This week’s farm share was jam packed with early fall goodness: pumpkin, arugula, fingerling potatoes, garlic and heirloom tomatoes.

I opened my refrigerator and found pre-cooked rice and garbanzo beans staring me in the face, so I threw this together for lunch.

Pesto:

• Arugula (1 cup)
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (a handful, pre-roasted)
• Garlic (1 large clove)
• Olive oil (drizzle into the food processor until the pesto reaches desired consistency)
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place arugula, pumpkin seeds and garlic in a food processor. Pulse. Drizzle in olive oil while food processor is on. Add salt and pepper. Pulse. Voila, pesto!

1. Prepared brown rice, Bob’s Red Mill Long Grain Brown Rice. Follow directions on package. Make extra rice and store in your frig.
2. Prepared Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Beans. Follow directions on package. Make extra beans and store in your frig.
3. Roasted pumpkin. Peel, cut and de-seed pumpkin. Toss with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in oven at 400°F degrees for 35-45 minutes. Store roasted pumpkin in frig.
4. Chop a farm fresh tomato. If it’s not tomato season, skip adding the tomato. Out of season tomatoes are mushy and taste terrible.

Grab your favorite bowl. Fill with brown rice, arugula pesto, garbanzo beans and roasted pumpkin. Top with chopped tomato, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!

Today’s Meatless Monday recipe comes from one of our Train with Grain sponsored cyclocross riders, Patricia Dowd. It sounded so simple and delicious, I couldn’t help but share it over here, too. Check out more Train with Grain content here. Not only is it pretty simple, but it uses pumpkin and it’s Halloween- perfect fit! Happy Halloween!

This week’s farm share was jam packed with early fall goodness: pumpkin, arugula, fingerling potatoes, garlic and heirloom tomatoes.

I opened my refrigerator and found pre-cooked rice and garbanzo beans staring me in the face, so I threw this together for lunch.

Pesto:

• Arugula (1 cup)
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (a handful, pre-roasted)
• Garlic (1 large clove)
• Olive oil (drizzle into the food processor until the pesto reaches desired consistency)
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place arugula, pumpkin seeds and garlic in a food processor. Pulse. Drizzle in olive oil while food processor is on. Add salt and pepper. Pulse. Voila, pesto!

• Prepared brown rice, Bob’s Red Mill Long Grain Brown Rice. Follow directions on package. Make extra rice and store in your frig.
• Prepared Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Beans. Follow directions on package. Make extra beans and store in your frig.
• Roasted pumpkin. Peel, cut and de-seed pumpkin. Toss with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in oven at 400°F degrees for 35-45 minutes. Store roasted pumpkin in frig.
• Chop a farm fresh tomato. If it’s not tomato season, skip adding the tomato. Out of season tomatoes are mushy and taste terrible.

Grab your favorite bowl. Fill with brown rice, arugula pesto, garbanzo beans and roasted pumpkin. Top with chopped tomato, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!

Every endurance athlete (this includes cyclists) needs healthy, whole gain carbohydrates to provide the fuel needed to practice our sport.  This easy to make bread is great toasting in the morning, eating with dinner or for bringing along with you on long rides in lieu of power bars.  The grains provide an easy to eat, easy to digest source of complex carbohydrates and protein.

As far as I know, this is an original recipe. All ingredients in bold type are Bob’s Red Mill brand

Dissolve 1Tbsp Active Dry Yeast into 1/4 cup of luke warm (100 degree) water

In a Kitchen Aid Mixer Bowl (or a large stainless bowl if you’re rockin’ old school by hand) combine

• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/3 cup each of the following
• Golden Flaxseed Meal
• Quinoa or Millet
• Fine Ground Yellow Cornmeal
• Amaranth or Spelt Flour
• Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/4 cup Non Fat Dry Milk Powder
• 2 cups Unbleached White Flour
• 1 Tbsp Sea Salt

With bread hook (or with a spoon or whisk if not using mixer) stir all dry ingredients until fully blended using low speed.

Add:

• 2Tbp Canola Oil

Start mixer on lowest speed and pour in dissolved yeast (do your best to get all residue in)
continue to mix slowly.

Add:

1 3/4 cup luke warm water slowly (about 1/4 to 1/3 c at a time) pouring in until the dough forms a proper consistency that is elastic but not sticky or dry. If it appears your dough is dry add more water one Tablespoon at a time. If your dough is very soft or sticky, add Whole Wheat Flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, allowing additional water or flour to fully incorporate before adding more.

Knead dough with bread hook at medium high (you may need to hold the mixer down to keep it on the counter) for 5 minutes, or vigorously knead by hand for 7-10 minutes.

Remove dough from dough hook and allow to rise in the bowl, covered with damp paper towel for 30 min.

When first rise is complete, if you choose, you can add herbs such as 1/4 cup freshly chopped chives or 2T chopped rosemary or thyme leaves.

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees

Punch risen dough with the dough hook and mix at low speed for two minutes. Remove from mixer and move to a floured surface. Hand knead lightly, and cut dough into two equal halves with a knife or pastry cutter. Form dough into the shape of your loaf pan – round or rectangular and place into oiled and flour dusted pan. Cover once again with damp paper towel and allow the loaves to rise for 10 minutes.

When second rise is done, bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.

Remove from pan onto cooling rack.

I’ve done this bread with both quinoa and millet and amaranth or spelt flour. It’s great either way or with any combination you choose of the 4. Also, I’ve done it with or without herbs – it’s great either way.

I grew up in a small town on the coast of Massachusetts between Providence, RI and Cape Cod. As a kid I rode bikes with my family and friends and rode my first little red bike until it was too small for me, climbing onto bigger bikes as I grew.

So, it seems appropriate to make my return to elite women’s cyclocross racing in Massachusetts—a place steeped in cyclocross tradition, the place where I first learned to ride a bicycle as a little girl.

I missed last year’s cx season after breaking my clavicle in September 2010. I raced on the road this spring and early summer then broke my clavicle (same one) in July 2011. Being in the broken wing club (once, never mind twice) is not something I recommend.

I’m back on my bike, training and racing into cyclocross. 2011-2012 is a rebuild year for me and I’m learning that coming back from injury requires more determination and perseverance than I thought I had in me. As the season unfolds I continue to set small goals, and meet them. I continue to learn about myself and the art of cyclocross racing.

Setting and meeting short term goals helps me track progress. Setting long term goals helps me stay motivated.

Great Brewers Gran Prix of Gloucester

Gloucester, known as the “New England Nationals,” kicked off the New England Holy Week of Cyclocross and included the top U.S., Canadian and European pros. My goals for Gloucester: race my race. Ride clean: no crashing, no mechanicals.

At the start in Gloucester. Photo credit: Marybeth Dowd

Gloucester did not go as planned. I flatted on the first lap on the backside of the course on a rocky descent before a long muddy run up. My rim hit rock and I prayed to the cyclocross gods, “please don’t have a flat.” On the run-up I felt my tubular: totally flat, so instead of hopping back on my bike with the rest of the field, I kept running—all the way to the other side of the course to the pit.

Working my way through the field, pre-flat. Photo credit: Marybeth Dowd

By the time I got back to riding the field had completely disappeared into the fog. I got back into “my own race,” ticked off 2 laps before the leaders caught me. My race was over.

My Dad, Uncle John and Aunt Marybeth sent me off from the start line, cheered for me and greeted me with hugs after my race. My brother, Jim Dowd, worked the pit (and was jealous of Cannondale’s power-washer).

Gloucester 2011: Bob Dowd (Dad), Patricia Dowd, John Dowd (Uncle). Photo credit: Marybeth Dowd (Aunt)

When I’m not working or riding my bike, I love to cook. At home in Bozeman, Montana, I get my food from Field Day Farms and the Community Food Co-op. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island I hit the roadside farm stands and the neighborhood fish market.

Shopping for dinner, Orr’s Farm Stand, Westport, MA. Photo credit: Patricia Dowd

One night my Mom, sister-in-law, Sandi, Jim and I made this fantastic dinner: local Atlantic Haddock, roasted butternut squash (recipe below) and fresh sautéed kale.

Here’s a recipe to try this fall:

Roasted Butternut Squash with Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Beans

INGREDIENTS: (improvise if you don’t have all ingredients on hand)

• 1 medium Butternut Squash (peeled and chopped)
• 3-4 Carrots (chopped)
• 1 small Onion (cut in half and thinly sliced)
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (or whatever oil you like to use)
• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas (cooked) *Note: Pre-cook beans and store them in the frig
• 4-5 Scallions (chopped)
• 1 Chili (use chili powder if chilis aren’t in season)
• 1 tbsp Cumin (or more to taste)
• 2 cups Water/Vegetable Stock
• Fresh cilantro (chopped) to taste
• Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F degrees. Peel and chop the butternut squash, chop carrots and onions. Place in a roasting dish, toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Cook for about 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and caramelized. Combine chickpeas, scallions, chili, cumin and vegetable stock in pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the contents of the pan over the butternut squash and roast in the oven for another 5 minutes. Toss in fresh cilantro and serve. De-lish!

Adapted from The Café Paradiso Cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking Season-by-Season, Denis Cotter.

The week between Gloucester and the Providence Cyclocross Festival, I raced the Night Weasel at Ski Ward near Shrewsbury, MA. The course: uphill switchbacks in the MUD with a traverse across more mud, over barriers, up the muddy stairs. Okay, you get the idea, it was MUDDY!

The elite women raced at night with lights overhead. Parts of the course were really dark, forcing me to rely on my other senses, let my bike roll and go with the flow. I finished my race then heckled the pro men.

The next morning I woke up with a fire in my belly, psyched to race my bike in Providence. I hadn’t felt the fire—the desire to race cyclocross—since December 2009. In my first few races this year I was going through the motions. I was riding, not racing, my bike. I was in a lot of pain and wasn’t able to trust my body. I was unsure of myself. I questioned why I was racing. I was afraid to crash and break my bones. It took a few months, but I worked through my fears, put them in the back of my mind and found my cyclocross race mojo in Providence, Rhode Island.

Providence run up, Photo credit: SmugMug

I also found and met some stellar people in New England, including two of Bob’s Red Mill’s finest: Michelle Dwyer and Judy Donahue. Michelle and Judy served up free samples of Bob’s Steel Cut Oats and Oatmeal to racers and spectators in Gloucester and Providence.

Look for Michelle and Judy at other New England cyclocross races this fall and for the Bob’s Red Mill Train With Grain table at races throughout the country.

Michelle and Judy, Providence, 2011. Photo credit: Patricia Dowd

Cyclocross season is on and I’m psyched to be racing cyclocross back into my legs, heart, lungs and head! See you at the races.

For the last few months, we’ve been featuring a meatless recipe every Monday in honor of Meatless Mondays, the campaign to encourage eating vegetarian one day a week for health, the environment and the bottom line. Today is officially “Food Day,” which according to the official website, is a  celebration and rallying cry for healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food. In honor of Food Day, we wanted to share a great resource, a great recipe and offer a great giveaway!

First, a great resource:

The folks over at the Kitchen Table Cooking School got in touch with us recently and it came to light that they offer cooking classes around Meatless Monday. Each class has a theme- from regional cuisine to holiday celebrations- and demonstrates several dishes  with tips and tricks for adding Meatless Monday to your routine. Now, this is only really convenient for some folks that live near the school in Greenwood, Colorado, BUT I would bet there is a cooking school in your area that features vegetarian classes. Find it and take one to expand your meatless repertoire or just inject some new life into your meals.

Second, a great recipe:

The Kitchen Table Cooking School loves this recipe and so do we! If you don’t have Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP or TSP) handy, or simply don’t want to use it, you can leave it out or substitute with meatless crumbles, soyrizo or other vegetarian meat substitutes. Additionally, if you want to use canned beans instead of dried beans, go right ahead- approx 3-4 cups of beans will do the trick.

Red Beans & Rice

• 2 cups Small Red Beans
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 6 large cloves Garlic, smashed
• 2 quarts boiling Water
• 2 cups TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
• 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1 cup Brown Rice (Basmati or Short Grain)
• 2 cups Water
• 1 tsp Salt

Directions

Overnight in 6 cups of water, soak 2 cups dried Red beans, Kidney or Pinto beans. Drain and rinse well.

Cook soaked beans in kettle with onion, garlic and boiling water. After beans have cooked 45 minutes, add TVP, Chili Powder and Cumin. Continue cooking beans until tender, 20-40 minutes. Most of the liquid should have cooked into the beans and TVP. Taste and add salt.

Meanwhile, cook brown rice according to package directions. Mix the cooked rice and beans then taste, add a pinch of cayenne or hot sauce if desired. Serves 10.

{GIVEAWAY}

To help make Meatless Mondays even easier, we want to give one lucky reader a copy of The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. This book has over 200 amazing vegan recipes for every guest and every occasion. It’s one of our favorites! Not only does it have loads of tips for eating vegan, but it has nutritional info for each recipe (yay!) and full-color photos (double-yay!).

We’re trying a new giveaway application, so here’s what you need to do to enter- tell us in the comments on this blog post why you participate in Meatless Mondays. Be sure to click on the “I did this” button below in the app- that will enter you into our giveaway. If you don’t participate, tell us what challenges you about Meatless Mondays. Who knows? Maybe someone will have some good suggestions.

I wrote this guest post for Andrew at Eating Rules for October Unprocessed. After I wrote it, I thought it would be a great post for our readers, too. I think it’s fascinating how we came to rely on white flour and how our society shifted gears in such a short time to use such a processed ingredient in almost everything we eat.

White Flour is, at the same time, one of the most coveted ingredients for baking in the world and the nemesis of health conscious eaters everywhere. White flour is the ever-present ingredient in processed foods and, probably, the single most consumed processed food in the United States (although high fructose corn syrup might give it a run for its money). Andrew asked me to explain how white flour is made, why it might be bleached and enriched, and why whole grains are a far superior choice for your health.

First, a short history lesson:

So what’s the deal with white flour anyway? How did we end up eating solely nutritionally deplete flour? White flour first appeared in appreciable quantity in the late 1800’s with the industrial revolution. Whole wheat flour has a short shelf life; after all, it contains the germ and bran which can cause rancidity. Steam mills came with the age of industry, allowing a lot of flour to be produced quickly and transported all over the country. At the time- flour meant whole wheat flour, which will last only about 6 to 9 months before spoiling. To solve this short shelf life problem, millers began sifting out the germ and bran to increase the life for their flour.

In the beginning, white flour was a food of the elite. It was consumed by those with money and those in urban areas. As industry made it cheaper to produce, it became cheaper to buy. Lower income consumers imitated the wealthy and, within a few short years, white flour was the standard for everyone.

Milling:

If you know that white flour is made from wheat, you’re one step ahead of a lot of people- truly, I’m not joking. White flour is made by separating the bran and the germ from the endosperm of the grain of wheat. That’s not really as complicated as it sounds- it is simply ground (typically on a high-speed, steel roller mill) and sifted to remove the fluffy white from the heavier brown. The sifting repeats until all that is left is white, fluffy flour. Fine flours, such as cake flour, are sifted more heavily. For a more in depth description, check out this awesome video from Discovery: How It’s Made Flour.

Bleaching, Bromating and Enriching:

Often you see two types of white flour- unbleached and bleached. Bleaching is done quite simply to make flour that is truly white. Without it, white flour has a slightly off-white color. When white flour was hitting its peak- bleaching was popular to make the whitest cakes and whitest bread possible. While bleaching has become far less popular, it can still be found in many large flour brands and in most processed food.

Potassium Bromate is an enrichment added to help develop the gluten (protein) in baking. It strengthens the dough and encourages rising. Most manufacturers of flour no longer use this enrichment because research has indicated it to be a carcinogen. While it is outright banned in the United Kingdom, the FDA has not banned bromate from use in the United States, though they strongly discourage bakers from using it. Today, most manufacturers of white flour add Malted Barley Flour to bolster their flour. Malted Barley Flour is quite simply barley that has been sprouted, dried and ground into flour.

Other enrichments required by law for conventional white flour include folic acid, niacin, iron, thiamin and riboflavin. These vitamins were originally required by law (circa 1940) to help solve health issues caused by diets deficient in these essential nutrients. These nutrients are naturally found in whole wheat flour and are removed when the germ and bran are removed. Funny, isn’t it? That the government requires us to add enrichment to flour that would have been just fine had it been left whole. With so many Americans relying on white flour, though, it was necessary to help prevent things like neural tube defects in unborn babies.

In the United States, you cannot enrich organic flours- so if you want to skip the added vitamins, go organic. Alternately, in Canada, all white flour must be enriched- regardless of its organic status.

Go whole grain, but know before you buy:

Many of the giant flour manufacturers in the United States do not grind whole wheat flour from the whole grain. Instead, they separate all three parts of the wheat grain and recombine them to produce whole wheat flour. It’s far cheaper to produce this way because the majority of their business is in white flour. This is completely legal in the United States and qualifies to be called whole grain. Investigate the source of your whole wheat flour before you buy.

That’s the short version of a very long story about how America became reliant on enriched white flour. For your good health, start switching to whole grain flours such as whole wheat and spelt in your baked goods, choose pasta made with whole wheat flour and pick brown rice over white rice. The nutrients naturally found in whole grains make enrichment unnecessary. Whole grains are packed with fiber and offer variety in flavor and texture. A cookie made with whole wheat pastry flour tastes as good, if not better, than one made with white flour and your conscience can rest easy knowing you fed your family something healthier.

WOW Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe developed by Chelsea Lincoln, author of Flavor Vegan

•     1/2 cup Margarine (Non-hydrogenated)
•     1/3 cup Oil
•     1-1/2 cups Evaporated Cane Juice Sugar
•     2/3 cup Milk (Soy, Rice, Cow)
•     2 tsp Vanilla
•     2-1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
•     1-1/4 cups Regular Rolled Oats
•     1 tsp Baking Powder
•     1 tsp Baking Soda
•     1/2 cup Walnuts- Baker’s Pieces
•     1/2 cup Chocolate Chips*

Directions

Cream together margarine, oil and sugar until very well blended. Add in milk and vanilla and blend. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oats, baking powder and soda. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. When half blended, add in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Mix everything until just blended, careful not to over mix. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Place by the tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

*To make these truly unprocessed for October Unprocessed, use Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or break up your favorite unsweetened chocolate bar (just be sure to watch out for that pesky soy lecithin); choose to use applesauce or mashed bananas for the margarine and be sure to select an unprocessed oil, such as olive oil or coconut oil.

Triathletes are all about their gear. Naturally, I have plenty of pieces of gear that I am borderline obsessed with. There has one piece of gear that really made a difference for me this season though.

Going into my second season of racing 70.3 distance events I was looking for a more effective way to manage my nutritional supplies throughout the race. During transitions I try to minimize the steps needed from one leg to the other as much as possible, and one thing that always worries me is the need to grab and stash all my nutritional supplies before heading out on the bike from T1. The solution I found was the XLAB Rocket Pocket–a little pouch that is strapped behind the stem of the bike and conveniently fits several packs of gel and bars. The rocket pocket has helped me with the following issues:

• No need to worry about laying out the food supplies for the bike leg prior to the race at your transition spot. I can now pack them the night before and do not need to worry about them again.
• One less thing I need to do during the T1 (loading up the supplies into your tri suit pockets) and T2 (emptying the garbage out of your pockets).
• No more digging blindly through my tri suit pockets on my back in order to find the snack I am looking for during the bike leg of the race. Everything is right in front of me in my rocket pocket.

Another popular comparable product is the Bento Box, but I prefer the aero design of the Rocket Pocket. The Rocket Pocket is light weight and attaches to pretty much any bike via three Velcro straps. It was a great addition to my gear this season and has helped make race days a little more hassle free!

My First post for the Bob’s Red Mill Train with Grain blog is about recipes inspired by my race clothing.  Clean lines, simple design and euro-inspired white are reasons that golden vanilla cupcakes are a classic go-to every time.

This season I worked closely with Portland graphic designer Dan Schechter and the folks at Castelli clothing to create a unique version of the Bob’s Red Mill Team kit.

Inspired in part by the 2010 kit and the 2011 Louisville Team kit, we came up with a mostly white kit highlighting my title, presenting and supporting sponsors.

The color scheme of white, light blue and ocre yellow uses a classic European cycling color scheme and in turn invokes the likeness of the finest of European culinary delights, pastries!

At home, my go-to recipe for a timeless and classic recipe is the vegan version of the golden vanilla cupcake. This recipe can also be used as a layer or sheet cake and served in a big slice midday with a cappuccino, as it would be around Europe. Enjoy!

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1 cup Soy, Rice, Almond or Coconut milk
• 1 tsp apple Cider Vinegar
• 1-1/4 cup All Purpose Flour (or gluten free all purpose flour plus 1 tsp xanthan gum)
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch or Arrowroot Starch
• 3/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/3 cup Canola Oil
• 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp Vanilla

Mix milk and vinegar and allow to sit for a few minutes (this curdles to work like buttermilk)

Mix sugar, oil, vanilla and stir well. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and then fill cupcake liners about 3/4 way full.

Bake 20-22 min at 350 degrees

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup Non-Hydrogentated Shortening
• 1/2 cup Non-Hydrogenated Margarine
• 3-1/2 cups Confectioner’s Sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/4 cup plain Soy milk, Rice milk or Coconut milk

Beat shortening and margarine with hand mixer until fluffy. 5 mins or so.
Add sugar and mix well 3-5 minutes until well blended.
Add vanilla and milk and beat until fluffy 5-7 minutes

*recipe adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

This recipe is also posted to my blog at : http://thevegandelicious.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/vegan-golden-vanilla-cupcakes/

Every cyclist has a favorite piece of gear that they wear or ride or use for the red letter, circled in red sharpie, A+++, “must do well” races.  I’m no different.  When I’m looking for an extra advantage, that little bit of something-something that is going to give me if nothing else a psychological edge, I reach for my Zipp 303 wheels.

www.zipp.com

These are my fall back wheels.  I am totally confident when I’m racing with these babies.  At less than 1200 grams for the set (tubular weight) they’re as light as the lightest sets of climbing specific wheels, but they’re also virtually indestructibly durable.  Fabian Cancellara has used these wheels to win two of the toughest one day races in the world, Paris-Roubaix and The Tour of Flanders.  Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders are races in which there are extensive sections of brutal cobble stone roads. I’ve used them in races here in Illinois that go over several miles of clay and gravel farm roads as well.

If I’m racing in a criterium where cornering and acceleration are critical, I never have to worry about being stable taking sharp corners and sprinting out of those corners or attacking in a straight.  They have a low profile so I don’t get knocked around by strong cross winds but they’re still very aerodynamic and give me an edge on calm days as well.

Whatever any cyclists holds dear as they’re favorite piece of gear, it is generally a piece of equipment that provides comfort such as a saddle or a pair of shoes, or confidence such as a brilliant frame or an advantage life the most technologically advanced component set or ultra light wheels.  For me – it’s this wheel set.

Good luck!

There is a crispness to the air today that makes bean stew sound absolutely divine! This recipe takes some planning and is meant to cook for 5 hours. HOWEVER, since many of us are already in the throws of Monday, here are some easy things you can do to still enjoy this at home tonight.

-Sub the dried black beans and pinto beans for canned versions- 2 cans of each should be more than sufficient.

-Use dried Anasazi and lentils in place of the black and pinto beans- they cook faster and require no overnight soaking.

Savory Bean Stew with Cheddar Corn Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked Black Turtle Beans
• 2 cups cooked Pinto Beans
• 1 (28 oz.) can Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped Sweet Red Bell Pepper
• 2 small Zucchini, coarsely chopped
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 1 Poblano Chili, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced Celery
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tb Chili Powder
• 2 tsp ground Cumin
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 1/2 cup Unbleached White Flour
• 1/2 cup Medium Grind Cornmeal
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Cold Butter
• 1/4 cup Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, minced
• 1/2 cup Lowfat Milk (or non-dairy milk of choice)

Directions

Combine tomatoes, bell peppers, cooked beans, zucchini, onions, poblano chili, celery, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and 1/4 teaspoon salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or until vegetables are tender.

During the last hour of cooking, prepare dumpling batter. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Cut in cold butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in cheese and cilantro. Pour milk into flour mixture; blend with wooden spoon just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dumpling dough into 6 mounds on top of bean stew. Cover and cook 40 minutes to 1 hours or until toothpick inserted into dumpling comes out clean.  Makes 8 Servings.