In the middle of writing this month’s newsletter, I was struck with hunger and a craving for soup. Could it be that I’ve been subsisting on gingerbread cookies all morning (made fresh last night)? They are a complete protein, aren’t they?
Anywho – the need to eat right away was overshadowed by the idea of having something really nice to eat that could be assembled with minimal time. I cracked open my handy dandy binder of torn out recipes from magazines and leafed through to find something that used chickpeas and diced tomatoes – because that’s what’s in the fridge. I fell upon a recipe from the October 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times that I had tried a while ago, at the top of which I had written, “Yum!”
It’s a Reader’s Recipe from Lois Passov from Sedona, Arizona, and it comes together in about 20 minutes if you’re quick with a potato peeler:
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Onion, cut into thick slices (I didn’t read that until I had diced it up)
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 14 1/2 oz. can stewed tomatoes, undrained
about 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
2 Sweet Potatoes or yams (they’re the same in this country BTW), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
3/4 tsp. Crushed Rosemary
1 Large Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup soy Parmesan cheese (or the real thing if you’re not vegan)
1) Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion, separating the slices into rings, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the Garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add the Tomatoes and juices, Garbanzo Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Rosemary. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
2) Add the Zucchini, stir, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the salt and pepper, garnish with cheese, if using and serve.
We used fresh rosemary and zucchini from the garden, and home cooked garbanzo beans (cooked a little while ago in a pressure cooker). The rest of the ingredients came from the store.
It’s Yum. Try it for yourselves and let us know what you think.
