Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

A sweet friend here in Korea (thanks, AmyLyn!) passed this yummy recipe along to help us get through the long, cold winter... And it's been long and cold! We've had it twice now, and both times it's been a winner. I strayed from the original recipe on a few points, and I hope it's not too confusing. You get to choose your own adventure on this one: stovetop or crockpot, so try to follow along as I take you on a bit of a wild ride :)

As a side note, I suggest pairing this stew with either a crusty bread or... garlic na'an! It definitely has an Indian flair, so the garlic na'an was perfect IMO.

Photo courtesy of thekitchn.com

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
**optional: 1 lb. ground pork sausage**
2 all-purpose potatoes, diced (I used 4 Yukon)
1 T salt
1 T curry powder
1 T brown sugar
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (abt 1 T)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 C chicken or vegetable broth
2 (16-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes with their juices
1/4 tsp black pepper
10 oz. baby spinach
1 C coconut milk

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat (or heavy pot if you're going to make this entirely on the stovetop). Saute the onion with one teaspoon of salt until translucent, about 5 minutes. (I actually omitted the oil and salt; instead, I cooked a pound of ground pork sausage and then cooked the onion with it). Add the potatoes and another teaspoon of salt, and saute until just translucent around the edges.

Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cayenne, and cook until fragrant--about 30 seconds. (This will smell heavenly :) Pour in 1/4 cup of broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

From this point you can follow directions for either the stovetop or crockpot:

Stovetop: Add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes and juice, black pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the side of the pot. Set on medium-low temp and simmer for 30 minutes, or until cauliflower and potatoes are significantly softer. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid and cook for one minute to allow spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Crockpot: Pour the onion/potato combination into the bowl of your crockpot. Add the rest of the broth, chickpeas, bell peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes and juice, black pepper, and the final teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the sides of the crockpot--add more broth if necessary. Cover and cook for 4 hours on high. Stir in the spinach and coconut milk. Cover with lid and cook for one minute to allow spinach to wilt. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

**Serve on its own (as a stew with bread as mentioned above), or over couscous, Israeli couscous, or orzo pasta. Enjoy!

Krista's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

My friend Krista created her own copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup. We made it last night and it was terrific! The only thing I changed was to double the amount of chicken stock... Actually, I doubled the entire recipe, and then quadrupled the chicken stock. I did not, however, quadruple the amount of half-and-half, so it was more milky than chowder-y, but we really liked it that way :o)

Thanks for sharing, Krista!

Italian Wedding Soup

I made this for a little lunch I hosted yesterday... It's really easy and REALLY good :o) You can never go wrong with the Barefoot Contessa, IMO.

Click here for the link to the recipe at Food Network... Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

This one is on our family list of all-time favorites... It's Tyler Florence's recipe, so I take no credit whatsoever. Here's the link to get it directly from him :o) But just look at that picture--don't you want to make it right now? I do!!!

Chicken Chili

(from FoodNetwork's Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten--click HERE for the recipe)

My friend Janelle made this for us once when I had surgery, and Jeremy has requested it from her a few more times since then. Serves her right for being nice to us! Love you, Janelle...

I finally made it myself a couple weeks ago on a Sunday, and I tweaked some of the ingredients just for fun. I had extra veggies, so instead of ALL the peppers, I did half peppers and half zucchini. Bennett and Ethan gave me a fight at first, but once they tried it I didn't hear another word :o) And I liked adding cilantro instead of basil... And I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, and shredded the chicken after it was cooked. Make it your own, right???

PS: The picture doesn't nearly do this recipe justice. FoodNetwork needs to work on their photo skills...

Clam Chowder

This easy, New England-style chowder is my Grandma Verna's recipe, who passed away a few years ago, and I always think of her whenever I make it. When we went to Boston as a family back in November, we walked FOREVER to get to this restaurant that supposedly had amazing clam chowder. Jeremy took one bite and said, "This doesn't come close to Grandma's." I think it's the curry powder that makes the difference...

Grandma Verna's Clam Chowder

1/2 C diced onion

1/2 C diced celery

butter

1 8-oz. can minced clams

4 C chicken broth

1 C diced, peeled potato (peeling is optional)

1/2 C flour

1 C milk

1 C half-and-half

Dash each of thyme, salt, pepper, & curry powder

In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in 2 TB melted butter until transparent. Add liquid from clams, chicken broth and potatoes; simmer until potatoes are tender. In a separate pan, melt 1/4 C butter and stir in flour until smooth (this is called a roux)--do not brown. Gently stir butter mixture into soup. Add chopped clams, milk, and half-and-half. Stir gently until thickened, then add thyme, salt, pepper and curry powder. Makes about 6 servings.

**This recipe is great on its own, but also lends itself well to chives, bacon bits, oyster crackers--whatever you like on your chowda...

White Chicken Chili

This one is from my friend, Natalie. It's become one of our family favorites--a great alternative to tomato-based chili, which we love too :o) It's fun to play with this recipe, if you like to do that. You can add or subtract ingredients, depending on your preference!

Natalie's White Chicken Chili

1 Tbs. oil

1 lb. chicken

1 C chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 C chicken broth

2 cans canellini (or any white) beans

2 4-oz. cans green chilies

1 pkg. frozen white corn

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

2-3 Tbs. lime juice

Toppings: cheese, avocado, green onions, sour cream, tortilla strips or chips, etc.

Cook chicken, onion and garlic in oil just till onion is soft--chicken will continue to cook in broth. Add remainder of ingredients; bring to boil and simmer for 15-30 minutes. Serve with whichever toppings you like!

**I like my chili a little bit thicker than how this recipe turns out. I like to mix together a little bit of cornstarch and cold water, then add it gradually to the soup until it comes to the thickness I prefer. You can do this with any soup recipe without changing the flavor or the fat content!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love throwing this one in the crock pot and coming back to it 6 hours later... I also like doing a combination of white and dark meat. Just gives some variety--chicken breasts can get really boring after a while, you know???

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 skinless chicken thighs or breasts

1 4-oz. can green chilies, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 C chicken broth

1 tsp. ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

4 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips

1/2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 avocado, cubed

1 lime, juiced

Put chicken in crockpot. Combine chilies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, 1/2 C broth and cumin in small bowl; pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until chicken is tender. Adjust seasonings, adding additional broth if necessary. Just before serving, add tortilla strips and cilantro to crock pot; stir to blend. Serve in bowls, topping each serving with cheese, avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Tuscan Bean Soup

This recipe is great for a quick, healthy meal... It comes from an old vegetarian cookbook I can't find anymore, but I copied the recipe before I lost it :o) Smart thinking!!!

Tuscan Bean Soup

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 1/2 C vegetable (or chicken) broth

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 C small pasta shells (any small pasta works well)

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

1 15-oz. can canellini (or any white) beans

1 tsp. dried sage or basil

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot; saute about 3 minutes. Add broth and 2 1/2 C water; cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, and pasta. Cook uncovered for 5-8 minutes or until pasta is tender but firm to the bite (al dente). Stir in tomato sauce, beans and sage; heat through. Serve hot--pasta will soak up broth after a little while. 

**This recipe is wonderful with a little fresh parmesan on top and crusty bread on the side!

Ravioli Soup

My mom makes this soup every Christmas Eve--it's red and green, but more importantly, it's fast and easy on a night when moms have much more to worry about than dinner :o) We made this for our friends one Christmas, and now she makes it about once a month--proving that it's good any time of year!

My Mom's Ravioli Soup

3 C water

1 18-oz. can tomato juice (V-8 is great)

1 1/2 C beef broth

1 C sliced carrots

1 C diced potatoes

1/4 C chopped onion

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 15-oz. cans ravioli in sauce (my mom always uses Chef Boyardee)

1 bunch fresh spinach (discard stems first)

Combine all ingredients except ravioli and spinach. Simmer on medium heat until veggies are tender and liquid is a little thicker. Then add ravioli and spinach; heat through and serve with parmesan cheese on top. 

Black Bean Chili

This EASY one speaks for itself...

Black Bean Chili

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cubed

16 oz. chunky salsa

3 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 C chicken broth

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

Toppings

Put cubed tenderloin in crock pot. Add remaining ingredients; cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Just like with the white chicken chili, you can top this with whatever suits your fancy: sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips, etc...

Carrot Soup

I love this recipe—it’s light, so it makes a perfect summer or fall meal! Serve with crusty bread on the side, and you can clean your bowl with it...

Carrot Soup
½ cup butter
2 large onions, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ inches fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
3 lbs carrots, chopped
2 pints vegetable stock (chicken broth works too)
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in large pot. In butter, sauté chopped onions and garlic. When onions are tender, add ginger and coriander. Add the chopped carrots and vegetable stock to the sautéed veggies and cook until carrots are tender. Put mixture in blender and puree; return to pot. Stir in chopped cilantro just before serving.
**Optional garnish: small dollop of sour cream on top.