Curried Sweet Potatoes with Chard & Chickpeas

We had some great things in our CSA share this week including spinach, rainbow chard, collards and carrots. I have never cooked chard before, don't know why or how, but I never have. So I turned to my trusty Wild About Greens cookbook by Nava Atlas and found this recipe. I used extra garlic, curry power, ginger and left out the raisins. Also, I had purple sweet potatoes from last weeks share. I never even heard of a purple sweet potato. So I used 3 of them in this recipe as well. My pics of this dish look nothing like hers do (see link above and go check it out) but it was a very tasty dish that I served with a warmed tortilla. Below is my version of this wonderful dish.

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium purple sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
• One can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• One can diced tomatoes
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder, or more, to taste
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh ginger, more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more, to taste
• 8 to 12 ounces rainbow chard, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, more or less to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet or a stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat until golden.

Add the sweet potato dice and  1 1/2 cups water; bring to a simmer and cook until just tender, adding just enough additional water if needed, as they cook, to keep the mixture moist.

Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, scallions, curry powder, ginger, and cumin and bring the mixture to a simmer again; cook over low heat for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, strip or cut the chard leaves away from the stems. Slice the stems thinly, and cut the leaves into strips. Add the chard to the skillet, in batches if necessary, and cover. Cook briefly, just until the chard wilts, then stir in. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the chard is tender but not overdone.

Stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Seriously, I had never heard of a purple sweet potato until I received these from the CSA. Check them out after I chopped them. They look just like the ones from the google search in the ingredient list.

I can't wait to try more dishes from this awesome cookbook. I Googled this recipe and found it in several places on the web including her web site (link at the very top of this page) so I assumed it would be okay to publish this, giving Nava Atlas full credit, pointing to her blog and noting my changes.

Enjoy!

5 Bean Chili

Okay, I know these is a dish that is full of canned items. But it is delicious. You could get dry beans and soak them if or even frozen if you want less canned goods. But most chili is full of beans and tomatoes i.e. canned stuff. Anyway you make it I hope you do make this dish. It's delicous. Be prepared, it makes alot!

• 2 cans black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can great northern beans
• 1 can light red kidney beans
• 1 can dark red kideny beans
• 1 can corn
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 head garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 package Tofurky ground beef
• 1/2 onion
• hot sauce, to taste

Open all cans, drain the juice from the beans and corn. Saute the onion in a little water in a very large soup pot.

Add all the ingredients to the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer. Allow to simmer, as low as possible, uncovered, for about 1.5 hours.  Stir frequently.

Serve garnished with sliced scallion, cheese, extra hot sauce and/or sour cream.

Enjoy!

Fall Minestrone

The weather decided it would let us know that Old Man Winter was making an appearance in Florida. It was below freezing two nights last week and I knew we needed soup. I had an abundance of veggies in the frig and thought this would be a good way to use some of them up. I love a Minestrone Soup, summer, fall, winter - you name it. I actually had 1/2 of a zucchini and threw it in for good measure. I wish I'd had some mushrooms I am sure they would have been awesome in this dish.

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 cup (about 3) carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups no-chicken chicken broth
• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 zucchini, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (adjust depending on your canned goodsd)
• 1 sprig of rosemary, stem removed and leaves minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup small, dry pasta (I used small shells)
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped (or other green of choice)
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

In a deep soup pan heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onions are slightly translucent – about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, and all the seasonings. Bring soup just to boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add pasta and spinach, cooking for another 10-12 minutes (or however long your pasta needs to cook based on package instructions).

Just before serving stir in fresh parsley.

Enjoy!!