Pamela Toman

Sweet and Tangy Braised Chickpeas

Hearty and delicious. Serve with bread or cornbread, and/or over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or polenta/grits.

Cheap Worcestershire sauce is often vegetarian (check the label for anchovies).

In this recipe, I like to use the Better than Bouillon paste because it can make arbitrarily volumes of stock, and because the water can enter the pan already hot from being boiled in the kettle.

Don't include too many cruciferous vegetables or tomato paste.

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4 T olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced		 Heat oil in a large, deep cast iron skillet with oven-safe lid, then saute onion.
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Add garlic.
~3 c. chopped vegetables in ¼-½" chunks (e.g., carrot, celery, fennel, winter squash, parsnip, white or sweet potato, cabbage, cauliflower)
½ t. salt
⅛ t. red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste		 Saute vegetables. Season.
4 T. tomato paste (half a can)
1 T. brown sugar		 Add and cook until well-incorporated.
3 c. vegetable stock
⅓ c. red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
2 t. Worcestershire or soy sauce
3 cups chickpeas (1 cup from dry, or 2 rinsed cans)
1 bay leaf		 Bring to simmer, then cover tightly with lid and transfer to oven.
possibly: 1 c. vegetable stock Braise for 60 minutes, then check and add 1 c. additional broth if necessary. Braise for another 30 minutes (for 90 minutes in total).
Discard bay leaf and season to taste before serving.

Source: Deb Perelman (Smitten Kitchen)

Sweet and Tangy Braised Chickpeas was published on 8 August 2025.

Recipe uses: chickpeas, stock, carrots, stock

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Nutritious and delicious -- a good source of calcium, iron, fiber, and not a bad source of protein (24 g from 8 T. of chia seeds, plus potentially more from the milk). Vegan.

Must be made the day before so it has time to set up. Topping with fruit is lovely.

Ingredients Step
20 g (¼ c.) cocoa powder
90 g (3-5 T.) maple syrup
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. vanilla
pinch sea salt		 Stir together in a 4-cup bowl that has storage lid, until the mixture is fully smooth and no dry cocoa powder remains.
½ c. chia seeds
1½ c. oat (or other) milk		 Stir thoroughly into chocolate mixture, incorporating milk a bit at a time. Cover with lid and put into fridge for 30-45 minutes.
After 30-45 minutes, stir again (this reduces the chance of lumps), then return to fridge to set up overnight.

Source: Minimalist Baker

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding was published on 5 August 2025.

Recipe uses: chia-seeds, cocoa-powder, milk

Pasta Salad

Jess brought this delicious pasta salad to us early in the summer. It reminds me of one that Luke would make, whose recipe I seem to have lost, and given when the recipe first appeared, it may well be exactly the same recipe. The fresh basil and feta make the salad.

Ingredients Step
¼ c. red wine vinegar
½ c. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 t. honey
salt
pepper		 Blitz into an emulsified vinaigrette.
6 c. broth
1 lb. orzo		 Bring broth to boil. Add orzo, reduce heat, cover partially, cook until al dente, then drain. Move to large bowl and toss frequently to cool.
2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
7 oz. feta, cubed
1 c. basil, chopped
1 c. green onion, chopped		 Mix in, then add vinaigrette. Let stand a few hours before serving.
½ c. slivered almonds, toasted Add at time of serving. Serve at room temperature.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis in Bon Appétit (April 2006)

Pasta Salad was published on 5 August 2025.

Recipe uses: feta, orzo, lemon, basil, tomatoes-cherry, stock, almonds

Cornbread

A sweet and moist cornbread (that is, a cornbread that we actually eat more than 1 slice of).

The original recipe calls for ½ c. white sugar, but we found that version was too sweet to stand up to butter and a drizzle of honey, so I cut it down.

Jalapenos and cheddar are welcome additions!

Ingredients Step
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
¾ c. yellow cornmeal
120 g (1 c.) flour
75 g (heaping ⅓ c.) sugar
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt		 Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl.
1 c. milk
¼ c. oil
4 T (½ stick) butter, melted
2 T. honey
1 egg
1 egg yolk		 Whisk wet ingredients together until incorporated.
Pour wet ingredients into dry, then stir until just incorporated. Let sit 5-10 minutes to hydrate.
While waiting for the ingredients to hydrate, butter an 8x8 pan.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake 20-30 minutes, until starting to turn golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Don't overbake.
Cool 10 minutes, then slice. Serve with butter and honey.

Source: Melissa Stadler at Modern Honey

Cornbread was published on 27 May 2025.

Recipe uses: cornmeal, egg-yolk

Blackeyed Peas and Collards

This is my one-and-only collards recipe. A great way to ring in the new year in Southern style, or to use up CSA collards. Pairs nicely with cornbread.

Ingredients Step
1 onion, diced
oil		 Saute in Instant Pot.
3 cloves garlic, minced Add garlic toward end of sauteeing.
1⅓ c. dry blackeyed peas (rinsed)
4 c. vegetable broth		 Stir in.
1½ t. sweet paprika
½ t. smoked paprika
½ t. black pepper
2 dried bay leaves (1 if fresh)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 dash liquid smoke (3 is too many)
1 T. apple cider vinegar / red wine vinegar
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. brown sugar (optional)		 Incorporate some or all of these spices.
1-2 bunches collards, trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces Lay on top of beans-and-broth mixture (don't stir — we want the beans submerged and the collards on top).
  Pressure cook on high for 16 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves, stir, taste, and season with salt and other seasonings.

Draws on: Kristen Chidsey and Minimalist Baker

Blackeyed Peas and Collards was published on 27 May 2025.

Recipe uses: blackeyed-peas, collards, pressure-cooker, greens