chickpea or whitebean hummus

this recipe can be made with either chickpeas or white beans. i use dry beans b/c it's cheaper, but you can also use canned.

1c dried beans, soaked overnight, and boiled in salted water until tender

blend in food processor with:
juice of 1/2 lemon
1tbs tahini
parsely
garlic, as much as you like (roasted red peppers can also be substituted)
chili flakes
salt
pepper
2tbs water

stream in olive oil (as you would to make pesto) until hummus comes to the desired consistency

garlic-ginger-soy marinade

this was fairly amazing with tofu. i let it marinade for about an hour, and the cooked it up in a pan with some zucchini. i'm sure it would be good with chicken too, especially drumsticks.

1/4c oil (i might reduce this a bit, it seemed a little too much)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2tbs soy sauce, tamari preferred
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, finely diced
3/4 tsp freshly grated ginger

veggie lentil soup

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
chili flakes
2 carrots, diced
2-3 ribs celery, diced
1 potato diced, optional
125g lentils
4c stock, 1-2c water
1tbs tomato paste
1 can/box diced tomatoes
parsely, chopped
dried mixed herbs

sautée onion, garlic, chili flakes, carrots, celery (and potato, if used) until soft
add tomato paste and diced tomatoes, and mix into ingredients
cover contents in layer of mixed herbs

add lentils and stock/water. bring to boil, and simmer for about 45 minutes, covered
add parsley as garnish, and salt and pepper to taste

homemade applesauce

3-4lbs apples (grannysmith, fugi, jonagold, golden delicious), peeled and chopped
4 strips of lemon peel
juice of 1 lemon
3in cinnamon stick
1/4c dark brown sugar
up to 1/2c white sugar
1c water
1/2tsp salt


simmer 20-30 min

Note: honey can be used instead of the brown and white sugars. add 7tbs of honey, and reduce the amount of water by 1/4c

yellow split pea soup

i love making soups because they require so little effort.

1 large onion, diced
olive oil
4 stalks of celery, diced
chili flakes
mixed herb seasoning
freshly cracked black pepper
salt
yellow split peas
water

sautée the onions and oil in a medium sized pot until soft. add the chili flakes, and the pepper. add split peas, so that it looks like there are similar amounts of peas to the vegetables. sprinkle mixed herb seasoning over the top, to cover. add enough water to cover the ingredients. the amount of water will need to be adjusted later. bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 2-3 hours, until the peas have broken down completely. add salt to taste.

moroccan style 'tagine'

adapted from an epicurious.com recipe
(I have made this with chicken, using thighs and drumsticks, but I prefer the vegetarian version, listed below)

olive oil
3 cups sliced onions
red pepper flakes/chilies in oil, to taste
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups canned diced tomatoes (from 28-ounce can), don't drain
3 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
2 large zucchinis, cut into half moons
handful of raisins or sultanas
chopped apricots or dates

1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes (roast ahead of time in olive oil)

fresh parsley, add at the end, stir in and some on top
almonds, toasted, add on top at the end

basically just toss everything in a pot together, and cook until the flavors have come together. saute the onions, spices, and chilis first before adding the other ingredients.

Note: rather than using all of the individual spices, you can also use a moroccan or middle eastern spice blend bought at the supermarket. it comes out juuuuust fine like that too.

jalapeno corn bread

1/3cup diced onion
1c corn
pinch of salt
saute together in butter/oil until soft

1c flour
1c cornmeal
1tbs baking powder
1/2c cheddar cheese, the stronger, the better
combine together in a bowl

1c buttermilk
1/4c oil, olive preferred
2tbs honey
2 eggs
finely diced chilies, as preferred, use at least 2tbs, but more would be better

combine all ingredients, pour into pan, and cook in a 375 degree F oven until done.

Aunt Phyllis' noodle kugel

16oz egg noodles, cooked, drained
8 eggs, separated
454g (1lb) melted butter
3c applesauce
1c sugar
2 cans crushed pineapple, well drained
2tsp vanilla
cinnamon to taste

beat yolks, add noodles, butter, applesauce, raisins, sugar, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon
beat whites until stiff, fold into other ingredients

pour into pan (9x13in), add extra sugar and cinnamon to top

bake at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes (cover when top is brown). this may need to cook longer, especially if you are using an electric, fan-forced oven.

oatmeal raisin cookies

1 1/2c oats
1 1/4c flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon

1/4lb (113g) butter
3/4c sugar
1/4c dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla
1/4c milk

1c raisins
1c chopped walnuts

bake at 177 degrees C for 11-14 min

(Cream together wet ingredients. slowly add the dry. stir in raisins and walnuts. drop onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.)

sweet potato oatmeal pancakes

1c oats
2tsp baking powder
1tbs honey
1/2tsp cinnamon
2tsp oil (olive, preferred)
1 egg
1 small sweet potato
water/milk as needed

boil sweet potato until skin easily peels off

in a food processor, blend the oats into a fine powder. if some oats remain whole, it's ok. add the skinned sweet potato, the baking powder, honey, cinnamon, oil, and egg. blend. check for consistency. it should look like regular pancake batter. add water or milk if necessary. cook in butter or oil as you would regular breakfast pancakes.

these would taste delicious topped with a warm banana compote.