Hash browns are one of my favorite quick meals. But I usually opt for an unhealthy version bathed in cheese, ketchup and oozy egg yolk, among other trashy toppings. But last night I set out the make a healthy, fall-inspired hash brown—using sweet potatoes rather my regular yukon gold and topping the spuds with vegan chickpea stew instead of ketchup and eggs. 

To complement the sweetness of the potatoes, I seasoned the tomato-based stew with cinnamon, paprika and honey. I also added fresh cilantro and oregano for herby undertones. 

As the hash browns fried, the potatoes’ natural sugars caramelized—delivering crunch and deeper flavors than I expected. This meal offered us salty and sweet and herby and crisp and soft. What a mouthful. 

For next-day leftovers I slopped the chickpeas stew (whose flavor had improved overnight) onto a baked sweet potato instead of a day-old, soggy hash brown. Although it was missing the caramel crunch, the tuber and its partner stew still worked magic in my mouth. So for the calorie conscious and those averse to dirtying extra pots and pan, a baked sweet potato works (almost) as well with this this recipe. 

Sweet Potato Hash Browns with Chunky Chickpea Stew
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
2 gloves garlic, minced 
2 teaspoons paprika
1 cinnamon stick
1 28-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups whole tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 large)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 200°.

In a small pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until onion begins to turn translucent. Add paprika and cinnamon stick, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Add chick peas, tomatoes, honey, salt, pepper, and herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. As mixture cooks, break up tomatoes with the back of a spoon.

Meanwhile, peel and grate sweet potatoes. Squeeze excess moisture from the potatoes with an absorbent towel. In an 8-inch, non-stick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-high. Add 1/4 of the sweet potato, and spread evenly in the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the bottom begins to brown.  Flip the hashbrown, cooking another 3 minutes. Transfer hash brown to a baking pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining sweet potato. 

To serve, sprinkle salt and pepper onto each hash brown and top with 1/4 of the chickpea stew. 

Serves 4

Seriously, this is the easiest weeknight meal I’ve made in a while. As much as I loathe “dump” recipes—where you combine a few cans of food and make supposed magic—this truly fits into the “dump” category. I chopped a few vegetables, dug canned goods out of my pantry, and dumped everything together to make a flavorful vegan dinner.

And after a week of stuffing meat down my face, this made me feel a whole lot healthier, too. But healthy doesn’t equal no-fat, low-cal. Just good wholesome food. 

If you can’t tell, I believe all of meals, regardless of their meat content, have to have fat—at least a little. My chefs at Le Cordon Bleu preached that fat (and of course salt) carry flavor and bring a dish to life. Coconut milk fulfills that role here, adding creaminess and luxury that few veggies can match. The coconut milk, along with rice and protein-packed beans, filled us up generously. 

I’d gladly dump and serve this any night. 

Chickpea Soup with Coconut Milk and Curry
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, finely  diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon hot curry powder
2 cups vegetable stock
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
2 to 3 cups cooked rice of your choice 

Instructions
In a 4-quart pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, red pepper, jalapeno, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in curry powder, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in vegetable stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Whisk in tomato paste, turn down heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice, and top with cilantro. 

Serves 4

I searched and searched last week for a vegetarian garbanzo bean soup to peak my interest. I didn’t feel like Italian or anything with winter greens, which are long gone here in Miami. I finally  located this Mexican recipe on MexConnect, which I adapted to suit my pantry and taste. I used dried pasilla chiles, which are sweet and have little to no heat, so I compensated with cayenne. If I had a spicier chile on hand I would have used it. 

The recipe is unintentionally healthy and full of distinct chile flavor. I topped my bowl with diced avocado and fried corn tortillas—crumbled queso fresco also would make a nice addition.

Garbanzo Bean Soup with Chiles and Saffron
2 cups dried garbanzo beans*
1 carrot, cut into large hunks
1 large onion, cut in half
2 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 large pinch ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 chiles pasilla, soaked to soften
3 Roma tomatoes, quartered
Salt and pepper

Instructions
In a large bowl, soak beans overnight, covered by 3 inches of water. Drain and rinse beans. Transfer beans to a stock pot, along with the carrot, 1/2 onion (reserving the other half), 2 bay leaves, thyme springs, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, and stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender—1 1/2 to 2 hours. (I cheated and used the slow cooker while I was at work. The beans were a tad too tender, but the convenience was worth the sacrifice.) Turn off heat, and set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium in a large stock pot. Dice the remaining half onion, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add sweet potato, saffron, cumin, cloves, and cayenne,  and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. 

Meanwhile, blend chiles and tomatoes with 1/4 cup bean cooking liquid. Add to pot with onion mixture, simmering gently.

Next, puree half of the cooked garbanzo beans. Add puree, whole beans, and remaining cooking liquid to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes to 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

*You can substitute 6 cups canned garbanzo beans that have been drained and rinsed. If you do, I recommend using vegetable or chicken stock to help add flavor to the soup.