Most of the time, we think of dahl as being made out of lentils or split peas, but other legumes can stand in too. We particularly like this mildly spicy dahl made from black eyed peas. I used the canned form to save time, but if you’ve got the time to soak and cook up the dried beans, the meal will be even more inexpensive.
Black eyed peas dahl
Ghee or mild vegetable oil
4 whole cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 small onion, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, minced
6 to 8 oz plain yogurt
2 cans (15 oz) of black eyed peas
1/2 t ground …read more

Spicy chickpeas, also known as Kabuli Chole in Indian cuisine, are a wonderful side dish for a meal that needs some spice, or can be mixed into a green salad, or even pureed to make Indian “hummus.” We love these things!
You can start with dried chickpeas, soak and boil them up if you’d like, but I usually use the canned ones.
Spicy Chickpeas
(Kabuli Chole)
2 19 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 t cumin seeds
1 large red pepper, chopped
Vegetable oil
1 T fresh ginger, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 – 4 jalapenos, chopped
1 t garam masalah
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges
Mix the chickpeas, …read more

This is a great Once-A-Month-Cooking recipe that you can double, triple, or quadruple very easily. For extra speed in preparation, you can use one of those 1.25 oz packages of taco seasoning and a can of prepared chili. Usually, I would prefer that these things be homemade, but sometimes for OAMC recipes, we’ll make an exception!
Even if you don’t get into OAMC, this is a great recipe to make ahead, either early in the day or even a couple of days ahead.
Taco Soup
2 – 15 oz cans chicken broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can black beans, drained …read more

From my favorite FoodNetwork show, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, comes this tantalizing recipe for hummus. I love edamame, so I can’t wait to try this one!
Edamame “Hummus”
2 cups shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 cup silken tofu, briefly drained of excess liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice, plus more, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, plus more, for garnish
Set 1 tablespoon of edamame aside for a garnish. Place the rest of the edamame, tofu, salt, garlic, oil, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin in the bowl of a food …read more

Guest author: Chef Jill Houk
Website: Centered Chef Food Studios
Hearty Vegan Black Bean Soup
Just 10 minutes of prep in the kitchen, then you can head to work while the soup cooks without you! Make a double batch so you have leftovers to freeze.
Makes 8 servings.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cooked ham or smoked turkey, optional
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 16-ounce package dried black beans, picked through for stones and rinsed well
5 cups water
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and ground black pepper
Garnishes
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup chopped seeded …read more

Guest author: Beth LaMie
Website: Beth LaMie
ABC’s of Soup
Traditionally, soups are ideal for large families because they can be easily stretched for drop-in guests by adding more broth or water. They also keep well and reheat nicely for latecomers. Mom always used her largest cooking pot for soups. It was such a treat to come home from school on a cold windy day to smell soup cooking on the stove. Soup also allows the cook to combine any leftover meat or vegetables into the latest batch of soup to create a wonderful variation …read more

This is a really tasty stew that you can spice up or down to suit your family. With a little bit of prep during your once a week food preparation, you can have the meat pre-cooked so that the stew itself will take under thirty minutes to put together at meal time. Another way to prepare the meat is to put it in a crock pot early in the morning and cook it on low all day. When you get home and are ready to put the stew together, the meat will be tender and falling apart. Good for …read more

“Crostini” means something along the lines of “little crusts” in Italian. Really, it’s just a cool name for stale bread! It’s fun to make different toppings to try on small toasted pieces of bread, and serve them along with soup or stew, as an appetizer, as a side dish with any nice Mediterranean main dish. This lentil topping is really good with lamb. You might want to try the onion-marinated grilled lamb with it! Add some greens with the lemon-garlic salad dressing for a really special time with your busy family. They’ll sit down and relax for a …read more

You can think of this as Italian hummus!
White bean puree makes a tasty snack on crackers, and is also a great spread to add to the table when you’re making bruschetta. I served this a couple of days after we returned from Italy, when we were already missing the food! Grill up some slices of Italian bread with olive oil, and serve with diced tomatoes mixed with garlic and fresh basil. Serve this puree as well, and you’ve got a great light meal or snack!
White Bean Puree
2 cloves of garlic
15 to 16 oz can of small …read more

Easy-peasy (sorry!) recipe for split pea soup that you can set up in a crock pot before you leave the house and have table-ready in an instant when you return! All you need to add is crusty bread or rolls. This is also an excellent OAMC recipe, freezing very well, and heating up again either on the stove top or in the crock pot.
Split Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey
16 oz bag of split peas
Large onion
2 cloves of garlic
sweet potato (pre-cooked)
3/4 t thyme
Salt & pepper
1 T lemon juice
1/2″ slice of smoked turkey from grocery deli
Cover the split peas …read more