How to diet fast 1 week

Soup! for vegetarians! I get an email (or six) daily telling me that I need to make more vegetarian dishes. I know. Im sorry. Im not trying to exclude you, I promise. I just sometimes forget that dinner isnt synonymous with meat.

I really like this soup. I like that the dried beans add protein and fiber, and I like the smoky flavor from the paprika and chipotle chile powder. Theres some heat here, but if you use the floating pepper trick instead of cutting, the heat doesnt burn but instead nicely warms.

also? totally vegan-friendly if you skip the cheese I sprinkled on top.

1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight

1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups vegetable broth

4 cups water

4 whole serrano chiles
baby spinach (to add later, optional)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the presoaked beans into your slow cooker. If you dont have time to soak the beans overnight, you can quick soak them by boiling rapidly on the stove for 10 minutes, and then letting the beans sit in the closed pot of hot water for 1 hour. Drain and then put into the cooker.

Add the entire can of tomatoes, the onion, and the garlic. Follow with all the spices and then pour in the broth and water. Wash and float the uncut peppers on top.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5. Remove the chiles before serving. If desired, drop in a few handfuls of baby spinach into the pot and stir. The spinach will wilt quickly! If youd like, garnish with shredded cheese or sour cream (or both!)

My girls found this soup too spicy, but Adam and I both really liked it. Your sinuses will clear, but its not offensively hot. If youre worried, tone down by not adding all 4 chiles.

I ended up adding the end of a bag of Tostitos to the kid servings but the kids really werent that impressed. If youd like to stretch the leftovers, try stirring in some already cooked rice or pasta when reheating. It freezes quite well!

Chili Rellenos Bake is a healthier and easier-to-make version of Chili Rellenos.  And just as delicious!

This recipe for Chili Rellenos Bake is a healthier and easier-to-make version of Chile Rellenos, a well-known Mexican dish of stuffed, battered and deep-fried green chiles filled with cheese. The recipe came from my former neighbor Brooke, who shared it with me after I tasted her version at a neighborhood block party.  I changed the recipe slightly to make it a bit more South Beach Diet friendly, but essentially this idea of layered green chiles and cheese held together with a little egg came from Brooke's recipe.  (Thanks Brooke!)

This vegetarian cheesy treat is my post this week for Meatless Monday, and if you're looking for something easy but knock-your-socks-off delicious for holiday visitors, this is sure to be a hit.  I've enjoyed this many times for a breakfast dish, but you can also cut it into small squares and serve with toothpicks for a holiday appetizer.

(Today's choice for A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes is this unusual and delicious soup made from black-eyed peas, herbs, and a touch of spicy ground Chipotle pepper.  You'd have to limit yourself to a small serving of this for Phase One, since the soup is mostly beans, so enjoy it with something like Vegan Tomato Salad with Cucumbers, Avocado, Cilantro, and Lime on the side.)

Mention eating black-eyed peas, and most people think of Hopping John, the southern U.S. dish that combines black-eyed peas, ham, and collard greens. If I hadn't made Hopping John Soup a few years ago, and realized how much I like the taste of black-eyed peas, I might not have tried making this soup. That would have been just sad, because I absolutely loved this recipe, (which I did change a tiny bit, mostly to indulge my love for extra lime and cilantro.)

Now that I have officially been given the title of Casserole Queen, it seemed fun to challenge myself with creating more meatless casseroles.  This Vegetarian Curried Brown Rice and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce is an idea that just popped into my head one day, although it's definitely a riff on the Better-than-Mom's Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce that I made nearly two years ago.  Once I had the idea in mind, it actually took Jake and I three tries to get this one just right (although we happily gobbled up the first  two tries as well.) 

I guess I'm officially settled into the new house, because I had my first cooking session with my nephew/cooking assistant Jake, and we loved having the the new bigger kitchen so both of us have plenty of room to work.  The new house also has big windows and great light for photos, but I found there's almost too much light, and I'm going to have to do some experimenting to get the light filtered just right for food shots.  All those big windows are also going to make taking photos of the kitchen a bit of a challenge, but I promise some kitchen photos will be coming soon!  The house still has quite a few boxes to get unpacked, but on Saturday my brother Rand and I hung pictures and arranged my collection of African art, so the house is starting to look like it's mine.