My daughter, Heather, suggested I put this compilation together for her, and for you, in order to save time. (Talk about busy—she is having her 3rd baby, all less than 5 years old, in June). The following 15 meals are the ones that I make for our family regularly. Simply add all the ingredients to one pot and cook. This set of recipes is focused on beans because this starchy legume is an easy favorite. My workload is cut even further by having my pantry well stocked with basic ingredients, such as spices, canned tomatoes and beans, dried beans and grains, onions, garlic, potatoes, yams and vegetable broth. Look over the recipes and develop your shopping list. To your one pot meal choice, add a large green salad with a low-fat dressing and/or a loaf of fresh whole grain bread for a delicious, satisfying, very complete, and almost effortless meal. Quick Mexican Chili This is a fast and easy meal, delicious served with corn tortillas, over rice, or scooped on top of baked potatoes. The variations suggested in the hints can make this recipe seem completely different each time you serve it.
Preparation Time: 5 minutes 1
onion, chopped Place the onion and water in a medium pot. Cook and stir over medium heat until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, salsa, oregano & chipotle powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Serve topped with fresh cilantro and optional avocado, onions, and/or tofu sour cream. Hints: Black beans may be substituted for either of the beans suggested, or use black beans along with the other beans. Use fire-roasted tomatoes or chopped tomatoes with green chilies for a bit more flavor. Try this with green salsa instead of red salsa. Add more chipotle powder for a bit more heat. This recipe is very easy to add to in order to make a larger batch. Add a few extra cans of beans and a can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, a bit more of the salsa and seasonings and you’ll have enough for 6-8 servings or some extra to put in the freezer. Ventana Lentil Stew
Preparation Time: 10 minutes 6 ¼
cups water Place ¼ cup of the water in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic and jalapenos. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens slightly, about 4-5 minutes. Add remaining water, the lentils, potatoes and chipotle powder. Mix well, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour until lentils are soft. Add spinach, mix in well and cook for an additional 5 minutes until spinach is soft. Serve in a bowl, or over whole wheat bread or rolls, on top of baked potatoes or as a topping for brown rice. Hints: This is a very thick stew, to change this into a more soup-like consistency, add about ½ cup more water. This can be as spicy as you like it by adjusting the chipotle chili powder. We also like to top this with some hot sauce before eating it. Tunisian Yam Stew
Preparation Time: 20 minutes 1/3
cup water Place the water, onion, jalapenos, ginger and garlic in a large pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, red pepper and coriander. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add yams, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, green beans, vegetable broth and peanut butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cilantro and let rest for 2 minutes. Serve over rice or other whole grains. Hints: To make this with chard instead of green beans, add the chard about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Use 2 cups of chopped chard instead of the green beans.
White Bean Chili Carol is my sister and this is one of her family’s favorite healthy recipes. This is a fast and easy meal and it makes enough for leftovers for lunch later in the week. The addition of cinnamon adds something special to this dish.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes 1
onion, chopped Garnishes: (optional) Salsa, Tofu sour cream, cilantro, shredded soy cheese, crushed baked tortilla chips Place the onions and garlic in a large pot with the water. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion softens slightly. Add the chilies and the seasonings and cook and stir for another minute. Then add the broth and the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the seitan or tofu, if desired. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with any of the optional garnishes. Hints: We usually serve this over rice for a very satisfying meal. The seitan or tofu are optional. The chili tastes great without those additions! This freezes well and reheats well. If you prefer to cook your own beans for this recipe, you will need about 9 cups of cooked beans. Hearty Dal Soup This is a variation of the Festive Dal Soup from a previous newsletter. This creative addition was suggested by Tiffany Hobson, executive assistant to the McDougall’s, who thought the soup would be a bit more filling by adding some potatoes and chard. This is now my favorite version of this soup.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes 3 ¾
cups water Place ¼ cup of the water in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the ginger, paprika, cumin and several twists of freshly ground pepper. Mix in well, then add the remaining water, the lentils, garbanzos, tomatoes and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes, until lentils are tender. Add lemon juice, chili paste (start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste) and chard. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, until chard is tender. Season with a bit of sea salt, if desired. Split Pea Vegetable Soup This is a thick soup filled with chunky vegetables and it is very comforting on a cool, rainy day. Serve by itself in a bowl, or ladle over brown rice for a satisfying meal.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes 2
cups dried split peas Place the peas and water in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the tomato and fresh cilantro or parsley. Mix well, bring to a boil again, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, until all vegetables are tender. Add the tomato and fresh cilantro or parsley. Season with a bit of sea salt, if desired. Mix well and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Quinoa Chowder We really enjoy soups during the winter months. This is a hearty, yet simple soup, filled with delicious healthy ingredients.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes ½ cup
quinoa, rinsed well Place the first 8 ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add the corn, mix well and cook an additional 15 minutes. Stir in the spinach 5 minutes before the soup is done. Add some pepper to taste, if desired. Hints: To spice this up a bit more, let each person add some hot sauce to taste before eating. If you can’t find fingerling potatoes, use Yukon Gold or red potatoes and chop them into bite sized chunks. Minestrone Soup This is one of our favorite vegetable soups. It makes a wonderful meal with a loaf of fresh bread. It also reheats well and we like to have it for several lunches during the week.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
1 ¼
cup red kidney beans Place the beans in a large pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, turn off heat and let rest for 1 hour. (To eliminate this step, soak beans overnight.) Drain off water. Add onion, garlic and 8 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 hour. Add celery, carrot, potatoes, green beans, tomato sauce and all the seasonings. Return to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes. Add the garbanzo beans, canned tomatoes and zucchini. Cook for another 30 minutes. Then add the cabbage and pasta and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Hints: Use any type of uncooked pasta in place of the whole wheat elbows. We also like spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces in this soup. Sloppy Lentil Joes This is a quick and easy meal that also reheats well for lunch the next day or two. Serve this stuffed into a bun and eat with your hands, or ladle it over the buns open-face style and eat with a fork.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes 3 1/3
cups water Place 1/3 cup of the water in a large pot. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until onions soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder and mix in well. Add the remaining water, the lentils, tomatoes, and the rest of the seasonings. Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat for 55 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on whole wheat buns with trimmings of your choice. Baja Vegetable Wraps This keeps well in the refrigerator and reheats well, so it makes a fast meal for lunch later in the week.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes 1
onion, chopped Place the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic in a large pot with the vegetable broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4-5 minutes. Add green onions, Napa cabbage, soy sauce, chili powder and oregano. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, spinach, beans and salsa. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the cilantro and hot sauce to taste. Roll up in a warm tortilla and eat. Hints: This may also be served over baked potatoes or whole grains. Red Lentil Surprise This is one of our favorite fast meals. I like it because it is easy to prepare and I don’t have to attend it constantly while it is cooking.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes ½ cup
water Place the water in a large saucepan. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until vegetables soften slightly. Add remaining ingredients, except for the tofu. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tofu, stir gently and heat for about 2-3 minutes. Serve over whole grain toast or rolls. Hints: This may also be made without the tofu and it is still delicious. We like this with some fresh chopped spinach added at the end of the cooking time, either with or without the tofu. This is also delicious served over rice or potatoes. It reheats well so it is great as a leftover! Slow Chipotle Black Bean Soup This wonderful soup is so easy to make in a slow cooker. Put all the ingredients in the pot in the morning and by the end of the day you have a delicious, spicy soup to serve your family. This may also be made in a pot on the stove-top. It will take about 3 hours over medium-low heat.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes 2
cups dried black beans Combine all the ingredients, except the cilantro, in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours. Stir in the cilantro just before serving. Chili with Yams I have been using a lot of red lentils lately because they cook quickly and thicken soups and stews very nicely. I am also very fond of yams and they go together very well in this dish. This is delicious served with fresh, warm corn tortillas or pita bread.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes 1
large onion, chopped Place ¼ cup of the water in a large soup pot. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and crushed pepper. Mix well, then add the remaining water, yams, lentils, tomatoes, and beans. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the peanut butter, one tablespoon at a time, if using. Season with lime juice and a bit of sea salt, if desired.
Saffron-Spiked Moroccan Stew
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One-pot
Meal Favorites
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