recipe: crockpot spaghetti squash with tomato and onions

Lately I am on a fall cooking kick. The weather is cooling down, we had rain this week, it's gray and miserable out and I love it! Really. And when you've been out and about in cold miserable weather, there's nothing as good as coming home to the smell of a delicious hot meal ready and waiting for you to chow down on, right? What's that? You live alone and nobody is at home cooking up a storm and waiting anxiously for your return? Awww. Sad. But not a problem! If you don't happen to have a live-in check, you can get this experience quite easily by purchasing a crockpot. They're relatively inexpensive (and can frequently be found at thrift stores or garage sales--just check that the cord is not worn out before buying) and are a huge timesaver in the kitchen. In general I do not own a lot of gadgets (no bread machine, no stand mixer, no blender (a food processor works just as well), etc.), but the crockpot is one gadget I really love and would hate to do without. You can make soups, chili, large batches of beans to freeze and use later, etc. Sold on the idea yet? No? Well, you can also make this delicious dish:


Spaghetti squash! Quite possibly my favorite squash ever (although butternut is quickly working its way into my good graces). When cooked, the flesh of the squash separates into thin, spaghetti like strands, thus the name. I think most people roast spaghetti squash, but my mother always cooked it on the stovetop. Because I am lazy, I adapted it to work in the crockpot.

If you want to make your own, you'll need to start off by assembling the appropriate component parts:


Here we have:

2 medium spaghetti squash (about 5 lbs each)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 medium onions (dice these)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 c water or vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil

You'll also need about a teaspoon each of basil, marjoram, thyme, and oregano (adjust to taste, I tend to just toss stuff in).

Start by prepping your squash. You will need to remove the skin. This step can be a real pain in the neck, but sticking the squash in the microwave for about 5 minutes beforehand really speeds things up and makes the skin easier to get off. I generally find the squash skin is easiest to get off using a serrated bread knife, like so:

Once the squash is de-skinned, scoop out the seeds and slice into about 3/4" thick rings. Place in a crockpot and add the canned tomatoes:


Turn the heat onto low and cover it up. Now to give the onions and garlic a little saute before throwing them into the mix. I know, I know, the whole point of a crockpot is that you don't have to mess around with cooking things on the stove. But trust me, in the case of onions, a few minutes time is so worth it. If you really want to keep it simple, add the onions and garlic raw, but don't come crying to me when your squash tastes like raw onions. I won't want to hear it.

So anyway. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, throw in the onions and garlic, stirring around to distribute the oil. Saute for 5-8 minutes, until the onions are soft and a little translucent:


Mmmmmm. The other reason I don't mind taking time to saute the onions is that I love the way they smell when they're cooking.

Finally, toss the onions, garlic, and herbs into the crockpot. Stir everything around and pour a cup of water or stock over the top. Leave on low for ~8 hours (time may vary depending on your pot), then enjoy! This recipe will make 6-8 portions, depending on whether you are eating as a side or a full on meal. If you are planning to eat it as a meal, tossing in some chickpeas or white beans will up the protein content and make it a bit more filling.

Recipe: fragrant chickpea curry

This curry is one of my never fail dishes that I like to break out if I have folks coming over for a casual dinner, or if I just have a busy week coming up and need a big pot of something delicious to eat through the week. The dish originally came from my mother's friend Pamela, and called for "one rotisserie chicken". My mother veganized it by using chickpeas instead, then passed the recipe on to me. I have since played around with it a little more. The ingredients are pretty simple, but the finished product is delicious! Serve over rice with a salad or steamed vegetables on the side.


Fragrant chickpea curry (serves 6)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves

4 c. chickpeas

1 14-oz can light, unsweetened coconut milk

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 c. vegetable stock

Method

1. Mix spices in a small bowl and set aside

2. Heat oil in small stock pot over medium-high heat

3. Add onion and saute until golden, 5 to 6 minutes

4. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds

5. Add spices and saute until fragrant

6. Add chickpeas and stir until coated with spices

7. Add coconut milk, tomatoes, and stock

8. Bring to simmer, and cook until flavors blend and stew is thick, about 20 minutes.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Recipe: Italian style quinoa stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers are such a fun dinner to make--for some reason people are always more impressed by a grain/vegetable pilaf stuffed into a pepper and baked than they would be by the same pilaf served up as a side in a standard dish. There are endless possibilities for pepper stuffing, and my latest favorite is this one:



The filling is a mixture of quinoa, zucchini, celery, canned tomatoes, onion, and garlic, mixed with some Italian herbs and a healthy dose of white wine. The filling is then stuffed into peppers and baked for a bit to finish things off. Served with a nice salad, one of these peppers is absolutely a meal in itself. I like using quinoa instead of more standard fillings like rice because it has a high protein content, as well as calcium and iron. Plus it's delicious! Be sure to rinse the quinoa to remove bitterness before cooking.

To make four stuffed peppers of your own, you will need:

4 large green peppers, seeds removed

For the stuffing
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
1 zucchini, diced
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
1 14oz. can tomatoes
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. water or vegetable stock

1. In a medium sized saucepan on medium heat (note: you will be cooking the quinoa in this pan as well, so a fry pan will probably NOT cut it), heat the oil. Add onions, saute for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more.

2. Add oregano, thyme, basil, bay leaf, and zucchini. Saute for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add quinoa. Stir for 1 minute, all ingredients should be evenly mixed. Add tomatoes, wine, and water or vegetable stock. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and cover mixture, allowing to cook until liquid has been absorbed (~25-30 minutes). When the liquid is almost all absorbed, start the oven preheating to 350F.

4. Spoon filling into peppers, making sure to fill each one completely. Place peppers on a greased baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, or until outsides of peppers are beginning to brown.

5. Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve whole or sliced in half to show off the stuffing:

Cupboard scrounging: black bean empanadas

Despite my love of cooking and general obsession with food, I sometimes get busy with other stuff and when dinner time rolls around I find I've forgotten to go grocery shopping since what seems like the Carter administration. Since I'm a) lazy, and b) cheap, the end result is usually a dinner thrown together from various non-perishables floating around my kitchen cupboards. Last night was one of those evenings and the end result was these:




Black bean empanadas! These were quick to prepare, filling, and even tasted pretty good! I also had leftovers so lunch today was all taken care off as well. This recipe makes enough dough and filling for eight empanadas. I made it up mostly out of my head so no guarantees on authenticity.

Empanada dough
2c. flour
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp. vinegar
2/3 c. cold water


Black bean filling
2 c. cooked black beans
1 c. diced tomatoes (I used three roma tomatoes)
1 small onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

1. Prepare the dough. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the oil to the flour and mix--the flour will become somewhat crumblike. Add vinegar and 1/3 c. water and knead together. Slowly add the remaining water until the mixture becomes a soft (but not sticky!) dough. Roll dough into a ball and leave to sit while you prepare the filling

2. Filling: In a frying pan on a medium heat stove, heat the oil. Add garlic, onion, and jalapeno, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cumin, coriander, and tomato and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the black beans and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until everything is nicely heated. Turn off the stove and get going on rolling dough.


3. Divide the dough into eight pieces. On a lightly floured board, roll each piece into a roughly 6" circle.

4. Place approximately 1/2 c. black bean filling on each dough circle, like so:


5. Fold half the dough over the fillings and crimp around the edges with a fork. Repeat until all the empanadas are filled. Place on a baking sheet and get ready to stick those guys in the oven:


6. Bake at 350F for ~25 minutes, until empanadas are lightly browned. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few moments (unless you are into burning the roof of your mouth off, in which case, okay, cool, whatever floats your boat), then enjoy!

These empanadas were great with a little guacamole, and I bet salsa would pair nicely too:

Recipe: Black bean soup with kale and tomatoes

Although it is technically the peak of summer here, we've been getting a lot of cool, cloudy weather, courtesy of the local marine layer. Which means that fall foods like hot soup are totally appropriate for the menu rotation, especially paired with a simple salad and some delicious cornbread like the stuff featured yesterday:


Black bean soup is one of my favorites, but I find it can be kind of heavy if it's just beans. This version mixes things up by adding in tomatoes and kale. It's delicious, filling, and with the fiber, iron, calcium, and protein, also made of nutritional win.

Black bean soup with kale and tomatoes


Ingredients
5 cups cooked black beans
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can vegetable broth OR 1 carrot and 1 stick of celery, diced, plus a pinch each of oregano and thyme
3-5 c. water (depending on whether or not you are using stock)
1 bunch kale (approx. 1/2 lb), finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 cloves crushed garlic (you can dial down the garlic if you like, I tend to load it onto everything)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (adjust as desired depending on your heat preference)
salt and pepper to taste.

1. Assemble all your prepared ingredients:


2. In a large saucepan or soup pot on medium heat, heat the olive oil. When a piece of garlic dropped in sizzles, you're good to go.

3. Add the garlic to the oil and saute for 1 minute. Add the onions and continue to saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. If you are not using stock, add the diced carrot and celery. Continue to saute until onions are nicely softened up and slightly clear (not carmelizing, although some carmelization will not ruin things, so don't sweat it too much). Add the cumin and coriander.

4. Add kale into the mix and cover pot for 1 minute, kale should be lightly steamed. Remove lid and stir for a few more minutes, until kale is fairly wilted.

5. Add cayenne, vegetable stock (if using, alternatively add 2 c. additional water), tomatoes, 2 c. water, and black beans. Stir together and cover pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn heat down and leave soup to simmer for 30 minutes. Check occasionally and add additional water if needed. Salt and pepper to taste. I find it's best to go light on the salt and pepper in the soup pot and then let people go with their own preference after it's been served into bowls. Which leads nicely to step 6....

6. Turn off burner and ladle soup into bowls. Serve with salad and cornbread.

If you don't have cornbread handy, a few tortilla chips crumbled on top are also a nice touch. Or just skip the refined carbs completely if you must, the soup will be delicious on its own.