September, you are gorgeous and I wish I could be outside right now to enjoy it all. However, despite the filtered sunshine and the turning leaves, I’ve become a whiny little jerk lately. All because earlier this week I woke up with a cold that I just can’t seem to shake. I’m sniffling, sneezing and feeling lousy. I’d rather be out meeting with friends, going for walks around the neighbourhood or out on a bike ride. But no, I whine and complain about how awful I feel. To make matters worse (or maybe I’m just in a complaining mood), last night we ordered in some pretty bad Chinese food. Everything seemed over-salted and covered in a sticky goo. This meal that you see here is my remedy for last night’s dinner misstep. I made if for lunch today to counteract all of that sweet and greasy stickiness and I came up with something truly wholesome and good for you. Whether it makes this cold disappear, we’ll see.
Luckily, I had sorted out all of our greens from our CSA share into a little produce bag. They were ready to be washed and chopped and cooked up into something healthy. Easy! I had a can of chickpeas which was a saving grace since lately I’ve been using only dried beans and I didn’t have any that were cooked and frozen. Green onions and fat cloves of garlic from our CSA was a no brainer. Out of the freezer came a half-bag of diced sweet potatoes to add a bit of seasonal flaire to this meal, though a fresh sweet potato or yam would be even better. Everything else came from the cupboards to keep things simple.
This meal turned out to be a deliciously bright spot at a time when I needed it most. The vegetable stock I had on hand was flavourful and the tahini added just the right amount of creaminess. A squeeze of lemon for brightness and vitamin c. But what I loved the most was the salty crunch of the sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. It was comforting and soothing and the perfect autumn meal – even though it still feels like summer out.
elsewhere: Need more vegetables in your life? Of course you do! Head to Poppytalk for a delicious vegetable pasta bake. Want something more porky? Then have I got a recipe for you. An easy weeknight pot roast using pork loin, wine and figs over at the Huffington Post.
autumn chickpea & greens stew
1 T olive oil
3 green onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t red chili flakes
1 1/2 c yam or sweet potato, diced (I used frozen or use 1 large sweet potato)
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 c homemade vegetable stock
2 T tahini
2 bunches of assorted greens, tough stems removed & leaves sliced (I used a mix from our farm share: kale, chard, beet greens)
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper to taste
toasted & salted sunflower seeds as garnishIn a large, deep skillet or heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in onion, garlic, cumin and chili and heat until fragrant and soft. Add in the yams and the vegetable stock. If you are using a raw sweet potato rather than frozen, put on the lid and let simmer until nearly soft, adding more stock if necessary. Otherwise, just add in the frozen yams plus the chickpeas and let simmer for a moment. Using a fork, whisk in the tahini until blended. Dump in the greens and put on the lid for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the greens are tender, squeeze over the lemon juice and serve in deep bowls, garnishing with the sunflower seeds. Serves 4.
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Ha! I’m doing something similar right now. More on the curry side of things, but nice and autumnal and wholesome. I love this kind of cooking.
I could use a bowl of wholesome food right now. I seem to have developed seasonal allergies and for the past 3 weeks I’ve been a real big whiny baby. Sneezing, runny nose congestion, itchy-watery eyes…I’m just miserable.
I hope this meal offers you some some therapeutic healing and knocks that cold out of you. It looks delicious and way better than the sound of that Chinese food you ate.
Have you ever tried a Neti pot to rinse your sinuses? I just recently jumped on that bandwagon and I’m really keen about the results.
A 1/4 tsp of pink Himalayan (non-iodized) salt in a 1/2 cup of lukewarm water goes into the Neti pot and away you go!!
This looks amazing. I’m going to make it on the weekend.
Thanks!
I made this and loved it. My only suggestion would be to delay the introduction of the chickpeas, as mine kind of fell apart towards the end of the process. Then again, this could because I cook my beans from scratch (soak overnight + 10 minutes in the pressure cooker). Incidentally, I found the pork dish lacking, it tasted “boiled” to me, and the vegetables seemed plain. But no way I’d state that on huffpost…
Just the sort of thing to eat while snuggled on the couch with some blankets and a good book! Looks so comforting!
Mmm! This looks like just the kind of meal I’ve been craving these days. Will definitely try it out soon 🙂
We have been needing the easy and the comforting around here. This looks wonderful. And I love anything that uses a pile of CSA greens. I also love that it’s vegan – although of course my inclination is to top it with a poached egg 😉 I have a couple cups of leftover flageolet beans, I might try it with those …
Just made this– so good and wholesome! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mrs Camacho! I’m sure a curry version would be totally great – we had a veggie curry stew last night 🙂
Joanne, sorry to hear you’re suffering – if it’s any consolation, I’m right there with you. Me = big baby. Ugh. I’ve never tried a neti pot, but I’m using a saline spray. I’m a bit nervous about a neti pot – though make sure you don’t use tap water!! Google it for horror death stories.
Liz, I hope you gave it a try. It’s really good 🙂
Robert, glad you liked it. I never experienced mushy peas – they don’t get cooked down for very long, but I do think the canned ones do last quite a while during cooking without falling apart. Too bad you didn’t like the pot roast. We found it very delicious and not boiled tasting at all. Hmmm.
Christy, how did you know that’s how I’ve been spending my time lately? Ah, the only joy of being sick!!
I hope you do, Alexis, it’s tasty!
Hannah, I had quite a collection of CSA greens and I’m glad to be rid of it in one fell swoop. Tasty way to go 🙂 A poached egg would be good, do it!
Hooray, glad you enjoyed it Alison!
Bad Chinese food is the worst. Especially when you’re already not feeling well. But this looks like the perfect remedy! Delicious!
> We found it very delicious and not boiled tasting at all. Hmmm.
You’re the inventive cook with the killer instincts, I probably just did something wrong. Anyway, I’m doing your baked orzo thing tonight.
This is really a classic fall soup! The sunflower seeds are a great addition–I imagine them like croutons, but better!
So true, Sues! This was a lovely dish, give it a go 🙂
Ha, Robert, I think you put too much faith in my recipes! I could have screwed up. I’ll try it again once I’ve got another pork loin. Thanks though!
Thanks RC! It’s a keeper!
I made this last night with over wintered leeks from the garden instead of onions and a huge heap of mustard greens and kale. I biked away with a fragrant pot of deliciousness to share, and I’m pretty sure it’s my new favorite dish. Thank you so much for lending brightness to the menu!