Black and White Beans with Orzo

This dish is delicious and fairly easy in preparation. I strayed from the directions ever so slightly and rather than steam the veggies I add them into the bean mixture instead, choosing to only steam the frozen green beans. This recipe calls for Curry powder to be added into the Orzo but lends only a mild Curry flavor. My hubby does not like traditional Curry dishes but enjoys this dish each time. So if you are not a fan of Curry give this one a try anyway as final flavoring is delicious and not overwhelmingly Curried.

Black and White Beans with Orzo (adapted from Low Fat Ways to Cook Vegetarian)

Olive oil
1 medium/large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) can Cannelloni beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
2 1/4 cups veggie broth (divided)
1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
2 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups cauliflower flowerets
2 cups frozen green beans

Bring 1 3/4 cups veggie broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add orzo, curry powder and red pepper. Reduce heat and simmer ~ 10 minutes until most of liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender. Stir often to prevent sticking.

Add olive oil to large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute 5 minutes. Stir in beans, zucchini, cauliflower and 1/2 cup veggie broth. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile steam green beans in separate saucepan.

Add steamed green beans to bean mixture and serve over orzo.

Spicy Peas and Spinach

I have been so bad about updating the food blog - sorry! To my defense I have alot going on right now, but that is really no excuse to not share delicious recipes with friends.

This dish was part of a special dinner I hosted a couple weeks ago. We had Moroccan Ficken and this Spicy Pea dish which went together nicely. The Moroccan Ficken has a sweetness to the flavor due to the dried apricots, so the spicy of this dish is a nice contrast. I love sweet and savory in the same meal!

Spicy Peas and Spinach (from What's Coo.king Veg.etarian by Jenny Stacey)

1 1/4 cups green split peas ****need to soak before cooking!****
2 pounds fresh spinach
olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 tsp grated ginger root
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/4 cup veggie broth
salt/ and pepper

1. Rinse and sort through split peas, then transfer to a bowl and soak in water for 2 hours.
2. Heat oil in saucepan and add onion, spices and garlic. Saute for 3 - 5 minutes.
3. Add drained split peas, spinach and broth. Simmer covered 10 - 15 minutes until peas are cooked and liquid has been mostly absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans and Greens

What a simple and tasty summer time pasta! I made this last night and we both loved it's simplicity and flavor.

Garlicky Spaghetti with Beans and Greens (From Cooking Light August 2009)

12 oz uncooked spaghetti

1/4 tsp salt, divided

3 TBS olive oil

2 TBS minced fresh garlic (I only used 4 cloves)

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 (16 oz) can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

5 oz fresh arugula leaves (I used more, maybe 6 - 7 oz)

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Scoop out 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Place drained pasta in a bowl, add 1/4 tsp of salt, and set aside.

2. Return pot to medium heat and add oil and garlic. Cook 1 - 2 minutes until garlic is lightly browned, stirring often. Stir in remaining salt, tomatoes, and beans. Cook about 2 minutes.

3. Add pasta, reserved pasta water and arugula, tossing gently to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cheese.

Avocado and Veggie Soup

I love this soup in the summer time! It is actually a hot soup, as strange as it may sound with avocado. This is an easy soup to make and does not take much time to cook. Trust me, it is delicious! This is not a main course style soup, so plan to serve it with some other dish so bellies leave the table full and satisfied! A mexican style salad would be a great match with this soup. You can either blend half the soup, all the soup or none of the soup ... your choice!

Avocado and Veggie Soup

2 large avocado

2 TBS lemon or lime juice

1 TBS olive oil

1 can of corn, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 - 2 leeks, chopped (rinsed well before and after chopping)

1 red chili, chopped

1/2 tsp dried cumin

2 cups veggie broth

2/3 cup 2% milk

1. Peel and mash avocado using a fork. Stir in lemon or lime juice, set aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan over med-high heat and saute the corn, tomato, garlic, leek, chili and cumin for about 3 - 5 minutes until veggies are softened.

3. Add avocado, broth and milk and cook over medium heat 5 - 10 minutes until heated, stirring gently.

Pantry Organization

My pantry was out of control and I finally found motivation to clean it up and organize a couple weeks ago. No more stuffing, pushing and holding my breath that things will not just fall out and on my toes when I reach into the pantry!

Before Organization

After Organization

So, it is still crowded ( I need a bigger pantry!!!!) but I think it is a vast improvement thank you very much!

Grilled Veggies with Vinaigrette

This is a great summer time dish using all the colorful produce the season offers. I served this with home made mac-n-cheese, tofu and dinner bread.

Grilled Veggies with Vinaigrette (from cooking light)

Vinaigrette:

2 TBS white wine OR red wine vinegar

2 TBS extravirgin olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Salad:

1 bundle asparagus, trimmed

2 portobello mushroom caps, washed

1 - 2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise

1 - 2 yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise

1 small red onion, cut in half

1 red OR orange bell pepper, halved and seeded

2 TBS fresh chopped basil 

1 TBS fresh chopped chives or green onion 

1 TBS fresh chopped parsley

crumbled farmers cheese or queso fresco

1. Prepare grill to medium - high heat

2. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, set aside.

3. To prepare salad, coat veggies with cooking spray or olive oil. Place Veggies on grill rack, grill about 4 minutes on each side until slightly blackened. Remove veggies from grill and let cool slightly. Cut veggies into 1 inch pieces.

4. Add veggies, basil, chives, parsley to vinaigrette. Toss to coat and add cheese. 

Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

It has been a while since I've updated this blog, sorry. We had this sandwich a few weeks ago and it was really yummy and not to difficult to make. The recipe called for store bought pesto, but I decided to make my own and have included a rough sketch of the ingredients if you choose to make your own as well.

1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pesto

1 package veggie delight chicken patties

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil

1 loaf ciabatta

3/4 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers

1 large tomato, sliced

Pesto:

fresh basil - maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup

1/4 cup marinated sun dried tomato

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup walnuts

2 TBS low fat mayonaise

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Place ingredients in food processor and process until combined well (play with the ingredients as this is from my memory and I did not actually measure anything)

Sandwich:

1. Saute veggie chicken in olive oil, salt and pepper until browned. Remove from heat, slice.

2. Preheat broiler.

3. Cut ciabatta in half horizontally. Place bread, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan. 

4. Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Arrange the chicken slices evenly over bottom half. Top chicken evenly with cheese. Place bottom half on baking sheet, broil 2 minutes until cheese melts. Arrange bell pepper and tomato over cheese, and cover with top half of bread. Cut into 4 sections and eat!