Easy Black Beans and with a Kick

My husband has been craving black beans and rice so I decided to come up with my own version filled with my favorite colorful veggies.

Kathy's Easy Black Beans and Rice with a Kick!

1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/4 cup orange pepper, diced
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion diced
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off
2 cups cooked rice
2T ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro
squirt of lime juice

Saute peppers and onions in olive oil in a large saute pan about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.  Don't let the garlic brown or it takes on a bitterness.  Add the cumin and chili powder and stir.  Stir in tomatoes and beans.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add corn kernels and stir.  Mix in rice thoroughly and add cilantro a squirt of lime juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Can be served as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course.  Enjoy!

Mango Berry Fruit Salad with Mint

One thing I can always get my kids to eat is fruit and this fruit salad is one of their favorite ways to eat it.
This salad is quick and easy to make yet bursts with sophisticated flavors.









2 mangoes cut into cubes
1-2 cups blueberries
1-2 cups raspberries
1-2 cups strawberries, sliced
Handful of fresh mint leaves cut into thin ribbons
1 T sugar
honey
lime juice- optional

Combine all fruit into a bowl and stir in sugar.  Let fruit sit and macerate.  Stir in mint and a splash of lime juice.  Drizzle honey over the top and serve.  This salad is also yummy over vanilla yogurt.        

Enjoy!

Kathy :)

Tomato Basil Soup

I had never like tomato soup.  Then I learned it didn't have to come from a can and I began to love it.  This is one of our family's favorite summertime dishes. I'm hoping that soon I can harvest some of my own tomatoes to make it!

Serve it with some crusty French bread on the side and enjoy!





1 cup chopped onion
About 6 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 carrot, cut into small rounds
1 can vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large bunches basil chopped into fine ribbons
1 T sugar or honey
salt and pepper
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup whipping cream
fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat oil over medium heat in large stock pot.  Saute onions and carrot until onions become translucent. Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute.  Stir in chopped tomatoes.  Simmer until tomatoes have softened and lost their shape.  Stir in basil.
 
Use an immersion blender until there are no more chunks left.  Add vegetable broth and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes.  Season with desired amount of salt and pepper.  Stir in either sugar or honey and test the soup's acidity.  Depending on the tomatoes you use, you may need more or less sugar.  Add butter and cream and stir.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a small basil leaf.  Serve with your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!

Kathy:)

Veggie Stew with Couscous

This is a great dish for a meatless night.  It's full of bold flavor and leaves you feeling satisfied.  The recipe is based off one I found in Madhur Jaffrey's wonderful book World Vegetarian.  I made a few changes to suit our taste buds and we were thrilled with the results.


Veggie Stew with Couscous  

1/4 onion diced
2 cloves garlic
1 zucchini or summer squash sliced then quartered
1 1/2 -2 cups butternut squash cubed
1 jalapeno pepper
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can vegetable broth
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cinnamon stick, 1-2 inches
3 T golden raisins
1 T agave nectar or honey
1 bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
olive oil
salt to taste
1 box instant couscous


In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onions and zucchini until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add tomatoes, broth, butternut squash, jalapeno pepper, chickpeas, raisins and spices.  Simmer about 15-20 minutes or until butternut squash is tender and sauce thickens a little.  Add desired amount of salt.  (I used about 1/2 tsp)  Add agave nectar and parsley.  Let simmer over low until couscous is finished.

In a separate saucepan make instant couscous according to directions on the box.

Serve stew over couscous and enjoy!

Kathy :)  

Spring Herb and Mushroom Pasta

This is a very lightly flavored pasta dish.  Perfect for a warm Spring evening.  Pair with a bottle of white wine and some crusty bread and you have the makings of a great night.

1lb fresh fettucine pasta
1 shallot chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 cup wild mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tomato chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
salt
pepper
3 T butter
1/2 cup whipping creme
1/2 - 3/4 cup pasta cooking water
handful of fresh chive blossoms to garnish
fresh grated parmesan cheese

Bring large pot of water to boil.  In a saute pan, saute mushrooms in 2 T butter until they just start to brown.  Add shallots and garlic and saute another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Put fresh pasta into boiling water and cook about 3 minutes or according to package (if using dried pasta cook according to package directions).  Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the rest. Pour pasta into serving dish.

Pour 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid into the saute with the mushroom-tomato mix.  Cook over medium heat and stir until saucy consistency. Add fresh herbs.  Whisk in cream and 1 T of butter.  Add desired amount of salt and pepper.  Pour sauce over hot pasta and toss until well incorporated.  Break apart several chive blossoms and sprinkle over the top along with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy :)

Kathy 

Asian Medley: Vietnamese Pho and Korean Pachanga

Our family loves Asian food of any kind so I decided to make an Asian Medley last Friday.
My daughter Jess has been begging me to make Korean Pachanga again.  I first made it almost 2 years ago.  I guess it made quite an impact on one of our family's most picky eaters.

Korean Pachanga or Veggie Pancakes

1 leek
3 scallions
1 small zucchini
1/2 sweet potato
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
6-10 button mushrooms sliced
1 1/2 cup Chana dal flour (an Indian flour made from ground chickpeas, if not available use regular flour)
About 3/4 cup water- just enough to make pancake batter-like consistency

3/4 tsp Nanami Togarashi (Japanese pepper blend)
1 tsp salt
oil

Make julienne strips sweet potato and zucchini.  Chop scallions and leek (don't use tough tops of leek only white and light green parts).  Mix all veggies in a bowl.  In another bowl mix flour, salt, pepper and water until you have a pancake batter-like consistency.  Mix the veggies into batter.  Pour enough oil in a saute pan to cover bottom.  Heat over medium-high heat.  Drop spoonfuls of batter into pan.  Cook until nicely browned about 3-5 minutes per side.  Dip in soy sauce to serve.



  
Vietnamese Pho Ga


I love Pho, but I didn't have time to boil bones for the broth.  SO this is my quick and simple pho recipe.  Maybe it's not exactly like they make it in Vietnam, but it had all the right flavors and was delicious.

For soup:
64 oz organic chicken broth
4 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
1/4 onion, thinly sliced,
2 T fish sauce
1T brown sugar

5 whole cloves, lightly toasted
5 whole anise stars, lightly toasted
1 package rice noodles
oil

For garnish:
2 limes quartered
1-2 Thai chiles, chopped
bunch cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
bunch basil
2 cups beans sprouts
Sriracha sauce (Asian hot sauce) optional

In large stock pot, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink.  Add ginger and onions.  Cook 1-2 minutes until ginger is fragrant.  Add chicken broth.  In separate bowl, soak rice noodles in cold water about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Add fish sauce and brown sugar to chicken and broth.  Tie toasted cloves and anise in cheesecloth and put in broth.  Let simmer and add the softened noodles.  Serve with fresh garnishes and Sriracha sauce (Unfortunately when I was buying all the ingredients for it I forgot the basil! :(  It's a major flavor in it.  But it was still yummy!)   Make sure broth is very hot as the cool garnishes will lower the temperature.     Enjoy!!

Kathy :)

Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup

My daughter Jess had a cold last week and the only food that sounded good to her was chicken noodle soup.  I decided to kick up the soup's healing power and give it an Asian flair by adding fresh ginger chunks.
I like this soup because it is quick and easy to prepare, full of healthy ingredients and all my kids gobble it up!



Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup


4 chicken breasts, cubed
2 1/2 -32 oz containers organic chicken broth
1/2 cup onions
1 stalk celery , chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup potatoes, diced
Parsley, chopped fresh
1 inch piece of ginger root, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp poultry seasoning (or use fresh thyme and rosemary)
salt and pepper to taste
egg noodles
olive oil

Saute the onions, celery, and carrots in a stock pot, until they begin to soften.  Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. If needed add a little more olive oil.  Then add cubed chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, and just beginning to brown.  Pour in broth and bring to a simmer.  Add potatoes and desired amount of egg noodles and cook until tender.  Check the salt and add more if desired.  Garnish with chopped parsley.


Hope you enjoy!  Have a great weekend!

Kathy