Tuscan bean soup (ribollita)

We craved a plant-forward soup with beans and leafy greens, so we made this: https://www.feastingathome.com/ribollita-recipe/ We followed the recipe pretty closely, and this was very tasty. We omitted the bacon / pancetta, but we used chicken broth (4 cups unsalted, 2 cups Better Than Bouillon). For the white wine, we estimated a "splash" to be… Continue reading Tuscan bean soup (ribollita)

Cajun red beans and rice

We tried this Bon Appetit recipe: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/red-beans-and-rice-recipe. Our chicken andouille sausage (a 6 oz link) was raw, so we sliced it and browned before adding to the stew. This yielded a well-seasoned stew, but the broth was too soupy. We added 1 1/4 cups frozen okra in an attempt to thicken it, and this helped… Continue reading Cajun red beans and rice

Lebanese lentils and bulgur with caramelized onion (mujadara hamra)

We had a craving for mujadara, and we tried this version with bulgur instead of rice: https://www.maureenabood.com/lebanese-mujadara/ We followed the instructions pretty closely. Our minor modifications: first, we cooked the onions in our Ultimate pan, and we found that it took more time (35 mins) and more canola oil (about 1/2 cup total) to properly…… Continue reading Lebanese lentils and bulgur with caramelized onion (mujadara hamra)

Egyptian fava beans, version 3 (ful mudammes)

We tried this recipe for a quick lunch: https://moribyan.com/ful-medames-vegetarian-fava-bean-stew/ We followed the instructions, except we used 1 tsp smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. This was a mistake because the smokiness overpowered the dish. The next time we will use regular paprika and may reduce to 1/2 tsp. (June 2023)

South Indian vegetable lentil tamarind soup (sambhar)

I love masala dosa, and this weekend I had a craving for sambhar (the soup that accompanies the crispy dosa). We used MTR sambhar mix as a shortcut, but this recipe ended up still being quite involved and multistep. https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/andhra-sambar-recipe-how-to-make-south-indian-sambar/ Our modifications: First, we made the mistake of buying tamarind concentrate and tamarind powder instead… Continue reading South Indian vegetable lentil tamarind soup (sambhar)

South Indian hot lentil rice mixture (bisi bele bhath or bisi bele huli ana)

This is one of my favorite dishes from Nirvana, a local vegetarian Indian restaurant that closed many years ago. At Nirvana, they called it bisi bele huli ana. After consulting a few online recipes, we tried this recipe: https://hebbarskitchen.com/bisi-bele-bath-recipe-bisibelabath-rice/ Our modifications: first, based on tips from https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/bisi-bele-bath/, as a shortcut we used MTR brand bisibele… Continue reading South Indian hot lentil rice mixture (bisi bele bhath or bisi bele huli ana)

Egyptian fava beans (ful mudammes), version 2

We made this recipe again, but followed the instructions pretty closely this time: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/foul-mudammas-recipe/#tasty-recipes-33099-jump-target Our minor modifications: First, we halved the recipe. Second, we drained the canned fava bean liquid before placing in our Ultimate Pan and adding 1/4 cup water. The fresh garlic / hot pepper / lemon juice dressing added a brightness to… Continue reading Egyptian fava beans (ful mudammes), version 2

Beninese black-eyed peas and rice (atassi)

This is another great recipe from Marie Kacouchia's Vegan Africa. We have had the Ghanaian version of this recipe (i.e., waakye). We followed the printed recipe (it's not online), and we made the following modifications (mainly correcting conversions from the French / metric system to the American English / imperial system): First, we soaked 2.5… Continue reading Beninese black-eyed peas and rice (atassi)

Black bean and sausage ragout

My stepMIL is an incredible cook, and she generously shared one of her signature recipes. First, grind 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, and 2 whole cloves. (Shortcut option: using a mortar and pestle, manually crush 1 tsp cumin seeds along with 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1/4 tsp ground cloves). Set… Continue reading Black bean and sausage ragout

Kichidi (Indian rice and split mung bean porridge), version 3

There are endless varieties of kichidi. We tried this recipe from Hebbars’ Kitchen: https://hebbarskitchen.com/moong-dal-khichdi-recipe/ It was well-balanced and delicious, but we found that the diced onion was still crunchy (probably due to cooking on low heat, per the instructions). So the next time we will saute the onions on medium heat until translucent. Note: In…… Continue reading Kichidi (Indian rice and split mung bean porridge), version 3