Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Cilantro
Makes 2 quarts
-2 c. black beans
-Sea salt
-3 T. olive or sunflower seed oil
-1 lg. onion, finely diced
-2 sm. carrots, finely diced
-3 celery ribs, finely diced
-1 green bell pepper, finely diced-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 bu. of cilantro, stems finely sliced and leaves more roughly choppe
-1 T. toasted ground cumin seeds
-1 t. Spanish smoked paprika, or more to taste
-2 bay leaves
-1/4 t. cayenne, or more to taste
-1/2 c. sour cream
Juice of 1/2 lime, or more to taste
Rinse the beans and put them in a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 10 cups water. Bring the pressure to high, then maintain it for 30 minutes. Release it and let it fall by itself. Taste the beans. If they’re not soft enough, simmer them until they are.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion, carrots, celery, green pepper, garlic, and cilantro stems. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and add the cumin, paprika, bay leaves, and cayenne.
Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally and taking care not to let the paprika and cayenne burn. Add 1 cup water and continue to cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes.
Stir the onion base into the beans along with all but 3 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro leaves and cook over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Taste for salt.
Mix the sour cream, lime juice, and remaining cilantro together and season with a pinch of salt. Serve a spoonful in each bowl of soup.… Read the rest
Sautéed Zucchini, Sweet Red Peppers and Onions
Serves 4
-3-4 medium zucchini, each around 6 inches long, sliced 1/4 inch thick
-1 small sweet onion, sliced
-1/2 lg. red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
-2 T. olive oil
-1/2 t. garlic powder (or use the garlic in your box!)
-1/2 t. seasoned salt
-1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
-Optional: Half a minced fresh jalapeno pepper added with the other veggies or a chopped tomato added just at the end of your cooking time, heated just enough to warm the tomato.
Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and swirl it around to cover the pan.
When the olive oil looks shimmery, add the zucchini, onion and bell pepper. Season with the garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Some of your onions and zucchini will get brown and that’s good. Don’t overcook because you want the veggies tender but not mushy.
And that’s as easy as it gets. If there are leftovers, save them to scramble with your eggs the next morning!
Adapted from northernnewmexicoranchito.blogspot.com, 8/11… Read the rest
Ratatouille
This recipe is more of a guide to help with strengthening intuitive cooking, thus no measurements.
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Onion
-Garlic
-Bell pepper
-Summer squash
-Eggplant
-Tomatoes
-Herbs
-Salt & pepper
-White wine (optional)
-Other spices (optional)
Spicy Bell Pepper Salad
Serves 4
-1 1/2 t. caraway seeds
-2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
-1/2 t. dried crushed red pepper
-1 red bell pepper*, cut into 1/3-inch-thick rings
-1 green bell pepper*, cut into 1/3-inch-thick rings
-1 yellow bell pepper*, cut into 1/3-inch-thick rings
-1 med. onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds,
separated into rings
-6 3 x 1/2-inch strips lemon peel (yellow part only)
-2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
-1/4 c. chopped fresh dill
-1 T. fresh lemon juice
*Any color bell peppers can be used really. The various colors
just make the salad more colorful.
Stir caraway seeds in large nonstick skillet over medium heat
until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in oil and crushed red
pepper.
Add all peppers, onion, lemon peel and garlic. Increase heat to
medium-high and sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender,
about 7 minutes.
Transfer pepper mixture to large bowl. Mix in dill. Cool.
Remove lemon peel. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and
pepper and serve. Enjoy!
Adapted from Bon Appétit, 6/98, on epicurious.com
Lentil Salad with Carrots, Tomatoes and Bell Peppers
Serves 4
-1/2 lb. brown lentils, rinsed
-2 bay leaves
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded & diced into 1/2-inch pieces
-1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded & diced into 1/2-inch pieces
-1/2 c. diced carrot
-1/2 c. chopped yellow or beefsteak tomato
-1/3 c. crumbled reduced-fat feta
-1/4 c. thinly sliced Kalamata olives
-1/4 c. diced red onion
-1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley
-1/4 c. red wine vinegar
-2 T. olive oil
-3/4 t. salt
-1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
Place lentils, bay leaves, and garlic in a large saucepan.
Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat to
medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes,
until lentils are tender.
Drain, discarding bay leaves. Transfer to a bowl. Add
peppers, carrot, tomato, feta, olives, onion, and parsley.
Toss to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, salt, and
black pepper. Pour over lentil mixture and toss. Enjoy!
Adapted from epicurious.com, 5/05
Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant Relish)
Serves 12
-5 red bell peppers (about 2 1/2-3 lbs.)
-1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb.)
-6 kalamata olives, pitted & chopped (optional)
-3-5 cloves garlic
-1-2 T. white wine vinegar
-1 t. hot smoked paprika (optional or to taste)
-1/4 – 1/2 t. red (cayenne) pepper (or to taste)
-salt to taste
Red Cabbage Soup
-2 T. butter
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 red apple, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
-1 green pepper, seeds removed & thinly sliced
-1 head red cabbage, cored & shredded
-2 red tomatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
-4 c. vegetable broth
-1 T. soy sauce
-2 T. tomato paste
-1 t. salt
-1 t. ground black pepper
Melt the butter in large cooking pot. Add the onion, apple, green pepper and cook until all are soft.
Add the cabbage to the pot. Continue to cook the ingredients until they are caramelized. Add the tomatoes to the pot.
In a mixing bowl, combine the 4 cups of vegetable broth, soy sauce, tomato paste, salt and ground black pepper. Add contents of mixing bowl to the pot.
Cook the soup over high heat for 20 minutes. Once the cabbage is limp and cooked completely, remove the cooking pot from the stove.
Pour the soup into a food processor and puree it until it has a smooth texture. Season the soup with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot. May be garnished with thinly sliced apples, crème fraîche, herbs or pepitas to add additional texture. Enjoy!
Submitted by a Westside CSA shareholder and adapted from from e-how.com… Read the rest