Vegetable chili

This takes very little preparation and makes enough chili to last the week (or freeze half of it). You can also make it with other veggies if you prefer. I originally made this with yellow squash instead of carrots, but I decided the carrots would be better next time. Serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Vegetable chili

about 5 cups presoaked, dried kidney and red beans
5 to 5 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 bag (about a pound) frozen cut carrots
10 oz frozen diced bell peppers (I used green)
1 pound frozen sweet corn
12 oz frozen chopped onions
1 medium eggplant, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced
3 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1/2 to 1 cup red wine
2 tsp cocoa powder
season to taste:
black pepper, salt, coriander, chili pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper

Boil water, beans and salt in an 8-quart pot for about 1/2 hour. Add veggies, spices and wine and simmer for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours until beans are fully cooked.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

Easy pasta with peanut sauce

If you like peanut butter as much as I do, here's a recipe that can be ready in 15 minutes and is a nice change from tomato sauce.

Easy pasta with peanut sauce

whole wheat pasta
natural peanut butter (no extra oils or sugars)
garlic
red bell pepper, chopped
milk (or coconut milk)
curry powder
ground cayenne pepper
spinach 
olive oil

Boil pasta according to directions. In a separate pan, heat olive oil and add large handfuls of spinach, stirring continuously until the leaves are just wilted. Set aside. In the same pan, over low heat, stir together one or two large spoonfuls of peanut butter and a little milk. As the peanut butter melts, add milk a little at a time until sauce reaches desired consistency. Add red pepper. Stir in garlic, curry and cayenne according to taste. Add the spinach back in, and follow with pasta until everything is well heated and mixed together.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

Apple pecan pancakes with apple butter

Spring is in sight, so I continue to go through the winter foods I've had stored. This morning I took from the freezer the last bag of apples I picked in the fall, and from the pantry, a jar of apple butter I bought over Thanksgiving weekend in New Jersey. If you ever find yourself near Burlington, N.J., on a weekend, make a trip to the Columbus Farmers Market. Much of it is a busy flea market, but one corner is an Amish market with a deli, butcher and bakery. Go hungry because they also sell breakfast sandwiches and creamy, slow-cooked oatmeal. The apple butter I got there was delicious -- made with just apples, apple cider and cinnamon -- and went well over these hearty apple pecan pancakes.

Apple pecan pancakes

1 egg
1 T canola oil
2 T agave nectar (or honey)
6 oz plain lowfat yogurt
1/3 cup milk (I used hazelnut milk, which I found at Whole Foods and is delicious)
1/2 T molasses
3 T ground flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 T baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup barley four (or use 1 cup of wheat flour)
about 2 cups chopped apple
about 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4-1/3 cup water, as needed

Whisk egg and add other ingredients until batter is well mixed. Make pancakes in skillet over medium-low heat and serve with apple butter.

Cranberry sauce and dessert

Even though I now prefer fresh cranberries, as a kid I loved jellied cranberry sauce. I used to eat it fresh out of the can -- with a fork to make it last longer. And our family Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without the traditional "frozen cranberry mold" (this sounds questionable, but is actually delicious: jellied cranberry sauce and lemon juice, topped with whipped cream, vanilla and powdered sugar, frozen.)

When I visited Monticello last year, I picked up a book about Native American foods that has some interesting facts about cranberries: 

• originally, the English called them fenberries, with fen meaning bog. The name changed to craneberry because the stems of the fruit were curved like a crane's neck.
• mashed cranberries were used by American Indians as a cure for wounds, and to draw out poisons. They were also used in dyes, and were a symbol of peace.

Hundreds of years later... I had two cans of jellied cranberry sauce leftover from November and I decided to make two new recipes with them. Below is a recipe for a dessert inspired by lemon bars, and a breakfast bread/cake. Enjoy!


Cranberry bars

Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Mix ingredients and press into bottom (and halfway up sides) of a square, greased dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins.

Filling:
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T lemon juice
3 T flour

Beat eggs, then mix in flour (on a low speed). Mix vanilla and lemon juice with cranberry sauce and add to eggs/flour. Pour filling over crust. If using topping (see below), spread over top of filling. Bake for another 30 mins. Let cool before serving (if you don't use crumb topping, sprinkle powdered sugar over top before serving).

Crumb topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 T butter

Mix first four ingredients and cut in butter. 


Cranberry-apple breakfast cake

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T canola oil
1 egg
2 T lemon juice
1/2 cup milk or soymilk
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 can jellied cranberry sauce, mixed
2 cups apples, chopped

Beat egg and add brown sugar, oil, lemon juice, milk, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, oats and flour. Mix in apple sauce and cranberry sauce. Fold in chopped apples.  Pour into greased pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 55 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spinach and salsa

In a complete reversal from the last post(s), this is one of the laziest dinners ever (not counting oatmeal). It doesn't look all that pretty either. But it's not bad. In fact, it was good enough to make the blog. So, here's to easy cooking.

1 bag frozen chopped spinach
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
12 oz medium salsa
olive oil
lemon juice

Heat olive oil (about 1 T) in a skillet, add broccoli, cook until it begins to soften. Add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice. Add spinach and cook until heated through (stir often). Stir in salsa and heat a bit more. Done. 
Eat with crackers or chips, or over rice.