My Legume Love Affair - 56 and An Announcement

My Legume Love Affair has been going strong considering that 2008. A big way to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook for taking off this famous legume banquet where we will locate contributions from food bloggers global to encourage and encourage us to get innovative with legumes in our very own kitchens. Flattered and humbled is a sarcasm as I announce I am now the Legume Mistress, beginning this month, with some help from my dear buddy Susan whose presence will remain regarded and commemorated. I've been exceeded the baton and now I will retain to run the relay. I desire that this event will stay a famous spot to proportion your valuable bean creations. This has long been certainly one of my favourite meals activities as legumes, every kind and varieties, are staples in my kitchen.

I am additionally delighted to announce that I am web hosting MLLA #fifty six, the February 2013 edition. I've made a few modifications to this event, appreciably that to any extent further best vegetarian friendly services can be typical, and in contrast to preceding variants, most effective one entry according to blogger, per month, will be widely wide-spread, but for those long time participants, you won't locate lots will trade, and I stay up for seeing some bloggers new to the occasion collaborating each month.

It will stay a monthly occasion with visitor hosts supporting out at some point of the 12 months, and I'll announce them as confirmed. If you are interested by web hosting an upcoming version, please email me. Everything you need to realize approximately MLLA may be located on the continuing archive page, however I will recap the primary guidelines in this post as the event rolls along into 2013.

Fresh or dried beans, lentils, pulses, and/or the sometimes edible pods that contain these seeds, and derivative products like tofu or besan, along with tamarind, fenugreek, carob, peanuts are all acceptable. Please ensure that your shining ingredient is in fact a member of the legume family. All types of cuisines and courses are welcome, so long as the mighty legume is the key ingredient. More than a few tablespoons of legumes must be present to be accepted.

Recipes out of your archives may be common, however please repost and replace with hyperlinks. You may additionally post your recipe to different occasions.

Once your put up is in location, please link again to this announcement, supply a bow to Susan and a link to the continued archive, hosts and tenet page might be preferred to alert readers to changes to the event and access to lots of delicious ideas for legumes. Use of the logo, courtesy of Susan, is optionally available.

Submissions are due by the stop of the month. In this situation, no later than the 28th. Please ship the url of your submission, along side the title, and a picture measuring four hundred X three hundred pixels, both orientation, and your vicinity, to legume.Lisa AT gmail DOT com. Your vicinity will now not be shared however is vital for prize functions.

Prizes for February:

1) Susan has generously agreed to sponsor a book prize this month at her very own fee that she will be able to deliver worldwide. The prize is Growing Eden. This ebook has blossomed out of a community task wherein low-earnings families are taught a way to grow and cook their own produce. The recipes are fitness and budget pleasant.

2)

Hurst Beans has agreed to carry on as a sponsor and the winner will receive a 6-pack assortment of products from N.K Hurst Company. Due to shipping restrictions, this prize is restricted to residents of the US.

Drawing shape: A random draw will take area on the quit of the month. If the winner resides inside the US, he/she can get hold of each prizes. If the winner is a non-US resident, then they will receive the e-book prize and some other draw will take place to determine the recipient of the Hurst bean package deal.

*Note: my on the spot own family and pals are ineligible to win a prize. Links to merchandise are for non-commercial purposes and supposed as prize descriptions. Neither Susan nor myself are receiving financial or product reimbursement.

I sit up for your contributions.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

You would possibly think that healthful and cookie don't move together in the equal bite, however in this case I guarantee you that they do. Very little sugar is included on this batch of goodness, and if you use an excellent fine herbal peanut butter without brought sugar, and simplest a scattering of chocolate chips, your tummy might not be grumbling in protest if you have a few more than you intended to. These are also eggless cookies.

Once again, boldness inside the kitchen paid off. Coming up with savory meal dishes has turn out to be second nature to me, but on the subject of baking I generally tend to paste to attempted and proper recipes. But after the success of my Guinness gingerbread cake, I figured I would attempt my probabilities with a homespun cookie recipe. The end result turned into quick devoured and grew to become out to be a super little snack to settle queasy tummies. Chewy, without being overly wet, with a moderate crumbly texture, I even have already made a few batches due to the fact they're so clean to prepare and a satisfying manner to get a mellow sugar restore from baked treats.

More cookies from Lisa's Kitchen:

Chocolate Orange Cookies

Cayenne Peanut Butter Cookies

Flourless Peanut Buttter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

On the top of the reading stack: Savory Pies: Delicious Recipes for Seasoned Meats, Vegetables and Cheeses Baked in Perfectly Flaky Pie Crusts by Greg Henry

Audio Accompaniment: Biosphere

Rustic Sun-Dried Tomato Bread

I've already made this rustic loaf with pine nuts some instances and now not most effective is it easy to put together and bake but truely scrumptious and gratifying. There is not anything like the aroma of freshly baked bread to stimulate the appetite and calm the mind. This all-motive bread goes nicely with some butter, fills out pretty tons any meal you may believe and is notable for dunking into your favorite vegetable soup or curry. Lightly toast the reduce slices for a few minutes and you've got crust for an excellent sandwich ? I'll be exploring that opportunity soon ? Or breakfast toast to go along with some eggs and hash browns in case you please.

You may want to include a few olives and a few chopped jalape?O, and I almost did, however this time I was searching out a extra diffused mixture to function a platform for the solar-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and herbs. Crisp on the outdoor, the moist and textured interior is accented by using the firm crust. No count number the way you serve it, earthy vibrance awaits you.

Other pleasant breads which might be certain to tantalize your senses from Lisa's Kitchen:

Chocolate Quinoa Ricotta Bread

Irish Soda Bread

Skillet Cornbread

Black-Eyed Pea and Mung Bean Sambar

This recipe is my very own creation, although I need to deliver a nod to Vegan Richa for the concept of mixing mung beans and black-eyed beans in what became out to be a completely earthy curry. It is not uncommon for me to experiment with distinct mixtures of legumes, and I am properly familiar with spicing up combined dal dishes.

Your palate is in for a treat here with a lingering spiciness that intensifies at the back of the tongue with every spoonful. No hard hitting burst of warmth with this meal, and there's a wee little bit of tangy sweetness present especially because of the inclusion of tamarind. This is a cleansing and refreshing sambar that makes for an smooth yet absolutely pleasant meal while served with a tempering rice dish and/or Indian flatbread. Don't allow the list of elements discourage you from giving this dish a attempt ? I guarantee you that it sincerely is a completely straightforward and easy recipe that you could discover specially appealing throughout busy instances whilst you do not have a number of time to prepare dinner however do not want to sacrifice nutrients or taste. Adjust the spicing in keeping with your possibilities and pantry offerings.

More black-eyed pea goodness from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Black-Eyed Peas with Fenugreek and Tomatoes

Turkish Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Pomegranate, Walnuts and Zahtar Dressing

Black-Eyed Peas with Roasted Squash

Black-Eyed Peas with Potatoes and Tamarind

On the top of the reading stack: Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith, and What to Eat for Dinner - A Satisfying Diet for Unsatisfying Times by Ellen Kanner

Mushroom Polenta Pizza

This isn't exactly a pizza as we would usually think about a pizza, because the "crust" is made of a tender polenta base. Nonetheless, it does instead appear like a pizza and it even as a substitute tastes like one too. The texture of the smooth polenta crust is a welcome deal with and the rich and earthy herbed mushrooms couldn't fail to thrill fungus aficionados.

More thoughts for polenta from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you are positive to need to attempt:

Artichoke Tart with Polenta Crust and Fresh Rosemary

Polenta with Mushroom Ragout

Vegetarian Caesar Salad with Toasted Nuts and Polenta Croutons

Cornmeal-Oat-Quinoa Pancakes with Dried Cherries

Years ago when I worked in a bookstore the Dummies series of how-to books were everywhere to be found on almost every subject available. I had quite forgotten about them until I was recently sent a review copy of Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies , which goes to show that the supply of how-to subjects is not yet exhausted.

Now having been familiar with this incredible food for years, I am no longer, nor are many or most of my readers, "quinoa dummies" via any stretch. But it become now not too a few years in the past whilst quinoa become handiest with no trouble available at forte food shops, however with a highly recent surge in popularity of this "superfood", quinoa ? Which includes various types of the entire grain, flour and flakes ? Is now effortlessly located at maximum grocery stores. I determined this book will be lots more than a complete introduction for those who are new to quinoa. Written by means of Cheryl Forberg, who acts as the nutritionist for the display "The Biggest Loser", it is also a radical guide to all the kinds and kinds of quinoa, the advantages of consuming quinoa, and a amazing kind of the numerous makes use of and techniques for cooking quinoa. Ideas for appetizers and snacks, breakfast and brunch, salads, soups, mains and cakes and even liquids watch for the cook dinner. There's lots to research from this e book, even for us quinoa veterans.

Of the over 140 recipes protected in this collection, the one that struck my fancy first changed into for gluten-unfastened cornmeal pancakes with oat flour and quinoa flakes. During the winter I'm constantly searching for pancake thoughts, and the leftovers from a huge Sunday morning pancake cook dinner-up consultation make remarkable homemade on-the-move breakfasts for my early growing husband and myself for that matter. And this one is just in time for Pancake Tuesday. I've adapted the recipe slightly, however the essentials of cornmeal, oat flour and quinoa flakes remain the identical, and make for notable chewy-textured pancakes with a pleasing nutty taste. Guilt-unfastened too, with out a brought sugar however simply the herbal sweetness of the grains. I'll be making these once more, and I desire you attempt them too.

Note: I received a copy for review, but the opinions expressed here and the adaptation of the recipe are my own.

Other breakfast and brunch ideas with cherries you will experience from my vegetarian kitchen:

Cherry Cornmeal Scones

Dried Cherry Scones

Cherry Ricotta Cr?Pes

Baked Cherry-Stuffed French Toast with Cherry-Orange Sauce

Blueberry Lemon Cake Cookies

I assume these are surely more like miniature desserts in preference to cookies, but they may be baked like a cookie and essentially can possibly be great defined as cake, muffin and cookie all rolled into one. You can not get a whole lot higher than this I figure, in case you want to indulge with out completely overdoing it. And no, I am no longer claiming that those are suitable for you, due to the fact they are no longer specifically, no matter the presence of clean blueberries and lemon juice, but I CAN declare that they are scrumptious. Just in time for Valentine's Day too in case you want to make a extremely decadent treat. Even in case you don't look at cupid's day, which I don't in reality, after some long months of winter and spring nevertheless too a ways away, sometimes a touch comforting indulgence is just want is needed.

I promise my subsequent submit could be much more healthy, but in the intervening time, have a cookie.

More treats you are positive to revel in from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Chocolate Orange Cookies

Quick and Easy Healthy Peanut Butter Balls

Spicy White Cheddar Shortbread Crackers

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

On the top of the reading stack: Feeding the Hungry Ghost by Ellen Kanner

Audio Accompaniment: Luomo