Black Bean and Red Rice Stew

a.k.a. Sonya’s California Jambalaya

I can’t claim this to be jambalaya but Mike said it’s like jambalaya so therefore it’s got to be true, right? My brother would affectionately call this “slop.”

It’s worth the hunt for Bhutanese red rice for this dish, though you can replace it with brown or black rice. The red rice makes a great chewy, nutty, high fiber addition. You can find red rice at Whole foods, specialty food shops, and Asian markets. Here’s a link to a brand I like: www.lotusfoods.com.

I used Field Roast’s vegan smoked apple sage sausage, but you could use any kind of sausage (just not breakfast links!). A Cajun style sausage would provide more bite. If you’d like to omit the shrimp, you could replace it with marinated tofu, adding it at the very end so it does not crumble and fall apart (or serve it on top).

You can get really creative with this dish. Have fun!

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 medium white onion, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 jalapeno, minced (remove seeds to cut down heat)

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

2 sausages, sliced

Ground cumin, coriander, paprika – perhaps 1 tsp each?

Ancho and chipotle chili powders to taste

Dash of cinnamon

3 ½ cups cooked black beans

½ - ¾ cup red rice

4 cups vegetable stock

1 stick of kombu seaweed

1 bay leaf

Dried herbs: thyme, marjoram, oregano – perhaps 1 tsp each?

Approx. 1 ½ cups pureed tomatoes

¾ lb shrimp, peeled

In a large pot, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat. When they begin to soften, add the celery. Cook for a few minutes then add the jalapenos, peppers, and carrots. When the peppers start to soften, add the sausage. When the sausage browns, add all the spices and stir until they begin to release their flavor. Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated in spices. Add the black beans. Pour in the vegetable stock, seaweed, bay leaf, and herbs. Bring to a rapid boil. Add the tomatoes, stir, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium low (or low depending on your burner). Let it gently simmer for 40 minutes. Taste to see if the rice is cooked, and if so, add the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, a few minutes.

I served this with guacamole, green salad with cilantro and a rice vinaigrette, and braised greens with wild mushrooms. Now I’m going to go eat the leftovers!

Velvet Orange Autumn Soup

This is probably one of my favorite autumn soups. Warm, creamy, soothing, and so simple to make. This is one of those rare recipes that I actually repeat – I make it almost every fall. Several of you may remember it!

I have replaced the butternut squash with sweet potatoes before, but I think my favorite version is with butternut squash. Likewise, I’ve used different kinds of apples, but some kind of green apple seems to be the best. I got this recipe originally from some television show about some country hotel on the east coast – the chef at the hotel made a version of this dish. He strained the soup at the end and added a touch of maple syrup, if I recall. I omit those two steps, but it would certainly make the soup even more velvety and sweeter than it already is. If you try it, let me know.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 T butter (depending on your pot)

1 cup each of the following chopped vegetables:

butternut squash

rutabaga

carrot

green apple

onion

celery

sweet paprika

vegetable broth (I used 1 Rapunzel’s veggie bouillion cube and approx. 2 ½ cups water)

nutmeg

Melt the butter in a medium sized soup pot. Sautee the onions over medium heat for just a minute or two and then add the rest of the vegetables, adding the apple last. When the vegetables begin to soften, add just a dash of paprika. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables, put a lid on the soup, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until all vegetables are soft. Allow to cool and puree in a blender. I use a Vitamix, so it makes a perfectly creamy, lump free soup. If your soup is not creamy enough, you can strain it.

Return the puree to the pot. Bring to a simmer and grate some fresh nutmeg into the soup.

I serve this with multi-grain bread and butter and a good fall salad. The most recent salad I made with it was greens, walnuts, some other veggies, fresh dill, basil, parsley, and cherry-vanilla balsamic vinaigrette. I’ve also served it as a first course to many wonderful fall meals.