Calabrian Chicken (or lentils), Pepper, Tomato and Potato Stew/ pollo in umido

From The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Amy 

This can be vegan, if lentils are used instead of chicken.

I used this recipe as a base, but added veggies and spices ad lib - including oregano, mushrooms, spinach, sweet potato, red onion … And then added various hot sauces to individual plates.  Brendon and Jessica’s favorite was a red curry sauce.  Like soup, this recipe is very  versatile and forgiving.

INGREDIENTS:  

1/4 cup EVOO

1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into 2” cubes (or lentils)

1 large onion, roughly chopped (and red onion)

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces

1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1” pieces (or 2 red peppers)

Optional veggies: string beans, mushrooms, spinach, sweet potato, red onion …

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups diced tomatoes (or more)

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil (or much more)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste, with hot sauces as desired

2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4” rounds (and sweet potato)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Prepare lentils according to directions, or use TJ’s prepared lentils.  If using chicken, heat 3 Tbsp EVOO in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan saucepan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and brown on all sides (or cook more fully - see step 3).  Remove from the skillet and set on a plate.

2) Add the remaining tablespoon of EVOO, onion, peppers and potatoes and sauté, stirring occasionally until light golden, 3-4 minutes.   At this time, also add other firm veggies you’re using (e.g. mushrooms,  string beans…).  Hold spinach until the end.

3) Add garlic and stir. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.  The chicken can be added now, but I found that it dried out.  You can cook it fully to start, then add when the veggies are almost done.  Add small amounts of water at a time if the veggies don’t have enough liquid to cook in.   

4) Simmer for 20 minutes, covered, on medium-low heat.  Check every 10 minutes or so for doneness.

5) Would add spinach, if using, fresh basil and parsley toward the end. 

This dish can be made ahead, and often tastes better the next day.

ENJOY!! 

This was from one of the Saturday evening cooking sessions for KINDsoups.  This is absolutely delicious.  It is very rich and thick and the combination of cinnamon, ginger and turmeric with the fresh herbs is just amazing.  Definitely a keeper!  Photo 12/12/2020.

On Saturday Dec 12th we will be cooking North African Squash and Chickpea Stew together, led by Chef Marissa and Chef Danielle. Please join us via Zoom as we cook together, enough for our own family’s dinner, plus enough to freeze and deliver meals for others, so that they too can enjoy a delicious and nutritious meal! Recipe and shopping list will be available on the Monday prior to each cook together event beginning Saturday at 5pm. (you are free to cook whenever you’d like if our Zoom time is not convenient for you)  

North African Squash and Chickpea Stew

This richly spiced combination of squash, tomatoes and pulses is based around a traditional Moroccan recipe, harira. That dish is actually a soup but, whenever I make it, I find myself veering towards such a thick and chunky texture that ‘stew’ seems a more appropriate description. It hardly matters – it’s a delicious, belly-filling, one-pot dish.

Servings  18

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 large onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1.5 cups red lentils
• 3 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 28 oz can roasted tomatoes (whole, diced, or crushed is fine)
• 3 good handfuls of parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 large bunches of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 pounds butternut squash or pumpkin (store pre-chopped is fine!)
• 3.5 liters (about 15 cups) vegetable stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup uncooked vermicelli, orzo or other small pasta

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until just starting to turn golden. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic, celery, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Now add the lentils, chickpeas, canned tomatoes, parsley and about half the cilantro. Cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and deseed the squash or pumpkin and cut into large cubes. Add to the pan with the stock and bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer until it is cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, scattered with the remaining cilantro leaves. 

African Bean Soup

From www.pcrm.org, Recipe of the Week - January 2014

Sweet potatoes and peanuts are familiar ingredients in many African cuisines. In this colorful soup they are combined with garbanzo beans and other vegetables and served over cooked rice.  This is relatively easy to prepare and very good.  You can increase the garbanzo beans and peanut butter to provide enough protein for a whole meal.  It is very filling.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 onion, sliced
2 small sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth (see recipe) or water
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons peanut butter (would try to increase, as the taste doesn't come through)
1-2 teaspoons curry powder (I prefer 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp coriander)
4 cups cooked brown rice

Directions

Heat water and soy sauce in a large pot. Add onion and sweet potatoes or yams and cook over high heat, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Add carrot, celery, and bell pepper. Cover and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, broth or water, beans and their liquid, cilantro, peanut butter, and curry powder. Stir to mix, then cover and simmer until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.

Per serving: 279 calories; 5.6 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 18% calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 10.5 g protein; 48.9 g carbohydrates; 6.2 g sugar; 9 g fiber; 472 mg sodium; 80 mg calcium; 3.3 mg iron; 35.7 mg vitamin C; 3,251 mcg beta-carotene; 1.8 mg vitamin E

Source: Healthy Eating for Life for Women by Kristine Kieswer; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Stew with Sweet Peppers and Peanut Sauce

This is from Molly Katzen's newest cookbook, The Heart of the Plate.  You might recognize her name from her Moosewood Cookbook, published in 1977.  She was vegetarian way before it was as popular as it is today.  I just took a walk down memory lane and browsed through my old food-stained copy of that book.  Her recipes in this hardcover new book are more interesting, as evidenced by this peanut flavored sweet potato stew.  The color pictures add a lot more interest as well.

I didn't take the time to make the banana-cheese empanadas that were meant to accompany this stew, but made a 2-minute version of them by top broiling banana, pepper Jack cheese and a squirt of lime on thin bread in the toaster oven -- not bad!!  She gives much more direction about preparation than I'm including here.

Some other interesting sounding dishes are Roasted Eggplant Salad with Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette, Golden Lentils with Soft Sweet Onions and Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries.

Ingredients:
For the stew:
2 Tbsp olive or roasted peanut oil, or a combination
2 cups minced red onion (1 large)
2 Tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tsp minced or crushed garlic
2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (7 cups)
1/2 cup water
1 large sweet red bell pepper, in 1/4 inch dice (2 cups)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, or more to taste
3 cups cooked black beans or two 15-oz cans, rinsed and drained

For peanut sauce:
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar or light-colored honey
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Optional extras:
Roasted peanuts, lime wedges, chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:
1) Heat a soup pot over medium heat for about a minute; add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
2) Add the onion, ginger and 1/2 tsp of the salt.  Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes.
3) Add 1 tsp on the garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes longer, or until the onion becomes translucent.
4) Stir in the sweet potatoes, plus the remaining 1 tsp of garlic and another 1/2 tsp of salt.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5) Add 1/2 cup water, cover again, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are almost done.  Stir every 10 minutes or so.
6) Add the bell pepper and lime juice, stir, and cover to cook for 5 minutes or so until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.  Add more water or lime juice if the vegetables are sticking to the bottom.
7) Gently stir in the beans during the last few minutes of cooking.
8) Put the peanut butter in a medium bowl and slowly stir in the boiling water, then vinegar, sweetener and remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.  Adjust taste.
9) Use a rubber spatula to scrape all the sauce into the stew, then stir gently .  Adjust to taste with salt, lime or possibly crushed red pepper.

Teff Stew

from Bob's Red Mill website
Read about teff on Wikipedia

Teff Stew
This reinterpretation of wat--an Ethiopian soup traditionally eaten with flatbread made from teff flour--includes whole grain teff in the stew itself.

2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Allspice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Teff 2 large Tomatoes, chopped
1 medium Zucchini, sliced
1 medium Yellow Summer Squash, sliced
4 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup cooked Garbanzo Beans
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
ground Black Pepper
Salt

Heat oil in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, spices and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add teff and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until teff is soft, about 15 minutes.

Add vegetables and beans; cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook 3 more minutes. Add cilantro just before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4-6 servings.