Sometimes you have a craving for a soothing, spicy stew with onions, tomatoes and chickpeas. Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) have a wonderful meaty flavor that stands up well in almost any kind of stew, as their nice texture and flavor provide an excellent base. This meal is surprisingly filling, while it's completely vegetarian. Still, the calories per serving is very low.

You can’t really get enough of warming one-pot meals. They are always easy to make and it's great to have a couple of nice recipes on hand. In this dish, we decided to use the Indian spice garam masala. Garam masala is a really nice combination of various spices and goes so well with chickpeas or lentils. Some cumin and cayenne was added for a little extra kick, perfect for a cold and rainy day.

2 servings:

Ingredients:

vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 potatoes, diced finely
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup of water
1 bullion cube

Spices:

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper

Method:

Sautee the onion, celery and carrot in some vegetable oil. After a few minutes, add the garlic and the potatoes. Sautee for a few more minutes, then add the spices. Cook for a minutes or two, then add the chickpeas, the diced tomatoes, the water and the bullion cube. Cover and let simmer for about 20 – 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some sour cream.

Why in the world would you buy canned refried beans when it's so easy to make your own. If you already have some cooked pinto beans on hand (either cook up a large batch in advance and freeze portions - or use canned), then this dish will be done in no-time and the result is more than satisfying.

Refried beans are not actually fried like the name indicates, but “twice cooked”. Smooth, flavorful and comforting, these beans are perfect serve in a variety of ways. 

We saute our cooked beans in some butter or oil (or preferably lard which lends an extra rich flavor) along with some onion, garlic and spices. A little bit of cumin goes a long way and compliments the beans perfectly. These refried beans are great either as a dip with chips, or on top of rice with some salsa for a meal.

2 cups cooked pinto beans (preferably home cooked)
2 tablespoons of butter or oil
½ onion, diced finely
1 garlic clove, minced
about 1 cup of water
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili pepper
¼ teaspoon dried onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 batch of polenta
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ cup dried lentils (preferably lentils de puy - small French lentils)
½ cup dry vermouth
5 cups broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Method:

Sauté the onions, carrots and celery in the butter and the oil – we prefer to utilize a larger cast iron pan or a Dutch oven. After a couple of minutes, add the garlic cloves, the tomato paste, the dried thyme and oregano. Sauté for another minute before adding the dried lentils.

Add washed lentils to the vegetables and the dry vermouth (or white wine). Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the broth. Cover and let cook for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.

This is a good time to start cooking the polenta according to instructions.

When the lentils are soft, add the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the lentils over soft and cheesy polenta.