kale

Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

March 6, 2013 by Erica

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

Can you believe it’s March?

I’ve started off every month for the past… oh, year or so, with that same question. I think it’s a sign I’m getting old.

But this month, unlike every month in the fall when I know that another month means even colder weather, I’m happy it’s March. March means that, although everything may still be snow-covered, a few warm days will be tossed in here and there. It’s actually been over 50 the past few days! (Don’t be too alarmed; there’s a chance of snow today… now THAT is March for you.) I always look forward to the warm weather because it means summer produce. Strawberries, tomatoes, basil, peaches… and other things that I have probably forgotten about because I haven’t seen them in so long.

But this year, I kind of started to panic when I realized spring was coming. I haven’t cooked enough winter food yet! Blogging will do that to you. I need more time for soup!

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

So that was the impetus behind this soup. That, and wanting to make something creative with tahini while Nate was out of town this weekend because, as you may remember, he does not like tahini. So I made a soup and put tahini in the broth. It’s yummy, and satisfied my soup craving so that I can finally make peace with winter.

The main flavor of this soup comes from the butternut squash, making it slightly sweet. The broth is also spiced; I used coriander, turmeric, and thyme, but you could play around with those. And when it comes down to it, I think the tahini is actually optional (for all you tahini haters out there… I don’t understand you).

I love that this soup is chock full of veggies and flavor. Warming, filling, yummy-tasting… all my favorite qualities in an end-of-winter soup.

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

5.0 from 1 reviews

Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne
pinch of dried thyme (optional)
5 cups vegetable broth with no tomatoes (such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
4 cups diced butternut squash
1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
1 cup reserved chickpea liquid (or substitute 1 cup vegetable broth)
1/4 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 handfuls curly kale, torn into bite-size pieces
sprinkle of salt

Instructions

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute about 5-6 minutes. Add celery and saute another 3-4 minutes.
Add bay leaf and all spices and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender.
In a heat-proof measuring cup, microwave the chickpea liquid (or additional vegetable broth) until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tahini until thoroughly combined. Add to the soup along with the lemon juice and kale.
Remove from heat. Salt to taste. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale

February 11, 2013 by Erica

Let’s talk lentils.

Just by talking about them, I think we’re getting the week off to a healthier start than we otherwise would. Don’t you?

It is, of course, the week of Valentine’s Day, so I have a hunch we’re all going to be eating our fair share of chocolate over the next few days. It can’t hurt to eat some green stuff now, before the Hershey’s kisses and Ferrero Rochers set in. (Mmmm Ferrero Rochers.)

Lentils are one of my favorite bases for a quick and healthy meal. They’re filling yet light, chock full of protein, take on pretty much any flavor you want, and taste great with lots of veggies. Lindsay from Pinch of Yum is in love with lentils too, and her lentil creations are some of my favorites. A little while ago I was craving some gingery lentils, and this is the dish I came up with.

This is a great weeknight meal, and to make it even quicker, you can cook your lentils ahead of time. (I usually do this the night before, or in the morning while I’m showering and getting ready.) Everything comes together very quickly once the lentils are cooked, so you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes if you plan ahead! Now that is a great start to the week.

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 cup dried green or brown lentils

1 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp tom ka paste (spicy coconut paste, found in Asian markets)

2 small cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced or grated ginger

6 green onions, sliced, divided

1 14-oz can lite coconut milk

1 bunch curly kale, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Instructions:

Cook lentils according to package directions. (I like to bring mine to a boil with 1 1/2 cups water, simmer for 40 minutes, then drain excess water.) This can also be done ahead of time.

Heat coconut oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Once melted, mash the tom ka paste into the coconut oil. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger and half of the sliced green onions. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the coconut milk and heat through. Once hot, add the kale and cooked lentils. Continue sauteing, stirring frequently, until kale leaves are softened and bright green.

Serve immediately, topped with remaining green onions. Enjoy!

Time:

50 minutes (15 minutes if the lentils are already cooked)

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale

November 16, 2012 by Erica

Happy Friday! Do you need the weekend as much as I do?

Last weekend, I had a whole list of things to cook and bake. I woke up early on Saturday morning energized to get started, and just kept going all weekend. As much fun as it was to try out a bunch of new dishes, I don’t think this weekend will be like that. I just want to sleep! And ski. Oh yeah… and bake some pies for a Thanksgiving dinner party I’m going to on Saturday night. OK, so maybe it will be a liiiiittle bit like last weekend.

With any luck, I’ll have some pie recipes to share with you next week. For today, I have this risotto, which was part of last weekend’s craziness. Nate says it’s a keeper, and I have to agree with him, seeing as I ate about two servings worth of samples as I stood over the stove.

I was pretty scared of risotto after my last attempt, on Valentine’s Day, left me a hot sweaty mess after stirring the stuff for about an hour longer than the recipe called for. Not very romantic, especially since I was pretty grumpy by the time it was done. It was also a farro risotto… the stuff just would not cook! Nate’s mom pointed out to me that I should use pearled farro, which cooks a lot more quickly. Make sure you use that here to reduce the time you spend stirring! I found a package of it in Whole Foods near the rice (although they didn’t have it in bulk).

I am all about easy cooking (very little patience over here). So if I can make risotto and not be be swearing by the end… trust me, you can, too!

For this risotto, the squash and kale are cooked separately (this could even be done ahead of time) and then added at the end. The farro, onion, and garlic are simmered with white wine and vegetable broth. I tend to favor a “stir once or twice and then just stay in the vicinity” technique rather than constant stirring. That way I don’t go crazy, and I even get some dishes washed while I cook.

There is a fair amount of olive oil and vegan butter going on here. So it’s definitely a treat, but a tasty one worth having once in a while!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale

Hands-on time

15 mins

Cook time

65 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

Author: Coffee & Quinoa

Yields: 4 as an entree

Ingredients

3 Tbsp vegan butter, divided (I used Earth Balance)
1 medium butternut squash, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
large bunch of kale (I used curly), stems removed, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups pearled farro (can use regular farro but cooking time will double)
1 sweet onion, diced
3 large or 4 small cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock, warmed (you may use slightly more or less depending on cooking time)

Instructions

First, roast the squash. (You can do this step ahead of time and keep roasted squash in the fridge.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss the cubed butternut squash with 1 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast about 35 minutes, until squash is tender, stirring 2-3 times in the process to cook evenly.
Next, toast the farro. Heat remaining olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add farro and toss to coat. Toast the farro about 1-2 minutes in the pan (you will hear it start to sizzle), then transfer to the oven (still at 375) to finish toasting for about 6 more minutes. Stir once after 3 minutes. The farro won't look toasted, but it will start to smell a bit toasted and will be sizzling. Remove the farro to a bowl and wipe out your skillet.
Now we’ll actually cook the risotto. In the same skillet, melt 2 Tbsp vegan butter over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook about 2 minutes more. Now add 1/2 cup of the wine and increase heat to high to deglaze the pan. Stir once or twice, reduce heat to medium, and let simmer until the wine is almost evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.
Add farro and about 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to the skillet. Stir and let simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed. Continue doing this, alternating veg stock with the rest of the white wine, until your farro is tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your kale by sauteing with a small amount of water, tossing continuously, until bright green, about 30 seconds. Run under cold water until cool, then set aside.
Once farro is tender, stir in remaining Tbsp vegan butter, squash, and kale. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot!

Notes

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine via http://iheartyum.com/main-course/farro-risotto-with-butternut-squash-and-kale/

White Bean and Kale Stuffed Peppers

October 26, 2012 by Erica

I think it’s finally fall.

The boots and sweaters are out, and we got our first snowfall yesterday. That means I plan on turning on my oven as often as I possibly can – starting with Wednesday’s cookies and continuing with these quinoa-stuffed peppers.

Maybe stuffed peppers are a little bit 80s, and I’m OK with that. They bring me back to my parents’ kitchen, where stuffed peppers made a regular appearance in my mom’s dinner rotation. That qualifies these as comfort food for me. Also, like any mixed-together dish, they totally make the best leftovers.

Can we talk about leftovers for a sec? As a kid, I hated them. I vowed I would never eat leftovers in my adult life, kind of like some kids said they’d stay up all night when they were grown up. (Even as a kid I don’t think I ever made that claim – I’ve always loved to sleep!) In any case, I’ve done a total 180 on the leftovers thing. Get this: You only cook once… and you get to eat more than once. Best thing ever! Plus, there’s something about a stuffed pepper in a tupperware container that is just so cute. Taking my good-looking leftovers out of the fridge at work the next day, I really feel like an adult, kind of like when I make my own stock or cook dried beans from scratch instead of using canned.

Speaking of beans and stock, both make an appearance in this recipe. The beans I did make from scratch, but they didn’t turn out very pretty. Deb from the amazing Smitten Kitchen mentioned in a post from a few years ago that she makes beans in a slow-cooker, which means no pre-soaking required. That sounds delightful to me, and I think I’ll try it next time. As for the vegetable stock, I have to admit I bought it from Whole Foods. I recently tried making my own veggie stock, but found that it didn’t turn out very well. I think I’m just used to making chicken stock, because my veggie stock seemed to be missing a little something. Duh… chicken. Anyway, I’m due for another try sometime soon, but in the meantime I’m sticking to the soup aisle.

If you’re smart, you’ll wait to make these until bell peppers go on sale at your supermarket. If you’re impatient like me and enjoy parting with your whole paycheck every time you buy produce, you’ll make these as soon as you have a craving and end up spending approximately $12 on bell peppers. Oops.

This is my first pass at these stuffed peppers, so let me tell what I would do differently next time: I would add some lemon zest, maybe a bit more rosemary, and more tomato paste for flavor. I would also add more kale (maybe double it?) because it cooked down quite a bit. If you try out those changes, leave a comment to let me know how it goes!

White Bean and Kale Stuffed Peppers

makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

6 red bell peppers

Olive oil for pan
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups packed shredded kale
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 cup cannellini beans (or 1 15 oz can, drained and rinsed)
Juice of 1 lemon
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the membranes. Place the peppers in a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes to soften. Chop up the tops of the peppers to add in later.

Rinse quinoa and add to a small pot with the vegetable broth. (You should use the amount of liquid that usually works for you when cooking quinoa – I usually see recipes call for 1 1/2 cups, but less works better for me.) Cook for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and no liquid remains.

Add a small amount of olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions, garlic, and carrots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary. Stir in the kale and chopped bell peppers. Saute until softened, 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add the quinoa, tomato paste, beans and lemon juice (and zest if using) and stir to combine. Season to taste with crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.

Spoon the quinoa mixture into the peppers and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve hot!

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