Looking back through my blog at some of my older recipes feels a little like I am flipping through an old photo album. I’ve been blogging for 16 years now and during that time my recipes have naturally evolved right along with the way I eat and cook.
When I first started blogging, I was eating gluten-free and vegetarian- eating eggs and dairy. A few years later I found out my cholesterol numbers were high, so I fully embraced a gluten-free vegan lifestyle- eliminating eggs and dairy altogether. Each phase of my eating is reflected in the recipes I’ve shared here, making this blog a snapshot of where I was at that moment in my food journey.
I originally starting my blog to record my recipes for myself
I originally created it as a way to store my own recipes—paperless, organized, and easy to search. Even now, I often catch myself looking into the search bar when I’m trying to remember how I made something from a long time ago!
For this post, I decided to look back and gather 6 winter comfort recipes. It’s a way to share them with readers who may have missed some of my earlier posts.
If you are in the path of the snow storm, one of these hearty healthy easy to make bean or lentil dishes may hit the spot and feel nourishing and comforting.
This Post I'm Sharing Some Bean and Lentil Dishes:
This bean bake recipe was one of my go-to recipes for years. I originally made it with lots of cheese and frequently shared it for potlucks—it was an easy dependable crowd-pleaser especially in the winter. Over time, my relationship with this dish evolved right along with my eating habits: first with the cheese, then substituted vegan cheese, and now… no cheese at all.
This is a really easy, yet thick and hearty black bean soup made with your choice of either dried black beans or canned black beans. If using canned beans this soup can be assembled and cooked in only 5-7 minutes.
Top the bowls of soup with chunks of avocado and enjoy.
Mujadara - This next recipe is a family favorite. My mother-in-law brought this recipe with her from Egypt. It is a true whole foods plant-based recipe using brown lentils, rice, and caramelized onions.
The next recipe uses lentils and sun-dried tomatoes to make a lentil "meatloaf" type of recipe. Sometimes this vegan is in the mood for a meal one can actually cut with a knife. Vegan lentil loaf.
Since we were not eating out during the Covid lock-in period, I experimented cooking ethnic foods that we normally ate in a restaurant. One of my favorites was an Indian dish made with eggplant, chickpeas, and potatoes.- Aloo Baingan
Have your eating habits changed over the past 15 years?
What changes have you made? What kind of recipes do you cook?
That lentil bowl with caramelised onions looks pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteLOOOOOVE me some beans. LOOOOOVE me some lentils too. About to toss a soup or sorts in the pressure cooker for breakfast. Yum. I write a lot of bakes, that's for sure. And make oodles of noodles without egg and some days, without gluten. Fun!
ReplyDeleteI think we all have favourite winter recipes. I know we do. My eating habits have not changed drastically over the years, primarily involving less animal protein and very little red meat. We also have a couple of days a week without meat at all.
ReplyDeleteWe eat a few vegetarian meals every week. We are eating far less red meat generally these days too. Beans are a part of the menu regularly as well. We used to be meat and potato eaters!
ReplyDeleteIt is currently -5F here with 10 inches of snow on the ground. In other words, the PERFECT soup weather.
ReplyDeleteJudee, everything looks delicious! Especially the Mujadara. We even go freezing cold here in East Texas, 22 degrees and a light snowfall. Fortunately no power outages in our local area.
ReplyDeleteThese all look great. The Mujadara reminds me of something we make. We call the brown lentils masoor and a the rice dish a pulao.
ReplyDeleteIt is -1 here with about 16 inches or more of snow on the ground so all of these dishes sound amazing. I will be trying a few of them.
ReplyDeleteI loved being able to see these recipes. Your easy black bean soup immediately caught my attention. This is such a perfect recipe for busy weeknights. I especially loved your idea to add some cumin, garlic and a squire of lime juice. Talk about Mmm Mmm Good!!!
ReplyDeleteLovely snowy photos :-D Mild over here in Scotland but lots of rain! These look super amazing and so tasty :-D
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