Moroccan Veggie Stew

  I love love love this stew. I stumbled upon it in the fall and it is chock full of veggies and bold spices. I was fairly ambivalent about raisins, but in  this recipe, they get all plump and add a great little pop of sweetness in this flavorful concoction. It makes a giant pot and freezes fairly well- the sweet potatoes can get a little mealy when defrosted, but it holds up well overall. I got the original recipe here.

I have adjusted the spice levels and some of the veggie ratios. This recipe will need to be adjusted based on your personal tastes- I like it with a good hit of spice and just about a medium level of heat.

1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs), cut into cubes
3 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (do not drain- and you may need a 2nd can, see below)
About 1/2 cup golden raisins
S&P to taste

Pour a round of EVOO in the pan, sauteeing onions and garlic until soft and onions are slightly browned. Add the spices, cook for a few minutes. Add the potatoes, squash, carrots, and broth.

 Bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chick peas, tomatoes, and raisins. At this point, you may want to add a little extra liquid if you want a saucier stew. You can add either a cup of broth or a can of tomatoes- up to you. I like mine more tomato-y, so I usually toss in a second can of tomatoes (the fire-roasted tomatoes are pretty tasty here, too.) If you like a thicker stew, leave as-is. Simmer for about 30 minutes, covered, until the veggies are soft.

I really like serving this over a small scoop of quinoa, with a hit of fresh lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest. The acid of the lemon, the sweet pop of the raisins, and the flavorful spice of the stew make for a perfectly balanced combination.

Tuscan Kale and Squash Minestra

I found this recipe  on Food & Wine's site here and it is pure fall  in a bowl. Super tasty, super satisfying, and super healthy. The soup trifecta.

EVOO 

1 large onion, finely chopped

One ~2-pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

1 pound Tuscan kale, chopped (make sure to remove the stems! They are chewy and can make your soup taste like dirt...)

4 cups chicken stock (I used my usual Better than Bouillon)

1 cup canned navy beans, drained

Give the pan a good go-round with a couple of glugs of EVOO, somewhere between 1-2 tbsp. Cook the onions over medium heat until soft and just slightly browned. Add the squash and cook for about 5 minutes  until it is also slightly browned. Give the pan a couple go-rounds of salt. If you are not using a low-sodium broth, you may want to go easy on the salt in this step, and wait until you taste everything all together later.

 
If you're using a good heavy-bottomed pan, don't be afraid to let some brown bits start accumulating on the bottom of the pan- you'll get those back up into the broth in a bit. Add the garlic and rosemary and let it cook for a minute. Add the kale. It will look huge, but let it cook for a few minutes and it will wilt.

Add the chicken stock. You should get a nice sizzle- take a second to make sure you scrape up any of those brown bits and get them working together with the broth. You don't want to miss those flavor bits.... Cover and simmer the mixture until the kale and squash are tender- it shouldn't take long, approx 10 minutes.  Add the beans and cook for 5 more minutes, uncovered. Taste and add S&P as needed (depending on what stock you use, you may not need any salt at all).

At this point, you could add a small pasta such as ditalini, tortellini, or any other cute mini pastas Barilla has on the market these days. I'm more of a quinoa fan- it's tasty and chock full of protein. I serve the soup over a small scoop for a complete meal, topped with a fair bit of freshly shaved parm. Yum. 

Super Easy Tasty Healthy Stir Fry and a Quick Asian Cucumber Salad

Ok, so it turns out that the secret to a super tasty and healthy stir fry is... coconut oil. There. I've said it. The secret is out. 

I used to make a stir fry that I really loved (and still do...) but it had brown sugar and a ton of soy sauce in it. Basically, a huge dose of sodium and sugar that was just unnecessary. So, during my recent experience with the Reset, I started using coconut oil in my stir fry. I also switched out my low-sodium soy sauce for Bragg's Liquid Aminos. Don't let the Amino part freak you out- it tastes just like soy sauce. This recipe is from the reset and it is incredibly simple. I eat it by the ginormous bowlful with a small scoop of brown rice or quinoa.  Yum. 

Step 1: Gather ye veggies. Many, many veggies. I particularly love baby squash of any sort in this recipe because they get all sweet and caramelized....

 

Step 2: Heat your oil. I use approx 1 tsp of sesame oil and 1 1/2 tsp of coconut oil for the panful of veggies you will see below. As for pan choice, I have used both a wok and my beloved Bialetti Aeternum pans and they're both great. You want to use a fairly high heat here so the veggies get brown but stay somewhat crisp. The best pan is one that allows for searing- your standard nonstick pans will not get the good caramelization we are going for here.  

**This would also be a good time for a little shredded ginger and a smashed clove of garlic once the oil is hot. Let that cook for about 30 seconds and then move on to Step 3.

Step 3: Pile in the veggies! Remember, they shrink during cooking, so don't be afraid...  At this point, I usually do one good go-round of salt, but not too much, since the Bragg's will add saltiness as well. Depending on what veggies you are using, you may want to stagger them. Carrots, broccoli, onions, etc would go in first followed by squash and peppers, with leafy greens hitting the pan last. Mix to coat the veggies in the oil.

Once things are very close to done, let things get good and hot and then hit the pan with 2 go 'rounds of Aminos to deglaze the pan and get all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir the veggies so they're coated and then let everything caramelize a bit. Move things around after a minute or two to make sure all veggies get a shot at browned goodness.

This is sadly not the browned version- I got too excited and ate it without taking a final pic...

Serve with a little brown rice or quinoa and you're good to go! I also like having a bowl of this with a little cucumber salad (these amounts serve 2... or one if you're super hungry... or burn the stir fry):

Quick Asian Cucumber Salad:

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 tomato, diced

1/2 avocado, diced

splash of mirin

splash rice wine

salt to taste

toasted sesame seeds

Toss everything together, stir, pop in the fridge to get all happy while you make the stir fry. The acidity is a nice combo with the salty stir fry. I love it with a ton of the sesame seeds- they really make a difference- and toasted seeds are much better than plain, if you're thinking of just using plain. I found a giant shaker of toasted seeds for $6 at an Asian specialty shop. Best $6 I spent that day...