Originally posted here by my friend Marie.
I was having a movie night this weekend, and among the guests I was going to have several vegetarians, a lactose (milk) -intolerant individual, a gluten (wheat)-intolerant individual, and a picky eater who hates peas.
So what to make?
To the rescue - Arroz Non Pollo. This has quickly become a favorite among my (omnivore) family, and pairs very well with rice or couscous. It’s basically a vegetable medley, but throws together quickly and is surprisingly good. The leftovers freeze well, and can be thrown in with a few extra cups of broth and leftover vegetables for soup.
1 white or yellow onion, chopped (more on How To Chop an Onion soon)
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
(these three ingredients form a mirepoix, which is pretty much the basis for most soup stocks and veggie mixes. You’ll see the term - pronounced mirror-o-poo or mirror-o-pwah - a lot in French cooking. Don’t let that scare you. It’s just a fancy way of saying “flavorful vegetables that are useful in lots of dishes.”)
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 seeded and diced red or green pepper
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes (don’t drain!)
1 - 2 cans vegetable broth (if you’re not vegetarian and only have chicken broth, this works too)
1 can garbanzo beans (also known as Chickpeas), drained
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
(optional) 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 10 to 16 oz package French cut or small cut green beans
Prepared rice or couscous (if you haven’t tried couscous, give it a shot. It’s ready to hit the table in about 8 minutes - boil water or broth, mix in the couscous, and cover. Five minutes later, it’s ready to eat)
Salsa and / or shredded cheese and / or sour cream
In a large skillet over medium-high, saute the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and pepper in the olive oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softening.
Place the vegetable mixture in a crockpot or large, deep saucepan. Add the tomatoes (juice and all), broth, garbanzo beans, and green beans. Let cook in the crockpot on high for 2-4 hours or low for 4-8 hours. Serve over rice or couscous with whatever combination of salsa, cheese, and sour cream you’d like.
Amazingly easy, amazingly tasty, and special-diet friendly!
If you would like to add chicken, dice 1 or 2 chicken breasts into small cubes and cook in a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet. Add to the mixture along with the vegetables.
To turn this into a mexican-ish soup, add in a few extra cans of broth and throw in your favorite veggies - just about any vegetable without much starch goes really well (stay away from potatoes and other root veggies - other than that, go for it!)
One Response
February 18th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Yay I am so glad you have improved this and keep making it
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