Spicy Mung Beans with Tomato and Onions

Though my favorite bean is probably chickpeas, mung beans are a close second. The addition of fresh tomato and un-fried onion and green chilies add a nice crunch to this spicy dish. I have adapted the recipe from 1,000 Indian Recipes by by Neelam Batra. This extensive collection of delights was a gift from my dear friend Susan. As I noted before, this cookbook is not strictly vegetarian, but there are lots of vegan and vegetarian ideas for spice blends, condiments, starters and snacks, soups, salads, vegetables dishes, paneer, legumes, curries, breads, desserts and beverages. I particularly enjoy the wide range of recipes from various regions of India.

Quinoa Spinach Salad with Feta, Pomegranate and Toasted Almonds

It's no secret to my friends or to regular readers of this blog that I consider quinoa to be an absolutely essential staple grain in anyone's kitchen and diet. As simple to cook and as versatile an ingredient as ordinary white rice, quinoa's light and fluffy texture and a delicately sweet and nutty taste make it a treat on any plate even on its own. But it's an almost perfect balance of essential amino acids and proteins — rare in the plant kingdom — that make quinoa such an important food, especially for vegetarians. You just can't lose.

Brown Rice and Two-Bean Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing

Years of being a vegetarian have taught me the basic essentials of a balanced meal: in rough proportion and description of value, a serving of legumes and whole grains for proteins, minerals and essential fatty acids, and a serving of fresh vegetables for vitamins and fiber, with a few good fats from whole dairy products or olive oil thrown in.

Santa Fe Scones

There are very few things that please me as much as cooking up a nice dinner for valued family members. Scones are always such a comfort food and I served up these spiced cheese biscuits with a little Mexican flair with macaroni and paneer cheese with spinach as a special treat for my Dad and his sweet girlfriend, my good friend Andrew, and of course my husband. Much more nourishing than take-out, and usually much tastier. And moving around in my kitchen helps to keep me warm in these chilly autumn days — I'm okay with that!

Spicy Chickpeas with Ground Pomegranate Seeds

My regular readers will have noticed how much I enjoy cooking with chickpeas. I do believe these buttery soft beans are my favorite legume and honestly, I am rather lucky if I have enough left over after they are cooked and waiting to be included into the dish I am preparing. I just so love to nibble on these delightful garbanzos fresh out of the pot.

Korean Glass Noodles (Japchae)

Japchae is a Korean noodle dish that can be served hot or cold. Made with rice cellophane noodles and typically served with finely chopped vegetables and soy sauce, and garnished with sesame seeds and chilies, this is surely a treat anytime of year.

Mustard Roasted Adzuki Beans with Urad Dal

I am joyfully overwhelmed by one of the latest additions to my extensive cookbook collection. My dear friend Susan generously sent me a copy of 1,000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra. I am still in the process of exploring this inspiring collection, as can be imagined, considering there are so many recipes to choose from.

My Legume Love Affair

I am most flattered that Susan of The Well Season Cook has given me the opportunity to host her most popular event featuring legumes. As this is a vegetarian blog, I do ask that your bean entries do not contain meat, nor fowl, nor fish. Entries are accepted until the end of the month. Do please link back to this announcement and also to Susan's post with upcoming hosts to this healthy event. Send your entries to herdcreature@hotmail.com. Recipes from non-bloggers are always welcome, and you may submit something from your archives, but do make sure you repost and update your post. Use of the logo is optional. A photo is preferred, but also optional. Eat well and be happy.

An additional bonus is that Susan will again be offering a random draw to lucky winners. Please include your location with your email. Friends and family of both Susan and I are not eligible to win.

1. Winner chooses any cookbook or food-related book from Amazon U.S. valued at not more than 15USD for the book itself. This prize is offered by Susan at her expense and she will also absorb worldwide shipping charges. F.T.C. Notice: Susan does not receive any compensation from Amazon.
2. Hurst Bean Box - A case of six bags of the winner's choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Bean. (Due to shipping restrictions, this prize can only be awarded if the winner is a U.S. resident.) F.T.C. Notice: In May 2010, Susan, at her request, received two Hurst Bean complimentary products which are not available for purchase in her local markets. Susan does not generally accept free products from Hurst Bean nor is she financially compensated by them.
3. Drawing Structure - If the winner is a U.S. resident, she/he will be the recipient of both Prizes 1 and 2 above. In the event that an international winner is drawn, a second drawing will be conducted from the U.S. pool of entrants to ensure that the Hurst Prize is awarded every month. In these instances, the international winner will receive the book, and the U.S. winner will receive the Hurst Prize.

Multiple recipes are permitted (although only one submission will be counted towards the random drawings), as are recipes submitted to other events. Please do ensure that legumes are the main feature of your dish. A tablespoon or so will not qualify for the roundup. Fresh or dried beans, lentils, pulses, and/or the sometimes edible pods that contain these seeds, and derivative products like tofu or besan, along with tamarind, fenugreek, carob, peanuts are all acceptable. I look forward to your submissions.