16 Cans of Diced Tomatoes

That's what my roommate and I left Costco with when her mom was in town a few weeks ago. And it was completely intentional. Why, you ask? Because diced tomatoes are an integral part of about 18 out of 20 of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes. And the following recipe (courtesy of my roommate) is my current favorite:

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can beans (black or cannellini are my favorite for this)
2-3 handfuls of roughly chopped kale
Cumin

Combine the above ingredients over medium heat until the kale has wilted. This combo is perfect on it's own, on top of rice or quinoa, or (drained slightly) in a tortilla with cheddar cheese for a vegetarian quesadilla!

Three-Hour Black Beans

What to do with the huge bunch of cilantro I had left over from Chickpea Tacos? So many things come to mind (I'm of the mindset that cilantro makes every dish better). But really, what goes better with cilantro than black beans? That's right, absolutely nothing. Then it occurred to me that I have never once prepared dried black beans. So I decided to give it a try.

I used this recipe for Cuban Black Beans, which was really simple other than requiring enough forethought to soak the beans the night before. But while cooking, a curious situation developed -- I let my gigantic pan of black beans simmer for almost 3 hours, and every time I grabbed a spoonful to check if they were done, I kept tasting blacks beans that were kind of...coarse. And leathery. And then I thought that maybe no matter how long I let the pan sit there those beans probably wouldn't end up being quite as soft as what I'm used to because they haven't been been sitting in a can. Now isn't that just funny? Despite tasting MUCH better than what comes out of a can, the texture may just take some time to get used to. 

Has anyone else found this? I'm still not entirely convinced that homemade black beans are destined to taste so fibrous. It might just require more patience than I have...

Chickpea Tacos

I've never really been a chickpea person - or so I thought. But over the weekend I got the urge to experiment. Going through the archives of Eat, Live, Run (one of my favorite activities) I found a link to this recipe for Chickpea Tacos, and I'm sold.

This was such a quick and easy recipe made with things that I keep stocked in the pantry. I made a few changes to the marinade: 2 T. of canola oil instead of water and fresh garlic and onion instead of powder. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly, and these delicious chickpeas were gone within 24 hours.

They were great on a whole wheat flour tortilla topped with salsa, thinly sliced cabbage, extra sharp cheddar and loads of fresh cilantro.

Found: The Perfect Naan Recipe

Inspired by lunch at an Indian restaurant over the weekend (and needing something to accompany the leftovers), Sunday night I searched for a quick and easy recipe for Naan.

Most recipes I found included yeast, so I was happy to stumble upon this recipe from The New Vegetarian Epicure. I went with this one in part because I didn't want to make a trip to the grocery store for yeast (which was futile because I ended up running out of plain yogurt), but mostly because I'm pretty sure Anna Thomas has never even thought of a bad recipe.

I was looking for something soft and a little chewy, that would soak up sauce but also be delicious enough to eat alone. This was definitely a winner. Even better, I substituted half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, and it was still amazing!

I put the first few in the oven after being browned on the stovetop (as the recipe suggests), and while that definitely gave the bread some great air bubbles, it left them a little bit more dry and crispy than I was hoping for. Going forward, I just browned each piece for about two minutes on each side, and they were done!

I tend to love any recipe that gives you an impressive looking product using only the ingredients I have on hand and minimal effort. This definitely fits the bill, and tasted awesome with my Vegetable Coconut Korma Curry.

Fancy Pants Hot Chocolate

Although Boston has been less-than-frigid this past week, I'm never one to hesitate from indulging in a soothing cup of hot chocolate. Inspired by a gift of delicious homemade hot chocolate mix from a friend, I've been finding new ways to spice up my plain old Swiss Miss:

1. Almond Extract. I've inherited this first one from my mom (who keeps almond extract in her purse for plain lattes picked up on the go). I am the next Alexander that will add almond extract to just about everything from my morning coffee to late-night hot chocolate.

2. Coconut Extract. On a similar note, if dreams of tropical climates are what keep you warm in January, I also keep coconut extract on hand for hot chocolate and whatever else I deem needs some summer-y flavor.

3. Orange zest. Oranges are one of my favorite fruits, so when they're in season I can't help but use them in everything I cook. Orange zest is no exception, which makes ordinary hot chocolate nothing short of magical.

4. Nutella. Inspired by Nutella Hot Chocolate at the Crepe place down the street from me, I added an embarrassingly brilliantly large spoonful of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter to tonight's hot chocolate. The extra-saltiness of Justin's is the perfect accent to a warm cup of sweet hot chocolate.

Any brilliant additions out there I should know about?

Photo of Mexican Hot Chocolate from Hilah Cooking.

Quick Dinners with Kale

Don't cha just love kale? It's not just for garnish anymore. Oh no. It's wonderfully crunchy and has such a unique, buttery-salty-garlicky kind of je ne sais quoi. Yup, that's how I feel about kale. And here's how I used it this week. 

On Sunday night:

My little black dress of weeknight dinners, whole wheat noodles with broccoli and Parmesan, got dressed up with some sautéd kale. 

And on Monday night:

Quinoa tossed with roasted sweet potatoes and (more) sautéd kale was the perfect combination, and has made awesome leftovers for the week.

P.S. Kale in the news recently!

Chicken and Dumplings

It's cold and rainy in Boston and I'm just getting over a cold. That means it's time to talk comfort food.

About a week ago I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade chicken and dumplings on Eat, Live, Run and knew I had to try it. It's a new-to-me comfort food, something perfectly warm and soothing, and, as if that weren't enough, it's so easy! And now I'm hooked.

For all I know this recipe is a truly authentic representation of good 'ole fashioned, southern chicken and dumplings. That being said, I'm not an authentic Southerner, so I feel no remorse in saying the following: I made a few minor changes to the recipe. And when I make it next I'm going to make some more.

I was worried that it would be too plain, and that using 8 cups of store bought chicken stock alone wouldn't end up with a great, homemade flavor. So I started by sautéing some onions before bringing the broth to a boil. That helped. And I added some oregano. Other than that, I was compliant :)

But I missed the vegetables. And then I saw this picture and got soup envy. So next time I think I will start with carrots and celery in addition to my onion, and I might even add some frozen peas. And then, since I've already made an abomination of a southern staple, I think I'll just go ahead and make the dumplings with whole wheat flour.

I hope everyone stayed warm and dry today! The only thing that got me out of my sweatpants and cozy socks was a trip to the grocery store so I could make Ina's Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting for my roommate's birthday. Good motivation, huh?