In my maddening attempt to [...I don't know what to call it, eat locally? Homecook from scratch? Save money on bulk foods and menu plans? Drive myself mad?...] I’m embarking on a new mission. Because I can never have too many projects, right?? Actually this is something I really need to do anyway (cook and eat, that is) so while I’m in the kitchen I may as well attempt to make it easier. And maybe by the end of this, I’ll enjoy the process a bit more.
[Insert dramatic music here.]
The Mission (should you choose to be reading):
To find a minimum of 30 meals for each season that fit my criteria to create a total arsenal of 120 recipes to be used year-round.
The Criteria (if I haven’t lost you yet):
- Local, seasonal, natural ingredients: All the ingredients need to be grown by me (or able to be grown by me), purchased at the Farmer’s Market or purchased in bulk. Nothing too fancy (although we’ll still have those, they won’t make my “arsenal”), nothing out of a can (unless I canned it myself), etc.
- Simple to cook: Not too many steps and nothing too complicated…like sifting. (What the heck is the point to sifting anyway?) Solar oven meals, crock-pot meals and salads are a plus in my book.
- Simple to clean: Not too many pots or pans required, nothing that takes a fortnight to soak and scrub, no fancy equipment that I have no intention of purchasing.
- Tasty: Must fit all three of our tastes. This promises to be a tough one, especially with my skill.
- Vegetarian or Vegan: This isn’t a must but it is a bonus (for environmental and financial reasons).
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I feel confident, as I always do when embarking on a new idea. And I’m really hoping that blogging about it will keep me accountable to completing my mission. Here’s my first recipe to share:
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Minestra Di Ceci from Fix-it And Forget-it Recipes For Entertaining
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1 lb dry chickpeas (garbanzos)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
10 leaves fresh sage
2 TB sea salt
1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
1 cup small dry pasta (I used macaroni – Update: I now use gluten-free pasta)
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1. Wash chickpeas. Place in slow cooker. Soak for 8 hours in full pot of water, along with rosemary, sage and salt.
2. Drain water and remove herbs.
3. Refill slow cooker with water to 1″ above peas.
4. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours
5. Saute garlic in olive oil in skillet until clear.
6. Puree half the peas, along with several cups of broth from cooker, in blender. Return to slow cooker and add garlic and oil.
7. Add pasta to slow cooker and continue cooking on high until pasta is tender but not mushy (took me about 20 minutes).
Criteria Met:
✓ Local, seasonal, natural ingrediants
Simple To Cook
✓ Simple To Clean
Tasty
✓ Vegetarian/Vegan
My notes:
I’m going to call this a winter recipe. It’s warm and hearty and easy to make from preserved foods and herbs. I might translate it though, because foreign language isn’t a strength of mine.
This recipe originally called for cooking the pasta seperately but the use of the saute pan and a blender where already pushing my patience for a crock pot recipe. There were also quite a few steps and I really prefer to “fix it and forget it” like the book promised. Psha. It also called for cooking on low for 5 hours but since I forgot to soak the chickpeas overnight, I had to soak them in hot water from 8-2p, then cook on high for 3 hours. Other than those (successful!) modifications I really followed the recipe, even measuring things and weighing the garbanzos. Apparently there is something to that after all. 
Despite the headache in making this recipe (and overcooking the garlic), it really was soooo good. It’s turned what I find to be pretty blah garbanzos into something I really couldn’t get enough of. Justin enjoyed it also, but Zeb wasn’t a fan of the chickpeas at all, so it doesn’t earn the Tasty title. Justin and I both agreed it was similar to potato soup and even though we don’t eat pork, bacon would probably be a suitable addition. Justin added more salt and freshly ground pepper, but he does that to everything. I didn’t feel it needed anything extra. Well, maybe bread but I haven’t figured that out yet.
*Special shout out to Jeannette O. who contributed this recipe to the book. You rock, sista.
I'm Tara Wagner, life coach and creator of the Digging Deep process, where I coach women out of survival mode to recreate their lives and families.
I like your plan, Tara. The Minestra Di Ceci sounds like a very good winter meal. You know, I may have that cookbook around here somewhere. I need to take a look. In the meantime I’m still trying to put together a month of meals, so I can stop the constant trips to the store. Thanks again for all the great ideas.
I wish I could get someone other than me to eat chickpeas! Paul hates them. They are right up there with kidney beans in his book. And adrian only eats pintos or black beans, being he was conceived in MX. I notice so many recipes calling for chickpeas even in my too expensive to buy machine!
I made a morracan spice salad dressing 2night in my over priced machine and it is tasty! But even it took too many steps! Everyone had eaten before I had my salad!!!
Eilizabeth
PS Had a good time today!
I’ve been doing lots of experimenting with beans and grains lately, so I will forward to you my exciting recipes. A couple weeks ago was Kasha veggie burgers(needs some tweekng), the other day was quinoa and blackbean salad (yum). I’m working on low gycemic recipes to help lower my DH’s blood sugar so he doesn’t have to go on meds.
As to your comment about sifting: it evens out the flour so it can bind more evenly with other ingredients. I know you don’t watch much TV, but I suggest you watch Good Eats on Foodnetwork. It’s excellent for learning the basics and science behind cooking. It will make you a better cook, I promise!
BTW most bean you do not have to soak over night. Chick peas may take longer, but most beans I just cook for about two hours. They come out just fine.
I love garbanzos. I’ll definitely be trying this. My family will eat almost anything if there’s pasta in it.
On a side note, I discovered when I was on a no-fat diet for my gallbladder a few years back, that mashed beans make a decent fat-replacer in cookies. Better than fruit, like applesauce, anyway. They have to be eaten the day they’re baked, but you might try to trick your family into enjoying kidney bean brownies someday! lol
Kidney bean brownies?? I don’t know if I’m skilled enough for that yet, but I’m impressed if you are!
Your plan is a good one and fairly similar to what we actually do. The trick is to keep it simple. If your family likes it then it doesn’t matter if it is a “breakfast food” or a real meal. Some of my kids favorite meals consist of frozen veggies(cooked or just thawed or on REALLY hot days then still frozen), pasta or rice, and lentils or beans with a bt of garlic and olive oil or Bragg’s soy sauce. On the other hand they love carrots with nut butter, salad, crackers and cheese. I don’t do fussy meals (though I enjoy baking) and once I realized that everytihng does NOT need a sauce cookig got easier. Nowadays we have just a few main ingredients that we use constantly and everyone enjoys, the trick is to start with each of your favorite meals and then see what you can use those same ingredients for elsewhere.
Yum! I love garbanzos but my Jeff doesn’t – I’m thinking this would make an excellent work day lunch.
I have a bunch of go-to recipes. We call them “5 star meals” and it just makes life easier. I look forward to reading about the ones you create for your family and maybe taking them for mine
Laurel’s Kitchen cookbook has some great recipes.
One of my favorite is Potato Poppers. It can use leftover mash potato and brown rice. It has cheese in it. I vary the veggies I put in the poppers depending on what is available as leftovers or in the garden. I can turn them mexican with salsa, or fruity with applesauce, savory with herbs and garlic. My little guy loves them. And the big folk do too.
Great Blog!