Slow-Cooker Recipe: Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

I am trying to use what I have before we go away for Christmas and what I had were several cans of chickpeas left over from summer pasta salad recipes. I wasn't sure if we'd like this recipe but I like to try different things so I made this stew from The Kitchn last night and we really liked it. The cauliflower breaks up so you don't feel like you're eating big chunks of cauliflower if you're not a big fan, like me. The recipe makes a lot of soup and I had some for lunch today and it was just as good, if not better.

Baked Lemon Pasta

We made this Baked Lemon Pasta this weekend from The Pioneer Woman. OH MY! It was so good. The only problem was wanting to eat too much. Next time, I would probably make both a salad and grilled chicken or salmon to help fill up with something a little healthier. Mmmm, I'm definitely making this again soon. Beware, that clicking on the recipe and seeing the picture will make you instantly hungry.

Spinach and Feta Turnovers

I've been making these Spinach and Feta Turnovers from Everyday Food Magazine for a while but they don't have the recipe on their site so I never posted it. I was passing the recipe onto a friend and found the link listed.

As a side note, like one of the comments, I always have way too much filling left over. So, I either buy two boxes of puff pastry and freeze them with directions from the magazine. Or I will use the filling the next day (or two or three) cooked with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Sort of a Greek Breakfast Scramble, if you will. It is a win-win in my book.

To freeze: Freeze unbaked turnovers on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, wrap turnovers individually in plastic wrap; store in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To bake from frozen: Unwrap frozen turnovers, and bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes to baking time.

Crockpot Recipe for Vegetarian Black Bean and Tomatillo Soup with Lime and Cilantro

We had tomatillos from our crop share last week and I wanted to do more of a main dish with them rather than making salsa verde which is what 99% of the recipes I found were. We all liked the soup. I'd always thought that you couldn't put rice in the crockpot though so I was curious to see how that went. Sure enough, it gets way overcooked but it's almost like having soft lentils in the soup.

Here's the recipe and here's where I found it. She has good pictures.

Crockpot Recipe for Vegetarian Black Bean and Tomatillo Soup with Lime and Cilantro

(Makes about 6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

8 tomatillos, chopped in 1/4 inch pieces (about 2 cups chopped tomatillo)

1 T finely minced garlic

1 T dried cilantro (optional, but recommended)

2 tsp. dried Mexican Oregano

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans black beans, rinsed well

2 cans diced tomatoes with juice

4 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (or a bit less if you don't love lime like I do)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish if desired

Chop onions and tomatillos into pieces about 1/4 inch. Heat olive oil in large frying pan, then saute onions and tomatillos about 5 minutes, then add garlic, dried cilantro, Mexican Oregano, and cumin and saute 1-2 minutes more. While vegetables saute, dump beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse until no more foam appears.

Put tomatillo-onion mixture into large 4-5 quart crockpot. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, chicken stock, water, and brown rice. Cook on high for 4 hours (This could also be cooked on low for 8 hours.) Slow cookers can vary, so check and adjust the cooking time according to how hot your crockpot gets. After 4 hours (or 8 hours if using low) turn the crockpot to low setting, and let it cook 15 minutes to lower the temperature, then add the fresh lime juice and cilantro and cook 10 minutes on low. Serve hot, with additional chopped cilantro for garnish if desired.This recipe could be cooked on the stove. Follow directions above, but put ingredients into medium sized soup pot and add one cup more water. Cook at very low simmer for about one hour, then reduce heat for five minutes, then add lime juice and cilantro and simmer five minutes more. Serve hot, with additional chopped cilantro if desired.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.foodsubs.com/Fruitvegies.html

Greek salad dressing and the salad, too

This salad dressing is the root cause of why practically half of the meals I consumed in August either involved Greek salads or had me wishing I had a Greek salad in front of me.

I found it at a random TV station's Web site that popped up during a Google search for "Panera greek salad dressing recipe." Their recipe makes two cups, but since I half it and only make one cup at a time, I'm posting my halfsies recipe along with my modifications and secret ingredient. The original recipe is available at the link above.

Jennifer's WBIR Panera Greek Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1 teaspoon oregano
  
• 1 teaspoon basil (I used dried, but you could do fresh, too)
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Squeeze of lemon juice (Secret ingredient that MAKES this dressing. Not sure how much I actually squeeze in here. Maybe about a small wedge's worth)
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients except olive oil in a mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking.

For the salad itself, I go with romaine lettuce, kalamata olives, red onions, grape or cherry tomatoes and feta. If you like cucumbers, those would fit in nicely as well. The salad is best tossed with the dressing so everything is coated. Drizzling the dressing on top just doesn't cut it. Enjoy!

Fettuccine with Rapini, Walnuts and Gorgonzola

Our crop share has started and last night was our first meal experimenting with a new ingredient, Rapini which is also called Brocolli Raab.

This Fettuccine with Rapini, Walnuts and Gorgonzola recipe was really good. It tasted like something you'd get at a restaurant.

For the rest of the week I have rhubarb, spinach, arugula, radishes and lovage.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com