Moroccan Vegetable Stew

I just can't get enough of stews in the winter.  Nothing like a good hearty warm bowl of veggie goodness to get me through.  Not to mention, you can just throw everything into the crockpot and come back the next morning.  This stew is dependent on the spices and the eggplant - but you could throw any other veggies you had in and I'm sure it would be great.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
5 cups vegetable broth
4 carrots, sliced
1 small eggplant, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
3/4 cup currants or raisins
1 cup almonds, chopped
Salt + Pepper, to taste

1. Cook garlic, onion and all spices in either olive or coconut oil (highly recommended) for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat, allowing to brown.

2. Chop the additional vegetables and add all ingredients to crockpot.  Cook for 8 hours on high.

That's it.

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Original Recipe:

Cooking Light

Butternut Squash Soup with Black Beans, Red Peppers + Cilantro

There's nothing that says fall like some good butternut squash soup.  This was great - easy to make, unique in taste, and very hearty.  I dumped a whole small bottle of Tabasco sauce in there and it still wasn't spicy (though the jalapeno taste was there) - so go nuts on the hot sauce.

Ingredients:

1 large Butternut Squash (or 1 package cut squash), halved
1 Onion, chopped
5 Celery stalks, chopped
6 Garlic cloves
6 cups Vegetable Broth
2 tbsp Cumin
2 cans Black Beans, drained + rinsed
2 Red Bell Peppers, chopped small
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 small bottle Green Tabasco Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Halve squash and place face-up on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt + pepper and roast for 1 hour.  Let cool if whole, and scrape flesh away.

Pre-chopped squash is the greatest thing to have ever happened.  Worth it every time.

3. While squash is cooking, roughly chop onion and celery.  Put in crockpot along with garlic, cumin and broth, set slow cooker to high and start cooking.

4. Add in squash, and puree finely with a hand-held blender.

5. Drain and rise black beans, and chop peppers and cilantro.  Add to crockpot, and cook on high for 8 hours.

Deelish.

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Original Recipe:

Kalyn's Kitchen

Chipotle Chorizo Chocolate Chili

I saved the best for last - this was my favorite chili.  Spicy and sweet all at once - similar to a mole - and surprisingly quick to make.  I combined two recipes to get this one, and turned it into a slow cooker affair.

This got super spicy as leftovers.  So I'll stick to two chili peppers next time, instead of three.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Onion, diced
5 Garlic Cloves, diced
2 Red + Green Peppers, diced
2 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce, minced
4 Chorizo links, chopped
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oregano
3 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
3 14-oz cans Black Beans, drained + rinsed
1 14-oz can Corn, drained + rinsed
2 14-oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1 cup Water
3 tbsp Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Toppings:

Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Cilantro, chopped
Green Onions, diced

1. Chop onion, garlic, peppers and chorizo.

Blenders make everything easier.

2. Add all ingredients into slow cooker, except for chocolate chips.  Cook on high for 6 hours, or until chili is unified.

3. Stir in chocolate chips to taste, a little at a time.

4.  Take off heat and serve, adding toppings.

So. Good.

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Original Recipe:

Cooking Light: Chili with Chipotle and Chocolate

Cooking Light: Black Bean and Chorizo Chili

Quinoa + Roasted Pepper Chili

This chili was the favorite of the more veggie-inclined of the tasters.  It didn't really taste like a chili in the traditional sense, but mirrored it in texture and density - and was delicious.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 Red + Green Peppers, seeded + halved
2 Poblanos, seeded + halved
4 Zucchinis, chopped
1 Onion, diced
8 Garlic Cloves, diced
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
2 cups Water
1 Bouillon Cube
1 cup Quinoa
2 14-oz cans Diced Tomatoes
2 14-oz cans Pinto Beans, drained + rinsed
Salt + Pepper, to taste

Toppings:

Cilantro, chopped
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Sour Cream
Green Onions, sliced

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Slice peppers in half and remove seeds.  Place face-down (skin-up) on a broiling pan covered in tin foil, and flatten with hand.  Broil for 10 minutes or until blackened.

3. Peel skin off of peppers and discard.  Chop roughly.

4. Chop zucchini, onion and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat in a large pot for 5 minutes.

5. Add chili powder, cumin and paprika and stir for 1 minute.

6. Add peppers, tomatoes, quinoa, drained pinto beans, water and the bouillon cube.  Bring to a boil, then simmer and cover for 30 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.

7. Remove from heat, serve, and go crazy with the toppings.

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Original Recipe:

Cooking Light

Poblano-Jalapeno Beef Chili

This week is going to be chili week on Fig & Rose.  I had friends over for "The Great American Chili Tasting" - I made three completely different chilies and we all ate our body weight in food.  Voting was tied for favorites, and quite a few liked this one best.

The first of the trio was traditional chili.  This was a melt-in-your-mouth kind of dish - everything just melded together wonderfully.  I thought it was lacking in an oomph of some sort, but maybe that was just in comparison to the other two, which were so dynamic.  I also burned it a little, which didn't help.  But I'd definitely make it again.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds Ground Beef
2 Jalapenos, seeded + diced
2 Poblanos, seeded + diced
1 Onion, diced
8 Garlic Cloves, diced
1 12-oz Corona
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Cumin
2 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce (1 jar)
1 Cup Vegetable Broth (or 1 cups Water and 1/2 Bouillon Cube)
2 14-oz cans Kidney Beans, rinsed + drained
2 14-oz cans Diced Tomatoes
Salt + Pepper, to taste

Toppings:

Cilantro, chopped
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Green Onions, sliced

1. Cook beef in large pot for 10 minutes or until done, stirring continuously until brown and separated. Remove from pan, drain, and wipe pot clean.

2. Seed and dice jalapenos, poblanos, garlic and onion.  Cook over medium heat in pot for 10 minutes, until onion is tender.

I used the food processor to do all the chopping - saved a lot of time and effort.  Not great if you want large onion chunks, though.

3. Add beer, and scrape pan to loosen browned bits on bottom.  Allow to reduce by half, for about 10 minutes.

4. Add chili powder, cumin and salt, and stir for 1 minute.

5. Add in beef, tomatoes, drained beans, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until thickened.

Don't go nap and forget about it, like I did.  It will burn on the bottom.

6. Take off heat and serve.  Heap on the cheddar, cilantro, sour cream and green onions.

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Original Recipe:

Cooking Light

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Rosemary

The original recipe called for lots of peppers and mushrooms, neither of which I had on hand.  I made up for it by adding carrots, diced and stewed canned tomatoes, and more celery.  I also didn't have red wine, so added more broth.

Ingredients:

2 Bell Peppers, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
4 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
2 Carrots, chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
1 package Mushrooms
2 cups Broth
3 cups Water
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
2 8oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1 package Chicken (on the bone - I used drumsticks)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt + Pepper, to taste

1. Chop peppers, onion, garlic, carrots, celery.  Add these to the slow cooker, as well as rosemary and mushrooms.

2. Add in broth (or Bouillon cube), tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic powder and water.

3. Cut the fat off of the chicken and add in whole.

You just sort of have to get in there and pull it off.  Mmm.

4. Set slow cooker to low, and cook overnight, or until chicken falls off the bone.  Fish out the drumstick bones.

Great alone, and also over rice/barley.

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Original Recipe:

Jeanette's Healthy Living

Tzatziki Sauce OR Cool Cucumber Soup

This is a delicious sauce to put on anything - fish, meat, and anything Mediterranean.  It works really well on falafel...mmm.  But this time, I put it on the Salmon Croquettes.

This recipe makes for a lot of it - so I halved it below.  But it's so light that it also would make for a delicious cold cucumber soup too, if you wanted more.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 Garlic Clove
1 Cucumber, chopped
1.5 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. Salt
2 tbsp. Dill

The two cartons of Greek Yogurt pictured above were what I originally added, which made way too much.

1. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon if necessary.  Try to get the less juicy cucumbers, and you can skip this step.  Chop coarsely.

2. Place cucumber in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt.  Let sit for 30 minutes to draw water out.

3. Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate for 2 hours in order for flavors to settle and blend.

And there you go.

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Original Recipe:

Kalyn's Kitchen