This Week's Fall Favorites

Here in Chicago it's beginning to feel a lot like fall. The trees are changing a little, and it's been rainy, prompting those newly yellowed leaves to fall underfoot. 

Fall is the best time to experiment with soups and chilis. I have a ton of favorites (which I hope to share in the months to follow), but this first recipe is a new one for me. I got the inspiration from Pinterest. Actually, that's where I found most of this week's ideas. It's an awesome collecting site, you should check it out.

Happy reading and cooking!

      

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

 

1 tsp Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped

2 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 can Low Sodium Black Beans, undrained

1 can Low Sodium Kidney Beans, undrained

1 can Low Sodium corn, undrained
1 small can of Tomato sauce
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove Garlic, chopped

1/8 tsp crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

You can make this chili in a crock pot or on the stove top.

Stove Top:

In large frying pan, sauté onions and sweet potatoes, with olive oil, until browned. Add red pepper for another minute.

Transfer everything to a large soup pot. Add beans, corn, tomato sauce, garlic. Heat to boil.

Add red wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, cocoa powder, honey, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon. Stir well. Reduce heat and simmer on low, uncovered, 25-30 min.

Crock Pot:

In large frying pan, sauté onions and sweet potatoes, with olive oil, until browned. Add red bellpepper for another minute.

Transfer everything to crock pot. Add beans, corn, tomato sauce, garlic, red wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, cocoa powder, honey, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon. Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.

Serve with corn bread or over couscous.

(Inspired by Alex's Edibles' Black Bean Yam Soup)

Apple Cake (for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year)

 6 Apples, chopped or sliced into ½ inch chunks (I used a combo of Jonathan and Honey Crisp)
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
5 tablespoons Sugar

2 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg
1 cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups Sugar
1 Tbsp Orange Juice

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan or regular baking pan (try not to use a bundt pan unless you are comfortable).

Core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange and lemon juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Add water. Stir well.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

(Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's Mom's Apple Cake)

Fried Plantains

Olive oil

Plantain

Cinnamon

Sour Cream

Chili Powder

Slice plantain diagonally, so the pieces are as big as possible. Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Arrange plantains in frying pan. Cook on both sides until browned. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Serve with sour cream and chili powder.

Serve alongside Avocado Quesadillas. 

Best Broccoli Ever

Broccoli 

(you can also add onions and yellow bell peppers)

Olive Oil

Black Pepper

Dried Basil

Garlic powder

Juice of one lemon or equivalent bottled lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut broccoli  into florets. Place vegetables on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil. Toss with olive oil, pepper and dried basil. Sprinkle with garlic powder.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”

When it’s done, take it out of the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice.

(Inspired by Amateur Gourmet's The Best Broccoli of Your Life)

September in my Kitchen

I've been a little lax in my cooking lately. Or rather, I've been lax in recording my recipes for you to read! These past few weeks have been very busy and tiring at work, prompting me to fall back on easy, favorite recipes, rather than making up new ones. I apologize.

Last week I stopped in at the Morse Market to grab some ingredients for Ratatouille. I usually shop at the Devon Market, as it is much closer to my home, but Morse was more convenient on this particular day. I do have to say Devon has a better variety of fruits and vegetables, but Morse so extremely organized! And . . . they have Goya low sodium cans of beans! Four different kinds: Kidney, Pinto, Black and Garbanzo. Super excited about this new discovery. 

This week I went shopping at Trader Joe's. I love Trader Joe's but don't often get to shop there as their locations are few and far between here in Chicago. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find both low sodium pasta sauce and low sodium chicken broth! I have to admit, the pasta sauce is a little too acidic for my taste (I'll just have to make my own!). The broth was nice and flavorful, although I do miss the flavor of salt in my soups. This first recipe was my first soup/stew within the DASH diet. I still need to figure out a better way to get that kick that salt brings, but the stew did turn out very well.

If I really wanted to, I could go to seven different places to purchase my groceries. 

Aldi has the cheapest cheese (Fresh mozarella is the lowest sodium percentage I have found), eggs and milk. As well as quality olive oil, dried herbs and spices. 

Jewel sells all the flavors of my favorite low sodium chips, Food Should Taste Good, my favorite flavor of ice cream, "Red Velvet Cake", and a wide selection of couscous.

Dominicks is an okay fall back place to shop, but really too expensive for most things.

Devon Market is where I get my whole wheat pita, fruits and vegetables.

Trader Joe's for low sodium pasta sauce and broth. Also a good place to get large quantities of nuts.

Target is nice and cheap for most things. A good place to purchase cereal, granola bars and frozen chicken.

Morse Market is the go-to place for low sodium cans of beans!

Hope you enjoy this week's recipes:

Turkey and Harvest Vegetable Stew

Multiple Servings/Family Size (Each portion includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive Oil

Lots of Garlic

1 Onion, chopped

3 Sweet Potatoes, cubed finely

Thyme

Ground Turkey

Black Pepper

Parsley

1 Zucchini, cubed

1 small Yellow squash, cubed

1/2 Carrots, chopped

1 carton of Broth (I used Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Chicken Broth)

1/2 cup rice (I used Trader Joe’s Wild Rice Medley)

Add more water as needed

Pepper

Paprika

Oregano

Balsamic Vinegar (*optional)

White Vinegar (*optional)

Chop vegetables. Sauté in a large frying pan with olive oil and garlic.

At the same time, cook turkey in a large soup pot. Add black pepper and parsley. When sweet potatoes and onions are done, add to large pot.

Chop vegetables and sauté in recently vacated frying pan. Add to large pot when done.

Bring to boil, then simmer for 1/2 hour, or until rice is cooked.

 

Add Paprika and oregano to taste.  (If using low sodium broth, add vinegar to taste.)

Biscuit Pizza

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

1 cup flour

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp olive oil

Basil

Flax seed

Balsamic vinegar

Garlic

Onions, chopped

Tomato, sliced

Mushrooms, sliced

Spinach

Oregano

Cheese (whatever kind you wish)

Combine dough ingredients and stir well. Grease pan, spread dough until 1/4 inch thick.

Sprinkle vinegar and garlic on dough. Layer with tomatoes and then other vegetables. Top with cheese and oregano. Bake at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes or until top is golden.

Asparagus Lasagna Rolls

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

4 Lasagna noodles

Olive Oil

Onions, chopped

Garlic

Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

Tomatoes, chopped finely

Basil

Oregano

Balsamic Vinegar

Chicken, cubed (*optional)

Parmesan Cheese

Cook noodles according to directions.

Sauté vegetables and garlic (and chicken if desired) in small amount of olive oil.  Add vinegar, basil and oregano.

When noodles are done, drain and lay out on plate to dry.

Spoon 1/4 of vegetables on each noodle. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and roll. Add more parmesan on top.

Mash Potatoes with Cauliflower, Zucchini and Asparagus

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

1 small Potato, cubed

1/4 cup Sour cream

Small amount of water, if needed

Garlic

Paprika

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Onions, chopped

Cauliflower, chopped

Zucchini, chopped

Asparagus, chopped

Thyme

Basil

Lemon Juice

Boil potato until tender. Smash and combine with sour cream, garlic, paprika and pepper. Set aside.

Sauté vegetables in small amount of olive oil. Add herbs and lemon juice.

Ratatouille over Couscous

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Olive oil

Garlic

Onion

Tomato

Eggplant

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Mushrooms

Thyme

Oregano

Parmesan Cheese

Couscous

Slice vegetables into nice round pieces.

Pour small amount of olive oil in bottom of round baking dish. Layer dish with vegetables, overlapping in a spiral fashion. Sprinkle with garlic, herbs and a little more olive oil.

Cover with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with foil, and another 30 minutes without foil.

Cook couscous according to directions on package. Top with vegetables and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Avocado Enchiladas

1 Serving (includes 3 servings of vegetables)

Tortillas (either flour or corn)

Garlic

Chili powder

Avocado, sliced

Onion, chopped

Tomato, sliced

Cheese

Sour Cream

Layer ingredients on one side of tortilla, fold in half. Lay in frying pan. Heat on both sides until tortilla is golden and cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and chili powder.

Nectarine Skillet Oatmeal

1 Serving (includes 1 serving of fruit)

1 Tbsp butter

1 nectarine, chopped (or any other fruit you have on hand)

Cinnamon

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup oats

Honey

Sauté fruit with butter and cinnamon. Add water and simmer until fruit is soft. Pour in oats. Add more water if needed. Continue to heat until most of water is evaporated. Pour into bowl. Add honey to taste.

Puffed Pancake with Fruit and Flax Seeds

1 Serving (includes 1 serving of fruit)

 2 eggs

2 Tbsp Sour Cream

1 Tbsp water

1/4 cup flour

1 Tbsp. Flax Seed

Cinnamon, or any other combination of spices. I actually used a pumpkin pie spice.

1/2 cup fruit, chopped

Cooking spray.

Grease a long bread pan or small round baking dish. 

Combine wet ingredients, beat. Add dry and stir well. Pour batter into pan. Add fruit.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until pancake puffs and turns golden.

Top with syrup or honey.