Poco-Cocoa

One of the many reasons that I love the fall is that it’s time to indulge in pumpkin and apples and winter squash and all things autumn. What’s funny is that I tend to use canned pumpkin puree, which I could get any time of year.

I came across this recipe at Everybody Likes Sandwiches, a fun food blog that I am so glad I found! Kickpleat, the author of this nifty blog, shared this recipe a few weeks back, and I’m so glad she did.

These cookies are perfectly pumpkiny, a bit cakey, soft and chewy. I’ve been making these occasionally at the bed and breakfast, and sometimes I add a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the mix.

On to Kickpleat’s outstanding recipe!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 cup cooked and pureed pumpkin (canned works fine)
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Set aside.

Cream butter. Gradually add both sugars and cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet, leaving room for cookies to spread. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until tops of cookies are dry and spring back when touched lightly. Remove from baking sheet and cool on racks.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Source: Everybody Likes Sandwiches.

Years ago Justin and I attended a potluck dinner to which one guest brought a four-bean chili. It was one of the best things I had tasted up to that point, and I immediately set about trying to make my own. I came up with this on my first try, and we loved it. I would say this is probably one of the first recipes I created.

As I look at the recipe now, I can see how simple and fuss-free it is, and I think about adding chipotle chiles or roasted tomatoes or portabello mushrooms or sweet potatoes. But I always end up making the original recipe, changing up the beans depending on what we have on hand. This week, I used butter beans and pinto beans instead of kidney beans and black-eyed peas in an effort to use up items that we already had in the cupboards (see The Pantry Project for more info). Any beans, any veggies, any spices would probably taste just as yummy. So here’s the recipe, in all its glory.

Note: We sometimes have this over bulgur or brown rice, or topped with grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, diced avocado, and/or sliced green onions.

Four Bean Chili

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, over low heat for 45 to 60 minutes or until vegetables are tender and flavors have combined.

Makes tons. (Maybe 8 – 10 servings.)

Source: poco-cocoa.

This is one of my favorite soup recipes, because it’s quick and easy, and reminds me of my mom’s caldo. I’ve made it several times before, always using Swanson vegetable broth, and it turns out brothy and soupy. This time, I tried an organic vegetable broth from Whole Foods, and the soup ended up thick and stew-y. It seemed like a brand new soup.

I noticed a definite difference when I was pouring the broth into the pot…it looked opaque and almost chunky (it grossed me out a little). But it made me think…have I been so used to super-processed foods, including broth that is so watery it can’t possibly have much flavor, that I have no idea what the real stuff looks or tastes like? This broth was flavorful, but the viscosity of it just wasn’t what I was hoping for. I feel a little embarrassed that I prefer the mass-produced thin stuff.

Anyway, as I said earlier, this soup is very easy to pull together…a perfect weekday dinner.

Potato, Spinach and Tomato Soup

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 quart (32 ounces) vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 pound all-purpose potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound baby spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, grated or ground
• Salt and pepper
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a deep pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil for 2 or 3 minutes. Add broth and bring liquid to a boil. As you slice the potatoes, add them to the broth. Cook potatoes 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The potatoes will begin to break up and thicken the broth as the soup cooks. Stir in spinach in bunches as it wilts into the soup. Season sopu with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and heat through, 2 or 3 minutes. Top each serving with cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: 30 Minute Meals 2 by Rachael Ray.

In our quest to find meat substitutes, we encountered Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage-Style, which has a wonderful sausage-y taste and texture. It comes in a tube-like wrapping, and I always find it with the tofu and other refrigerated soy products. We’ve tried it in chilis and Frito pies, and even mixed with potatoes in breakfast tacos. It’s pretty yummy, but I seem to forget about it during meal planning.

I came across this recipe in Passionate Vegetarian, and was excited to find another use for the soysage. The original recipe calls for making soysage patties to serve with the stew, but I decided to do things a bit differently. (What else is new?) It’s unbelievably easy, but still flavorful, filling, and colorful to boot.

I’ve been serving our soups and stews with an easy salad I’ve come up with: baby spinach leaves topped with wedges of heirloom tomato that has been marinating for a bit in a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and minced shallot. It’s such an easy side dish, and the vinaigrette drips off the tomatoes to make a nice dressing for the spinach.

Spicy Black Bean and Soysage Stew

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 7 ounces Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage-Style
• 1 medium onion, sliced vertically into thin crescents
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a soup pot; add soysage, and crumble with a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Add onion, and saute together until soysage is slightly browned and onion is softens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, loosely covered, until sweet potato is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Add beans and tomatoes to pot. Simmer 5 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon.