White Beans with Fiddleheads & Lemon

The other evening, while perusing the produce section of my local grocery store, I came across a crate of fiddleheads. I've not seen them before, so I was immediately drawn to them. Deeply green, coiled tightly but in a way that was charming and almost mysterious. Like the shy guy you dated who wouldn't open up, but had a sweet smile and disposition that made you want to know everything about him.

So I bought some. Mostly because I know they're only in season for a short time (May-July), but also because of their name. Fiddlehead. Just say it a few times and try not to smile. I dare you.



I bought them without knowing anything about them. However, I later found out that they can be used similarly to asparagus. Since asparagus makes my heart sing, I figured it'd be easy to make a dish that tasted wonderful.

For those who are curious, fiddleheads are, indeed, quite similar to asparagus in texture and taste. They're quite mild, pair beautifully with lemon, and are just as cute as can be.



So I tossed the fiddleheads with some creamy white beans, fruity olive oil, bright lemon and nutty parmesan cheese. Simple ingredients coming together to make something simply divine; it made for a quick and utterly lovely Springtime dinner.


White beans with fiddleheads and lemon
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed, liquid reserved
- 1/2lb fiddleheads
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2T olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1/2
- 1t thyme
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- S&P, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish (opt)

Instructions
- Prepare fiddleheads by cutting off the brown tip. Blanche them in lightly boiling water for 2 minutes, then shock them in cold water.
- Saute shallot and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Once translucent, add fiddleheads and saute until tender. Add beans, remaining olive oil, thyme and seasonings and cook until warmed through. Add bean liquid as needed if mixture becomes to dry. Serve in bowls with parmesan sprinkled on top.

Serves 2 as main, 4 as side

Crockpot Frijoles

I woke up one morning craving frijoles. Coincidentally, frijoles is one of my favorite words. Just say it: frijoles.

Frijoles. Frijoles. Frijoles. I'm done.

At 8:00AM, as I was loading up my crockpot with ingredients, my friend stumbled out of bed and asked: "What are you making?" The conversation went something like this:

"Frijoles"
"What?"
"I'm making frijoles."
"Fri-what? Oh, beans."

She said it in such a disappointed way. All of the things I could make and I'm filling the crockpot with beans. But no, these aren't just beans. They're soft, aromatic, smoky, delicious beans that filled the entire hallway with the scent of cumin.


Crockpot frijoles
Ingredients
- 2 cups black beans, uncooked
- 4 cups water
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 yellow onion, quartered (they'll fall apart as they cook)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- Sea salt, to taste
- Cilantro, for garnish

Instructions
- Soak beans in water overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse.
- Place beans, remaining ingredients and enough water to cover everything in a crockpot. Cook on low for 10-12 hours, or high for about 8. Discard bay leaves and garlic cloves before serving.



If you don't have a crockpot, just cook these on the stove for about 2 hours, or until the beans are incredibly soft and delicate.





I served this up with some brown rice I had frozen (rice reheats beautifully) and chipotle cornbread, which is my new love. I'll have that recipe for you guys really soon.

Bowlful of Hugs

After being woken up by loud rain at 6AM and feeling the cool air as I was walking home from the gym this afternoon, I knew that today was the perfect day for soup. As many of you may know, soup is one of my favorite foods. I made it more often than normal during my summer in Florida, but now that it's more seasonally appropriate I feel even more inclined to bust out the crock pot and make batch after batch of soup. While I love Italian food and chocolate, I think that soup is my ultimate comfort food; it's a warm hug in a bowl.

I had all the ingredients to make something I haven't made before: black bean soup. In fact, the only black bean soup I've ever had is from Panera Bread, which is mouth rocking. I knew that mine probably wouldn't compare to Panera's, but I still set out to make something tasty. I even added a secret ingredient!


Black bean soup
Ingredients
- 1/2lb dried black beans (1 cup)
- 4 cups water

- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 large yellow onion or 1 large, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp cilantro
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- The night before, soak beans in water. In the morning, drain and rinse the beans and set aside.
- Saute onion, pepper, garlic and jalapeno until translucent. Set aside.
- Add beans, stock, aromatics and remaining ingredients to a crock pot. Turn on high and cook for 4 hours, then turn it down to low and cook for an additional 2 hours or until serving.
- Option: half an hour before serving, transfer half of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Add the pureed soup back into the crock pot and stir to combine. This will thicken the soup and make it creamier, while still allowing for some texture.

Serves 4-6


Can you guess the "secret" ingredient? Cocoa powder! It added a richness to the soup without adding much flavor. It's one of those things that totally make a dish even though you can't really detect what it actually does (similar to bay leaves). I liked this soup a lot - it was comforting and smokey without being at all spicy. If you want it spicy, though, feel free to up the jalapeno or throw in a pinch of cayenne; I wanted it more smokey and aromatic.


I garnished mine with a dollop of soyogurt and tomatoes and feasted! I can't say it's exactly like Panera's, but it's still pretty darn tasty.

Random fact: My favorite flower is a sunflower. What's yours?

BBQ Success

I have had the idea of doing a BBQ burger for a while now. However, when I first googled recipes for inspiration, I was disheartened to see nothing but recipes that included adding BBQ sauce to a bean mixture. While I'm sure that doesn't taste bad, it's just not what I wanted. I wanted something that required doing a little extra and adding more love to the burgers. Thankfully, I think I finally crafted a recipe that is a success.


(Note: I have way too much time on my hands)

BBQ pinto bean burgers
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can pinto beans (I use no salt added so I have control over the salt)
- 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup oats + 1/2 cup
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax, 3 tbsp water)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp dry rub seasoning (recipe to follow)
- Sea salt, to taste

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Pulse oats in a food processor until fine. Set aside.
- Add vegetables to the processor and pulse until fine. Add pinto beans and 1/2 cup oats and pulse until combined.
- Dump mixture into a large bowl and add dry rub and salt. Mix with your hands and feel it out - if it seems too wet, add more oat flour. Keep adding until it's firm but not dry. I like to use my hands because not only does it add love to your food, but you can really feel the texture and get it to your liking.
- Using 1/3 cup measure, shape patties and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. They're done when they're firm, crisp and lightly golden.

Makes 5 hefty burgers

Dry rub seasoning
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp cracked pepper
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne

Feel free to add salt as well. Once again, I'd prefer to add salt directly to my food instead of relying on other things to season it for me. What can I say, I'm a control freak.

Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a sealed container and shake, shake, shake! Store like you would other spices.


The spice mixture in the burgers is SPOT ON. I could taste it on my tongue even after I was finished. The burgers weren't really spicy but had a great smokey, BBQ flavor. It took all the power inside me not to gobble up the other burger I cooked. I believe these are my best burgers yet!


On the side I had some baked sweet potato chips. I'd love to share the recipe, but I'm still working on them and they're not perfect yet, so for now I'll tease you instead.


I'm a cruel woman.

Chickpea of the Sea

My mom will probably laugh at the fact that this recipe includes a laundry list of things I used to hate, which replicates a dish that I used to hate. Needless to say, my tastes have changed, especially since switching to veganism. So today I wanted to try making something that never appealed to me and see if I liked it. Live dangerously, folks, live dangerously.


Mock tuna salad
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 dill pickle, diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 tbsp nori or dulse flakes
- 3 tbsp unsweetened plain soyogurt (Wildwood)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- Old Bay, to taste
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Mash chickpeas roughly using a fork or potato masher. Alternatively, add them to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Chill until serve.


The verdict? So good! It tastes very similar to tuna salad because of the nori and Old Bay and all of the flavors worked super well together. I've used chickpeas to make "chicken" salad before, but I prefer this! It's inexpensive, easy to make and tasty.

I had mine on a deliciously doughy pita with romaine and tomato. Perfetto.


Be back later with a (hopefully) successful veggie burger recipe! Happy Tuesday. :D

Eating Like Peasants

This is further proof that I can't get enough of a) soup and b) Italian food.

Tuscan bread soup, or Ribollita, is a soup that was eaten by peasants because it's hearty, filling, and included ingredients easily accessible to them. Typically the soup is simply leftover minestrone with bread added to it; it's vegetarian by nature because of the lack of meat and cheese readily available to that class. Luckily even though that class structure is no more, the soup has remained a delicious Tuscan staple.

Also typical of this soup is that it takes three days to make. The first day is reserved to make the minestrone, then the second day bread is added and the soup is allowed to rest overnight. On the third day, the soup is reheated (ribollita means "reboiled") and served. I didn't have neither the time nor desire to devote three days to making soup, so this is my quick but equally delicious version.


Ribollita
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale (preferably dinosaur kale), chopped
- 1/2 head cabbage, either savoy or green, shredded
- 4 small red potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1/2 large red onion or 1 medium, finely chopped
- 2 ribs garlic, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 vine tomatoes, boiled, peeled and hand crushed
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil + extra for drizzling
- 1 15oz can beans (cannellini is preferred but I used kidney)
- 6-8oz of stale bread, cut into 1in cubes (about 1/2 an Italian baguette)
- Fresh parsley,basil and thyme, to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, saute aromatics in olive oil until translucent.
- Add kale, cabbage and potatoes and top with enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the greens are wilted.
- Add crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and continue to simmer. Add beans and continue simmering for around 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, fish out the bay leaves and puree half the soup in batches. Put all of the soup into a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using the same pot (off the heat), put a layer of stale bread on the bottom and cover with a layer of soup. Continue layering until soup is gone. Set aside for at least 2 hours.
- Half an hour before serving, bring the soup up to a low boil and simmer. Ladle into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil.



I know that this soup is quite involved and is an all day affair, but it's SO worth it. It sticks to your ribs and has a wonderful, earthy, herbaceous flavor. Think of it as spending all day putting love into a pot. It's a perfect way to use up a lot of stale bread and it's definitely interesting to see how much thicker it makes the soup. Also, imagine how amazing the leftovers will taste, because this is the kind of soup that gets infinitely better with age. So go get the ingredients and make this soup - I promise you won't regret it. If you do, just send the leftovers to me.



Side note: For a wine pairing, I highly recommend either a chianti classico or a rosé. I drank a bit of rosé and it went beautifully.

Viva Italia

I'm on a roll, or in this case, a tomato. After hitting the gym for a sweaty cardio session, did I want something light and refreshing to cool me down? No. I wanted something hot, Italian and stick to your ribs good. The best thing about this dish is that it literally includes four ingredients, which create their own sauce. The end result is something so flavorful and hearty that it can only be considered comfort food.


Fagioli all’Uccelletto (Cannellini beans in tomatoes)
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can cannellini beans + bean liquid
- 2 medium vine tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Fresh basil
- S&P, to taste

Instructions
- Chop tomatoes and crush them with your hands a bit to release more liquid.
- Add tomatoes, torn basil and garlic to a non-stick pan. Cook on medium-high for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are completely soft and break apart to the touch.
- Add beans + bean liquid and stir (note: I use no salt added beans so I can control the salt in my dishes). Cook for about 5 more minutes, making sure beans still retain their shape. You're looking for the sauce to thicken a bit but for the beans to just warm through. Finish with more torn basil and fresh cracked pepper.


See? Simple. The way food should be.



If I had my way I'd serve it with a giant piece of crusty bread, but alas, I had a side salad with spinach, radicchio, broccoli and balsamic. More nutritious? Yes, but bread it is not.

No Vegetables

I had every intention of adding some spinach somewhere in this dish so that I could include vegetables, but I forgot. I figure the health benefits from the lentils more than makes up for the lack of produce. Well hey, garlic and onions sort of count as vegetables, and that's good enough for me.


Indian spiced lentils
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup green lentils
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp ground tumeric
- S&P
- Squirt of lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cilantro, for garnish

Instructions
- Bring lentil and water to a boil and simmer for ~40 minutes.
- After about 30 minutes, begin preparing the spices and aromatics: Add half the olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Add spices and stir continuously for about 2 minutes. Toasting will enhance the flavor and depth of the spices.
- After the spices are done, add the remaining olive oil and cook onion and garlic until translucent.
- Around this time the lentils should be about ready. Drain (reserve a bit of liquid) and add to the pan, stirring to coat the lentils evenly with the spices. If the mixture looks a little dry, add reserved lentil liquid. Squirt with lemon juice before serving. I served over short grain brown rice that I FINALLY cooked perfectly.



This dish came about because I got the wrong type of lentils from the bulk bin. I wanted to make dal, but instead of red or yellow lentils I grabbed green. I know that all lentils are good lentils, so I had to make these work with my craving for Indian flavors somehow. I think I did a good job. As with most of my dishes, this could easily feed two people, but I cannot refuse a mound of aromatic lentils.


I also had a glass of wine that I bought at this great wine bar called The Wine Room in Winter Park, FL. I tried a bunch of different wines (one called Graham Crackers which I tried because I thought it would taste like s'mores - it did not) and fell in love with this kind. I splurged and bought a bottle for myself despite my lack of money because I liked it so much. Unfortunately it wasn't the dumbest purchase of the evening, but more on that later.


Bellissima.

Chili for a Chilly Cure

It was a hectic day for me - I finished packing, moved back home, messily unpacked, and went grocery shopping (I'm very excited about one grocery purchase, stay tuned!). Luckily I had some time to make a home cooked meal in my actual family home; it felt nice.

Western Massachusetts is expected to be in the 20s tonight. Yes, I'm serious. I wore my winter coat and was still cold. What's a good cure for chilly weather? Chili!

Granted, my stomach isn't 100% yet, so this may have been an awful idea, but it tasted so good that I don't care. I had to stop myself from eating the entire pot.


Vegan bean (chipotle) chili

Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 2 15oz cans tomatoes, your choice (I used 1 can Muir Glen diced with chipotle, and 1 can Muir Glen fire roasted crushed)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 15oz cans beans, your choice (I used black beans and white beans)
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2-1 cup water

Tip: Put away those Mccormick chili packets and invest in some good spices, it definitely makes a difference.

Tip 2: Notice there is no added salt in the recipe? It totally didn't need any. If you're a salt fiend, feel free to add a pinch, but I didn't find it necessary.


Instructions
- Spray a large, deep pot with cooking spray (or use 1 tbsp oil) and saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add peppers and stir, cook for one or two more minutes.
- Stir in chili powder and cumin. I like adding the spices before liquid so they toast just slightly.
- Add both cans of tomatoes, beans, oregano, and brown sugar. Add water to reach desired consistency.
- Bring mixture to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove cover and simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or until serving. Enjoy!


After 45 minutes.


Just before serving.


Mmm. Perfect chili.

As cheesy as it sounds, this warmed my body and my heart. Chili definitely has a way of hitting the spot and it's so simple to make. Time to relax with some yoga.

A baker I am not.

This morning I randomly had the desire to bake bread. Problem(s)? I've never baked bread before and I have no yeast. So, I figured I'd try my hand at yeast-free bread. The other problem? I realized after I began mixing that I didn't have enough flour. I had a too-runny dough but the stubbornness of a mule, so I baked it anyway. The end result was something resembling biscotti in both shape and texture, but I can't say it's the worst bread I've ever had:


I cut it into "breadsticks" because I thought they'd go well with the dinner I had planned.

My newly discovered love of avocado led me to making this beautiful wrap for lunch:


Whole wheat and flax wrap filled with hummus, pea shoots, baby spinach, red pepper, avocado squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of cumin, salt, and pepper. Absolutely delicious.

But now I give you, hands down, the best soup I have ever made:


Creamy white bean soup
Serves 3

Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can white beans, drained
- 4 cups vegan vegetable broth/bouillon cubes
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used plain unsweetened almond)
- 1 tbsp corn starch + 1 tbsp water
- 1 rib celery
- 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp each basil, oregano, rosemary and sage
- Pinch of red pepper flake
- S&P, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp per serving

Instructions
- In a large soup pot, combine 1 tbsp olive oil with chopped celery, garlic and shallot. Saute until translucent.
- Add beans and stock. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Ladle mixture (one scoop at a time) into a blender. Blend until smooth. Do this until roughly half the soup is pureed. I only blend half because I like the texture of some whole beans, but feel free to puree all of it. Put back into the pot.
- Add almond milk and seasoning and stir.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp water + 1 tbsp corn starch. Add corn starch mixture to soup. Stir until thickened. Cover and simmer until you're ready to serve. Season as necessary.
- Portion into bowls and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil (preferably extra virgin) on the top of each. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Mangia!