Coconut Curry

I'm a sucker for coconut milk.

It's one of those fabulous ingredients that plays for both sides: the sweet team and the savory team.

Although coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting will bring me to my knees in 3 seconds flat, that tiny impulse-control portion of my brain prevents me from baking them weekly. So, I've got to find alternative ways of getting my c-milk fix.

Enter curry powder, the match-made-in-heaven spice that was designed to pair with the milk o' coconuts.

Tonight's recipe is loosely based on one I found in the most recent issue of Vegetarian Times. This vegan stew highlights all the beautiful hallmark spices of a curry dish: cinnamon, turmeric, and curry. With a handful of cilantro and a dash of chili powder, my taste buds were throwing a good ol' vegan party. Bonus: it's super-fast to throw together, making it the perfect after-work meal to prep.

We paired our vegan curry stew with rolls made from Adam's sandwich bun recipe. Yum.

Curry it up, friends. And yes, I officially turned "currying" into a verb.

Coconut Curry Stew
(inspired by a recipe in the February issue of Vegetarian Times)

I made several substitutions in this recipe, so you may want to make your own based on the veggies you have on hand. Although we didn't have extra fresh spinach last night, the original recipe calls for 2 cups worth, which I imagine would be a delicious mix-in!

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• a little olive oil
  
• 1 TBSP curry powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  
• 1 can of light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• optional: additional veggie broth
  

Directions:

In a soup pot, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in spices and cook for 1 more minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil (if you prefer a thinner stew, you can add additional veggie broth to reach your desired thickness). Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Warm Up

I could not warm up at work today.

Does anyone else ever suffer from the "I work in the Arctic" syndrome?

I sat on my hands. I held them under my armpits. I wrapped my jacket around my shoulders. Yes, my shoulders. I've officially convinced myself that I'm a senior citizen trapped in a 26 year old body.

One of the student workers in my office asked why my lips were blue.

Needless to say I day-dreamed all afternoon about the warm-fest I would create for myself when I arrived home. I'm currently wearing five shirts.

In addition to wearing five shirts, the other cure for the Arctic Syndrome is a warm bowl of soup. Ah, yes. Just what I needed to warm my bones and eliminate that case of the shivers.

Adam created an interesting Peanut Tempeh Soup this evening from Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook. While the recipe was delicious and super-filling, it tasted strikingly similar to the Moosewood's West African-Peanut Stew. This isn't a bad thing of course (we love the Peanut Stew), but I suppose tonight's soup just lacked the innovative and "exciting" piece we always seek in a recipe.

Nonetheless, if you love tempeh and you love peanut butter, you will certainly love this stew. (Bonus: it's chock full o' fiber and protein--the true love-bugs of a vegetarian diet, yes?). We served ours with homemade garlic bread.

Tomorrow, I'll take a stylish sweater to cover myself, and hopefully avoid the whole senior-citizen-in-my-20s situation. It's getting embarrassing.

Tempeh Peanut Stew

(recipe adapted from one in Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen)

I absolutely love a warm, hearty, peanut stew. Something about the salty, nutty flavor combined with fresh veggies and spices just makes my tastebuds smile.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. tempeh, sliced
• dash of olive oil
• 2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
• 4 cups veggie stock, divided
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 large carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (salted)
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 - 3 cups sliced cabbage (we took the easy way and used pre-sliced cole slaw mix cabbage)
• dash of lemon juice
• freshly sliced green onions, chopped peanuts, and parsley (garnish)

Directions:

1) Heat 1 to 2 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet. Add tempeh slices and cook on one side until golden brown on the bottom. Flip each slice and cook until lightly browned on the other side (about 3 - 4 minutes each side). Remove from pan and chop tempeh into cubes. Set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a blender, combine the peanuts, 3 cups stock, and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl and add 1 cup water; stir. Pour half of sauce into a baking dish that will hold tempeh cubes in a tight single layer. Place tempeh in the baking dish and pour remaining sauce on top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

3) While the tempeh is cooking, warm a little oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and a dash of salt, reduce heat and cook until onions are lightly browned (about 5- 7 minutes). Add carrots and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add peanut butter, tomato paste, and 1 cup of veggie stock. Add tomatoes and cook until heated through.

4) When tempeh is done cooking, add to the sauce, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until stew has thickened to the desired consistency. Stir in cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and garnish each bowl with parsley, green onions, and chopped peanuts.

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

What do you get when you combine crunchy natural peanut butter, crushed pineapple, and fresh kale?

You guessed it: more Moosewood genius.

I'll admit, I was skeptical at first. I like my pineapple in fruit salad. I like my kale cooked down with garlic, onions, and tomatoes. And nut butter? Okay, I do like nut butter in just about anything.

But combining these three diverse foods? I never would have guessed the result would be a mind-blowing stew that takes vegetarian yummy-ness to a new level. The sweetness of the pineapple complements the crunchy and slightly salty peanut butter beautifully, making a surprisingly splendid sauce for the kale. Serve this stew over your favorite grain--we used Basmati rice, but couscous (or even quinoa?) would work well, too.

This recipe hails from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home--a cookbook which lends itself to simple and relatively quick healthy meals (Being known for moving at a tortoise's pace in the kitchen, "simple" is undoubtedly what I need.). Added bonus: This cookbook highlights a variety of cuisines from all around the world. From Asian to African, Caribbean to Spanish, it seems no region of the world is left unnoticed.

Did I forget to mention the best part of this dinner?

White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake for dessert. But I'll save that recipe for this

weekend :)

What's the strangest, yet delicious, food combination you've eaten?

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

(from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

This recipe is both inexpensive and super simple. And come on: who can resist natural peanut butter in their stew?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• One bunch of kale (4 cups chopped)
• 2 cups of undrained (and unsweetened) canned, crushed pineapple (one 20 oz. can)
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste
• Toppings: coarsely chopped peanuts and chopped scallions

Directions:

1) In a saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are lightly browned.

2) While the onion cooks, wash the kale, remove the stems, and stack the leaves on a cutting board. Chop the kale well (ours came to about 1 inch slices)

3) Add the pineapple and its juices to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the kale is just tender. Mix in the peanut butter and cilantro and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4) Holy Moly, that's a tasty dinner :)