West African Peanut Stew

My sister is visit for a few days and wanted to make this recipe that we cut out of the newspaper years ago and loved.  I don't make it often enough and it is delicious and very easy.  I love that it is chock full of vegetables that we don't often eat in our house.  Honestly the kids were not crazy about the looks of the stew but they tasted it and really liked it.  Next time I think I may puree theirs to disguise the vegetables so they will think they are just eating peanut stew.

West African Peanut Stew

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
3-4 glove of garlic, minced
2 cups shredded white cabbage (to save time we purchased a bag of shredded cabbage)
2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 tsp grated ginger root
3 cups water
2 cups trimmed and sliced okra OR 1 10 oz package frozen okra thawed (we used frozen)
3/4 cup natural style smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper OR 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste



Heat oil in soup pot.  Add onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until golden.

Add cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, ginger root, and 3 cups water.  Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently until potatoes and cabbage are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.

Add okra, then stir in peanut butter, a little at a time, until it melts into broth. Stir in cayenne or red pepper flakes, cover and simmer gently until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add a bit more water if needed for a moist but not soupy consistency.

Season with salt. If desired, garnish each serving with chopped scallions and chopped peanuts.

Curried Shrimp

This is one of my go to recipes and always have the ingredients on hand.  I have been making it for several years now and everyone loves it, especially the kids.  It is fast and easy and best of all one dish.  I love one dish meals, less clean up!

Curried Shrimp

1 onion, sliced
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips (I sometimes use a combination of colored peppers)
*2 cloves garlic
*1 in grated ginger
1 lb peeled shrimp
1 can coconut milk
1 cup frozen peas
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Saute garlic, ginger, onions,  and peppers on high heat.  Once starting to soften add shrimp and cook until pink.  Add coconut milk, curry powder, peas, salt, and sugar.  Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve over rice.

*To make it even faster, I sometimes use garlic and ginger from a jar.

Vegetarian Slow-cooker Chili

This is one of my favorite Crock-pot recipes.  It is super easy, delicious, and everyone loves it.  The seasonings give it more of an Italian flavor.

1 19oz can black bean soup
1 15oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 16oz can vegetarian baked beans
1 can Rotel
1 15oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil

Combine all ingredients in Crock-pot and cook for at least 2 hours on high.

I serve mine with sour cream and cheese.

Easy Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted Chickpeas
4 servings


1 14.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ - ½ teaspoon salt (1/2 will be very salty. - Kris)
5 dashes cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin

1) Preheat oven to 425°F.

2) Place chickpeas on baking/cookie sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Shake the pan. (Do not spill on kitchen floor.) Roast another 10 minutes.

3) In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, oil, salt, and spices. Stir well to combine.

4) Spread chickpeas back out on baking sheet. Roast between 5 and 15 more minutes, until they're browned and super crunchy. Serve.

NOTE:  I have also made these with garlic powder and onion powder.  I serve it before dinner while waiting for whatever is still cooking.  My daughter ate almost the entire can once!  Easy finger-food and healthy!  Easy to take to the park food.

Approximate Calories, and Fat,
135 calories, 4.3 g fat

Calculations
1 14.5 oz can chickpeas: 500 calories, 4.8 g fat,
1 teaspoon olive oil: 39 calories, 4.5 g fat,
¼ - ½ teaspoon salt: negligible calories and fat,
5 dashes cayenne pepper: negligible calories and fat,
1 teaspoon cumin: negligible calories and fat,
TOTAL: 539 calories, 9.3 g fat,
PER SERVING: 135 calories, 4.3 g fat,

Sausage and Peppers

I won a CSA box of veggies today from Suzie's Farm. I decided to make the most of the bounty and came up with this recipe based on the vegetables I had in my box.

INGREDIENTS
5 Italian Chicken Sausages
2 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup water
3 bell peppers, seeded & sliced (I used 2 red and 1 green)
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 spicy pepper (I used whatever was in my box today)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp celery salt

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes. Add water to the pan to deglaze and cook for about a minute. Remove sausages from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions begin to soften, about 6 minutes.

Return the sausages to the pan and add the tomatoes and seasoning. Reduce heat to low or medium low and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the zucchini for the last few minutes of the cooking time.

I served this dish over last nights left over pasta (the stuff the kids didn't eat) and sprinkled it with a tad of mozzarella cheese.

I am not a huge fan of bell peppers. But, man, o'man was this a tasty meal! It was super flavorful and filling. There was enough left over for at least 1 or 2 more servings. And it had the perfect amount of spice without being over bearing.

Fish Tacos - Salmon

I felt like something spicy last night, looked in the fridge, saw some raw salmon from two nights before - good to go!

Checked the blog, nothing there.

Checked google and found this recipe on food.com. Yum!! Also made a mango salsa and guacamole as sides - kids loved creating their own tacos and I hated cleaning up the mess and the current lingering smell of fish in my kitchen - oh well.

Ingredients

• 1 lb salmon, skinned and cut into one inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 2 limes, quartered
• 2 (8 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained ( like Rotel)
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Toss cubed salmon in cumin and chili powder. Set aside.
2. Heat large skillet over medium and cook yellow onion 2 minutes, until it begins to soften.
3. Turn heat up to medium high. Add salmon to skillet. Lightly sear salmon cubes for about 2-3 minutes, turning gently (don't break the salmon into pieces!).
4. IMPORTANT: Do not over cook the salmon. This juicy recipe will keep steaming the salmon. The salmon should still be firm in the middle of the cube when you proceed to the next step.
5. Return heat setting to medium. Add canned tomatoes and chilies, cilantro and green onions. Gently incorporate and heat through.
6. Squeeze quartered limes over the salmon mixture, give it a quick stir, and plate up the salmon (I usually drain a little liquid off at this point).
7. Serve with warm flour tortillas, quality salsa, sour cream, sliced avocado, and crisp romaine lettuce.

Crockpot Chicken Recipes

I caved, I really did. I bought myself a crockpot - again! I bought one way back when, used it only once or twice and gave it away. But since life is now 3 times as busy as then, I've taken the plunge and purchased the "kitchen essential". I say this with a bit of a "tongue in cheek", but it really has come in uber helpful in these crazy days.

Just before purchase, I was lamenting on all the canned soups I would be using (that's what I thought crockpots were all about!), until E put me onto Stephanie O'Dea's blog - A Year of Slow Cooking.

I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here, just let you know the recipes I've tried and whether or not they have been given a thumbs up by the tin lids or not.

Here's the list:

Honey Garlic Chicken - I omitted the garlic - thumbs up

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/09/honey-garlic-chicken-slow-cooker-recipe.html

Applesauce Chicken - thumbs up (but a bit bland for my taste)

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/09/crockpot-applesauce-chicken-recipe.html

And I've just taken a whirl and created a Red Chicken Curry in the crockpot too. Used chicken thighs this time (I do think the skinless chicken breasts get a little dry), and just tasted sauce - delish!! But I can't face the thighs - urgh - it tastes like chicken, and for this former non chicken eater, I just can't do it, the taste is too strong. But that's beside the point !!