Weeknight lovin' pt. 2- Why everything should be made in one pot

I am a brown bagger.  Well, technically speaking, I'm a 'zip-lock bagger', since I always pack my lunch in the same old freezer bag.  (Far more leak proof, don't-cha know?)  The soup du jour is pretty much always leftovers, most of the time they're decent enough, but every once and a while they leave the whole office greedily sniffing the air and asking hopefully, "did you get that from around here?"

Of course I have to shatter their dreams of a fragrant lunch when I tell them that it's just my leftovers.  (Although I always offer the consolation prize: the recipe.)

At any rate, this dish I'm about to share is one of the aforementioned leftovers that left my coworkers with lunch envy.

It's something along the lines of a gumbo, but with more of a Mexican flair.  It's bursting with flavor, and when served over brown rice, it makes a hearty and satisfying weeknight meal.

Chicken Sausage Stew

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

2 jalapeno chicken sausages, cut into 1/4in half moons

1 medium onion, sliced into 1/2in half moons

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

2 tsp fresh thyme

2 cups kidney beans

1 cup sliced bell pepper

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Directions

1.  In a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat and brown the sausage.  Once the sausage is browned, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  In the same oil, add the onions, salt and pepper, and cook until slightly softened and translucent.  Add the garlic and Serrano, and cook until fragrant, about one more minute.

2.  Add the diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and thyme.  Stir to combine and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the beans and peppers and continue to simmer until peppers are softened, about 15 minutes.  Add the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over white or brown rice.  Garnish with avocado if desired.  (I really recommend it).

Pinto Beans and Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

This post should be titled "Caramelized Onions and what I had left in my pantry."  Seriously though, I think I may have an addiction.

Anyone who has every experienced the sweet, salty, melt in your mouth wonderfulness of a caramelized onion will understand my predicament. All this week I've found myself fantasizing about what concoctions I could come up with to justify the manufacture of these savory goodies.

After coming up with countless creations, all of which involved some ingredient I didn't have on hand, I decided to throw caution to the wind and just say "f*ck it!  I'll just make the damn onions and invent the dish as I go!"

I'm happy to say that this abandon was rewarded greatly with a dish that is satisfying both in taste and texture.  Unfortunately it doesn't make it into the 'eat with your eyes' category, this dish is uggglllly.  However it is so delicious it would be criminal to not share the recipe, beauty or no.

Black Bean Chocolate Cake- Mom's Crazy Cooking Challenge

This month's challenge is chocolate cake.  While these two words may cause some to quake at the knees, I have to say they hold no such power over me.  In fact, if I'm going to be completely honest, I don't really like chocolate cake (or cake at all for that matter).  I find that they are usually too dry, or generally 'meh'.

I won't lie, this cake did not convert me, I'm still rather nonplussed by the entire subject.  I will however say that this was possibly the most moist chocolate cake I've ever had, and I really appreciated it's subtle sweetness and sponge like texture.  Not to mention it's non-traditional ingredient- black beans- which make this cake gluten free!  (If you're in to that kind of thing ;) )

Homemade Baked Beans with Molasses and Bacon

As an aspiring foodie, I'm constantly trying to expand my food horizons.  One such recent venture has been into the land of dried beans.  Yes, I've been tackling those familiar yet mysterious pebbles found in the bulk food section.  The verdict?

Dried beans are awesome!  They are inexpensive, nutritious, and with a little forethought- very easy to prepare.  Oh, and RIDICULOUSLY delicious.  So for those of you who have been thinking about making the plunge, this recipe is a great way to dive into the world of dried beans.

So good!

This recipe combines the smokey goodness of apple wood smoked bacon with the deep savory-sweetness of molasses (along with a healthy dose of organic ketchup).  There are three major steps to this dish: an overnight soak in the fridge, a 2-3 hour simmer, and finally a 1 hour bake.  Obviously you could do all of these steps in one day (i.e. wake at the crack of dawn to put the beans to soak, boil in the mid-afternoon, and bake in the evening), however I am not an early riser, so I did the soak the evening before I wanted to eat the beans.  At any rate, this recipe is relatively simple and so delicious that you won't think anything of the minimal effort put into the extra steps.  Enjoy!

Homemade Baked Beans with Molasses and Bacon

Serves 10-12

1 1b Great Northern beans (Navy are traditional, but I prefer a larger bean.)
2 large yellow onions
1 medium carrot
1 medium stalk of celery
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
4 slices apple wood smoked bacon
1.5 cups ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1 tbsp each cider and balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1.  Sort and rinse the beans.  Place in a large bowl and cover with about two inches of water.   Cover bowl with wrap and place in fridge overnight.

2.  In the morning small dice the onion, carrot, and celery.  In a large pot or dutch oven heat the oil and add the vegetables.  When softened add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.  Now add the beans and enough water to cover them by about two inches.   Add the bay leaf. (Note:  You can either add the beans with or without the soaking liquids.  Keeping the liquid means keeping the minerals and vitamins in the water, however some say that draining the liquid can help prevent some of beans' infamous side effects.)  Bring the mix to a boil for five minutes, and then simmer 2-3 hours partially covered until beans are tender, making sure that they don't dry out.  Drain and refrigerate beans until ready to use.

3.  Preheat the oven to 325.  In a large dutch oven fry the bacon.  While the bacon is cooking dice the remaining onion and mince the remaining garlic.  When browned, remove the bacon and cook the onions in the remaining bacon grease.  Once softened add the garlic and ginger powder and cook for another minute.  Next add all of the remaining ingredients into the pot and stir with the crumbled bacon.  Once thoroughly mixed, place in the oven and bake for approximately one hour.

Serve as a traditional side to BBQ fare, or eat by themselves (they're that good!).