Lamb Stew

Last week, Mark Bittman posted a recipe for Lamb Stew with Dill. This looked so good that I knew I’d have to make it ASAP before it gets warm — who wants to eat stew when it’s 80 degrees outside??!

I adapted the recipe a bit (partly by design and partly through forgetfulness on my part) and it was AMAZING. I served it over brown rice with a glass of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon.  A perfect meal for an end-of-winter evening.

LAMB AND VEGETABLE STEW
adapted from Mark Bittman’s recipe

1 lb boneless lamb (I got “lamb stew meat” from Whole Foods), cut into 1 in cubes
4 shallots, peeled
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1 in chunks
3 carrots, unpeeled and diced into small cubes
1 c lacinto kale, roughly chopped
red wine
1 tbsp arrowroot powder or kuzu  (natural thickeners)
1/4 c warm water
1/2 c fresh dill, chopped

Add lamb to a large skillet or pot and sear over high heat for 2 minutes, undisturbed. Stir, add whole shallots and turnips. Cook for 3 minutes and add salt, pepper, and 1 cup of water. Scrape bottom of pot, then reduce flame to low and simmer for 45 minutes, covered, stirring occaisonally.

Uncover, and add carrots, kale, 1 cup water, and a glug of red wine (more or less, to taste).  Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes, until lamb and turnips tender.

In a small bowl combine 1/4 c warm water and arrowroot powder until disolved. Uncover post and add mixture, stirring until slightly thickened. Serve immediately or, if you prefer less liquid, turn up the heat until the soup has the desired consistency. Serve with dill sprinkled on top.

(In Bittman’s original recipe it calls for 1 c green peas, which I bought (frozen) but forgot about. I have about a cup of stew left — this weekend, I will add the peas, plus some more water, and make a second batch from the first!)

Spicy Zucchini Chili

A perfect soup for a cold winter night, filled with tons of vegetables and fiber-rich beans.

Spicy Zucchini Chili
adapted from cooks.com

6 c. grated, unpeeled zucchini
4 stalks celery celery, sliced
1 white onion, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 c water
2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes & juice
3 tbsp. chili powder
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/2 c. pitted ripe olives, sliced
1 c kidney beans
1 c. sliced mushrooms
3/4 c lacinto kale, finely sliced

Saute grated zucchini, celery, garlic and onion in hot oil in large kettle or saucepan until celery is tender, but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add tomatos, water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt, agave and pepper. Simmer slowly, uncovered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add olives, kidney beans, kale and mushrooms. Simmer another 10 minutes.

Serve with brown rice.

Edamame and Chicken Noodle Soup

After a few days of non-stop eating of turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, I thought I’d try a light (yet surprisingly filling) soup. It has a lot of protein, thanks to the edamame and chicken; you could also substitute cubed extra firm tofu.

Edamame and Chicken Noodle Soup

3 1/2 c water
3 1/2 c chicken or vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and thiny sliced
2 oz thin rice noodles (per person*)
3 organic boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c shelled edamame (you can use frozen)
2 c kale, chopped
toasted sesame oil (for garnish)
chopped cilantro (for garnish)
salt and pepper

In large pot, combine water, broth, ginger, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Prepare noodles according to directions on box; rinse with cool water and set aside. Cook chicken in olive oul over medium heat until browned on both sides–be careful not to overcook. Let cool slightly and thinly slice against the grain

Add edamame and cook three minutes; add kale and chicken and cook another three minutes. Taste broth, salt and pepper to taste. (I added garlic powder at this point to give it some more flavor).

Place noodles in the bottom of each person’s bowl. Ladle broth into the bowl and garnish with toasted sesame oil and cilantro.

*If you’re making this with the intentions of having leftovers, I would recommend making the rice noodles fresh each time. (They don’t take a long time to cook, so it will be a breeze). Simply heat up the broth as you cook the noodles and use fresh cilantro and sesame oil each time. If you need to cut come corners, however, it’s fine to put it all in when first making it.

Turkey Chickpea Chili

As it gets colder and darker outside, I’ve been getting hungrier and hungrier.  I couldn’t figure it out at first — why am I SO hungry? Why isn’t the food I’ve been eating thus far filling me up? Why do I suddenly need SIX meals a day!

Then, in the middle of a seasonal eating workshop I was leading, it came to me.  It was the middle of fall, and I was still eating summer foods and summer quantities! It was time to switch over to hearter, heavier foods. I don’t a lot of meat in the summer (it’s hot enough outside without me eating heating foods!), but as it gets colder, I start to crave more of them.

So in my quest to find a filling meal I could take to work with  me, I decided to modify this recipe from Whole Foods. I had been craving turkey chili, but wanted to make something with more vegetables, so it was complete, one pot meal.  It turned out very well–I was suspicious about the capers, but they added a nice touch. If you don’t have any around, they’re not necessary.

Turkey Chickpea Chili

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
4 medium zucchini, chopped
1 (35-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/2 bunch lacinto kale, chopped
3/4 lb ground turkey
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked red or white quinoa, cous cous, or brown rice

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Lower the heat, add garlicand cook for 3 minutes until translucent. Add peppers and cook 5 minutes more. Add zucchini and cook for 15 minutes. In another skillet, heat a bit of olive oil and sautee the turkey, breaking up into small pieces. Add tomatoes, crushing them with your hands. Add turkey. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 20 minutes, or until zucchini is soft and translucent but still holds its shape. Stir in chickpeas and capers and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then serve over grain of choice.

Red Lentil Stew

I love red lentils, but mostly eat them in the winter, as they’re very warming.  Since it’s been getting colder, I decided I’d try a new recipe to welcome fall!

This can be made ahead of time and eaten over the course of a week.  I made it Sunday night–knowing I wouldn’t have a lot of cooking time during the week–and served it the next day with spinach sauteed with garlic.

Red Lentil Stew

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 leaves

1/2 tsp (or a few shakes) cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups small red lentils,  rinsed

3 cups vegetable broth

2 to 3 cups boiling water

1 lemon, halved

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/c c Greek yogurt

In a large saucepan, combine the oil, onion, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick over moderately low heat, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to moderately high, and add the ginger, garlic, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until the garlic and ginger are soft, about 3 minutes.

Add the lentils and cook, stirring, until they are coated with the oil, about 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of the broth and 2 cups of the boiling water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Squeeze the juice of the lemon through a strainer into the lentils. Add the lemon halves, salt, and the remaining 1 cup broth. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have broken down into a thick puree, 40 minutes. They should be soupy; if they get too thick, add more boiling water as necessary, 1/4 cup at a time.

Discard the lemon halves and cinnamon from the lentils and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Serve the lentils in bowls, topped with yogurt.

To reheat, put in pot and add some water or vegetable broth to loosen it up.

Curry in a Hurry

One of my favorite food websites it Heidi Swanson’s 101Cookbooks. I love her take on meals: use whole foods, use vegetables, make everything as delicious as possible. You get the health benefits without sacrificing the taste.

This week, I decided to try her In a Hurry Green Curry. This is a great spring/summer dish, filled with peas and asparagus with a kick of tofu. It was good–not too spicy and pleasantly filling. I added about 1/4 c cooked wide Thai rice noodles at the end, which was a nice contrast in texture to the al dente vegetables.

2 teaspoons green curry paste [be sparing when starting; you can add more later to taste]
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (light ok)
1 large onion, sliced
14 ounces water or light vegetable broth
6 ounces of firm tofu cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
2 cups asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch segments
squeeze of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup small basil leaves

In a large thick bottom pot over medium heat whisk the curry paste with the salt and a small splash of the coconut milk. Simmer for just a minute. Add the onion and saute until it softens up, just a minute or so. Add the rest of the coconut milk and broth and simmer for another five minutes. Taste and adjust for flavor – this would be the time to add more curry paste if needed.

Stir in the tofu and (JUST BEFORE SERVING) the peas and asparagus, simmer for just a minute or two, just long enough for the vegetables to cook a bit. Finish the pot with a squeeze of lime and basil leaves. Taste, and adjust seasoning again if needed.

Serves 4.

Update: This recipe made three meals–two (big) lunches and a dinner. The dish was much better two days later–the tofu was MUCH more flavorful and nicely soft. I served it with both rice noodles and short-grain brown rice; I preferred the brown rice with it.