Hearty Meals

Jambalaya

Zach has been wanting to make Jambalaya for a while now, and we have a great cookbook with a fabulous, easy recipe (Better Homes and Gardens cookbook). Since I have been working in the evenings, Zach has really taken over the cooking, and he deserves mad props for this meal. The recipe called for chopped onion, celery, red pepper, and okra along with some garlic, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, kielbasa, and some dried herbs (thyme and basil) and ground red pepper.

I have to say, the okra was my favorite part. I haven't had it in a really long time, and I think it's underused these days (at least by us!). I think I would add more vegetables in the future, too, because the recipe was a bit heavy on the meat, even though we reduced the amount anyway. This was an amazing recipe that we ate for a few days, and was just as delicious the second and third day!

Spicy Vegan Potato Curry

Pasadena has an awesome farmer's market Saturday mornings that Zach and I bike to every week. I go for the strawberries and homemade tamales, but we usually pick up any vegetables that look good and find a recipe for them during the week. Last week, we picked out some good looking yams, and found a recipe for potato curry on allrecipes.com. (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Vegan-Potato-Curry/Detail.aspx)

We used 2 sweet potatoes, and 2 russet potatoes, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Below are the spices we used: cayenne pepper, cumin, garam masala, and curry powder. Since we last made Daal, I have been obsessed with garam masala. It smells soo fragrant and delicious, and tastes even better.

We boiled up the potatoes after cutting them into cubes, and drained them when tender. In a large pan, we sauteed the onion and garlic for a few minutes, added the spices and fresh minced ginger root and stirred it around for a few more minutes. Then added a can of garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, peas, potatoes, and a can of coconut milk.

After simmering for 15 minutes, we served it over some rice.

Okay, I have to say it was waaay too spicy for me to handle (and we followed the measurement for the cayenne pepper). Which was a little depressing since I love curry and I love yams, so the combination should have been heavenly. Zach didn't seem to mind the spice, and when I added more rice, I could handle it a bit better. Other than that, it was a great recipe. Some of the comments from allrecipes.com were to use less garbanzo beans, but we love them so we kept it at a 15 oz can. So, my suggestion? Start with less cayenne, and add after taste testing. Yes, I have learned my lesson...

Healing Cabbage Soup

We have been wanting to make a cabbage soup ever since we have been eyeing big heads of cabbage at the farmers market for a steal. After investigating some cabbage soup recipes, we made our own combination and came up with our own recipe, which I wrote down, and Zach made one evening I was working.

Zach started off by sauteeing onion, and garlic for a few minutes, then added in 2 quarts of water, vegetable bouillon, a head of cabbage, green beans, and carrots and simmered for 20 minutes. Then he added a can of diced tomatoes, simmered for 30 more minutes.

Served with a slice (or two) or bread (we like olive bread), it was a delicious and hearty meal.

Have you seen a theme with our recipes with this post? We like one pot meals that are easy to pull together, and are filling with lots of vegetables. I would like to start making better lunches (since Zach is able to come home for an hour or so daily) together instead of focusing on dinners for our homemade meals. Since I am only home 2 nights a week, it might be fun to make salads or cool sandwiches (mmm, paninis!) for lunch. We tend to eat the same thing every day at lunchtime - green salad with a turkey sandwich and a side of fruit. Some added variety would be nice. Plus, Rick Bayless has some good lookin' salad recipes we need to make!

Go eat! :)