8 Recipes Using What You Have in Your Pantry

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Rinse the chickpeas and drain, set aside. Rinse the spinach and defrost, squeeze dry and reserve.
2. Add the oil to the pan and swirl once or twice to coat the entire surface. When the oil ripples and is aromatic, add the ginger, garlic, onion and spices and stir several times.
3. Cook for a minute or two and add the carrots, spinach and chickpeas. Stir once or twice and add the stock and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the liquids in the pan have reduced by 75 percent.
4. Season with sea salt and a squeeze of fresh lime and serve immediately, garnishing with a dollop of yogurt if you like. For a fun twist, try upping the stock amount by a cup and throwing in a half cup of lentils.

1. Preheat a large stockpot to medium heat, then add oil.
2. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent, about five to seven minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
4. Add tomato paste, basil, oregano, red-pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste has darkened in color, about one to two minutes.
5. Add wine, and allow to simmer until halved in volume, about three to four minutes.
6. Add canned tomatoes and crush with a wooden spoon.
7. Stir in beans, zucchini, and kale. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until zucchini is tender but not mushy, about 10 to 15 minutes.

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan, and sauté the garlic, onion and carrot until almost tender.
2. Add the salsa, black beans, refried beans and stock, and season with adobo sauce and salt to taste.
3. Simmer soup until vegetables are tender, and serve with a dollop of sour cream and some diced avocado.

*Note: If you do not have adobo sauce, try using a combination of smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and vinegar.

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic and beans.
2. Cook until the onions have softened, about two minutes.
3. Add the jalapeño, bay leaf, thyme, cumin and coriander. Cook another minute.
4. Add the vegetable stock and chili sauce. Bring contents to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Stir in the cilantro, salt and pepper.
6. Carefully ladle the soup into a blender. Purée the soup until smooth.
7. Strain the soup through a fine mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth to remove any bean pulp.
8. Return strained soup to a pan.
9. Heat to serve. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper.

Tip: You may need to add a little more stock or water to the soup for a creamy consistency if the soup is too thick.

1. Place the bacon in a large (12-inch) heavy skillet. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the fat has melted out of the bacon and the pieces are crisp and brown, about seven minutes.
2. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and reserve. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat.
3. Return the pan to the heat and add the onions; toss to coat. Cover and cook until the onions are wilted and have released their juices, about five minutes.
4. Uncover, add about ½ teaspoon salt, and sauté until the onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.
5. Remove half the onions to a plate and reserve.
6. Add the beans to the pan, along with the reserved bacon, the bay leaves, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced considerably and the mixture has a stewlike consistency, about 20 minutes.
7. Adjust the seasoning, peppering generously.
8. Spoon the beans into four shallow soup bowls. Top each serving with some of the reserved onions.

1. Warm the oil over low heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are juicy and tender.
2. Add the chickpeas, spices, lemon juice and salt. Cook five minutes uncovered, stirring from time to time.
3. Stir in the spinach; cover and cook until the spinach has wilted, about four minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with black pepper. Taste and add a pinch more salt if necessary.

1. In a medium bowl, combine the drained chickpeas and the celery, red onion, and dill.
2. In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, mustard, and salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the chickpea mixture and stir to mix well.
3. Serve in a sprouted-grain or gluten-free tortilla or bread of choice.

1. Heat the ghee in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds; sauté until they begin to pop. Immediately add the onion, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and a pinch of salt, and sauté for about three minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon of salt and sauté for two minutes.
4. Pour in ½ cup of broth and any reserved tomato juice to deglaze the pot, stirring to dislodge any bits stuck to the bottom.
5. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
6. Add the lentils and stir; then add the remaining broth and cinnamon stick. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
7. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender.
8. Stir in another ¼ teaspoon of salt and simmer for five minutes.
9. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the spinach and lime juice. Serve garnished with cilantro or mint.

* Note: You can replace the ginger, turmeric, and cumin with 3 teaspoons of curry powder.