Red Lentils and Root Vegetables

I love the color of red lentils, and they taste great too!  This dish comes together quickly and makes a hearty meal.  Even my brother liked it, so that's pretty high praise.

Red Lentils and Root Vegetables

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup diced onions
1 lb assorted root vegetables, chopped – sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips*
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz diced prosciutto
1 32oz can crushed tomatoes
24-32oz low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb (about 2 cups) red lentils, washed and picked through
Spices to taste – oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice according to package instructions to make approximately 3 cups cooked.

2. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.  Add in the root vegetables and continue to cook for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the prosciutto and allow to crisp, about 5 minutes.

3.  Pour in the lentils, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Add more chicken broth (closer to 32oz) if you want more of a stew, and add less (toward the 24oz end) if you want a thicker concoction.  Bring to a boil, and then partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Season with oregano and red pepper flakes as desired.  Salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Add in the brown rice and stir to combine.  Serve as is or top with some roasted chicken for extra protein.


*Whole Foods has an assorted frozen root vegetable mix!

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Stew

Being on the wards, I need a delicious lunch to motivate me through morning rounds.  This stew hits the spot!  Packed with veggies, protein, and good carbs, it is just the dish to power me through my afternoon workload.  

Pro Tip: If you don't have a crockpot, get yourself one.  Easy meal prep, minimal effort, incredible food.  It is a life-saver during busy rotations.  You can make almost anything in it!

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Stew

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 6 hours, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the chicken, 

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro

1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dash cinnamon

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 1/2 cup diced onion

1 5oz bag chopped frozen spinach

3 bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper

3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Mix together the spices in a large shallow bowl.  In a second shallow bowl pour 2 tablespoons canola oil.  Drag each chicken breast in oil, then coat with spices.  Set aside.  

2.  In a crockpot, add the onions, spinach, and bell peppers.  Stir in the tomatoes and black beans.  Add 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Add in the chicken breasts.  Cover and cook for 6 hours on low.  

3.  Cook brown rice according to directions.  Shred any remaining chicken chunks by running two forks through the pot.  Stir in the brown rice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with cheese or avocado.  

Red Lentil Soup

This soup is a lovely dish to serve to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.  It is also a refreshing alternative to tomato soup for pairing with grilled cheese.  Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup

Serves 4
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
2/3 cup frozen chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, no need to drain
1 cup red lentils, washed and picked over
1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lime juice

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onions, celery, and carrots.  Allow the vegetables to soften, 5-7 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the cumin, coriander, and curry powder.  Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.

2.  Stir in the lentils and stock.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.  Allow to cook for 15-25 minutes, until the lentils are softened and falling apart.  The soup should be thick.  Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and lime juice.  Taste and adjust as desired.

3.  Allow the soup to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Using an immersion blender or in batches in a traditional blender, puree until smooth.  Serve alongside warm crusty bread or your favorite grilled cheese.

Recipe adapted from Martha Rose Shulman, NYT

Chorizo Black Bean Stew

Black beans and chorizo, two of my favorite foods, come together to make a heart-warming stew.

Chorizo Black Bean Stew

Makes 6 servings
Total time: 8 hours, unattended

Ingredients:

16oz dry black beans, soaked for at least 24 hours, rinsed, and drained
1 bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/3 lb chorizo
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions:

1. In a skillet, brown the chorizo over medium heat.  Transfer to paper towel and pat off grease.

2. In the slow cooker, combine all the ingredients.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cornbread!

Chicken Tomatillo Soup

Crockpot recipe alert!  This soup comes together quickly and makes for a gut-warming meal.

Chicken Tomatillo Soup

Serves 6
Time: 10 minutes hands-on, 7 hours total

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into 1/2"-thick chunks
1 jar (8 oz) roasted tomatillo salsa (I like this one)
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken base
16 oz + 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 frozen starter bag of mirepoix cajun mix (celery, onion, green pepper)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne red pepper
1 cup corn (freeze-dried, canned, or frozen)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Add the chicken, salsa, chicken base, 16 oz chicken broth, mirepoix mix, and spices to the crockpot.  Set to cook on low for 7 hours.

2. With one hour left, add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, corn, and apple cider vinegar.

3. Serve with your favorite toppings - cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Sweet potatoes are a great addition to a vegetarian chili, and they pair well with black beans.  Serve with any of your favorite chili toppings.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Serves 6
Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 TBS canola oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt
2 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cumin
One 14 oz can tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Two 14 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1" chunks
1 cup frozen or dried corn
1 TBS apple-cider vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add in the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, allowing it to become fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the remainder of the spices and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2.  Turn the heat to high and deglaze the pot with 3/4 cup water, scrapping the sides of the pot and allowing the liquid to evaporate, about 2 minutes.  Turn the heat back down to medium and add the tomatoes, BBQ sauce, and broth.  Bring to a simmer.

3. Add the beans and sweet potatoes, cooking the chili over medium heat until the sweet potatoes soften, about 30 minutes.  Spear a piece with a fork to check softness.

4. Add the corn and cook for about 10 minutes longer.  Finish the chili with the apple-cider vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Guest Post: Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Here is a new recipe from a regular guest writer, Megan!  White chicken chili ROCKS, and this one looks super easy.  Definitely on my menu for next week with some cornbread.  Happy crockpot cooking!

First off, shout out to Julie at Lovely Little Kitchen, from whom I slightly tweaked the recipe, which is DELICIOUS and will make it seem like you slaved hours in the kitchen, instead of your crockpot.  My version doesn't LOOK as appetizing as hers, but I promise it probably was.  Here goes:

Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Serves: 6-8

 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken breasts (2-2.5lb) (more is better, I say!)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
• 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles
• 15 ounce can white corn, drained
• 2 15.5 ounce cans white beans, drained (I used great northern!)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion chicken base (for the record, this stuff is kind of expensive, but WORTH IT)
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I just used black pepper because it's what I had and it was fabulous)
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (or regular salt, whatever...)
• 1/2 cup sour cream

  Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts on the bottom of a crockpot, and add chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chicken broth, green chiles, corn and beans. Cook on low for 6-8h (i did 6 and it was perfect).
2. About an hour before serving: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, and allow to bubble a bit. After a few minutes, gradually whisk in the milk and chicken base.
3. Allow the sauce to simmer for 4-5 minutes, whisking frequently until it is slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper.
4. Pour sauce into crockpot and mix to combine.
5. Add sour cream and mix.
6. My chicken was pretty much shredded at this point from all the stirring, but if yours isn't, just work at it with a couple of forks.
7. Let the chicken chili cook on low another 30min-1h

To serve, garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, fritos or any combination of those!  This is one of our new favorites.  I'd like to add that this was easy enough for me to make whilst studying for a huge test, so...super easy. 

Sweet Potato-Winter Squash Soup

We're all pretty used to potato soup, but why not sweet potatoes?  Paired with winter squash, this soup has a lovely deep orange color that's perfect for fall.  I used red kuri squash from my last CSA share, but butternut squash or pumpkin would work equally well.  Serve with some crusty bread, and you'll be good to go!

Sweet Potato-Winter Squash Soup

Time: 1 hour
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 TBS canola oil
3-4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 small squash, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 medium onion, chopped (or use frozen pre-chopped!)
2 cloves garlic
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the squash, sweet potatoes, stock, and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to low and cover.  Allow the squash and sweet potatoes to soften, about 30-40 minutes.  A fork should easily pierce the vegetables.

2.  Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and blend using an immersion blender or a regular blender until smooth.  If using a regular blender, blend in batches while covering the top with a towel.  You have to let the steam out so it does not explode on you.  Add the blended soup back to the pot.  If it seems too thick, you can add more stock.  Add the tarragon, salt, and pepper, and allow the flavors to meld, about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Soup can be refrigerated for 5 days or frozen for 3 months.  Thaw to room temperature before reheating to serve, may need to blend again before serving.

Guest Post: Chicken Soup

Today I have a guest post by my fellow culinary-minded classmate, Andrew. Super excited about this one, he's a pretty awesome cook. Check it out!

I like simple, modular recipes that highlight the flavor of the main ingredients. I also tend to use more aromatic vegetables than most recipes call for. The recipe below is actually three in one: a simple roasted chicken main course, a brown chicken stock to keep on-hand in your freezer, and a soup chock-full of veggie chunks and with a rich roasted chicken flavor.

Chicken Soup [3]:
Meat from 1 Roast Chicken [1]
½ gallon Chicken Stock [2]
Two pounds of onions
One bunch celery
One bunch carrots
4 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
3 Fresh or frozen thyme sprigs
Black pepper
Salt

[1]
Pre-heat oven to 450 F
Remove giblets from whole chicken and pat dry with paper towels. If desired, remove wishbone. Generously salt the inside and outside of the bird. If using, insert probe thermometer into the deepest region of the breast. Place on a rimmed baking sheet or oven-safe skillet and bake for about 1 h, or until the thermometer registers 156 F, or until skin is golden brown and crispy. Let rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the interior temperature to rise to 165 F (if using only for soup it’s OK if the meat is slightly underdone). Remove breasts, legs, and wings (secretly eat the oysters, they’re the best part). Reserve pan drippings.
[2]
Add chicken carcass and pan drippings to a pot or slow cooker and cover with water. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 4-12 hours, or until the bones crush to moderate pressure. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer (with two layers of cheesecloth if clarity is desired). Refrigerate and remove (and reserve) the layer of fat on top.
[3]
Dice onions, carrots, and celery. Mince or crush garlic. Cover the bottom of a large pot in a thin layer of olive oil and/or rendered chicken fat. Add in onions, carrots, and celery, salt and pepper lightly, and cook; adding garlic a few minutes after the other veggies. When onions are translucent add in chicken stock and three springs thyme and bring to a simmer. While soup is simmering chop chicken meat into bite-sized pieces. Add in chicken and simmer on low until chicken is heated through. Taste the stock and add pepper and salt in increments until the stock tastes intense but not salty (the amount varies depending on the salt level from the roasted chicken and stock). If you want to know what taste you’re going for try ladling a small bowl of soup and salting until just past your desired level of seasoning. When soup is seasoned allow it to simmer for at least 15 minutes, and serve over rice or with a side of crusty bread. The soup will be even better the next day.

Fresh Tomato Soup

First of the tomato recipes: tomato soup!  You probably associate tomato soup with grilled cheese and cooler weather, but this recipe is perfect for using up some summer tomatoes.  It's bursting with bright tomato flavor!

Fresh Tomato Soup

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

You can either peel and seed the tomatoes before you begin (directions here), or strain the blended soup at the end.  I did the first option, but I think the second is probably faster.  

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cups diced onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes 

1 TBS olive oil

1 cup water or stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 TBS kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Rough chop all vegetables to about the same size.  In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil.  Add in the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another 5 minutes.  

2.  Add in the tomatoes and water/stock.  Allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the carrots are soft.

3.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes.  In batches, pour the soup into a blender and blend until smooth.  Leave the extractable part of the top off and cover with a cloth to allow the steam out.  Otherwise, you are in for a fun explosion!  Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender, another of my favorite kitchen gadgets.  

4.  If you didn't peel and seed first, pour the soup through a strainer over a large bowl.