Few experiences are as rewarding as sitting down at the table after a long day to delve into an exquisite recipe, fill your stomach and regain your strength. If, moreover, we have already fully entered autumn and the sunny and warm days begin to give way to rainier days with lower temperatures, a good spoonful at midday will warm us up while savoring the traditional flavors of life.
Spoon dishes are the main protagonists of fall and winter. Simple to prepare and very nourishing and comforting, they are an energy boost and one of the best ways to increase our consumption of legumes and vegetables without leaving out protein.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’re in luck, they’re also a great option to combine with grains and plant-based proteins.
We tell you five very healthy and delicious recipes: we will cook lentils, chickpeas with spinach and cod, gypsy pot, pea stew and tofu and vegetable soup. All recipes are for four people.
Lentils for all tastes
Lentils are one of those dishes that have as many defenders as detractors. Either you like them or you don’t want to see them even in painting. Of the legume family, these are the ones that can most easily get you out of trouble, as they require much less soaking than the others. Two or three hours is more than enough.
In addition, they are very versatile and are just as delicious with chorizo and ham as in their vegetable version, the famous widow lentils. They are very tasty combined with a little rice or quinoa, and with this mixture we will obtain a very complete protein by mixing legumes and cereals.
To cook the lentils, we will brown them with an onion and four cloves of garlic. Chopped onion and whole garlic, cut in half. For this lentil recipe we will use 300 grams of pumpkin cut into cubes which we will add to the sauce once the onion is golden brown, and we will also add some artichokes cut into quarters.
After a few minutes we will also add some very ripe grated tomatoes and leave on low heat until they cook. Now it’s time to season with sweet paprika, add the lentils (about 400 grams) and cover with cold water. We will let them cook until they are tender. If we use a quick cooker we must follow the instructions for this type of legume.
Chickpeas with spinach and cod
This dish based on legumes and fish is also very complete and nutritious, as well as very economical if cod breadcrumbs are used. If you like hard-boiled eggs – one of the most complete proteins because it contains all nine essential amino acids – they would also look great in the recipe.
We will use one onion, two cloves of garlic, 300 grams of cod breadcrumbs, 400 grams of chickpeas of your choice, 800 grams of spinach and paprika. Remember to soak the chickpeas the day before, for at least twelve hours. If you forgot, we can make a quick version with canned chickpeas and although the flavor won’t be exactly the same, you’ll get the same nutritional benefits.
The first thing we will do is fry the onion and garlic, and once golden we will add the cod breadcrumbs and cover with a liter and a half of water. With the hot water, add the chickpeas which will need to be cooked until they are tender. We will monitor them so that they do not stay dry. Once they are ready, we add the spinach and, if desired, the cooked eggs.
Gypsy pot
Gypsy pot is a very autumnal dish of Murcian origin, since one of its star ingredients is pumpkin. Originally from the region of Murcia, it also shares a similar version with other neighboring regions such as Alicante or Almería. We explain how to do it step by step. The basic ingredients are beans, chickpeas, green beans, pumpkin and, in many homes, pears. It is a vegetable dish, suitable for vegans and very satisfying. You can supplement it with potatoes, if you wish.
We will use a large onion and two pear tomatoes, 200 grams of previously soaked chickpeas and beans, the same amount of green beans, two carrots, 150 grams of pumpkin, four small pears (optional), a slice of white bread and a handful of almonds. We will need a pinch of paprika and a few sprigs of saffron, as well as 15 ml of vinegar and a little mint (optional).
We will cook each legume separately. We cut all the vegetables into small pieces and add everything to the pan with the legumes. During this time we will prepare the snack, which is optional. We will fry the bread with the almonds, absorb the excess oil with absorbent paper and pass it through a mortar.
In a pan we will brown the onion, garlic, tomato and spices, and we will add the minced meat if we have prepared it. Now it’s time to mix the sofrito with the rest of the stew and the pears; as well as mint and vinegar. All that remains is to mix the flavors well and let it sit a little before serving.
Pea stew
Another vegan and very healthy option is this pea stew. We will need half a kilo of this legume, an onion, a carrot, two potatoes and a turnip. The first thing we are going to do is cook the peas in water and with a little salt. When they are cooked we will crush them, but we will reserve some. Now we are going to fry the onion with the potato, carrot and turnip cut into cubes for about five minutes or until they are a little golden.
We will put the pea puree in a saucepan, to which we will add the already poached vegetables and cook for about another quarter of an hour. After this time, we can also add the peas that we had reserved. And ready to eat.
Tofu and vegetable soup
This soup is very quick to prepare and is a very complete and healthy option for lunch or dinner. We are going to offer you an express option that you can even prepare in the microwave. We need a liter of vegetable stock that we can buy already prepared or have a homemade one that we have previously cooked, 100 grams of peas that we can also have frozen, 300 grams of tofu cut into cubes, 100 grams of carrot, a quarter of red pepper, a spring onion and a handful of wheat semolina, which can also be found gluten-free.
We will finely chop all the vegetables and place them with a little salt and oil in a microwave-safe container. In a few minutes – a little more depending on the quantity – they will be ready. Meanwhile, we are going to brown the tofu cubes a little in a pan. We add the vegetables, tofu and peas to the broth with the semolina. Cover and microwave for five minutes. If you like miso paste, this is spectacular.
