Senegalese Style Peanut Stew

We had some friends we hadn't seen in a long time over for an impromptu lunch last week.  The ingredients I had on hand were for a dish I was wanting to make from my favorite vegetarian cookbook ("How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman).  A Senegalese-style (as in the African country of Senegal, where peanuts are a primary crop and sweet potatoes are also featured prominently--thank you, Wikipedia!) peanut stew (and a vegetarian one at that!) was not what I would have planned on serving company (why couldn't I have had some nice deli turkey in the fridge???). 

Anyway, our friends arrived and when they found out what I was making exclaimed, "You don't have to make something vegetarian just for us!"  Turns out, they've started eating primarily vegetarian and it was a very nice coincidence.  Over some very sweet catching up with our friends, we became such fans of this hearty, complex stew that I made it again this week (plus I needed to make sure to get a picture!). 

Serve it with a scoop of hot cooked rice or couscous to round it into a very satisfying meal. Here it's pictured with cooked millet which is a small, round grain found in African cuisine.  I found it at my local health food store, but familiar white rice was great with it.  It's so good, you'll be fighting over who gets to take the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Senegalese Style Peanut Stew
3/4 cup shelled, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
pinch of cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 bunch kale or collard greens, washed thoroughly and cut into wide ribbons
juice of half a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  Once hot, saute onion, bell pepper, ginger and garlic stirring occasionally until softened--about 3-5 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of the peanuts, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. 

Stir in the stock, sweet potatoes and can of tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter and kale.  Cook just until the greens are tender--3-5 minutes.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro.  Taste and adjust seasoning and serve, garnished with the remaining peanuts and cilantro.  
Recipe Adapted from "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman

Cold Peanut Sesame Noodles

Currently, my 17 month old son's diet consists of four food groups: milk, eggs, fruit and spoonfuls of peanut butter.  Seriously.  Hoping to appeal to his love of peanut butter and wanting to avoid heating up my kitchen this evening, I whipped up these Cold Peanut Noodles (he wasn't convinced, but the rest of us liked it!).

This is one of those recipes that comes together as quickly as it takes to boil water and cook the noodles.  A quick Asian-style peanut-sesame dressing and crunchy vegetables are tossed with pasta for an easy and delicious warm weather dish.  Feel free to personalize the dish with your own favorite veggies--I think sliced snow peas or thawed frozen shelled edamame would be great!  Although substantial enough on its own, we rounded our noodles out with some grilled chicken on the side!

Cold Peanut Sesame Noodles
8 ounces thin spaghetti or angel hair (can substitute rice noodles as well)
1 small cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1 medium carrot
3 green onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine or water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic
1-inch piece fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Prepare noodles "al dente" according to package directions.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool.  Shake the colander to remove as much water as possible and transfer to a large bowl.

(This next part can be done while waiting for the water to boil and the noodles to cook)
Cut the cucumber into matchstick sized pieces. Thinly slice the red bell pepper.  Peel the carrot and cut into thin matchsticks.  Thinly slice the green onions, white and green parts, reserving a small amount for garnish at the end.  Roughly chop the cilantro, also reserving some for garnish.  Add everything except reserved garnishes to the bowl of noodles.

In a blender or food processor, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, wine, lime juice, sesame oil, honey, garlic and ginger.  Blend on medium speed until smooth, adding a tiny bit of water, if necessary, if mixture is too thick.  Once dressing is completely smooth, pour over noodle and vegetable mixture, tossing to combine.  Transfer to a serving platter, if desired, and garnish with reserved green onion and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

15 Minute Blackened Fish Tacos

Everyone needs a few recipes on hand that you can throw together in the blink of an eye.  This is one of those recipes that comes together in 15 minutes (yippie!).  When I was throwing out dinner options tonight (and I was secretly hoping for the boys to pick soup because it's been cold and rainy all day), my four year old jumped on the fish tacos option.  I guess what I'm saying is that if fish tacos was a kid's first choice, they really are a crowd-pleaser.  We all (should) know that adding more fish to our diet is a good thing for our health and this is an easy and appealing way to add a serving.  This recipe uses tilapia, which I've heard called "the gateway fish."  It's mild flavored, economical and doesn't have a fishy taste.  Other good options besides tilapia would be cod, red snapper or catfish.  Oh, and "Blackened" just refers to the cooking style--rubbed with Cajun style seasonings and cooked in a really hot skillet to form a crispy crust!

Blackened Fish Tacos
serves 4 
1-1 1/4 pounds tilapia fillets (about 4)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
     (*also, you can substitute Cajun or Blackening Seasoning for the above spices)
2 tablespoons olive oil

corn tortillas (about 8-12--double layer them for best plate to mouth handling)
bagged coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion (such as a Vidalia), finely chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
lime wedges
(diced avocado would be nice too, I just didn't have any)

Directions: In a small bowl, stir together cilantro and diced onion.  Set aside.  In another small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream and lime juice.  Set aside.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat.  Stir together salt and spices and season tilapia fillets generously with spice mixture.  When the skillet is good and hot, place the fish fillets in a single layer in the skillet.  Cook, untouched, for about 4 minutes or until edges of fish are opaque.  Also, there should be a crispy looking crust formed on the bottom side.  Flip over and cook additional 2-4 minutes or until the second side is browned, and fish flakes easily with a fork.  Remove from heat.  Break into large chunks. Squeeze a lime wedge or two over top of the fish

To serve, double layer the corn tortillas.  Spread a thin layer of the sour cream mixture on tortillas.  Top with chunks of fish, a handful of coleslaw mix and sprinkle with cilantro-onion mixture.  Serve with additional lime wedges, as desired.  ¡Olé!

Moroccan Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

I confess, I can not attest to how authentically "Moroccan" this dish actually is.  I just thought with the the bold flavors and colors and being served over couscous and all, it sounded a lot better than "Curried Cauliflower with Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas over Couscous."  That would've been a mouth full. Phew!

Anyway, last week, Good Friday and Earth Day fell on the same day.  In honor of my Catholic, Lent-observing roots and in attempt to reduce our Carbon Footprint for the day, we had this delightful Vegetarian meal.  I'd had a head of cauliflower in the fridge and for some reason had really been wanting to pair it with curry.  Now curry can be a bit of an acquired taste, but once you like it, it's hard to stay away.  Coming from someone who took awhile to appreciate curry, if you don't think it's for you, keep trying.  One of these times I think you'll end up pleasantly surprised! 

Finally, this is one of those magical recipes that tastes even better the next day.  Make extra (or leave some leftovers) and pack into individual servings for lunch over the week.  You'll feel prepared and exotic!

Moroccan Cauliflower and Chickpea Currymakes about four large servings
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger (about 1 inch chunk) peeled and minced
2 tablespoons curry powder 
2 small tomatoes chopped, or 1/2 15.5oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped cilantro leaves (about a 1/4 cup or more to taste)
hot cooked couscous or rice (a gluten-free option!) for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  On a baking sheet, toss cauliflower and sweet potato pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Spread in a single layer (using two baking sheets if necessary) and  roast, tossing occasionally, until sweet potato chunks are tender but still firm and the edges of the cauliflower pieces are browned (about 20-25 minutes).  Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat.  Saute onion, ginger and curry powder stirring frequently until onion is softened and the curry and ginger are fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook, stirring to break down the tomatoes.  Add 1/2 cup water, chick peas, cauliflower and sweet potato and raise heat to high.  Cook, stirring frequently for a couple minutes until sauce is reduced and thickened.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.  Stir in about 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, reserving the rest for garnishing individual servings.  Serve over hot cooked rice or couscous.

Migas, or really delicious Tex-Mex style eggs

Migas, which translates to "crumbs" is a Tex-Mex style dish that is the perfect way to use up those leftover, broken tortilla chips in the bottom of the bag (seeing as how frequently my husband goes through chips and salsa, we always seem to have).  The chips, when mixed with scrambled eggs, salsa and cheese make for an absolutely heavenly combination.  I had read about the concept on a couple different blogs and one night last week when we were fending for ourselves decided to give making them a try.  I was very glad I did.  Even the husband (who was skeptical at first) was very impressed.  Apparently, they're a breakfast staple in Austin, but seeing as I've never been there, I wouldn't know.  What I do know, however, is that this is a simple and fantastic dish that is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Migas
(serves one)
cooking spray
1/4 cup pico de gallo, salsa, (or combination of finely diced onion, peppers and tomatoes)
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for garnish
2 eggs, well beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or colby-jack recommended)
chopped cilantro for garnish

In a small saute pan coated with cooking spray over medium heat, combine pico de gallo or salsa and crushed tortilla chip.  Stir to combine.  Pour in eggs and allow to set, folding ever so gently (do not stir and only fold as infrequently as possible.  Basically, you just want to push a section of eggs once they've set toward the middle and then tilt the pan so that the runny part gets to run onto the pan) until eggs are fully set but not dried out.  Sprinkle cheese over top of eggs, reduce heat to low and cover just until cheese melts (1-2 minutes).  Remove from pan and transfer to a plate.  Top with more crushed tortilla chips and chopped cilantro to garnish.  

Chicken Vegetable Saute with Orange Scented Couscous

There has not been very much cooking going on in my house this week.  I think because one of us has had something going on every night--fantasy football drafts, meetings, book club, etc.--it definitely makes me lose my motivation to lovingly create home cooked meals.  I guess all this is to say that one, be encouraged that even someone who enjoys cooking as much as I do go through slumps and two, it definitely gives me a better appreciation for the challenges that a lot of busy families face on a daily basis and is a good opportunity for some better planning.  If I focus on items that come together quickly or take the time to put together some components ahead of time, dinnertime becomes much easier.

On a somewhat related note, something that's been on my mind with all this busyness is (I have to admit) I scoff a little bit when magazine articles or cooking shows advertise that they can feed a family of four for dinner for $10.  I mean, think about it, if you're spending $10 on dinner every night, that's $300 in a month, just for dinner!  Nice idea, but should be easily attainable, don't you think?  With all our packed schedule, one night this week I needed to do something quick.  I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store for $4.99 along with a loaf of bread for $1.99.  I already had broccoli and sweet potatoes at home (but had gotten the broccoli for $1 and the sweet potatoes for $.99/pound).  After steaming the broccoli and just cooking up the sweet potatoes in the microwave, dinner was done in about ten minutes.  That was convenience food for less than $10...just think what's possible with even a little more planning!  This recipe, Chicken Vegetable Saute with Orange Pine Nut Couscous exactly fits the bill.  It comes together in less than 30 minutes and modify it based on what you have on hand, it is extremely economical.  Use the vegetables in the saute really as more of a guideline and substitute what in on sale or what you have on hand (broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, all would be good--see this as an opportunity to clean out your vegetable drawer).  Also, I really love the added texture of the garbanzo beans and the nuts in the couscous.  Give it a try!

Orange Pine Nut Couscous
1 cup couscous (I like whole wheat because of the higher fiber and protein content)
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken base or bullion (or substitute 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth for water)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon orange rind, grated
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 cup canned chickpeas (aka, garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (could substitute toasted slivered almonds for an even cheaper option)
1/4 cup dried raisins or dried apricots, snipped into small pieces (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs of your choice (I used cilantro, but parsley or basil would be nice, too!)

In a medium sauce pan, bring water and chicken base (or broth), butter, orange juice and orange rind to a boil.  Remove from heat and pour couscous, carrot, chick peas, dried fruit and pine nuts into the sauce pan.  Stir well.  Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork, stir in fresh hers and serve.
 
Chicken Vegetable Saute
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (or tenderloins), cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
 1/2 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks (baby cut carrots cut into quarters works pretty well)
1 small zucchini, cut into long skinny pieces (matchsticks)
1 cup green beans, broken into about 2" pieces
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter

Directions: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute chicken pieces seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil until cooked through and no longer pink (3-5 minutes).  Remove from heat and set aside.  Add remaining olive oil and saute onion and garlic, stirring frequently until onion starts to become translucent and garlic becomes fragrant (about 1 minute).  Add carrots, zucchini and green beans and continue to saute for a couple more minutes.  Add wine and orange juice and cook for an additional couple of minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Add butter and stir to combine.  Serve over couscous.

Grilled Chicken, Corn and Tomatillo Pizza

Hope everyone had a Happy Labor Day!  Just because it's the unofficial end of summer doesn't mean that there isn't more great summer produce to enjoy!

Sweet corn...I don't know if there is anything that sums up late summer better than fresh sweet corn.  Having a husband from Iowa, our household is a bit discerning about our sweet corn consumption (it's supposed to be eaten the day it's picked and preferably purchased from the back of a truck), but right now, with what a bargain ears are in the grocery store, I couldn't resist.  The recipe was inspired by a recipe by Catherine Newman, a contributing writer for the now defunct Wondertime Magazine (RIP, dear, Wondertime...).


Grilled Chicken, Corn and Tomatillo Pizza

1 recipe Pizza Dough (see recipe and notes below)

Sauce:
1/2 cup of Green Salsa (Herdez makes a nice little can)
big handful of cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
          (stir cilantro and lime juice into salsa and reserve for spreading on the pizza)

Toppings:
1/2 cup leftover grilled chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 ear of sweet corn, kernels removed  (cob reserved for my eight month old's chewing pleasure)
1 1/2-2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
chopped cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  When ready to assemble, on a well-floured surface, roll out dough to desired size and thickness.  Transfer to pizza stone or pan sprayed with cooking spray and dusted with cornmeal.  Drizzle 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil around edge of dough and brush over rest of surface.  Top with sauce, chicken, corn and cheese.  Bake at 500 degrees for 9-13 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is bubbly. After pizza is out of oven, garnish with chopped cilantro.

 Notes: Making pizza dough in a food processor or stand mixer is a snap.  If you don't have one, you can certainly combine the ingredients by hand, you'll just have to use some extra elbow grease to knead the dough.  If you like things even easier, you can use a prepared pizza dough from either a grocery store or pizza place.  A friend of ours who is a fireman said they like to ask the grocery store's bakery to sell them the dough used to make French bread (I haven't tried this yet, but I think it's pretty brilliant!).

Dough: makes 1 12-16” pizza, depending on thickness
2-2 1/2 cups flour (can use up to half whole wheat and up to 1/2 cup corn meal)
1 envelope quick rise yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
6-8 oz. warm water (around 110 degrees)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Optional: 1 tsp. herbs or garlic

    In a glass measuring cup, add yeast and sugar to warm water.  Stir and allow to sit for about 5 minutes to proof (it will grow in volume and be bubbly).  Meanwhile, in a food processor or stand mixer, blend together flour, salt and olive oil (and herbs, if using).  While processor is running, pour in water-yeast mixture and continue to process until a solid ball of dough is formed (you may have to add a little more flour or water).  Allow to run 30 seconds more.  Turn off machine and pull out dough.  Place in a greased bowl and cover with a dish towel or greased plastic wrap.  Allow to sit at least 30 minutes.  Punch down dough and turn in on itself a few times.

Spinach, White Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Goat Cheese

I know, this sounds like a really strange combination. It turned out really good. Trust me. It's hearty, substantial and my husband went back for thirds. And it all came together because I hadn't been to the grocery store in about two weeks and had a rather odd assortment of odds and ends that needed to be used up. The little bit that was left over made an excellent lunch the next day as well! Walk on the eclectic side and give it a try!

Spinach, White Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Goat Cheese

1 medium sweet potato
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 15 oz. can white beans (cannellini)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 oz goat cheese
2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese, divided (or another Mexican style cheese)
1/4 cup green chiles, chopped (or one small can)
1/2 cup pico de gallo or jarred salsa
about 8 corn tortillas
non stick cooking spray

Topping:
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup green salsa
1/2 teaspoon cumin
big handful of cilantro, washed (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 lime

Wash sweet potato and poke holes in it. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes or until tender. Cut open and allow to cool until easy to handle. Cut into bite-sized chunks. In a medium-sized bowl, combine sweet potato, half of shredded cheese and rest of ingredients up to the corn tortillas. Stir until well-combined. The goat cheese should give it a creamy consistency. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a blender or a food processor, combine topping ingredients. Blend until it becomes a smooth sauce and set aside.

Grease a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds or just until pliable. Take one tortilla at a time, spread a large spoonful (about 1/4 cup) of filling on middle of tortilla, roll the tortilla up and place, seam side down, into baking dish. Repeat with filling and tortillas until used up.

Pour sauce over top of enchiladas and top with remaining half of shredded cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until enchiladas are bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove foil and allow to bake about 3-5 minutes longer, just until cheese starts to brown.

Top servings with additional pico de gallo and sour cream, if desired.

Pad Thai Time!

When we lived in Southern California a few years ago, Jay and I tried just about every Thai restaurant our meager dining out budget allowed. Even though there were plenty of tempting dishes on the menu, I was always hard pressed to try anything else besides Pad Thai, especially on a first visit to a place. Maybe it's silly, but it seemed like a really good measuring stick (we like to do the same thing with pizza places and compare pepperonis--even though I'd always prefer vegetarian, heaven help me if a pizza comes with canned mushrooms...ick! ick! ick!).

Anyway, I have come to realize that making Pad Thai really is easy and after attempting lots of recipes (some even have included ketchup--not so sure how traditional that is!), I think I've landed on a keeper. I have adapted my recipe from Mark Bittman's NY Times column "The Minimalist" along with one from "Everyday Food."

Oh, and this came together in just under 30 minutes! That's even faster than I can get to my nearest Thai restaurant!

Pad Thai:

serves four
8 oz. dried rice noodles (the fettucini width is my favorite)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

sauce: (*see note*)
4 tablespoons tamarind paste (check the Latin foods section)
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla--found in Asian foods section)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced (or 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion)
4 scallions sliced into 1" pieces, white and green parts divided
2 eggs, well beaten
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups bean sprouts, divided
lime wedges
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

thinly sliced meat or tofu, seasoned with salt and pepper or as desired (**see note**)

In a small sauce pan, combine tamarind paste, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and chili garlic sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over rice noodles. Stir to separate and allow to soak until just softened, about 5-10 minutes (check them frequently, you want them very "al dente," otherwise they'll get mushy during stir frying--a mistake I've made all too often!). Drain off water and toss with one tablespoon of oil to keep them from sticking together.

Heat two teaspoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry shallots, garlic and white parts of scallions until onions are crisp tender and fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add beaten egg, season with salt and pepper. Scramble until just set. Remove eggs from pan and set aside.

Add remainder of oil to pan over high heat. Throw in softened noodles and pour sauce over top. Stir fry until noodles are heated through. Add cooked meat, egg mixture, two cups of bean sprouts and half of green scallion pieces. Stir to combine one last time. Divide into bowls and garnish with remaining bean sprouts and scallions, lime wedges, cilantro and crushed peanuts.
Serve immediately.

*A recipe I came across uses a sauce with extremely accessible ingredients. If you can't find tamarind paste and fish sauce, you can give this alternative a try:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
about 1/8 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (Sriacha) or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Add to the noodles at the same step as the original sauce.


**Tonight, I used pork chops tonight and grilled them while I was stir frying the pad thai so that I didn't have another step of cooking in my wok. You can also stir fry the meat or shrimp in the same pan as the rest of your pad Thai. Just add a step in between scrambling the egg and stir frying the noodles. Also, most traditional in pad Thai is shrimp and tofu, but use whatever you please or leave meat out all together.

West African Style Loaded Sweet Potatoes

This is definitely one that tastes better than it looks.

Inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light, I modified this recipe from a side to a vegetarian main dish. The flavors are really unique and addictive and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. And, if you microwave the sweet potatoes, it can come together in about fifteen minutes. Score!

West African Style Loaded Sweet Potatoes:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (garlic and onion are nice, but you can use plain, too)
1/3 cup water
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (about 1/2 a 15 oz can)

fresh chopped cilantro
4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean

Prick potatoes with a knife or fork to allow steam to release and cook in microwave until tender (approx. 10 min, depending on size of potatoes). You can also bake them or do some combination of microwaving and baking since baking creates a much more tender, caramelized flavor (microwave until tender and then place in a 400 degree oven on a piece of foil so they don't drip and cause a huge mess and bake until they're really soft).

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute onion in olive oil until almost tender. Stir in ginger and garlic and saute for one more minute. Stir in coriander, cumin, cayenne and salt and pepper. Cook for about one more minute, stirring constantly. The spices should be very fragrant at this point. Add peanut butter and stir to melt. Add tomatoes, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat until sauce thickens, a couple of minutes. Add garbanzo beans (did you know garbanzo beans and chick peas are the same thing, just different names?). Stir to combine and allow to heat through once again.

To serve, split open the sweet potato. Top with about 1/2 cup of sauce per potato and sprinkle chopped cilantro over top.

30 minutes starts now!

So something a little strange happened the other night. I was preparing dinner and the doorbell rang. Ugh. Solicitors. Of course my first born raced to the door so I couldn't feign not being home and I felt like I had to answer the door. It was two young men from the inner city who were selling the magazine subscriptions, you've seen them before, right? So some of you may be thinking to yourself, "This is the time you just tell them that you're not interested and politely remind them soliciting is against one of the many statutes of our fine community." Unfortunately, I sometimes seem to have a hard time being direct in saying "no."

Anyway, when I told them I was fixing dinner, they asked if I might have any extra. Ha, ha, ha, funny joke, right? No, they were serious. Subscriptions I could not purchase, but my husband and I figured we could come up with something to feed them. Of course we had just polished off the sandwich fixings earlier that day, so it was going to take a little bit of inventiveness. I had Jay tell them to come back in 30 minutes and we'd have something to feed them. What commenced was a very frantic raid of the kitchen. This is what I came up with:

Of course it didn't look like that, though. This was frantic remember???
If we're being truthful, it looked exactly like this:

Slap, slap, slapped together.

The lesson of this is twofold:
First: Even when you don't think you have anything to come up with a fast, easy meal, you probably do and you really can do it!

Second: And somehow, when I agreed to feeding these guys, what was running through my head is the story in Genesis 18 where Abram has a divine appointment with some visitors (check it out!). It's possible that their knocking on the door right at dinnertime was just an inconvenient coincidence. But then again, I'm not sure that I believe in coincidences. Regardless, it was a reminder to me that I can show hospitality in some small way to everyone who crosses my path (especially at dinnertime).

Oh, and this was actually done in about 20 minutes!

Sweet and Tangy Grilled Pork Quesadillas
serves two hungry fellows

2 boneless pork chops
Canadian Steak Seasoning
4 tortillas
2 Tablespoons apricot jam
2 Tablespoons brown mustard
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
chopped cilantro (this was just used in the pretty, re-made version)

Sprinkle seasoning on both sides of pork chops and grill 3-5 minutes on both sides, or until cooked to about medium-well. Remove from heat and allow to rest for a few minutes.

While pork chops are cooking, stir together jam and mustard. Set aside.

Lay one tortilla in a large skillet over medium high heat. Spread about a tablespoon of the jam mixture on the tortilla and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup of cheese. Allow the cheese to start melting while the tortilla is still open-faced. Slice pork into small strips. Sprinkle on top of melting cheese. If you like cilantro, this is a nice time to sprinkle some of that over the quesadilla as well! Use a spatula to fold the quesadilla in half. Remove from heat and keep warm in a 200 degree oven. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Slice into wedges and serve!

Note: Hopefully, (if you don't do this already) this should open up a whole world of quesadilla options for you! Feel free to substitute different meats, cheeses and fillings. You can use the mustard-jam option with deli ham, cheese and thinly sliced pear or apple. We're particularly fond of spreading pesto sauce, using deli turkey, fresh spinach, slices of red bell pepper and Italian cheese blend.

Once you've experimented, please let me know what your favorite combination is so we can try it out too!

Spring Rolls

I had it in my head that I had everything to make spring rolls for our small group night on Thursday. Well, I had almost everything. I realized that I was out of the rice noodles that go inside of the spring rolls. Looking through the shelves, I had ramen noodles or a partial box of angel hair pasta. I gave the angel hair a try and was pleasantly surprised--they really turned out pretty good! So, there's an encouragement and reminder to everyone: give yourself the freedom to substitute ingredients...you may find something that works great!

So, this is more of a "concept" than recipe. The beauty of spring rolls is that you can fill them with just about anything on hand. The wrappers are really just a vehicle for your fillings. In fact, if you can't find the rice paper wrappers (look in the Asian foods section) put your fillings in a tortilla and you have an Asian-style wrap!


Spring Rolls:

• Rice Paper wrappers
• Rice vermicelli (also known as "rice sticks") or angel hair pasta, prepared according to package directions and rinsed in cold water
  
• carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
• cucumber slices, cut into think matchsticks
• lettuce leaves, torn into small pieces
• any combination of fresh herbs: basil, cilantro, mint and thinly sliced green onion
• cooked meat, seafood or tofu (traditional is often to have boiled shrimp and roasted pork, I used teriyaki tofu and leftover grilled chicken) (recipe for teriyaki tofu below)

Dipping Sauce: combine:

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (like an Asian barbecue sauce, found in...wait for it...the Asian foods section)
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

directions:
Make sure to have all ingredients set out and within arms reach ready to assemble (the cooking term for this is "mise en place," or everything in its place). Dip individual sheets of rice paper into a shallow dish of warm water until slightly softened (about 5 seconds). Lay flat on a cutting board. Then, layer fillings lengthwise across the center of wrapper. It's most attractive to put the protein first, then layer with the carrots and cucumber, herbs and greens and finally, a small mound of the cooked noodles. Take one side of the rice paper wrapper and fold up over the fillings. Like you're folding a burrito, then fold in the sides and finally, fold the long end over both folds. The wrapper is a little bit sticky, so you can lightly press the sides together and they'll hold together. Please tell me you've folded a burrito before, because that was a pretty terrible description of folding! Serve chilled with dipping sauce.


Teriyaki Tofu:
1 package extra firm tofu
1/4-1/2 cup of your favorite teriyaki sauce*

Open tofu package and drain water. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch slices. Place in a gallon-sized freezer bag in a single layer.
Freeze until solid (or whenever you're in the mood for some tofu steaks).
Remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge.
Once thawed completely, squeeze out excess water. Put back into bag, add teriyaki sauce (or favorite marinade) and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).
Spray a skillet (or grill pan or George Foreman grill) with non stick spray and over medium high heat, sear tofu slices until browned (about 5 minutes). Flip and brown on other side. For spring rolls, chill or allow to come to room temperature.

(*I am a big fan of the Soy Vay products, but Trader Joe's makes a good one and even King Soopers carries a Kroger brand of teriyaki glaze that's pretty good)

Pi-Co De-Gall-o

Pretty, Pretty Pico DeGallo...

I cannot take credit for this one...even though my husband might love this stuff more than just about anything except for Jesus. It is originally from the Pioneer Woman's food blog. But really, I mean, how many different versions of pico de gallo can you really come up with? It's pretty hard to be original after awhile! No matter how you dice it (ha ha, cause there's lots of dicing in this recipe!), it's pretty darn good and very time-appropriate since we are coming into full season of fresh tomatoes! With this secret unlocked, you will refrain from buying jarred salsa again and faint at the idea of spending $5 for a container from the refrigerated section. Finally, the quantities (even though I've made suggestions) are really to taste. Experiment away!

Pico De Gallo

5-6 Roma tomatoes, small dice
1/2 red onion, even smaller dice
1/2-1 jalapeno, even smaller dice (just kidding, I would call this minced!)
big handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of half a lime
kosher salt to taste

Chop up tomatoes and put them in a large bowl. Dice up your onion and add to the tomatoes. Finely mince your jalapeno (as small as you can because the smallest, most sensitive person in the house will most likely get the spiciest bite!), add to the bowl. Chop up the cilantro and add it to the party. Squeeze the lime juice over the tomato mixture. Stir to combine and salt to taste. Who has the Tostitos? It's party time!

Note: I don't have a picture, but now that you have made traditional pico de gallo, try using fruit to make something a little more exotic! Again, credit ought to be given to the P.W.

Pineapple-Mango Salsa
1/2 fresh pineapple, diced
1 ripe but still firm mango, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2-1 jalapeno, minced
big handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of half a lime
kosher salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together. You know the drill. This is especially delightful with grilled chicken, pork tenderloin or fish! Let the dining al fresco commence!