Beet, Collard & Cheddar Risotto

Okay, so, it’s been a crazy last little while. Delicious things have been made, but there has not been time or energy to write about them – until now!

So, we’ll start with tonight and work backwards. Which is lucky, because tonight, there was risotto, which is one of my dream meals. In fact, it’s totally right up there with anything with lots of welsh rarebit, in fact. And you know how I feel about welsh rarebit!

This particular risotto is cheesy, creamy, earthy goodness in a bowl. And vegetarian to boot, if you use vegetable broth.

Based on this recipe from Food & Wine which claims to have been dreamed up by a 6-year-old? And if you use a red beet instead of a golden beet like we did, it’ll be a brilliant red color, which is gorgeous. (And which apparently appeals to 6-year-olds? Whatever, the risotto is amazing. Make it. You won’t be sorry.)

What you gotta have:

1 medium beet
2 large collard green leaves (or a bunch of beet greens)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups broth
2 cups water
2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated
Salt to taste
Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated, for garnish
1 tsp fresh horseradish, grated, for garnish (optional, but awesome)

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What you gotta do:

1. Roughly chop your beet into large chunks, put in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the greens and continue to process until everything is finely chopped.

2. Add 2 Tbsp of canola oil to a large saucepan or dutch oven and heat to medium high. Add the minced onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice, stirring, and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the beet and green mixture and cook for one minute.

3. Pour in the broth and water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. When the liquid is almost absorbed, stir in the cheddar cheese and cook for 3 more minutes to let it become thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parmesan and grated horseradish on top.

Turkey Pozole

Spicy Mexican soup of your dreams for those of you who always wish there was more hominy in your life. (Now is your chance! Seize the hominy!)

Also, I’m starting to get the sniffles (aww) and coming home to a big pot of this soup with the spice and vegetables and hot broth…ahh – it was pretty much the perfect thing. Also it’s healthy! And fast! And easy! AKA done and done.

What you gotta have (for 2-4 people):

1/4 onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb turkey breast, cut into chunks
1 oz chile caribe
32 oz can hominy
32 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 bottle of white wine <–or 2 cups stock
Salt
1 avocado
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Sour cream
Corn tortillas

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What you gotta do:

1. Saute the onion and poblano pepper in olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Season with salt. After a couple of minutes, toss the chunks of turkey into the pot. Cook until the turkey has a little bit of color, then toss in 1 oz of crushed chile caribe and stir.

2. Drain the can of hominy and add into the pot. Then add the can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes and 1/2 bottle of white wine. Season with salt and bring to a simmer.

3. Cover and wait for your wife to come home. When wife is home, put a torn-up tortilla at the bottom of each bowl (or, if you’re fancy, you can fry the tortillas in oil until crispy and crumble on top) and ladle soup on top. Garnish with diced avocado, chopped cilantro and, if you have it, sour cream.

Smoky Spicy Black Bean Soup

So, besides the sour cream, which you could easily swap out for non-dairy sour cream, this spicy smoky soup of your dreams is completely vegan! And you can make it all in one pot! And it’s super hearty (like, I didn’t realize it didn’t contain any sort of meaty sort of something hearty. I know! Start soaking your beans!)!

We think the amazing vegan heartiness probably came from Rapunzel brand vegan bouillon (from Switzerland by way of Madison Market). If you can get your hands on it, it pretty much is the magic ingredient. If you can’t get it where you are, substitute another vegetarian stock but I’d definitely make sure to taste it and possibly add other seasoning if needed.

What you gotta have (could probably serve 6 people. With us, 2 + a whole lot of leftovers):

2 cups dry black beans
1 32 oz can of crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes
Canola oil
1 large leek
2 carrots
2 chipotle peppers <–ours were the canned variety
4 cups hot water + 2 cubes Rapunzel bouillon (or 4 cups vegetable stock)
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Sour cream to top (dairy or non-dairy)

What you gotta do:

1. Soak the black beans for at least 1 hour or up to overnight in enough cold tap water to cover. Drain all the soaking liquid except for about 1/2 a cup.

2. Cut the leek and the carrots into coins (I always like calling them coins better than calling them rounds. Because rounds are for squares. Uh…yes), chop up the chipotles, then saute in some canola oil in a dutch oven on medium low heat. When the carrots and leeks are soft, toss in the beans and reserved soaking liquid, your bouillon & water or stock, and the can of crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low and cover.

3. Cook for about 2 hours, checking the liquid levels about every 45 minutes and giving the soup a stir. Once the beans are tender, serve and top with sour cream, chopped cilantro and slices of jalapeno.

Vegans of the world unite! And eat delicious bean soup. You love it.