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Dinner Gluten Free Recipes Vegan Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Chickpea Bowl

September 28, 2020
Roasted sweet potato chickpea bowl

Does anyone else dread thinking about dinner these days?

I love food, love eating, and love cooking, and for the last 4 months – I hate thinking about it. What is it? Are we just tired of our kitchens? Tired of the rotation? I know I’m tired of cleaning after every meal.

Throughout the summer, my sister or I would ask each other at some point during the day, “What do you want to do for dinner? The other would just respond, either verbally or mentally, “UGHHHHHHHHH don’t talk to me about dinner!”

By the end of the summer, she asked me to come up with a weeks worth of easy dinners she could make regularly. I can’t think of anything past cereal these days, but 7 recipes, sure no problem. 5 weeks later I have 1 recipe for her.

This is my easiest recipe to date and will only take a few minutes to prep. Bonus – the clean up is pretty easy too. I think you could easily add some sauteed greens to this to make it a little more hearty, but the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are great on their own.

Sweet Potato Chickpea Bowls
Serves 2 with leftovers

Ingredients:
3 – 4 medium sweet potatoes – I used garnet
2 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, separated
2 teaspoons of curry powder, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried in a tea towel
1/4 cup of tahini
1/4 cup of warm water
1-2 tablespoons of tamari or Braggs liquid aminos
Cilantro for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roughly chop the sweet potatoes in wedges, place them in a large mixing bowl, and dress them in 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season them in about 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of salt and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. While the sweet potatoes are baking, place the chickpeas in the mixing bowl and add the remaining olive oil, curry, and salt and mix well. After 25 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven, and add the chickpeas. Bake for another 15 minutes.
4. While sweet potatoes and chickpeas are baking, make your tahini sauce – I like to use a mug and mix with a fork. Put the tahini and tamari/aminos in the mug and slowly add your warm water, stirring constantly until you get the consistency you like. Feel free to add more/less water and tamari to your liking.
5. Remove your potatoes and chickpeas from the oven and plate them. Drizzle with the tahini sauce and garnish with cilantro. You may be tempted to skip the cilantro, but it really adds a nice touch to the dish.

Question: What’s something you usually enjoy that’s hard for you right now? I’ll add exercise to my list.

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Dinner Gluten Free Optional Recipes Soup Vegan Vegetarian

Coconut Curry Soup

January 15, 2019

 Coconut Curry Soup
(AKA I’m Sorry Soup)

A few months ago I looked in my refrigerator and noticed the leftover cans of diced tomatoes and coconut milk that were waiting to go bad. Usually if I open a can of something and don’t use it all in one serving I say – I’ll put it back in the refrigerator and add it to some rice. Fast forward to the next week, I notice the can, look into it and past the fuzz, and wonder – how was this ever a tomato? For some reason this time an idea struck me and I got to cooking right away.

It’s so rare that a recipe works on the first try. I was proud and gave myself lots of pats on the back for the rest of the day. I talked up this soup so much. I told everyone I knew how great this recipe was. And then a few weeks later I put my foot in my mouth. Actually, a foot would have been better than what I made. I made this soup for my sister and brother in law. It was SO bad. Just mush. I was really embarrassed to serve it.

I always tell people to never apologize for their food. I apologized about 400 times during the meal. Then I apologized for apologizing so much. Months later I’m still like – Guys, I’m so sorry about that time I made that soup

Anyway, follow these tips so that you don’t land in the same situation.

  • I use Better Than Bullion for stock – I’d love to make my own, but it’s just not happening these days. And I really don’t like the taste from the tetra pack, so this is the best option for me.
  • Don’t use 100% buckwheat noodles. Undercook the noodles a bit so they don’t disintegrate in the soup. I like Hakubaku soba noodles. But you can use ramen or even thin pasta noodles.
  • Don’t boil this soup. Usually, you’ll want to boil a soup briefly before bringing it down to a simmer. Since the coconut milk is used in the beginning, you’ll want to keep this soup on low.

Coconut Curry Soup
(Serving: 4)

Ingredients:
2 cups of carrots, sliced on a bias and steamed
3 cups of broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
3 cups of veggie stock
2 tablespoons of curry powder
A dash of cayenne (or to taste)
½ teaspoon of salt
2 bundles of soba or ramen noodles
1 teaspoon of lemon

Directions:

  1. In a medium saucepan on low heat, combine the coconut milk and tomatoes. Add the veggie stock and bring to a simmer, but do not boil.
  2. Add the curry powder, cayenne, and salt. Continue to cook on low heat for about 15 minutes.
  3. Boil a small pot of water and cook the noodles according to the package, minus two minutes and drain.
  4. Add the vegetables, and lemon to the pot with the curry broth in it. Simmer for 5 minutes and add the noodles to the pot immediately before serving.

Question:
Tell me about your latest kitchen disaster. Mine was this morning when I boiled over my coffee on the stove.

P.S. Kathleen, Danny, & Jon – Sorry about that night of the soup.

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