally hilarious puns I thought of while making this dish. If there is anything I love though, it's a good pun. I dare say, one of the best things about owning a home was buying a hoe for the backyard. That hoe provided hours of entertainment for the hubster and I...
"where's the hoe?"
"Hey how much did you pay for that hoe?"
etc etc...until the day my husband broke the hoe...he can be a little rough (Hi Grandma).
So before things get any more awkward, this (with a few minor adjustments of course) is the recipe I use for black beans. I don't use the vinegar or sugar, and I double the spices. To make refried beans I just send it for a spin in my food processor. Tonight we used these beans for nachos, or rather the kids and hubster ate nachos with salsa, sour cream, avocado, cheese, onion, and bell pepper. I ate pretty much the same thing, but I replaced the chips with brown rice, since I can get 3/4 of a cup of brown rice for 150 calories, but only about 14 tortilla chips.

Quick Chickpea and Potato Curry

I recently bought some Masala simmering sauce from Trader Joe's. I wanted to be blown away and I was not. Super sad face goes here--->, because I love TJ's and wanted a super quick curry for lunches.
Well with a wee bit of adjustment, adding things like fresh garlic and ginger I was able to give it a more homemade taste.

What you need
1 tbs olive oil
5 cloves garlic smashed and minced
1 onion diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 dash cayenne (or more to taste)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Jar of masala simmer sauce
1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 potato diced
2-3 handfuls of spinach (optional)
yogurt and chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large pot heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, potatoes, and salt, cook for two minutes. Add the spices and cook for one more minute. Add the diced tomatoes, simmer sauce and chickpeas. Simmer covered until potatoes are cooked. Add the spinach and cook for a few more minutes. Serve topped with yogurt and cilantro....or not. This is also yummy on top of rice, but then it really isn't a one pot dish.

Spicy Pumpkin and Black Bean Enchiladas with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I can't stop eating this, I had to go get a handful of baby carrots so that there would be something in my mouth besides enchiladas. The original recipe for the sauce can be found here, it was so simple and so yummy, I will definitely be making these again. Thanks Sarah!

What you'll need

1 pkg low fat cream cheese
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can black beans
1 box roasted red pepper and tomato soup
1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg corn tortillas

For the filling mix together the cream cheese, pumpkin, drained black beans, and adobo sauce to taste. For the sauce, in a separate bowl mix together red pepper soup one to two chopped* chipotle peppers, and salt to taste. I made these lasagna style because I was crunched for time, alternating layers of tortilla, filling sauce, tortilla, filling, sauce finishing with the last of the sauce, and the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in the oven at 350, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.These enchiladas were good, but spicy. My children would not eat them, but I don't think the hubster and I will have a problem finishing these off.

*When working with chipotle peppers be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes (even if you have a really, really, really, bad itch, and you don't think you got any sauce on your fingers) or you will find yourself singing Oklahoma at the top of your lungs because it's the first child friendly exclamation that comes to mind....true story.