chickpea & sausage stew

Chickpea + Sausage stew

oh, mid-autumn.
in most cases,
i can be found bundled up,
ensconced in lap blankets,
fingers tangled in yarn,
dw next to me reading
or perusing the internet.
upon the early setting of the sun
there isn’t much that can
inspire us to be out
in the dark,
not when we can be snuggling
and noshing on comforting fares,
mostly of the sweet variety.
ahem.

Chickpea + Sausage stew

now that the cold has settled,
permanently it seems,
my cooking leans towards
the measured and lazy.
this is the time i tend
to slow down my pace,
finding comfort in a pot of soup,
a pot that feeds us for a week straight,
the kind of dish that
warms us through and through,
sometimes even coercing me
off the couch for seconds.

Chickpea + Sausage stew

chickpea & sausage stew
serves 6-8

*note: this is a soup that we are having for lunch this week. the whole having a huge pot of soup on the stove on sunday to feed us during the week has been such a relief for me, not having to worry about packing lunches. the repetition hasn’t gotten to us, yet, and hopefully it won’t, because seriously, lunch during the work week is my least fave meal to deal with.

olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 lbs Italian sausage, thawed and casings removed
2 TBL tomato paste
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or leftover water that cooked the garbanzo beans, or combo of both
1 1/2 cups dried garbanzo beans, soaked at least 8 hours, cooked until tender, reserving water
head of kale, washed and rough chopped
1/4 cup of teeny tiny pasta, like acini di pepe (optional)
kosher salt and pepper

heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. saute onions until soft & translucent.

throw in the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until browned.

add in the tomato paste and parsley, cook for a few minutes.

add in the liquids, along with the garbanzo beans. bring to a boil.

throw in the kale, allow to simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

if using, add in the acini di pepe.

season to taste.

BAM!

Chickpea + Sausage stew

other soups & stews:
autumn harvest soup
3 bean chili
vietnamese beef stew
caribbean oxtail stew
miso ramen bowl
chicken pho
portuguese chicken + chorizo curry

inside out peanut butter cups – raw & vegan

Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

i’m fairly sure that when
i scaled back my dairy intake
my soul shrank a little
at the thought of never having
peanut butter cups again.
i truly believed i’d never eat them again,
at least not with dire consequences.
that is,
until i discovered justin’s ,
and then i tried my hand
at making them.
all was right with the world.
now i just eat spoonfuls of peanut butter
and shove chocolate chips in my mouth
and call it a day.
it’s called natural progression, friends.

Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

halloween is at the end of the week
are you dressing up?
i think i am,
i’m pretty sure i am.
either way,
these are going to be around
and i’m going to shove them in my mouth.
breakthrough, y’all.

Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

inside out peanut butter cups – vegan
raw, 4 ingredients
makes 6

PB layer
6 TBL creamy peanut butter, i use the wegman’s organic brand
4 TBL coconut oil, liquid but not hot
3 TBL powdered sugar

chocolate layer
4 TBL chocolate spread, i used SOOM‘s chocolate sesame butter
1 generous TBL powdered sugar

for the PB layer, mix everything in a bowl. make sure it’s fully incorporated. pour about 2 tsp of the mixture into silicone cupcake liners (if you use paper, put them in muffins so that they keep their shape). put in fridge to firm up, about 30 minutes. if you’re in a rush, put in freezer.

meanwhile, make the chocolate layer by mixing the chocolate spread with the powdered sugar. the consistency will be firmer than that of the pb, it’ll be almost like play doh.

when ready, take the cups out and add the chocolate layer. you can spread it out to make distinct layers, or keep the edges clear so that the pb can be poured over it to cover. up to you.

add the final layer of PB over top and fridge. when firm, take out of liners and serve immediately or keep in covered container, IN THE FRIDGE. these are not shelf stable and will soften at room temp.

BAM!

i received a jar of chocolate sesame butter, courtesy of SOOM. all words & opinions are my own.

Inside Out Peanut Butter Cups

three bean chili -vegan

3 Bean Chili - vegan

it began with a simple idea:
lunch.
what can i make that will
last a week in the fridge,
will warm us through,
be easy peasy to put together,
and still be delicious
by the very least,
4th day,
ideally 5th day?

chili.
stew.
soup.
same thing.

as i told dw
“we are going to have stoupli
the entire winter.
prepare thyself.”
this is likely going to be
an ongoing theme around these parts.
sorry about that
bring on the cold!

what do you have for lunch?

3 Bean Chili - vegan

three bean chili
as inspired by will cook for friends and something for sunday

*note: it’s early in the season, or late, but i was able to use all fresh vegs. as the season progresses i will likely turn to canned tomatoes and the make up of the recipe will differ slightly depending on what vegs i can get at the market. adjust accordingly, use your best judgement.
**note: we don’t do canned beans, we’ve been trying our hand with dried beans. by all means, for convenience and preference, use canned if that works for you!
***note: the use of cocoa powder and coffee is not new. for Cincinnati chili, it uses a very generous amount of cocoa and wendi once fed me her commitment chili that has coffee in it. it adds a dark richness to the stew. if you’re against caffeine, or darkness and whatever, use broth or water.

3 Bean Chili - vegan

a swirl or two of olive oil, enough to coat the pan/pot
1 cup dried black beans (soaked overnight, cooked for approx 2 hours, until al dente)
1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans (soaked overnight, cooked in crockpot on high for approx 2-3 hours, until al dente)
1 cup dried navy beans (soaked over night, cooked for approx 2-3 hours, until al dente)
1 huge, gigantore ripe tomato, rough chopped (a can of whole tomatoes is fine)
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 red bell peppers, diced
1 big tomato, rough chopped (a can of tomatoes is fine if not using fresh)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
2 bay leaves
2 heaping tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 TBL spoons italian seasoning
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp, more or less, smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
3 cups strong black coffee
1-2 cups leftover cooked bean liquid (or water or stock is fine)
salt/pepper to taste

one of the things that i’ve learned from watching cooking shows and competitions: season well! for every layer of vegs that i add to the pot, i sprinkle in salt & pepper.

in a big pot, heat olive oil at medium high heat. add in the diced onion and saute until translucent. next add in the other vegs, being sure to season between layers and allowing each veg proper saute time. you’re building flavors, don’t skimp.

add in the dry seasonings and mix thoroughly.

pour in liquids, coffee and bean liquid (or water), bring to a boil. lower temp to gentle simmer and cook until beans are soft, up to 45 min – an hour.

*if using canned beans, don’t add the beans until the final 30 minutes. but do allow the other vegs to simmer in the liquids.*

this is even better the next days when all the spices mingled and got merry.

serve with toast, sometimes i added diced avocado if i was feeling fancy, other times, i ate it simply.

BAM!

3 Bean Chili - vegan

blueberry swirl + coconut macaroons

Blueberry Swirl Macaroons

“Mr. McDowell. Sir, I was wondering, did you happen to catch the professional football contest on television last night? Oh it was most exhilarating. The Giants of New York took on the Packers of Green Bay, and in the end the Giants triumphed by kicking an oblong ball made of pig skin through a big H. It was a most gripping victory.” – Coming to America

i get the basics of football,
what i don’t get,
i fake.
or ignore.
or if i’m feeling curious,
i ask what’s going on.
dw & i are casual ravens fans.
casual.
not rabid.
or biggest.
we know that if the ravens do well
then the city does well.
it also means the majority
of our friends will be nicer,
and our FB feeds aren’t
dotted with bad words.

these blueberry speckled macaroons
aren’t really seasonal.
they’re leftover blueberries
i froze right at peak,
saved for special occasions,
like watching our purple team
with friends,
who instead dotted our afternoon
with bad words.

Blueberry Swirl Macaroons

blueberry swirl + coconut macaroons
adapted from my chocolate + coconut macaroons, which was adapted from the Splendid Table

*note: any bright hued berries will do, the more vibrant the color, the better. truth be told, sans berries and the end result is still delightful. in the original post, i used just one bowl. in this reincarnation, i dirtied the food processor set and an ice cream scooper.
**note: i have to painfully but truthfully admit, this isn’t an original recipe. it was inspired by things we make who adapted it from a resource i cannot bear to mention. it makes use of egg whites and raspberries and almond extract. un gamine dans la cuisine recently made a blueberry version, too.
***note: i only used sweetened shredded coconut flakes because that’s what i had on hand. typically i like to use a mix of sweet & unsweetened. keep in mind, if unsweetened flakes are used, sugar may need to be added. use your best judgement.

2 large eggs
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes
generous pinch of salt
good squeeze of half a lemon
zest of lemon, amount at your discretion
1 scant cup of thawed blueberries, give or take
if mixture seems a bit wet, add up to 1/3 cup almond or coconut flour. use your best judgement*

preheat oven to 350F.

in a food processor and whiz to break the flakes down a bit. if you need to, scrape down the sides. add in the zest & lemon juice and pulse to distribute the citrus love. scrape. add in the eggs, one at a time, whizzing and scraping in between.

scrape one last time.

now this is where it gets tricky. this is just an aesthetic thing but the goal is to have streaks of blue & white, so you’re not aiming to pulverize the berries and integrate them into the coconut flake mixture.

add in the berries, pulse a handful of times, just enough to break the berries, you want to stain the mixture, not dye it.

scoop with an ice cream scoop onto parchment papered cookie sheet.

bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

allow to cool on wire rack.

BAM!

Blueberry Swirl Macaroons

my other blueberry treats:
blueberry breakfast cookies – vegan
blueberry citrus scones – dairy free
blueberry clafoutis – dairy free
blueberry donuts – gluten free, dairy free
blueberry jam danishes – vegan
blueberry swirl muffins – dairy free

Blueberry Swirl Macaroons

quinoa sushi rolls

Quinoa Sushi

last weekend i was in
the Dirty South,
for work,
and for play,
and then i ended up
staying for longer than
expected,
or wanted,
and i stressed about what
dw would eat for dinner
while i was away.

nevermind that he’s
a grown ass man
who lived for upwards of
36 years without me
and he turned out just fine perfect.
nevermind that i
left the fridge
and pantry
well stocked.
nevermind that he
successfully made it to
market day
and replenished further
said stocked
fridge & pantry.
i’m a natural stresser
when it comes to
feeding dw.

it might surprise you,
or not,
given the last
paragraph,
but i stress about
what to make for dinner
every night.
so i polled my FB friends
to make the decision for me.
this was one of the options.

Quinoa Sushi

quinoa sushi rolls with quick pickled ginger
gluten free and vegan
makes about 6-7 rolls

*note: i used whatever vegs we had in the pantry, use what is in season and what tickles your fancy. also, i used red quinoa, use whatever quinoa you have on hand, it tastes all the same to me.

sushi vinegar dressing, to dress the quinoa and for the ginger
4 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL water
2 tsp agave (or superfine sugar)
healthy pinch of sea salt
a few drops of pickled beet juice (very optional, for aesthetic purposes only)

mix all together until well incorporated. reserve half to dress cooked quinoa, the other half to pickle ginger.

a knob of ginger, about 2-3 oz

peel ginger and slice it as thin a you possibly can.
salt and allow to sit for about 30 minutes.
wash & rinse thoroughly, squeeze and pat dry.

in a glass bowl, cover ginger slices with dressing. fridge it for at least an hour. will keep for about a week.

sushi filling
1 cup of quinoa, cooked to package instructions (it’ll come out to about 3 cups cooked). i cooked the quinoa with water to keep vegan, but i won’t judge you if you cook it with stock/broth, dressed with half the vinegar, it should be lukewarm to the touch
prepped stick vegs: carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, if you’re fancy: avocado, raw sushi
sushi nori sheets

using a sushi rolling mat, place nori sheet on top. spread a thin layer of quinoa, leaving a half inch space on either side.

place ingredients on top, along the length. don’t get crazy, you want to be able to roll with ease and keep these bite size.

roll carefully and evening away from, pressing firmly. cut into 1″ pieces.

BAM!

Quinoa Sushi