un-chicken salad

1 package of fake chicken

(i used trader joe's "chickenless strips", but there are morningstar "starters", your fave TVP recipe, whatever...adjust for allergy considerations)

1-2 red bell peppers (you're going to roast them, so keep 'em whole)

1 lg. green pepper, finely chopped

2-3 scallions, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed

1-2 tomatoes, seeded & chopped OR sundried tomatoes, soaked in water for about 20-30 min

olive oil

(sea) salt / pepper to taste

basil

dill

mayo or nayonaise

celery seed

parsley

sage

pinch of thyme
braggs liquid aminos (optional...but great flavor enhancer)

*poultry seasoning also works well in place of the sage and/or thyme

• season the chicken strips with salt, pepper, sage/thyme or poultry seasoning. set aside.
• chop your green pepper, garlic, and scallions. season w/ salt, pepper, basil, dill and bragg's aminos to taste. set aside.
• roast your red peppers. you do NOT need any fancy equipment for this. cut the top off the pepper & remove the seeds. if you have a gas range, turn one of the metal things (what are those called??? lol) upside down and put the pepper directly on the burner. use a medium flame. let it blacken, then rotate. once it's blackened all around, take it off the heat.
• let cool until you can handle it. scrape off as much of the blackened skin as possible, then chop the peppers.
• chop your tomato(es) and add them to a bowl with the roasted red pepper. sprinkle liberally w/ celery seed. set aside.
• in a nice sized skillet, heat up just enough olive oil to coat the pan. when it's hot, toss in the scallions/green pepper/garlic. saute until softened, then add the chicken strips. cook until strips are heated through. adjust seasonings as necessary.
• remove the chicken & veggies from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• add the roasted peppers and tomatoes to the cooled chicken/veggies. fold in mayo or nayo and taste/adjust again, if needed. chill before serving.

enjoy!!

chick pea & chard soup

with garlic and couscous.

this recipe was made up on the spot, inspired by the chick pea hot pot recipe at 101 cookbooks. i'm feeling a bit under the weather so i decided i needed some sort of soup; this is really the product of my need for comfort & a desire to use a bunch of random stuff from my cabinets.

here goes:

1 bunch swiss or rainbow chard, stems chopped off, cut to your desired width
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 medium red onion, diced
16 oz vegetable broth (i used trader joe's, of course)
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1 can chick peas, undrained (trader joe's again)
a splash of olive oil
3 tbsps lemon juice
3 tbsps orange juice
cayenne pepper
sea salt
cracked black pepper
adobo
thyme
parsley
oregano
bay leaf

saute spices, onion & garlic in olive oil until the onions turn translucent.
add vegetable broth, orange juice & lemon juice; bring to a boil.
add chick peas and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. simmer for about 15 minutes. add chard and couscous. remove from heat. allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes.

enjoy!

black eyed peas with brown jasmine rice

(i meant to make this post days ago, but i've had a series of internet issues that have resulted in my becoming comcast's bitch as opposed to verizon's or earthlink's again)

if you're a person from the african diaspora or live in the southern united states, you probably know about the new year's day tradition of eating black eyed peas & collards to bring in a new year of wealth & prosperity.

so, here's my recipe. late as hell (i forgot to publish it after adding photos) . . .

ingredients:

one 1-lb bag of goya frijoles caritas (it says in english somewhere on the bag, black eyed peas), soaked & rinsed
one carton of trader joe's vegetable broth
diced bell peppers (assorted colors)
olive oil
1 small red onion
sofrito
garlic, crushed (to taste)
salt, pepper, adobo & whatever spices you like (to taste)
bragg's liquid aminos (for the smoky taste)

instructions:

1) saute veggies & sofrito in olive oil, in the same stock pot you're going to cook the peas in.
2) once the onions are translucent, add veggie stock, braggs & spices.
3) add peas. bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4) cook the peas to your desired consistency.
5) serve with the rice of your choice. enjoy!

note: i cooked my brown jasmine rice with bay leaf. YUM.

collard greens!

since it's about to be autumn, that means one thing to me: it won't be too hot to cook. i can actually warm my entire apartment by roasting some potatoes or making cornbread. most importantly, though:
i can prepare as many stockpots full of collard greens as i wish to. praise the lord & pass the hot sauce.
my greens are a mash-up of omi's recipe for collards & whatever i feel like the day i prepare them. i usually throw some sofrito into the pot, & have been known to squirt a lil lemon juice in (don't ask, it sounded good at the time & turned out great), also. anyway, here's my first photo contribution to the delicious ignorance blog:

veggies, sauteed & looking sexy:



collards in the pot!




simmering vegetable goodness...



the finished product:




i took these photos w/ my camera phone & am amazed that they turned out this good... lol.