Yumness

I've gotten to do a lot of cooking lately. :) I discovered two new things this week - my new favorite soup! plus a meatfree way to do chili - as well as revisited an old fav of mine. Enjoy! (As you can see, some of these are actual recipes, whereas some of these are more just expanded ideas, lol)

Ultra-Amazing Butter Bean Soup

1 can of butter beans

1-2 chopped carrots

1-2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tbs olive oil

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pot and sautee the carrots, celery, and onion until soft. Add the butter beans, chicken broth, and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Simmer until all flavors are fully incorporated. Amazing! Tastes even better the next day (and it's only like 3 points for a big bowlful!)

Meatless "Chili"

Start off with several cups of chopped mushrooms - I used a mix of button and baby bellas. Sautee.

Add some chopped onion and cook til soft; add a can of kidney beans, a can of stewed tomatoes, and a nice dash of taco/fajita seasoning. Yummy! (This is also amazing in tacos as meatless taco filling, with some low-fat cheddar and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt).

Last Sunday, I wanted chickpea salad SO. BAD. Like, the preacher was preaching and I kept getting distracted by the thought of crunchy seasoned chickpeas. :( When I got home, I whipped up a batch, ate half for dinner in a whole wheat pita with some sprouts and chopped tomato, and packed the other half in a salad for the next day's lunch (which is what you see above - regular chickpea salad is much creamier).

Chickpea Salad

Open and rinse one can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). You can mash slightly if you like a mushier texture - I like the crunchiness of them, but every once in awhile i like to mash them for a more hummus-like salad. Add 1 TBS light mayo, a drizzle of sesame oil, a splash of soy sauce, a dash of curry powder, some chopped celery, and a 1/4 cup raisins (golden raisins are particularly amazing!). Warning: If you pack it for the next day, the dressing does tend to "melt" off the beans, but if you pack if with greens it doesn't matter cuz it makes a nice little asian dressing! :)

I also made my first wine-braised brisket this week, and it was oh-shoot-me-good, but I'm still working on the proportions for I'll save that for another time. :)