chickpea hominy chili

There is a definite chill in the air; no denying the season to unpack the sweaters has arrived. Which also means the season for warming foods is here as well. :-)
I didn't grow up eating hominy, but fell in love with it after coming across this recipe in an old print edition of the New York Times. When I found dried hominy here in the Big City supermarket, I could not have been more thrilled. :-)


*As a side note, I prefer to buy dried legumes rather than canned or jarred simply because it's a good way to avoid extra, unwanted salt in your diet. Most people eat two to three times more than the daily recommended amount of salt, and much of time it is because they don't factor in all the hidden sodium found in so many foods today. To do so requires a bit of planning, but nothing difficult: I simply soak the beans overnight and then boil them for 2 hours in the morning. Then they are ready to be used as per any recipe instructions.

To make this chickpea hominy chili, here's what you need:

• Chickpeas and hominy, equal parts, either two 15-oz. cans or 2 dried cups of each
• Olive oil, 3 T
• Garlic, 4 cloves minced
• Onion,  1 medium chopped
• Red and green bell peppers, 1 large of each chopped
• Corn, 1 cup
• Tomato puree, 1 pint
• Chili, 1 medium-sized chopped finely OR 2 T of chili powder
• Cumin, 1 t
• Cilantro, chopped to garnish
• Cheddar cheese, grated to garnish

Saute the garlic, onion, peppers, and chili in the olive oil until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes, on medium heat. Add the cooked/canned beans, along with the remaining ingredients except for those being used as garnishes, and on low heat simmer for 40 minutes. *If you find the chili too "thick", you can add a couple cups of veggie broth and then simmer to your preferred consistency. Garnish with fresh cilantro and grated cheese. Enjoy!

carrot curry soup

Have spent much of this lovely September Sunday in the kitchen, and I am happy to report it's been a very successful cooking session! :-)

I'm also happy to share with you one of the concoctions I came up with this afternoon---carrot curry soup. I originally planned to make carrot ginger soup, but then I started adding cumin and coriander and something else was born. :-)

Here's what I used:

• Nine carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Olive oil, 2-3 T
• Onion, 1 medium-sized chopped
• Ginger, 1.5-inch piece finely chopped
• Garlic, 4 cloves finely chopped
• Veggie stock, 6 cups (use less if you prefer a thicker soup)
• Fennel seeds, 1 t
• Curry powder, 1-2 t OR I used 1/2 t each of cumin, turmeric, coriander powder, and asofetida
• Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt, sour cream, crème fraîche, etc.), 2 small individual containers
• Parsley, to garnish

First I sauteed the onion, garlic, ginger, and fennel seeds in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion was translucent. Then I added the stock and carrots, brought to a boil, and simmered for 30-40 minutes, until the carrots were soft. After removing from the heat, I used a hand blender (if you don't have one of these, get one! Otherwise, use a regular blender) to cream until smooth, adding the curry spices and yogurt. Finish off with a bit of parsley---or a drizzle of fresh cream! Enjoy!!! :-)