Summer's coming to a close and so we went on a little hunt for some Autumn cooking inspo. We came across these two DELICIOUS-looking recipes, which we just cannot wait to try.
Vegan One-Pot Sun-Dried Tomato & Chickpea Stew
This tasty, hearty-looking bowl of goodness is from Kate Friedman’s 5-Ingredient Vegan Cooking recipe book. We saw the description of this recipe from the author herself and it included the following words:
"Not only is it really rich and savory, I almost always have all of the ingredients in my kitchen, making it an easy answer to the late-afternoon question: “What’s for dinner?”"
And that right there is why this recipe gets an extra 100 bonus points. Personally, I (the youngest daughter of the family) am not a great cook, and yes I could follow a recipe, but that involves planning and ingredient-shopping, which as a student, who is not a great cook, seems like a big job. So when I see a 5-ingredient recipe, using foods I normally have in the kitchen... I AM A FAN!
Ingredients
- 1 (8-oz [227-g]) jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
- ½ cup (80 g) yellow onion, chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (9 g) minced garlic
- 1 tbsp (3 g) Italian seasoning (see Recipe Notes)
- ¼ cup (66 g) tomato paste
- 1 (25-oz [708-g]) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14-oz [397-g]) can diced tomatoes
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- Fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, reserving 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil.
- Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the reserved oil to a large skillet. Turn the burner to medium and heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion and salt and reduce the heat to medium-low. Sauté the onion until it becomes golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and increase the heat to medium. Sauté the tomato paste until it turns dark red, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, ½ cup (120 ml) of water, tomatoes and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chickpeas become soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently mash some of the chickpeas and break the sun-dried tomatoes apart. Season with basil, if desired.
Recipe notes
"You may think it’s cheating to use Italian seasoning, but I’m a big fan of herb and spice blends. Word on the street is that blends are often a way for herb and spice manufacturers to sell the dregs of their supply, so I do make an effort to shop high-quality brands. The problem with a drawer full of individual spices is one of economy; they take up a lot of space, they can be costly and they don’t last forever. The longer herbs and spices sit in your drawer, the less potent they become. It just makes sense to use blends."
Crispy Spring Flatbread with Sunflower Seed Crema
Ok so we said they were recipes for September and Spring is in the title, but that is simply not the point. The point is that this homemade, gluten-free flatbread looks absolutely delightful and delicious any day of the year.
This wonderful recipe comes from @sakaralife, an Instagram blog that not only shares delicious recipes but also provides great info about the health benefits of what you're cooking.
Ingredients:
FLATBREAD DOUGH:
- 2 cups gluten free flour
- ¾ cup water
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseeds to 6 tablespoons water; let sit for 5 minutes and it will congeal)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
SUGGESTED TOPPINGS:
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 can artichoke hearts
- 1 shallot or half of an onion, sliced
- ½ leek, sliced
- 1 teaspoon wildcrafted honey (we're thinking maple syrup for a vegan alternative)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Handful of fresh, organic greens for topping
- Salt to taste
PESTO:
- 1 cup greens of choice (suggested: carrot tops, nettles, spinach)
- 3 garlic cloves
- Juice from ½ lemon
- ⅓ cup seeds of choice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt + pepper to taste
SUNFLOWER SEED CREMA:
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes
- ¼ cup cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt + pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Make crema sauce. Place sunflower seeds, cashews, nutritional yeast, vinegar, salt + pepper into a blender on low. After 1 minute, turn blender to high, adding water ¼ cup at a time until it starts to resemble a creamy sauce. Blend until completely smooth, adding water as needed.
- Make pesto. Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high until it reaches desired consistency.
- To prep toppings, place a small pan on medium heat and add in 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, shallots, leeks, and honey. Stir frequently and after about 5 minutes, add 1 tablespoons water + 1 teaspoon vinegar. Continue to cook down until browned and jammy, another 3-5 minutes. Once jammy, set in a bowl to the side.
- Lay sliced zucchini flat in the pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and turn heat to high, cooking for 2-3 minutes on one side, NOT stirring, and allowing the one side of the zucchini to become slightly charred. Once they are browned, turn off heat and set to the side.
- Make the flatbread dough. In a medium mixing bowl, combine water, flax eggs, vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Add flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing well until it comes together into a dough ball. It should form easily, not crumble, and not be too wet. Add more flour or water if the dough is leaning toward one extreme.
- Place dough on baking pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a few teaspoons of flour onto the parchment paper. Place the flatbread dough ball on the parchment. Coat your hands with a small amount of flour or olive oil to keep the dough from sticking and gently press + flatten the dough out into a rectangular flatbread.
- Place the flatbread dough in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- After 8-10 minutes, take flatbread out, top with pesto, zucchini, and artichokes and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
- Take flatbread out of oven and finish topping off with jammy shallots + leeks, greens, sunflower seed crema, salt and pepper. Enjoy.
Ok, that was a hefty one. Anyway, we cannot wait to give these recipes a go this month. Let us know if you give them a try and what you think of them (@supernature_snacks on Instagram)!