"jazzy vegetarian classics" + "vegan bowls" giveaway

Earlier this week I was interviewed by the fabulous Laura Theodore, television cooking show host extraordinaire, radio personality, singer and author of the brand new, amazing cookbook Vegan-ease. I wanted to post this with a recipe, but, as more often than not, life gets in the way and I ran out of time.

However, I did not want you all to miss this wonderful opportunity to enter this giveaway: Laura and I have teamed up and we are giving away TWO cookbooks, her Jazzy Vegetarian Classics (Amazon, B&N) AND my Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N).

Isn't that sweet?!? And to enter couldn't be easier! Go to Laura's Jazzy Vegetarian site (HERE) and leave a comment (read the instructions first, of course). Laura will announce the winner on her show THIS WEDNESDAY, and the contest ends MONDAY at 6 PM Eastern time. You've not a moment to lose!!

After you enter the contest, come back here to hear Laura and me discuss bowls and flavors and cooking. Laura is an amazingly fun radio host and if you haven't already, add her podcasts to your list of "must listen to." The shows are fun, funny, insightful and very interesting.

Take a listen below:

veganmofo - autumn equinox + rosemary-garlic roasted seitan

Welcome Autumn (in the Northern Hemisphere and Welcome Spring in the Southern Hemisphere)!

Day 23 #vgnmf15 is a celebration of the Autumn/Spring Equinox.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumn Equinox is also the Pagan holiday of Mabon. The Autumn Equinox divides the day and the night equally and reminds us that subsequent days will get darker and darker as the daylight hours get shorter and shorter.

Mabon is a harvest festival at which time reflection, meditation, gratitude and celebration are held for the past year's accomplishments or successes.

Indeed, reflection of events that didn't quite pan out as one had hoped would, is still observed and meditated upon. After all, it is both our successes and endeavors that make us who we are; it is both of these that propel us forward and acknowledging both is important.

Sometimes we give things a "try" and not accomplish it, but without analysis of what went wrong, there is no way to correct the course and hope for success in the future.

Mabon is celebrated with seasonal offerings such as apples, pomegranates, cider, herbs and root vegetables, among the bounty of the season.

As we set up our alter with leaves, pine cones, apples and gardening tools, we light candles, burn incense, listen to music and reflect on the year's happenings, we also feast on rich foods that happen to be compassionate and non-violent.

We are celebrating (or would be, if I didn't need to take this photo a day before) Mabon and honoring The Green Man (God of the Forest) on this day with Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Seitan and Root Vegetables.

I made the seitan using the Simple Seitan Cutlets from Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N) with a few modifications: I made it into a roast instead of cutlets by just forming the gluten into a roast form. I added 1 tablespoon of minced fresh rosemary and 4 minced garlic cloves to the gluten and tied it loosely with twine to keep the roast in more of a compact form while it cooked. I also added a sprig of rosemary to the cooking broth.

It was really delicious and once the seitan was cooked (the day before), prep time was about 5 minutes. Simple, hearty and satisfying.

If you haven't seen, I am hosting another giveaway for Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N)! Go enter HERE.

Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Seitan
Makes 4 to 5 servings

4 to 5 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large carrot, chopped
1 whole bulb garlic, cloves peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper

1 recipe seitan roast, made with fresh rosemary and garlic (see blog post for more information)

1. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F. Combine the potatoes, carrots, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Toss well.
2. Place the seitan roast in the middle of baking sheet. Coat the seitan with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange the potato mixture around the roast. Bake the roast and potatoes until the potatoes are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes, stirring the potatoes halfway through the baking. Baste the roast halfway through the baking, using any oil on the bottom of the baking sheet. 
3. Taste and adjust seasoning of the potatoes and serve. 


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - seasonal + spinach salad + giveaway

#vgnmf15 Day 22 is all about seasonal produce and making such seasonal offerings into a dish.

I offer up my Spinach Salad Bowl with Fennel, Quinoa and Warm Pecan Dressing.

The seasonal produce for this dish is spinach, fennel and oranges (and pecans. Pecans count, right?). It also happens to be another recipe from my new cookbook, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N), and I got permission to share the recipe with you!

Speaking of which, Vegan Bowls is celebrating its FIRST WEEK ANNIVERSARY! I think that means party time - don't you?! Yup, that means a blog tour and giveaways!


Vegan Street  and Here September 25
It's Got Vegan In It  September 22
Veg Kitchen  September 23
Healthy Slow Cooking  September 24
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen  September 25
Chic Vegan  September 28
Global Vegan Kitchen  September 29  (giveaway - ends October 5)
Good Good Things  October 1
Kelli's Vegan Kitchen  October 2  (giveaway - ends October 11)
The Taste Space October 6  (giveaway - ends October 20)
Glue and Glitter  October 6
The Food Duo  October 7  (giveaway - ends October 29)
Vegan Eats and Treats  October 8 (giveaway - ends October 15)
Vegan Crunk October 8
Julie Hasson  October 9  (giveaway - ends October 15) 
Heather Nicholds  October 9 (giveaway - ends October 14)

Since I am sharing a salad bowl recipe with you, why not look at the Salad Chapter of Vegan Bowls? 

You can see the entire recipe list for Vegan Bowls HERE.

Let's start with a giveaway on this blog, since I am probably the most excited! The winner will be chosen next Monday night at midnight, September 28.  Enter below for your chance to win a copy! To be eligible to win you must be following this blog via email or RSS feed (link). Contest is open to US residents only. Good luck!

Spinach Salad Bowl with Warm Pecan Dressing
SERVES 4 
This is a spin on spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. This salad is filled with shaved fennel, perfectly cooked quinoa, and candied pecans. The warm orange-pecan dressing ties all the flavors together and delivers a delicious, filling salad. (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)


QUINOA
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

DRESSING
1 cup raw pecan pieces
5 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, divided
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable broth

SALAD
8 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach (about 2 bunches, tough stems removed)
1 cup shaved fennel (about 1 small bulb) 

QUINOA: Combine the quinoa, broth, garlic, and salt in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to boil over high heat, reduce to medium- low heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

DRESSING: Toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer half of the nuts to a small blender. Add 2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon maple syrup to the nuts in the skillet. Cook until the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Transfer the glazed nuts to a parchment paper and set aside to cool. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of juice, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, oil, vinegar, and broth to the blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper. When ready to serve, warm the dressing in the small skillet and add about half of the warm dressing to a large bowl.

SALAD: Add the spinach and fennel and toss. To serve, divide the salad and quinoa among wide bowls and serve with the remaining dressing. Alternatively, toss the salad with the quinoa and serve with the remaining dressing.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

"vegan bowls" is now available!

I am so excited!! My new cookbook,  Vegan Bowls  (Amazon, B&N)- all about flavor harmony in cozy one-bowl meals - is NOW Available! Get your your own copy and start making delicious, complete meals today.

Making bowl meals is definitely the best way to get a complete, delicious and nutritious meal on the table fast. 

Breakfast is easy with such Breakfast Bowls as this Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.

Lunch is ready just as fast when you make a complete Soup Bowl, Salad Bowl or Sauteed Bowl, such as this Thai Panang Curry Bowl.

A more indulgent and flavorful dish is just waiting for you at the end of your day, whether it's a Grilled Bowl, a Grains Bowl or a Pasta Bowl, such as this Lemongrass, Bok Choy and Tofu Bowl.

All your meals - complete, delicious and fast - can be as easy as opening Vegan Bowls. With over 90 complete bowl recipes, you will be able to satisfy any craving for any meal.

Vegan Bowls is now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or wherever fine books are sold.

veganmofo - late summer + sin carne asada

Day 16 #vgnmf15 - what is your favorite late summer food? A cookout, of course! And our favorite cookout is Sin Carne Asada tacos, made with Seitan SteaK.

So, yeah, a cookout is our favorite late summer "food." Especially this cookout below.

The first step is to make a robust seitan that stands up well to grilling. Then marinate the seitan in a mojo-garlic mixture.

Next, throw those seitan steaks onto the grill with plenty of onions. Make your Arbol Salsa and Guacamole and warm your tortillas. Prepare your garnishes: lime, cilantro, crumbled vegan  cheese, vegan sour cream, jalapenos, etc.

Finally, slice the seitan, and stuff them into those warmed tortillas with all the condiments your heart desires.

You can also grill some corn on the cob, make a potato salad or a Mexican Pasta Salad (the recipe in Everyday Vegan Eats is phenomenal) and just scarf the tacos down while they last.

I usually make 2 to 3 pounds of seitan for this; our family of five will literally fight over the last few tacos, so it's always best to err on the side of leftovers. Tip: serve your tacos in small corn tortillas but double them up to help hold the tacos together.

#truthtalk  We are having this next week, too, to get one more cookout in before the summer ends.

{Kindle edition of Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N)  is up for grabs in this week's giveaway. Enter HERE. Both international and domestic contest!}

Sin Carne Asada Tacos
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Marinade:
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
4 scallions, coarsely chopped
10 garlic cloves
2 serrano or jalapeno chiles
½ teaspoon sea salt
Ground black pepper
2 pounds SteaK Seitan

2 onions, cut into ¾ -inch thick rings
Oil for the grill, as needed

Other:
Small (3-inch) corn tortillas, as needed
Arbol Salsa, recipe below
Guacamole, recipe below
Vegan cheese, crumbled
Vegan sour cream
Pickled jalapenos
Cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

1. Marinade: Combine the oil, juices, tamari, scallions, garlic, chiles, salt and black pepper in a blender. Blend well and transfer to a large baking dish. Add the seitan and mix well to coat. Set aside to marinate overnight.
2. Heat your grill or grill pan. Oil the grates or pan. Grill the seitan, basting with the sauce as needed, and onions until lightly charred, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a work surface and cut into slices. Heat the tortillas on the grill, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. 
3. Place two tortillas on top of each other and fill with seitan, onions and choice of toppings. Enjoy!

Arbol Salsa
2 to 6 dried arbol chiles
2 California chiles (also known as dried Anaheim peppers)
2 medium ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 6 wedges
½ medium onion, cut into ½-inch slices
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Sea salt and black pepper
2 to 3 splashes sherry vinegar

1. Remove the stems and most of the seeds of the chiles. Heat the chiles in a pan (or grill pan)  until soft and lightly colored. Transfer to a bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside to rehydrate for 20 minute. Drain the chiles and transfer the chiles to a blender. 
2. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the tomatoes, onion and garlic until lightly charred. Transfer the tomatoes and onion to a blender. Peel the garlic and transfer to the blender. 
3. Blend the mixture until smooth. Season with salt, black pepper and vinegar. Blend again and adjust seasoning. 
4. Salsa will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. 

Guacamole
5 medium ripe Hass avocado, mashed 
1 small ripe tomato, diced
3/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl using a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and lime juice.


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

Pin it!

veganmofo - obama + paella bowl

Today is the big day for me! Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) is being released today!  Yikes!  *-*

The release of a cookbook is exciting and apprehensive and all other kinds of emotions all at once! How will it be received? Will people like the recipes? Like the format of the book? The ingredients chosen? So many things to wonder and worry about!

I really loved making this book and was trying to create a variety of bowl recipes that are all complete meals. I was also trying to make them a bit familiar and worked on basing the recipes on some well-established and honed flavor profiles. I wanted to create recipes that had some root in traditional meals, but made into complete meals that were convenient to serve and eat.

The original bowl recipes began simply with a grain (rice), vegetables (steamed), protein (tofu or beans) and a sauce. Simple bowls such as the Budha Bowl, quinoa bowls, Mexican bowls and other Asian-inspired bowls are the natural evolution of the original bowl, but I wanted to go beyond that.

I wanted to take "traditional," and therefore oft-tested dishes, and make them into bowl meals. Hence, there are three kinds of bowls in this book:

1. traditionally bowl meals
2. almost bowl meals - just a few additions or tweaks make them into bowls
3. original bowls - perhaps inspired by flavorful dishes that have no business being bowl meals, or off-the-cuff bowls of ingredients that play well because of flavor harmony

So there it is - my impetus for writing this book: fast, complete meals that are flavorful, healthy and nutritious. My goal was to bring you recipes that in turn bring you complete meals quickly. No brainers, no need to supplement with other dishes - just grabbing ingredients, following the recipes and sitting down to eat. Period.

Now for the #vgnmf15 part of the post. The prompt today is to make a meal for the POTUS - Obama. During yesterday's post, I shared with you the (assumed) fact that President Obama enjoys Chicago THIN-crust pizza, topped with tomatoes, basil, cheese, olives and red onion slices. Basically, that's a Margherita Pizza plus olives and onions.

All fine and dandy, but let's serve the Prez something that is usually made with meat because there is not even any question that the man is nowhere near a vegetarian, let alone a vegan.

I decided to serve something pretty and still delicious, but something that typically uses lots of seafood - his favorite animals to eat, it seems.

I share with you my Paella Bowl recipe, in honor of Vegan Bowls' book release. Which calls for another peak into a chapter of the book - this time the Sauteed Chapter:

One more thing before the recipe: Last week's giveaway of Vegan Bowls was nice but I noticed that there were some international folks missing out on the deal.

This week I will give away two copies of the Kindle edition of Vegan Bowls, one international and one US. Please enter only the contest that represents your location and not both.  To be eligible to win you must be following this blog via email or RSS feed (link). Contest ends next Monday night at midnight, September 21. Good luck!

Paella Bowl
SERVES 4 TO 6
The saffron threads are responsible for the beautiful orange-yellow color of this dish. Once the rice and broth are added, the dish is no longer stirred. It cooks uncovered while the rice absorbs the broth. As the rice cooks, it develops a flavorful crust on the bottom of the pan called socarrat – a welcome result of not stirring the rice. Using a nonstick pan will prevent the socarrat from forming, but the dish will still taste great. (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)

BROTH
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

SAUTÉ
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 artichoke hearts, quartered
1 medium yellow squash or zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 small Roma tomato, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen lima beans or edamame, thawed
1 cup paella or Arborio rice

GARNISH
1/2 cup green peas, thawed if frozen
1 jarred roasted red pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/4 cup minced parsley
Lemon slices

BROTH: Heat the broth, paprika, salt, and saffron in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Cover and keep warm over low heat.

SAUTÉ: Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the artichoke and squash and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the bell pepper, tomato, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans and lima beans. Add the rice, spreading it evenly over the vegetables. Add the broth, taking care not to disturb the rice too much, but ensuring that the rice is submerged in the broth. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the rice is al dente, about 14 minutes. Arrange the squash and artichoke hearts on the paella and continue to cook until the rice is tender and the broth is absorbed, about 4 minutes longer.

GARNISH: Scatter the peas over the paella, arrange the strips of pepper on top of the paella and sprinkle with the parsley. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 5 minutes before serving. Serve in bowls with lemon slices.


a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

veganmofo - kitchen tour

#vgnmf15 Day 13 is all about touring our kitchen.

Here goes! And since this is a tour, I will let the pics speak. I introduce you to the kitchen that created, wrote, tested and edited two vegan cookbooks:

Back of my kitchen:

Front of my kitchen:

Side view of the kitchen:

My kitchen cookbook library is not part of the kitchen, but I do need to do research, right? Of the 300 cookbooks shown, 250 are vegan and the rest are non-vegan, for research. The small tabs on the bottom of the books is my system of categorization.

Note that this did not happen overnight. It has been in the making over the past 15 years.

Please understand, I feel it is my moral obligation to support vegan cookbook authors. That is exactly what I tell my husband. #truthtalk

The left side of the shelves:

The right side of the shelves:

If you haven't entered the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to Tuesday's post HERE. Good luck!

veganmofo - fave cookbook

Day 12 #vgnmf15 asks us the question: "What is your favorite cookbook?"

Let's see...that could be Tamasin Noyes' Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day or American Vegan Kitchen?

or perhaps, Isa's Vegan Brunch or Isa Does It?

maybe, it's Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet or More Quick Fix Vegan?

While all the above named books will be on many mofo lists, I tell you truthfully that the one that I turn to almost day in and day out is Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N), by moia. And now that Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) is finally in my grubby little hands, I actually have TWO faves:

Let me show you why Everyday Vegan Eats is such a daily-used book in our house.

The night before last we enjoyed this recipe from EVE, Lima Bean Bake (page 184). We served it with the Garlicky Greens (page 196) - this time made of kale and watercress, and crusty bread to sop up the delicious gravy.

This is a quick-to-assemble dish that bakes in the oven for a few hours. Yeah, I know, we fired up the oven in the summer for this dish...and it was so worth it!

And then there's this pasta dish, Coco Loco with Dulse and Kale (page 146). I would start with about one tablespoon of dulse if you've never had sea vegetables before, but our family is up to about a quarter cup of dulse in this really tasty dish.

This dish marked the first time my kids asked for dark, leafy greens and it was thanks to this recipe, oh, about eight or nine years ago. We still love this really quick-to-make meal.

This next particular dish is one of my absolute favorites! It is Tandoori Tofu and Vegetables (page 124) and is served with naan (page 126) and raita (page 126). A complete Indian feast, all in this cookbook!

Of course, the bakery section is not anything to sneeze at; it has the recipe that produces the tallest vegan biscuits you've ever made, the softest chocolate chip cookies, the fudgiest brownies, the flakiest scone, and the crispiest Apricot and Raisin Rugelach (page 228), plus a whole lot more in this one chapter alone.

There are hidden gems in this seemingly only transitional cookbook, so you should really check it out. Not only are the recipes delicious, but they are also as authentic as it gets in the vegan realm. Really good vegan versions of old favorites, as well as creative original dishes.

As for Vegan Bowls, which just arrived this Friday evening, in addition to the previously mentioned reasons (#1, #2, and #3) I offer up reason #4 why I love this book: it is versatile.

Out of the 97 recipes in the book (87 are bowl meals, 10 are basic recipes), 83 are gluten free or have gluten free options and 91 are soy free or have soy free options. You can also easily substitute store-bought commercial vegan protein choices (such as Beyond Meat or Tofurkey) in many of the recipes.

** 23 recipes are both GF and SF without any substitutions
*** this is NOT a nut free cookbook as nuts are used in sauces, used as extra nutrition or used for texture in many recipes


How about a peak at the contents of the Grilled Chapter?

Here are a few highlights from Vegan Bowls.:

There you have it. My two favorite cookbooks to date!

If you haven't entered the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to Tuesday's post HERE. Good luck!

green and white chili bowl from "vegan bowls" + #3 + giveaway

There is a scant seven days left until the release of Vegan Bowls! The excitement is getting more and more real for me! I am super pumped to hear what you guys think of it!

These are a few of my favorite things...about Vegan Bowls:

Over the next few weeks, I will continue share with you my most favorite aspects of my new cookbook, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N).

{#1 is HERE, #2 is HERE, each with a sneak-peak recipe.}

From the Salad chapter.

#3.
My next most favorite aspect of Vegan Bowls is that this book has the option to make any of the bowl recipes within 30 to 40 minutes. How? Multi-tasking. If this generation knows anything better inside and out, it is multi-tasking.

While most other recipe books encourage mice en place (preparing all the ingredients before cooking), this cookbook utilizes chopping and mixing as the recipe progresses. This means that there is no wasted moment in the kitchen and you are never just standing around stirring and waiting for things to cook.

From the Grilled chapter.

You are actually actively cooking for the entire time, but the absolute best part is that at the end of the time you will have prepared a complete meal. 

All you have to do is to first pull all the necessary equipment out (bowls, if needed, pans and pots on the stove, peelers and strainer, if needed, etc.) and all the ingredients out before you start. And then, just follow the recipe as written, with some guidance along the way via the Quick Tips in each recipe.

From the Sauteed chapter.

Of course, if mice en place is where you're at, then by all means follow the recipe as you normally would from any cookbook. The only difference is that I offer you a way to prepare these bowls in the most streamlined way possible.

From the Grains chapter.

Now that Vegan Bowls is so close to release, I thought I'd share another of my favorite recipes with you, Green and White Chili Bowl (in fact, this is what we are having for dinner tonight). This one is in the Soups chapter and that calls for a peak into the chapter contents:

And since I am so excited about Vegan Bowls, let's have a giveaway of the book - winner will be chosen on the release date! Enter below for your chance to win a copy! To be eligible to win you must be following this blog via email or RSS feed (link). Contest is open to US residents only and ends at midnight on Monday, September 14. Good luck!

Now for the recipe of the Green and White Chili I promised earlier.

Green and White Chili Bowl
SERVES 4 TO 6
Red chili is all the rage, but its seldom-made cousin—green and white chili—is just as flavorful, perhaps more so. This chili is full of hominy (dried and treated maize), fresh green chiles, and two kinds of white beans. If you cannot find hominy, use thawed corn kernels instead. (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)


BEANS
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked chickpeas

VEGETABLES
4 Anaheim peppers, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
8 ounces fresh spinach, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped (optional)

BEANS: Combine the broth, oregano, salt, cannellini, hominy, and chickpeas in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to simmer and cook until needed.

VEGETABLES: Add the peppers, onion, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until minced. Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the minced vegetables and cumin and cook until the mixture is dry, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the broth and beans to the sautéed vegetables and simmer until the flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until tender. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the avocado, if using.

a Rafflecopter giveaway