Nacho Sauce

Years ago some Vermont friends made this wonderfully filling and surprisingly healthful spin on nacho sauce for us. We've been hooked ever since. The cheese-laden original (3 or 4 cups Cabot Extra Sharp!) is still a favorite, but a few years ago I adapted the recipe to accommodate our less dairy-centric diet.

Nacho Sauce
adapted from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook, New Revised Edition
serves 4 to 6

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
cayenne pepper, to taste (or a fresh jalapeno if you prefer)
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 or 2 tomatoes, diced (fresh or canned)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup corn (I almost always have frozen on hand, but fresh or canned work just as well)
1, 16 oz. can refried beans
6 oz. beer
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups brown rice
1, 15 oz. can black beans, drained

Place rice and three cups of water in a medium saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the rice is boiling, turn heat down to low and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.

While rice is cooking, heat oil in a medium-sized, thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add onion and salt and saute 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, bell pepper, and tomatoes and stir well. Lower heat to medium low, cover pot and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce begins to stick, turn heat down a bit and stir more frequently.

After 25 minutes the vegetables should be very tender and bubbling contentedly in their juices. Add the garlic, corn, and refried beans. Stirring well at this stage will remove most of the lumps of refrieds. Add the beer (and drink up those remaining 6 ounces, if you haven't already done so) and stir well. Cook over medium low heat until the sauce bubbles. Remove from heat, carefully stir in the cheese, and set aside for just a moment while you turn your attention back to the rice.

The rice should be done at this point, so turn off the heat, uncover, and stir in the drained black beans.

To serve, spoon rice and bean mixture onto a pasta plate and ladle nacho sauce over the top. Scoop it up with your favorite tortilla chips and wash it down with an ice-cold bottle of beer.

Broccoli Soup

As with all meals that begin with, "What can I make with ____," the measurements below are approximate, and infinitely substitutable. This soup can be vegan, vegetarian (with the addition of some Parmesan or cheddar cheese), or it can make a bacon lover happy. You choose. (I happen to like bacon.)

Creamless Cream of Broccoli Soup
serves 3-4

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 pound broccoli crowns, diced
1 fist-sized potato, diced
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
6 ounces bacon, diced (optional)

Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel covered plate. Set aside.

While the bacon is cooking, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until onion turns translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add diced broccoli and potatoes, stir to thoroughly coat with oil and mix in onions, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Broccoli will begin to turn bright green. Stir in broth, garlic, and salt. Partially cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until broccoli and potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.

When vegetables are tender, use a blender to puree soup. Return soup to pot add pepper. Taste to correct seasoning and reheat if necessary. Serve immediately with bacon (or cheese) sprinkled on top.

Sweet Potato and Bean Burritos

Believe it or not, these babies are vegan. Love 'em. They make a handy lunch the next day too.

Sweet Potato and Bean Burritos

adapted from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites by The Moosewood Collective

2 sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cubed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

cayenne pepper, to taste

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

3 cups cooked beans, any type (2 cans, drained), canned refrieds are a super-easy option

1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and leaves minced

2 tablespoons lemon (or lime) juice

1 teaspoon salt

8-12 tortillas (depending on size), warmed

Salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are tender, 5-8 minutes. Add cayenne, cumin, and coriander and saute 2-3 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat if the mixture begins to overcook. Add the beans and sweet potatoes, stirring frequently, mashing with the back of the spoon. (If you prefer a smooth filling, process bean/onion mix in a food processor.) When the filling mix is heated through, remove from heat and stir in salt, cilantro, and lemon juice.

Lightly oil a large baking pan. Spoon out 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the filling into the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, until piping hot. 

Serve topped with your favorite salsa.

Risotto

My kitchen hasn't been used for much of anything lately, other than refrigerating the orange juice and creamer and offering a space in which to heat up takeout. For a self-described cook, this seems oddly lacking in, well, honest-to-God cooking. There isn't much of an excuse, but I did start a new job at the beginning of the year. Anyway, tonight I got out a knife, the cutting board, the dutch oven, a wooden spoon, and a few odds and ends of ingredients. The result:

Risotto
adapted from Recipes for Dairy-Free Living, by Denise Jardine
about 4 large servings

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 to 1 cup white wine (the lesser amount if the wine is sweet, a full cup if it's dry, or no wine at all if you happen to be a teetotaler)
6 1/4 to 6 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (whatever you need to total 7 1/4 cups liquid)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (about 1/2 pound) pre-cooked sausage (I had veggie sausage.)
6 ounces fresh baby spinach

Heat stock in large saucepan until hot but not boiling.

While stock is heating, saute onion and garlic in large skillet or dutch oven (non-stick is great if you have it) over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until onion softens. Add rice to onion and toss to thoroughly coat it with oil. Stir in the wine a 1/2 cup at a time until it is absorbed. Add the stock to the rice, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly after each addition until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding stock, a ladleful at a time, until a creamy sauce has developed and all the remaining stock has been used. This should take 20 to 25 minutes.

Stir in the salt, pepper, sausage and spinach and continue stirring until the spinach is wilted. Taste to correct seasoning. Serve immediately with the rest of the wine.

Enjoy!