bcmom's kitchen

bcmom's kitchen

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Chard and White Bean Stew

I'm still getting a few things from my garden.  The tomatoes are ripening, and I've been picking a few every couple days.  There are plenty of green ones still needing to ripen.  There are also quite a few small jalapenos on the plants and some bell peppers, too.  We had to cover the tomato and pepper plants for a few nights this weekend to protect them from frost, but it's warmed up again so we should be good for a while.  I've also got carrots and chard still out in the garden.  I read somewhere that carrots will taste better after a couple of good freezes, so though I've pulled several of the carrots, I'm going to leave the rest of them for a while.  Chard can survive a frost, so I should be having that for a while, too.


With all the chard and tomatoes, I started searching for a recipe that would use some of them.  There are quite a few good sounding recipes, but this one won out.  She served this with crusty bread, and a poached egg on top, but I skipped the poached egg.  It does look interesting, though.  Perhaps next time?

Chard and White Bean Stew
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 pound Swiss chard (or another green), stems removed and coarsely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup dry white wine (or juice of half a lemon and water to make 1 cup)
  • 2 15-ounce cans (or about 4 cups) white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup chicken broth (or 2 cups broth and not bean liquid)
  • 1 cup bean liquid (if using home cooked beans)
  • 1-2 cups pureed tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
Directions:
  1. Prepare vegetables.  Heat olive oil in 5 to 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and saute for 15 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add chard and cook, stirring, until chard begins to wilt. 
  2. Add wine (or lemon water), scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pot and cook until it has reduced by three-fourths. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, salt, black pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. 
  3. Add more broth if you’d like a thinner stew and adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with crusty bread.  Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar if desired.

I really enjoyed the flavors in this. My husband didn't drizzle any of the vinegar on his, but I thought that really added a nice touch.  I really love when the broth soaks into the bread.  So good!


This whole grain sourdough is the perfect complement to so many things!  I used 1 cup of the bean liquid in this batch, instead of the water.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Peggy's Original Veggie Kablooie!!!

Veggie KablooieMy friend Peggy has been making this incredibly tasty and addicting stuff we call Veggie Kablooie for a while now.  It's always a big hit at potlucks, and everyone looks forward to it.  She posted the recipe a while back, and I meant to share then, but somehow I just never got around to it.  I even made my own batch of Veggie Kablooie from the recipe.  It was good, but not as good as Peggy's.  (Now you know, Peggy)

Then last night Peggy posted something on Facebook asking if she should make Veggie Kablooie for the Barn Party this weekend, and I was reminded that I never posted this.  I don't get to go to the Barn Party - since it's in Wisconsin, and I'm in Indiana - so I won't get to have any Veggie Kablooie, but I can finally get around to sharing the recipe.  Seriously, you have to try this stuff.  So good!

Posted by permission:


Veggie Kablooie ingredientsThis recipe evolved over a year or so until it became what it is. It's something that is welcomed with open arms (hands and mouths!) whenever I bring it to a party.

What is it??? It's good for you! Well, it must be since it is filled with vegetables! It's a snacker's delight!  It's vegetables that went.....
Kablooie!!!!!

Many of my friends have asked me for my recipe and I have given them a print out from my computer. No one has ever gotten back to me to say they made it and it's just as good as mine... or even told me they made it. So I can't say this recipe has been tested by anyone but myself, and I actually never really measure anything when I make this. I just kinda go by what looks right.
 

This is what you need for Peggy's Original Veggie Kablooie:

  • A food processor
  • 2 parts broccoli
  • 2 parts cauliflower
  • 2 parts carrot
  • 1 part radish, the ones with the greens on top are the best.
  • 1 part onion--yellow, white, or, for color use the purple ones
  • 1 part green pepper (optional- I think it adds a brightness to the Kablooie)
  • 1 part shredded mild cheddar cheese
  • enough Kraft Peppercorn Ranch dressing to moisten
  • 1 or more bags of Fritos Scoops (not pictured here)
Veggie KablooieDirections:

Take all the veggies and grind them up, add enough dressing to moisten, add the cheese no more than 4 hours before serving. Eat with Fritos Scoops (best), or other chips or coin shaped carrots. or scoop-cut bell peppers or other scooplike things.. NOT celery! You will ruin it with celery!

You can also stuff pita pockets, or eat it like coleslaw!


For a complete picture tutorial, visit What!!!! You've NEVER heard of Veggie Kablooie?????

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