African Peanut Stew

It was the kind of day that merited a warm hearty stew: crisp and cool with the scent of autumn in the air. We spent the better part of the morning apple-picking as a family. I think my three-year old ate more than he picked, but that's to be expected! :-) We loaded bushels of apples into our car, turned on the heater, and headed home for some lentil soup. Later that afternoon, though, my daughter wanted to help me make something for dinner. She's actually been begging to make a really spicy salsa for her daddy, but we've put a delay on that project due to some jalapeño juice in the eye. But, I digress. She did a fantastic job carefully slicing and deseeding two jalapeño peppers for this fantastic stew.

The flavors are quasi African, and oh so delicious together. Especially when served over brown rice. There are many variations to this stew but this is the one I really enjoy. 

Ingredients

1 Tb. olive oil

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

1/2 green or red bell pepper, diced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (see below for substitution ideas)

32 oz. vegetable or vegetarian chicken style broth

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice

1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup coconut milk

Handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped (opt.)

Instructions

Saute sweet potato, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno peppers in olive oil over medium high heat until vegetables begin to soften. Add broth, beans, tomatoes, cumin and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes and quinoa are completely cooked. Add peanut butter and carefully stir to incorporate. It should melt into the stew and begin to thicken slightly. Add coconut milk and cilantro and continue to cook for just a few minutes more. 

Serve and enjoy! This yields about 4 healthy servings. 

Substitution / Add-in Ideas:

My aunt Carol gave me a similar recipe that included diced zucchini. You would just add it at the beginning with the rest of the vegetables. 

She also uses prepared salsa instead of jalapenos and canned tomatoes. I've used a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilies and eliminated the jalapenos, but it was really very spicy. 

Kale Salad with Toasted Pepitas

Yet another delicious variation on a kale theme. Kale is one of the powerhouses of nutrition; a dark, green, fiber-rich bunch of health. I am somewhat new to the juicing/green smoothie scene, and kale is a staple in most green juices and smoothies for its nutrient dense properties. See my previous post on White Bean Kale Soup {click here} for more detailed information on what kale provides. 

My best friend from high school sent me a recipe for one of her new favorite addictions, Massaged Kale Salad from Aarti Sequeira of the Food Network. The original salad contains diced mango and toasted pepitas with a lemon-honey vinaigrette. I didn't have mango, so substituted the next best thing...sweet bell peppers. I know, I know... no where near mango. 

You really have to massage the kale to work the fibrousness (is that a word?) out. It might seem like a little work, but it's really so much better that way. 

Ingredients:

1/2 large bunch kale, washed and deveined

1/2 fresh lemon

8 black olives, sliced

1/3 cup diced red and yellow sweet peppers

2 handfuls toasted pepitas (try sunflower seeds or toasted pine nuts, too!)

Salt, to taste

Dressing:

1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed

2 tsp. honey

pepper (opt.)

scant 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions:

Roll kale leaves into small bundles and thinly slice into ribbons (this is called chiffonade). Place into a large bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the greens, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over, and sprinkle with salt. With your hands, massage kale for perhaps one minute, until the fibers have broken down and greens are slightly wilted. 

Add black olives, sweet peppers and pepitas (or other seeds) to green mixture and stir to combine. 

In a small bowl, combine juice from the other half of the lemon, 2 tsp. honey, and black pepper (opt.) and whisk. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, until a emulsion forms. Pour dressing over kale greens and toss to mix well. 

Taste salad and adjust for seasonings.

Yield: 2 1-cup servings, or 4 1/2-cup servings

100 calories per 1/2 cup (slightly less if you don't use all the dressing.)

White Bean Kale Soup

It's Fall, one of my favorite times of year. When the air is crisp and wood-fire smoke scent wafts on the breeze, I turn to comfort food -- especially soups and stews. This White Bean Kale Soup is a family favorite. 

I first experienced kale in academy, when I worked for a garden nursery and greenhouse. We planted hundreds of pots of flowering and decorative kale for people to use in their Fall/Winter landscaping. I never knew you could actually eat it! :0) Now that I am older, I've found that kale is a very versatile and delicious addition to our diet. Add it to smoothies, toast it into "chips", replace spinach or collard greens with it in soups, toss in salads...the possibilities are endless. And the best part? Listen to this: Kale is a nutritional powerhouse! Read Web MD's article here. 

"What makes kale so exceptional? Here is why it's a superstar vegetable -- One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients. Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds. Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw."  

Fantastic! I think I'll serve up another helping of soup... 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup diced yellow onion

4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

32 oz. vegetable broth

4 cups chopped, de-veined kale

2 cups diced tomatoes in juice

1 can (14.5 ounces)  cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. salt

Pepper, opt.

1 tsp. dry basil or several leaves fresh basil, torn

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add basil, broth, kale, beans and tomatoes and cover. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the broth has reduced and soup is thickened slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with parmesan or parmesan style sprinkle and toasted crusty bread.

Spiced Carrot Ginger Soup

It started out yesterday with a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Ugh. No! I popped two Ester-C tablets, hoping that they would keep the cold at bay. No luck. By this morning, my nose had become a leaky faucet. I wanted to snuggle deeper down into the covers and stay in my pajamas all day! Something sounded good...something warm and comforting, but spicy enough to kick this bug out of my system. Spiced Carrot and Ginger Soup. 

Carrots and ginger both contain important properties for boosting your immune system. According to an article on the LiveStrong website, dated December 2, 2010, "Carrots contain vitamin A and vitamin B1, which are two important vitamins for keeping your immune system healthy and able to fight off infection. Adding carrots to your diet while you have a cold may motivate your white cells to work more efficiently at ridding your body of the virus causing your symptoms." Read more here.

"One of the benefits of ginger is its effects on congestion and its abilities to help fight colds. The use of ginger for combatting the common cold has been a staple of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries and was popular even before scientific research began revealing how powerful ginger truly is. For those who are suffering from congestion or a cold, consuming ginger may be extremely advantageous." Click on this link for the entire article.

So, with those two amazing ingredients as the base of this recipe, my cold symptoms should be gone in an.....Ha...haAChooO! Sorry. Let's just get to it...

Ingredients:

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tb. olive oil

1 Tb. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/4 cup sliced carrots

1 Tb. vegetarian chicken seasoning mixed with 2 cups water, or 2 cups vegetable stock

1/8 tsp. turmeric

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cumin

pinch red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups pureed acorn squash (You could use butternut, too.)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

In a medium pot and over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until it begins to clarify. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Allow to sauté for a minute, then add sliced carrots. Continue to cook until carrots begin to soften. Add broth and spices, including red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Cook until carrots are completely soft.  Add pureed squash, coconut milk, orange juice, and salt during the last few minutes of cooking. Transfer all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour back into pot and bring to a simmer. Check for seasoning and salt if necessary. Serve immediately. This was especially tasty with some hearty croutons!

Enjoy while I nurse my aching joints! :0)

Yield: 3-4 servings

Roasted...Anything!

It's my personal opinion that nearly any vegetable tastes better roasted. I've never been a fan of steamed cauliflower, brussel sprouts, or asparagus...but roast them? Amazing. Roasting deepens the flavors, and in some cases, releases a certain sweetness that isn't normally found when boiling or steaming.

I try not to roast vegetables too often, for I have to practice self-control when I do. :0) I could seriously eat an entire head of cauliflower, an entire pound of asparagus, an entire....cup...of brussel sprouts (I think you get the idea) prepared this way. The only veggies I haven't really enjoyed roasted were beets and sweet potatoes mixed. It was an interesting recipe I found that sounded good, but was terrible. I chalked it up to experience and moved on. 

Here is my preparation for roasted cauliflower, but you could apply the same principle to brussel sprouts or asparagus. 

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets and washed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper (optional)


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread cauliflower out on a medium cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil over florets. Toss to combine. Sprinkle minced garlic over cauliflower and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then place cookie sheet in oven. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until cauliflower is softened and pieces are slightly browned. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed.

Serve with lentils, rice, and tossed green salad. Delicious! ;0)