Black-eyed peas are often only served for New Year’s, but they are super tasty and nutritious legumes that are underplayed and under appreciated. This spicy dish uses summer produce to give new life to these legumes. Forget about serving baked beans at your next picnic or barbecue! These black-eyed peas with bacon are a better real food alternative to those sugary beans.
Rinse and sort the black-eyed peas. Place in a bowl and cover completely with very warm water. Stir in baking soda. Cover and allow to soak at room temperature 12-24 hours. 24 hours is best and placing in the oven (turned off) will keep the water warm for better soaking. Soaking your black-eyed peas this way will reduce anti-nutrients, increase mineral absorption and eliminate “digestive responses.”
In a large pot, cook the bacon until it’s crisp (or try this method for baking your bacon). Remove bacon, chop or crumble and set aside. (Have you ever considered making your own bacon at home? It’s super easy.)
Saute onion in bacon fat for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and chili and saute another minute or two.
Add the peas, diced tomatoes, salt chili powder and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil and skim off any foam.
Reduce heat. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes. Check to see if the peas are tender. If not, add a little more water and cook for an additional 15 minutes or so. There should not be much liquid and the peas should be creamy and tender when finished.
Pour the peas into a serving dish and sprinkle crumbled bacon and chopped scallions on top. Even tastier the next day! The kids gobble it up.
*If you do not have fresh tomatoes or Anaheim chilies, substitute a 16 ounce jar of diced tomatoes and 4 ounce jar of green chilies.
Traditional homemade falafel is a favorite dish in my Middle Eastern household. A yummy spin on a classic dish, this version includes sweet potatoes, and a bunch of green veggies, in addition to the typical chickpea flour. Perfect for days you’re in the mood for something vegetarian.
Soak chickpea flour overnight: Soak 1 cup of the chickpea flour in filtered water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. The flour will settle in the bottom by morning, and you can then strain out as much of the water so the flour is not watery.
Cook the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 375 F. Rinse 3 medium sweet potatoes, pierce them in a few places, and bake for 50 minutes to an hour until they’re done. When potatoes have cooled, peel them, throw away the skins, and mash the flesh.
Puree everything: In a food processor, add the following ingredients and puree till smooth: drained chickpea flour, mashed sweet potatoes, spinach, cilantro, parsley, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, baking soda, salt and pepper. Taste test a little bit to adjust the seasoning. Feel free to sneak in some more greens if you’d like.
Stick the mixture in the fridge: No need to transfer to another container if you can fit the blender container in your fridge. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (or even overnight) until the mixture hardens and the flavors therein have been incorporated.
Toast the sesame seeds: In a small saucepan or skillet, add a few tablespoons of sesame seeds and stir for a few minutes on medium heat till toasted.
Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 375F. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large baking sheet and spread to make sure entire surface is covered.
Add mixture in small patties to baking sheet: Using a spoon, scoop out a tablespoon of the mixture and add to the baking sheet. Flatten out with the back of the spoon, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top. The mixture measurements above make about 25 2-inch patties. Feel free to split the mixture in half, and bake only 12 patties at a time. Refrigerate any unused mixture.
Bake the falafel patties: Bake for 15 minutes and then flip, sprinkle more toasted sesame seeds on top, and bake for another 10 minutes. The center should still be moist in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave in the oven until ready to serve.
Serve warm: These falafels taste best with tahini sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, or other vegetables. I served it with tahini sauce atop a big salad.
When I first saw the title of this recipe on the Plan to Eat blog, I was very skeptical; “cheese” isn’t what comes to mind when I think “lentils.” However, it is delicious, and more in the Italian food vein than Indian. It’s a great base recipe to expand upon with your favorite ingredients. Mix and match veggies as you like, and try others, too! As always, organic foods are preferred but of course not required. It’s one-dish easy if you skip the saute, too. Can be dairy-free with cheese substitute.
Cover lentils with warm water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, vingar or whey. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 7 hours to break down anti-nutrients. Drain when ready to proceed with the recipe.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Optional Saute for deepened flavor:
In a medium skillet, heat the oil.
When a droplet of water spatters upon contact, add the onions and saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.
While the onion cooks, chop or slice the mushrooms.
When onions are soft and translucent, add the mushrooms and saute until slightly browned.
Add garlic and saute for one minute more, stirring to keep garlic from burning.
Remove from heat and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
You may begin here if you want a one-dish meal:
Combine lentils, onions, mushrooms, garlic, stock, seasoning, spices, and tomatoes in a large 9×13-inch baking dish
Cover tightly and bake 30 minutes
Uncover and stir in carrots, celery, and pepper if using
Bake, covered, for another 40 minutes, or until vegetables are fork-tender
Gently stir in parsley (if using) and lemon juice
Sprinkle cheese over top
Bake, uncovered, 5 or more minutes until cheese melts and browns nicely
Try serving with sweet potatoes (baked in the oven at the same time to conserve energy,) a green salad, sauteed kale, or other green veggie
An easy, frugal, filling dinner with plenty for leftovers the next day. It’s adapted from a recipe a friend gave me for “Meatless Sloppy Joes,” but my family didn’t like it because it didn’t taste like “real” Sloppy Joes. So I tweaked it and presented it as “Saucy Lentils,” and now it’s a family favorite.
Soak lentils in warm water with 2 T. whey, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice for 8 hours or over night. Drain and rinse.
Place 3 cups of water, lentils, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, molasses, apple cider vinegar and spices in slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cook on high for 4-6 hours on high until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If the lentils are cooked and the mixture is still too runny for your preference, you can add more tomato paste or take the lid off and let it cook until it reaches the desired consistency.
Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or biscuits, topped with melted cheese.
This vegetarian Egyptian red lentil soup will warm your heart on the coolest of winter days. The cumin, onions and garlic provide the authentic Egyptian taste, and the addition of potatoes, carrots and other spices makes it even more hearty and nutritious.
Soak lentils: Rinse lentils in warm water several times and soak overnight in filtered water with a tablespoon of something acidic like apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon/lime juice, or liquid whey. Soaking legumes overnight before cooking helps neutralize some of the phytic acid and other anti-nutrients that otherwise get in the way of nutrient absorption and digestion.
Dice and saute onions and garlic: Dice a medium yellow onion, and mince 3-4 cloves of garlic. Then, add a tablespoon and half of coconut oil, grass-fed ghee OR olive oil to a stainless steel pot, and saute the onions lightly until they’re fragrant and have turned into a golden translucent color. Then, add the garlic and stir for a couple of minutes.
Add lentils and water: Discard soaking water from lentils and rinse a few times. Add lentils to the pot, followed by three and half cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil and lower to medium heat.
Add potatoes and carrots: Wash and dice two potatoes and a cup of baby carrots. Add them to the pot and stir well. Add the whole bay leaves and leave to cook, covered and on medium heat, for about an hour.
Add the spices: When the carrots and potatoes have cooked, turn off the heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of ground cumin, salt and pepper (to taste) and if you wish to make it spicy, add a few (5-10) particles of crushed red chili peppers (be aware that even a few extra pieces can make it unbearably spicy). Stir well and taste-test to see if the spices need to be adjusted.
Blend: Remove whole bay leaves and discard. Blend other other ingredients to a liquid soup using an immersion blender (better than transferring to another blender, but that certainly works if you don’t have a hand-held blender).
Serve: Serve soup warm. Add freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice and olive oil to season soup in individual plates. The soup can be served plain, with sprouted or sourdough bread, or with brown rice.
A delicious version of baked beans using Yellow-Eyed beans. Other dried beans may be used as well with this recipe.
The day before, carefully pick over and wash the beans with cold water. Soak the beans in 3 quarts of water with the lemon juice added ~ at least overnight, or up to 24 hours.
Drain and rinse beans. Cover them with more water and bring to a boil. Then, simmer them until when you blow on a few, the skins split.
Drain and rinse the beans and put them into a cast iron dutch oven or a good sized casserole dish with a lid.
Mix together all the rest of the ingredients and stir that into the beans.
Pour in boiling water, just enough to cover the beans and stir again.
Put on the lid and bake at 250 degrees F. for 8 hours. Check them from time to time and add a bit more boiling water if you need to. For the last 30 minutes, take off the lid.
A delicious and fun way to serve lentils! You can serve this over rice, sprouted bread, or mashed cauliflower.
Place lentils in a bowl with whey or vinegar and cover with water, leaving to soak for 6-8 hours.
When ready to cook, drain and rinse, then place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer around 30 minutes, or until soft.
While the lentils are cooking, saute onion and garlic in coconut oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and simmer until heated through. Drain lentils and add to sauce mixture; taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Top with cheese and enjoy!
Comfort food at its best! Thick, nourishing, Navy Bean and Bacon soup will add a delicious and filling dish to any meal.
Rinse and sort dried Navy Beans. Soak 1# beans in lots of cold water with 1/4 cup whey or lemon juice for 24 hours.
Drain and rinse well.
Slice the bacon into little pieces.
Chop the onion.
Put a heavy bottomed pan on your stove and fry the bacon and onions together.
Add the drained beans and enough water to cover by a couple of inches.
Bring to a simmer and carefully skim off as much of the foam as you can.
Cover the pot and set on a low heat and cook for at least 2 hours, and if you like, you can cook it a lot longer, but check from time to time and see if you need to add more boiling water.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! We like ours with homemade cornbread and butter. We also like to eat some raw onion slices on the side.