I was flipping through my latest issue of Runner’s World, and spotted this cassoulet recipe. Mark Bittman wrote about the benefits of a “plant-heavy diet”, using meat as an accent, rather than the focal point of a dish. I took that one step further, and used just 10 oz. of boneless pork loin, cut into very small pieces to distribute the flavor. I also added about 2 cups of sliced mushrooms, which extended this to 6 servings. This was a fantastic dish, which is good because I’ll be eating it for a while.

I had to try this recipe with two of my favorite vegetables in the same pot, even if it’s a little hot these days for soup. I followed the recipe as written, except that I cut the cilantro back to a half cup, and even the reduced amount was almost overwhelming. Next time I may replace the cilantro with a milder herb so the vegetables themselves can shine. I also didn’t puree the soup completely to yield an even color, but I liked the more natural texture, and garnished the soup with Parmesan cheese.

I would call this recipe ‘interesting’ in that it was fun to try something different, and the dish grew on me over the course of a few days, but I am not in a rush to make it again. I hope that’s fair. It was a very nice blend of vegetables and spices, but the coconut milk became gray, so it wasn’t visually appealing.

I cut back the oil to just 2 tablespoons, and used light coconut milk. I left out the peppers due to my taste preferences, and could not find mustard seeds at the store, so omitted those as well.

Before “soup season” really winds down, I wanted to try this recipe for Miso Soup with Sweet Potato Dumplings. I even bought my very first bottle of miso for the occasion! Ideally, you would start with a sweet potato which has already been baked since that would save a lot of time. I followed the recipe as written, although I left out the edamame. I closed the dumplings as best I could, sealing the edges with a few drops of water.

While doing some pre-spring cleaning, I stumbled upon this recipe which was given to me years ago. Chocolate always grabs my attention! You can’t really taste the chocolate here, but it creates a mole sauce which makes this chili just a little unique. I may try mashing a few of the black beans to make the sauce thicker.

And just in case you were getting as bored as I was of my white bowls, here is the new bowl and salad plate that I got at Target.

2 t olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
1 T cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T chili powder
1/2 t black pepper
2 (14.5 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 T lime juice
1 T soy sauce
1 c. corn
1 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute 10 minutes. Add celery, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the spices (cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, and black pepper) and a few spoonfuls of water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add beans, tomatoes, lime juice, soy sauce, and corn, and simmer on low for 15- 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate and mix until the chocolate melts.

I finally got a chance to try this recipe and it was fantastic. Sadly, the picture does not do it justice. The flavor of the fresh ginger and garlic was amazing, and while the cinnamon may seem a little out of place, I really think it enhanced the overall taste. I used a top round cut of beef which became very tender. If you want this to be more like a soup, just add some extra broth.

This soup was amazing! I loved the balsamic flavor, but you could also taste all the wonderful vegetables. There is nothing I would change, except perhaps cut the recipe in half since it makes a lot of soup.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 parsnips, peeled and cubed
2-3 carrots, peeled and cubed
1 T olive oil
4 T balsamic vinegar, divided
4 slices Canadian bacon, chopped
2 shallots, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 c. dried lentils
6 c. broth
6 c. Swiss chard leaves, torn into small pieces

Combine sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and oil in a large bowl; toss well. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a large foil-lined jelly-roll pan; bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Cook Canadian bacon in a large pot over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add shallots and onion; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add lentils, and 4 cups broth to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups broth and roasted vegetables to pan, and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered. Add chard, and cook 5 minutes or until wilted.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

I have had a bag of wheat berries in my cabinet for a few weeks, trying to decide how to use them for the first time. There are many appealing grain salad recipes, but it’s still winter and I was in the mood for chili. First, I simmered the wheat berries in a generous amount of water for well over an hour in a covered saucepan. As I checked, they changed from crunchy to pleasantly chewy. I forgot to take a picture of the cooked wheat berries, but here is a photo of the chili, ready to go work.

This recipe definitely needs a shorter title! The soup was thick and hearty, but seemed to need ‘something else’. Next time I might skip the ginger, and use Italian seasoning instead, and add a can of tomatoes. For now, I just sprinkled on some (not freshly grated) Parmesan and enjoyed the warm bowl.

1 c. dry Northern white beans, soaked overnight
4 c. vegetable broth
1 (14 oz.) can pumpkin
3 c. torn kale
1/2 t ginger

Add all ingredients to the crockpot, and cook on low for 8 hours.

I had a meaty ham bone in the freezer from a ham I cooked last month, and I decided to use it to make pea soup. This is the most basic split pea soup recipe I use, and usually I make it with leftover ham rather than the whole bone. You can adjust the consistency by adding more water. I tried to take several photos, but split pea soup does not photograph well. Good thing it freezes well, since this recipe makes quite a bit of soup!

1 T oil
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 ham bone or leftover ham, diced
1 (16 oz.) bag split peas

Heat oil in a large nonstick pot on medium heat, and saute onion and carrot for 5-10 minutes. Place ham bone and split peas in pot, and add enough water to cover the ingredients. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove ham bone from pot, and cut any remaining meat and add to soup. If there are large pieces of ham in the pot, remove and cut into bite sized pieces. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Add black pepper to taste when serving.