Vegetarian Yam and Black Bean Stew

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It's been nice and warm in Western Canada, but on the eastern part of the country they haven't been so lucky.  Why must it unfairly snow all the way into April over on the east coast, while on the west coast we haven't seen snow all year (and crocuses have been out of the ground and cherry blossoms in bloom since February)?  I don't know, I don't know.  This comfort food recipe is for the east coasters (you're welcome).  Of course, you can still enjoy it in Spring weather too!

I love when I'm eating something and I know that not only does it taste good, but it's wholesome and nutritious.  This Vegetarian Yam and Black Bean Stew has chili and soup-like components, and I love the chunks of fresh yam.

This recipe came to me from a girl who I work with named Jenna, who you may remember from Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad fame.  Jenna eats a dairy-free and gluten-free diet, so her recipes follow the same dietary restrictions or can be modified easily (for instance, in this recipe you can substitute the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour, or just eliminate it altogether). What they aren't missing is taste, flavour, and colour.  I've told her to keep the recipes coming, because they are keepers!

Happy one week belated Easter!

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Curried Coconut Chicken Vegetable Soup
Two Years Ago:  Spinach Quinoa Salad with Grapefruit
Three Years Ago:  Greek Quinoa Salad



Yam and Black Bean Stew

Serves:  4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper (seeds and stem removed), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of crushed red chili flakes
• 3 cups peeled and cubed yams
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)

Directions
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and green pepper and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, until tender.  Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and chili flakes, and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the yams, beans, tomatoes, tomato pasts, broth, flour, salt, and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.  Simmer 10 - 15 minutes, until yams are tender.  Adjust seasonings as desired.  To serve, sprinkle with sliced green onions.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  Jenna!

Slow Cooker Creamy Santa Fe Chicken

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Oh, I looooooooove it when you don't have to pre-cook the ingredients going into the slow cooker before throwing them into the slow cooker!  This recipe does just that.  No browning, sautéing, or otherwise prepping of meat or vegetables...you just toss 'em into the Crockpot and you are on your merry way.  Which is the way that I feel it should be for slow cookers.

Oops, I did it again!  Another completely unappetizing picture of a total delicious meal. 

This was another winner from the Best of Bridge cookbook series.  The flavours of chicken, beans, and corn in a rich and creamy salsa and cream cheese sauce were oh so good overtop of white rice and served with a side salad.  My rice of choice is always jasmine (even though it's more frequently used in Asian cooking) because it has such great flavour.

This meal served The Hubby and me as the perfect weeknight dish on a cold rainy winter night.  This recipe is a definite keeper, and we will be making it again soon.

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Butternut Squash, Italian Sausage, and Spinach Pasta
Two Years Ago:  Creamy Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onion, and Bacon Soup
Three Years Ago:  Tomato and Italian Sausage Risotto

Slow Cooker Creamy Sante Fa Chicken

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 can black beans (14 to 19oz.), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen, canned, or fresh)
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 2 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 4 green onions, chopped

Directions
In a slow cooker, add chicken, beans, corn, salsa, tomato paste, and salt, and give everything a good stir.  Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours, or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder and vinegar until smooth.  Add the mixture to the slow cooker, along with the cream cheese.  Continue to cook on high for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted, then stir again.

Serve over rice and top with green onions.  Enjoy!




Recipe Source:  Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook - Creamy Chicken Santa Fe

Easy Refried Bean Soup

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Do you ever buy an entire case of refried beans at a time from Costco?   Ha ha, yeah, me neither obviously! *looks awkwardly at floor.*  But if you have, this is a good soup for you to use them up.

This is one of my mom's recipes, and it's sort of like a cross between a vegetarian chili and a soup, with a smoothness because of the refried beans.  It makes for a very filling meal, packed with taste.  The best part?  It's the easiest soup I have ever made in my life.  Basically all you do is open some cans...

They had a Western Family brand sale...
and then I made a pyramid of cans.

And, well, that's nearly it.  It's that simple.

Now you do it!


One Year Ago: My Dad's Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
Two Years Ago: Triple Coconut Banana Muffins (Paleo / Gluten-Free)

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!



Refried Bean Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion (or 1 cup), chopped
• 1 green bell pepper (or 1 cup), chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Sour cream, cilantro, and taco chips for garnish (optional)

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat, and add the onion and bell pepper.  Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Add the garlic, broth, and tomatoes, and stir.  Raise the heat to high, and add the black beans, kidney beans, refried beans, and cumin.  Stir well.  Cover the pot and let the soup come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally for 5 - 7 minutes or until ready to serve.

Recipe Source:  My mom!

Slow Cooker Beef Chili Rice Bowl

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The Hubby put a new cookbook into my Christmas stocking this year - the 'Best of Bridge' Slow Cooker Cookbook. Although this recipe is not from that book, him buying it for me reminded me that a) I have a slow cooker, and b) slow cooking is awesome.

What I don't like is when you have to do a lot of pre-cooking before the slow cooking starts, which just makes me feel like there's no point in finishing things up in the slow cooker in the first place.  What I do like is when you can just throw everything into the slow cooker and press Start.  "Set it and forget it!!" I think people say.  Or maybe that's referring to something else like alarm clocks or my recordings of Real Housewives on the PVR, or each and every single one of my New Years resolutions.  Who knows, but in any event, slow cooking is super easy when all that you have to do is dump stuff into the thing and turn it on.

Man Pleasin' Chili

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That's right.

 

Brrrrr!  How did this happen?  A couple of weeks ago it was hot outside.  Then the following week it only appeared to be hot outside from the view of my bedroom or office window - it was that sunny/cold combination that I can't stand because it's so indecisive and deceiving.  And now, the Rainy Season is upon us.

For those that don't live around the lower west coast of British Columbia, Canada, like me, we have a fifth extra season here called The Rainy Season, that typically stretches for about six months of the year, sometimes longer.  Anyone who lives here knows it's going to happen every year, the same as it did the year before that and the year before that.  And even though prior to The Rainy Season starting we had a streak of about 75 days of uninterrupted really nice weather this year, we still reserve the right to complain as soon as The Rainy Season hits.  And complaining is what most people do, except...me.  Call me a freak, but I like when it rains, and I always have.  Especially when I am indoors, with a good book or an even better reality TV episode, The Hubby, a nice glass of wine or cup of tea, and a soup, chili, stew, or something else from the crock pot.  I guess I was born in the right part of the world, because Raincouver (obviously an incredibly smart and very, very funny play on words) is the nickname bestowed upon Vancouver, where I live close to, and as Canada's third most rainy city, we get an average of 161 days and 1200 mm of rain per year

One good thing about this cold, rainy weather that we are having is that it means that I can more than likely convince The Hubby that it's a good idea for me to purchase new boots and a new warm jacket, because, "winter is just around the corner!!"  (Update:  since writing this I bought 1) new boots, 2) a new warm jacket, a 3) a 'few' other things that I needed).

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

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I absolutely love this recipe. Conversely, The Hubby won't even try it. Something to do with his hatred for cilantro and lime.

I have come to realize that cilantro is really one of those love or hate foods. If you like it, you LOVE it, and want more more more (or is that just me?), but if you don't like it you HATE it and can detect its presence even when it is barely there. I am always amazed at how different one person's food tastes can be compared to another's. How is it that I never crave chocolate, and some people would die without it? Or that I luck out by being someone who has a love of black jellybeans while others will eat around them? Or that some people will gloop ketchup onto everything from potatoes to eggs to Kraft Dinner, while others will only eat these foods plan?

One of the weirdest things that I heard about cilantro in my waitressing days was that customers wanted it left off of their plate because it tastes like soap. Soap? Huh?

Is it weird that this still looks delicious to me?