Kidney Bean, Sweet Potato, Kale Soup

Soup seem to be the dish of the month. Thick hearty soups, light brothy soups, cheesy creamy soups, chunky filling stews... with a hunk of sourdough or olive bread to mop every last drop up. Of course, these days, the bread is reserved for the kids, the adults are trying not to indulge in dense carbs for a while.

Kidney beans and sweet potatoes already evoke a thick hearty soup; add in some kale and bok choy and chard, plus some onions and tomatoes and garlic for a good measure, and the soup becomes irresistible.

For spices, I went with turmeric powder, paprika, and Madras curry powder, plus some bay leaves and a sprinkling of powdered nutmeg for the warm notes it adds to the dish.

I soaked the kidney beans in hot water while I got the other ingredients ready; and then threw the soaked kidney beans with some sweet potato chunks and vegetable broth in the pressure cooker.

While the kidney beans was soaking, I chopped up some onions, tomatoes, garlic, kale, bok choy, and about 2 cups of diced sweet potatoes for pan-roasting.

When the pressure cooker is going, sauté the veggies -- onions, garlic, tomatoes, bok choy and kale -- with some salt and Madras curry powder. Pan-roast the sweet potatoes with some salt and brown sugar, and keep handy.

Once pressure cooker has finished its cooking, smash some of the kidney beans and sweet potatoes to form the thick base for the soup, add in the sautéed veggies and simmer gently till flavors meld.

Dish up into bowls and add some pan-roasted sweet potatoes just before serving.

Colorful Mini Peppers, Red Cabbage, Kidney Beans Warm Salad

Served as a warm salad, or a side for roti and naan, or along with fluffy jasmine rice, this versatile dish is a feast for the eyes as well as the tummy. The rich colors, the balance of texture and flavors, plus the ease of cooking makes it a favorite weeknight dish.

Ingredients
1 cup cooked kidney beans
2 cups chunky-chopped red cabbage
2 cups colorful mini pepper, chopped

1 lemon cut into wedges for serving
chopped spring onions for garnish
greek yogurt or sour cream for serving on the side

flavoring:
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp lemon pepper

1 tsp coconut oil
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the veggies and beans, a pinch of salt and turmeric, saute
2. Add the flavoring ingredients, stir well,  cover and allow to sweat a bit at medium heat
3. Remove the lid, splash water if needed to finish cooking the veggies to desired crunch
4. Garnish with spring onions and serve with some lemon wedges and sliced green chilies and a dollop of sour cream or plain greek yogurt

Rajma with Opo Squash-Bok Choy Naan

Rajma (raaj-maa) is a North Indian dish, which along with the Punjabi Cholay used to be my favorite side to eat with rotis and naans when I was young. Rajma is a wholesome yet simple kidney beans dish full of flavor.

Here I serve Rajma with Opo Squash and Bok Choy Naan. Now, this naan might sound a bit off-beat, but, the mild flavors of these two vegetables, with a generous portion of cilantro and mint leaves makes these quite delicious.