I totally forgot to take a photo when I made this last week; truth be told I forgot it was a COTM meal! I’ve made this many times. It’s easy (I use frozen dumplings- either from a great dumpling shop nearby or from TJs) and fast, and delicious. This time around I used chopped up baby bok choy as the vegetable.
SIMPLE BLACK BEAN CHILI - Keepers, pg 73 (and online)
*should say 1.5 tsp salt, I’m seeing a weird symbol instead of the fraction
So I made this once as per the recipe, and then… went rogue. Here’s what I have ended up as my final version, which I’m quite happy with. I do not use the hot peppers because my teenager doesn’t like spicy, so we adults just add hot sauce at the table.
On a roasting pan -
4 plum tomatoes, halved
2 bell peppers (any color, I hate green but others are fine), halved and cleaned out
1-2 onions, peeled and halved
Coat with oil, salt, pepper. Broil for 5-10 minutes and let them cool down.
Purée all of that with 3 cloves garlic, chopped. (I use jar garlic so don’t roast it with the veggies). Don’t purée too smooth - aim for good chunky salsa. If you have a ninja smoothie-sized blender like me, you’ll need to do this in two batches.
[make-ahead: chuck it all in the fridge until cook day]
Proceed from “finish on the stovetop” step of the instructions, but don’t add canned tomatoes. I use smoked paprika instead of the chipotle. I also use 3 cans of beans rather than 2, and 1 cup of chicken broth to give it a little extra volume.
MISO MAPLE RIBS WITH ROASTED SCALLIONS from “Smitten Kitchen Everyday”
Wow, so glad to find this, it won’t replace my favorite, but it will stand alongside as an equal. I have a ribs go-to, IMO f.i.n.g.e.r.l.i.c.k.i.n!, and did not think I’d find a rival. I used regular St. Louis style ribs, not baby back, and schmeared them with white (mild & not-so salty) miso and an equal amount of (real) maple syrup and another equal tot of rice vinegar. Scallions too, and S&P. Absolutely fine dinner, will never give up my BBQ regulars but these will occupy the adjacent plate.