Gnocchi with Pesto and Green Beans

At first it seems like an unlikely combination: green beans and pasta? At least, it did to me, until I came across a recipe for tagliateli, green beans, potatoes and pesto from Jamie Oliver's cookbook. I tried it, and it's delicious! This recipe is a variation. I use this one for a 10-minute, one-pot dinner.


1 package of gnocchi (you can find it in the dried pasta section of the grocery store -- although sometimes you might have to go to the refrigerated section. If it's not there, check out the frozen pasta, if any. I've found gnocchi alongside frozen ravioli and torteliini)
3 handfuls fresh green beans, washed and snapped into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp fresh prepared pesto (the stuff from the refrigerated section is better than the pesto you find on the shelf in jars)
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground pepper and kosher salt, to taste


Ready?

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the green beans and simmer 1-2 minutes. Add the gnocchi. As soon as the gnocchi are floating, drain the beans and gnocchi in a colander. While you are waiting for them to drain, add the olive oil and pesto to the still-warm saucepan. Return the green beans and gnocchi to the saucepan, and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dish it out, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

(Vegan) Chili con Veggies

Chili used to be my mother's go-to dish on afternoons when she was feeding lots of people. It's filling, easy to make in large batches, and a great way to warm up dozens of young people on a wintry day. This is not that chili. In fact, it bears very little resemblance to my mother's chili. After all, this chili has zucchini in it, and my mom's chili had ground beef. But it has the same significance, I think. When I eat it, I think of my mom's hospitality and hot, spicy food on a winter's day.



1 cup dried red kidney beans
1 cup dried black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 red onion
1 smallish green bell pepper (or half a large pepper)
1 zucchini
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic
(Any other veggies in your fridge, including but not limited to: 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 2 portobello mushrooms)
2 heaping tsp chili powder (if you can find chipotle chili powder, wonderful.)
1 tsp cumin
(the recipe gets hazier from here, so feel free to improvise)
A few shakes of freshly ground pepper
A few good pinches of salt
Some olive oil


Sort and rinse the beans, and put them together in a large saucepan. Cover them with water, and boil them for about an hour, or until they are soft. Check the water frequently, because nothing smells worse than burnt beans.

Meanwhile, dice or cube all the veggies according to your preference (I like big chunks of veggies, some people like them small, so go with your gut. Do whatever feels right).

Heat the olive oil (about 2 tbsp, or 3-ish glugs) in a medium skillet. Add the veggies and the spices. Saute until the onions are starting to turn cook, but try not to cook the veggies all the way through. You want them to still be firm.

Add the veggies/spices to the pot with the beans; Add the can of tomatoes and stir in the tomato paste.

Simmer 20 minutes on low heat. By this point, the beans and veggies should be suspended in a thick broth that just covers all the yummy chunky stuff. If the chili is too thin, simmer uncovered a little longer. If it's still too thin, add another spoonful of tomato paste and simmer a little longer.

Taste, and add salt as necessary.

I top mine with cheddar cheese -- for all those actual vegans out there, I'm sure Daiya "cheese" would also be great on top. The recipe for the cornbread in the photo is somewhere below this post.

(Vegan) Kale and Chickpea Soup

This is a recipe adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe. While I'm not generally bit fan of Ms. Ray, this one I found delicious. Her recipe calls for portuguese linguica: I made it without the sausage once for my vegetarian friends, and found it just as delicious. Feel free to add some, but know that it's a hearty, comforting, flavorful soup either way.

1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans/chickpeas
2 roma tomatoes
2 small white potatoes
approx. 3 cups of fresh kale, coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 shallot
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp vegetable bullion(I use the canned "Better than Bullion!" vegetable stock concentrate)
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and soak the chickpeas overnight, then change the water and bring to a boil. (Actually, I generally don't soak them at all, but I only make this recipe when I have time on my hands. If you have the time, then rinse and cover the chickpeas with several inches of water and bring them to a boil.) Simmer them on medium-high for about an hour and a half, or until they start to soften.

Wash and cube the potatoes. Chop the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces; dice the onion and shallot.

In a shallow pan, heat the olive oil and add the potatoes, onions, shallot, and bay leaf. Saute until the onions begin to soften, then add the tomaotes. Cook until the onions are transparent, then add the mixture to the simmering chickpeas. Add the vegetable bullion, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on medium-low for about half an hour, or until the potatoes are soft and the broth has reduced to just cover the vegetables.

Add the kale and cover, cooking until the kale has wilted into the soup.

Eat!

The Best Cornbread

This recipe isn't vegan -- but if you have a good vegan recipe for cornbread, please let me know!

1/4 cup honey
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
3 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 can corn, drained (optional, but highly recommended)

Preheat the oven to 425*

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, buttermilk, and honey.
2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, as well as the melted butter.
4. Spread into a buttered 8-inch pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.

** A note: Use a metal pan, not a glass pan. In the glass pan, the edges of the cornbread will dry out before the middle cooks.

Yummiest (vegan) Roasted Poblano Hoppin' John

I came up with this recipe last New Year's Eve. As you may know, it's good luck to eat black-eyed peas at New Year's. It's hard to tell which superstition to blame with the Ish Hits The Fan, so I try to cover my bases whenever possible.

For the sake of my vegetarian friends, I eschewed the usual ham-hock or turkey-neck flavoring. Even if my friends were carnivores, I find that a ham-hock makes everything taste TOO meaty, and I didn't know exactly where to find smoked turkey necks. This left me with a bit of a problem, since I needed some full flavor to fill in. I turned to my newfound friend, the Roasted Poblano. He did very nicely.

Note: This recipe serves about two very hungry people, or maybe three. I usually make it and keep it in the fridge for lunch for a few days. It's tupperware and microwave-friendly.



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas
1 fresh poblano chile
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 shallot, minced
1 bay leaf
Fresh pepper and salt to taste

1 cup white Jasmine rice
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp olive oil


Sort the black-eyed peas, picking out rocks and generally-ugly-looking beans. Rinse them well, put them in a medium sauce pan and cover them with several inches of water. Bring them to a boil, and simmer them on medium-high for about half an hour. Check on them frequently, and add water when necessary.

Meanwhile: Wash the poblano and dry it thoroughly. Turn your gas burner to medium-high and set the poblano directly on the flame. Using tongs, turn the pepper until the skin is blackened and blistered all over. Remove the poblano from the flame and place it in a bowl, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside for 10 minutes while the poblano steams. Take the poblano out of the bowl and use your fingers and a paper towel to remove the skin -- it should peel or rub off easily. Cut the poblano in half to remove the seeds and stem, then chop it coarsely.

Heat the olive oil in small saucepan over a medium flame and add the onions and shallot. Saute until the onions are transparent, then add the poblano pepper, bay leaf, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the peppers and onions are soft.

Check the black-eyed peas. When they are softened, add the onions and poblano mixture to the pot. Add salt to taste. Simmer uncovered for another 20-30 minutes, until the peas are creamy and the broth has thickened. Don't worry if it's still a bit watery -- as cools, you'll see the broth thicken.

For the rice: Boil water. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the chopped onions and dry rice, and saute until the rice begins to turn golden brown. Add 2 cups of boiling water (be careful! There will be a lot of steam!), and bring it back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the water.

Serve with homemade cornbread (not vegan).

The Tiny Kitchen Blog Has a Mission Statement

I post recipes for real, good food. I also post tips that may be helpful if you're a broke graduate student living in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen. Some of my recipes are vegan; most of my recipes are vegetarian. I haven't officially renounced meat, but I've found that it's cheaper and easier to cook for one person when you cook vegetarian (that's Tip #1). Plus, all of my recipes are delicous as they are. I don't use fancy ingredients (you won't find truffles in ANY of my recipes), unless it's a particular chili pepper or spice. (I'm a Californian girl at heart, and I tend to assume that these things are readily available everywhere.)I should also warn you that you won't find the following foods in my blog (in no particular order): capers, peas, veal, sauerkraut, soy meat substitutes, margarine, brussel sprouts, shortening, spaghetti, or trout.