African Peanut-Potato Stew

We had some chicken peanut soup in Portland that left me craving more. This version is a thicker vegetarian stew, but Chris thought it was tastier.

While the peanut butter contributes a lot of flavor, it also contributes a good bit of fat. To reduce the fat, you may choose to reduce the amount. If you follow the Eat to Live program, you may want to substitute a raw nut butter.

1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 14.5 ounce cans chopped tomatoes (fire-roasted tomatoes worked nicely in this recipe)
2 14.5 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pound green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
¼ cup natural peanut butter

Servings: 6-8

Directions:
Place 1/3 cup water, onion, jalapenos, ginger and garlic in a large pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, salt, red pepper and coriander. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, green beans, vegetable broth, and peanut butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Per serving: 358 Calories (kcal); 8g Total Fat; (18% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 203mg Sodium

Adapted from other recipes by Susan Voisin
fatfreevegan.com

Awesome Mexican Rice

This is one of the best recipes I’ve found for Mexican rice.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of uncooked rice
2 cups water
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion
Coarsely chopped small roma tomato, chopped into 4 pieces
Hot pepper of your choice, sliced lengthwise
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in medium sized pot over medium heat. Add uncooked rice to the pot and make sure all of the rice is lightly coated with the oil. Sauté the rice in the oil and as it gets browner, stir the rice more frequently so that it does not turn black. Toward the end of the browning, add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.

Next, carefully add the water to the pot (be mindful that it will steam up). Add all remaining ingredients to the pot; stir and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low to medium and let the rice cook for 20-25 minutes.

Cheesy Green Chile Tailgate Rice

INGREDIENTS
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
2 cups sour cream
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Cajun seasoning to taste
2 -3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green or hatch chilies, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, cook onion in butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in rice, sour cream, cottage cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Cajun seasoning. Spoon half of the mixture into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the chilies and cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove cover and bake 10 additional minutes, or until heated through and bubbly on top.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Green-Chili-Rice/Detail.aspx

Southern Green Bean Casserole

8 cups of fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
6 cups of chicken broth, reduced sodium
6 slices of bacon
2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 large white onion, diced small
1 cup of fresh button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 large can (family size) condensed cream of mushroom soup
Cracked black pepper
Kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup heavy cream

1 small red onion, sliced in thin rings
1 cup of flour
½ cup of canola oil
1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs from day old French bread, toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble bacon. Remove bacon drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the butter to the pan with the bacon oil, and melt. Sauté the onions and mushrooms in the bacon butter until soft. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 8 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, garlic powder, and cream, half of the crumbled bacon, and salt & pepper (to taste) to the onion mixture. Stir well. Pour into a greased baking dish.

For topping:
Mix 1 cup of flour with salt & pepper. Toss red onion rings in flour mixture. Heat canola oil in a large skillet, fry onion rings in batches, and set aside to cool on paper towels. Combine onion rings, bread crumbs, & remaining half of crumbled bacon in a medium size bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Bake casserole for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the topping and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot.

Casserole & topping may be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately in the refrigerator.

The Grier Grill Seasoning

I make this in larger volumes and use it on Chicken, Red Beans, Jambalaya and just about anything else.

• 4 tablespoons onion powder
• 4 tablespoons garlic powder
• 4 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
• 4 tablespoons dried sweet basil
• 2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 10 tablespoons sweet paprika

Borracho Beans

Ingredients:
3 cups of pinto beans
3 quarts of water
1 beer
1 ham hock
1 lb. bacon
1 medium sweet yellow onion
4-6 garlic cloves
2 serrano peppers
3 roma tomatoes
1 cup cilantro
sea salt to taste

Directions:

Sort through the beans and discard any small rocks and other debris. Place in a large bowl and rinse several times. Lift beans out by hand into a clean bowl. Fill bowl with water and soak beans overnight.

Boil 3 quarts of water with beans, ham hock, and beer. If you are cooking on a stove it should take about 2-2 1/2 hours (alternatively, you can use a crock pot). When the beans are light brown and soft, add salt and serrano peppers. Cut bacon and fry along with garlic and onions and then add to the beans. Lastly, add cilantro and fresh tomatoes. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from http://www.texasrollingpins.com/borrachobeans.html

Core Cuisine: Crazy good mac and cheese

Core Cuisine: Crazy good mac and cheese