African Groundnut Stew

oil for frying
3 cloves garlic
1 T coriander
1 T ginger
½ to1 t cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 onion, chopped fine
4 cups sweet potato (about 1.5 large), peeled and cut into chunks
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 zuchinni, cut into bite-sized chunks
½ to 1 cup peanut butter
1.5 cups okra, sliced medium
1 to 1.5 cups tomato juice
2 cups fresh spinach

1. boil sweet potatoes. when done, drain, let cool slightly, and mash.

2. fry onions in oil and spices until soft. stir in tomatoes (drained, save the juices and use them as tomato juice) and zuchinni and cook until partly done, about 10 minutes.

3. stir in mashed sweet potatoes, peanut butter, tomato juice, and okra, and cook uncovered until okra begins to cook, 5-10 minutes.

4. add spinach and cook for about 5 minutes, until it is wilted.

5. garnish with peanuts and serve over a bed of brown rice

Persian Split Pea and Barley Stew

(From Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites)

1/2 cup raw barley
1 bay leaf
1 large garlic clove
4 cups water
1 cup dried yellow split peas
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup onions
1 cup carrots
2 cups sweet potatoes
1 1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons currants
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. In medium saucepan, bring barley, bay leaf, garlic and 2 cups of the water to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Add split peas, cardamom, cinnamon, and remaining 2 cups of the water and simmer, covered, for another 45 minutes or until the barley and split peas are soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir occasionally, and if necessary, add a small amount of additional water to prevent the mixture from sticking.

3. While the barley and split peas are cooking, place onions, carrots, potatoes, salt, cayenne and stock in large saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Stir in tomatoes and currants and continue to simmer, covered for another 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

5. Add cooked barley and split pea mixture. Stir in parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

CIilantro-Lime Chicken Fajitas

(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

Marinade:
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil (see step 4 below)
5 T fresh lime juice
2 1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/4 t ancho chile powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken:
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 large green, red, or yellow peppers
1 Medium onion
Burrito shells
Other desired topping for fajitas such sour cream, yogurt, salsa, guacamole, etc.

1. Combine marinade ingredients in food processor.

2. Slice chicken into strips. Combine chicken and half of the marinade in a plastic zip lock bag. Leave in fridge for one hour.

3. Slice peppers into strips. Slice onions into quarter inch rounds. Put veggies and the other half of marinade in zip lock bag. Leave in fridge for one hour.

4. There are two options for cooking. The first is to put gthe veggies into a large stockpot and cook for 4 minutes, and then place the chicken in stock pot and cook everything until the chicken is done (stir often). If you use this method, you might want to use less oil in the marinade, as all of it will be leftover in the pot. The second option is to grill everything, in which case you may want to use more oil, and only use a third of the marinade to flavor the chicken, a third to flavor the veggies, and reserve a third to pour on everything after its all been grilled. Either way it tastes good.

5. Once the chicken is done, place it in the burrito shell and top it with other desired toppings.

Blueberry Chutney

(From Cooking Light, January 2005)

The recipe below is served over chicken. The chutney kicks ass, so if you don't eat chicken, serve it with tofu or seitan, etc.

Chutney:
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup golden raisins
3 T cider vinegar
1 1/2 t grated fresh peeled ginger
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t crushed red pepper
Dash of ground cloves
1 garlic clove, minced

Chicken:
1 1/4 T olive oil
3/4 t dried basil
3/4 t dried oregano
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine all chutney ingredients in a medium sauvepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes or until thick, stirring occassionally (if using frozen blueberries, it will take much longer than 25 minutes to thucken chutney).

2. Combine olive oil, basil, oregano, chicken, and garlic in zip-lock bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

3. Remove chicken from bag Discard marinate. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over chicken.

4. Heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5 minutes on each side or until done.

Curried Wheat Berry Salad

1½ cups dry wheatberries
2 T. curry powder
2 apples, chopped
¾ cup sliced almonds
¾ cup dried cranberries
1 onion, chopped
2 T. olive oil
4-5 T.white wine vinegar (or balsamic)
2-3 T. Brown sugar
4-5 T. plain yogurt (optional)

1. rinse wheatberries in cold water. boil in salted water until soft, 30-45 minutes. drain and set aside to cool.

2. combine curry powder, olive oil, vinegar, brown sugar, and yogurt

3. toss/mix wheatberries, apple, almonds, cranberries, onion, and sauce

Sesame-Peanut Noodles

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
5 T soy sauce
1/4 cup warm water
1-2 T grated ginger
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 T rice vinegar
2 T hot Asian sesame oil
2 t brown sugar
1 t dried hot red pepper flakes
12 ounces spaghetti
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
½ cup shredded carrots
3 T sesame seeds, toasted

1. cook pasta in boiling water with a little bit of salt, until al dente. drain and set aside to cool.

2. combine peanut butter and warm water, stirring until peanut butter is mostly dissolved.

3. add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, and hot pepper flakes, stirring to combine.

4. toss pasta with sauce, vegetables, and sesame seeds.

serve hot or chilled.

Tempeh Portabello Burgers

2 (8 oz) pkgs. multigrain tempeh, cut into cubes
1½ cups onion, diced
4 T olive oil
2-3 portabello mushrooms, finely diced
2 T balsamic vinegar
spices to taste (thyme, basil, oregano, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ t pepper
½ cup whole wheat flour (or more)
¼ cup soy sauce

1. Place the cubes of tempeh in a steamer basket, steam for 15 minutes, and set aside to cool

2. In a non-stick skillet, saute the onion in 2 T. olive oil for 3 minutes until soft.

3. Add the mushrooms and saute an additional 3-5 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned.

4. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir well, and saute an additional 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

5. Using your fingers, crumble the steamed tempeh into a bowl. Add the sauteed onion-mushroom mixture, basil, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and pepper to the tempeh, and stir well to combine.

6. Add the flour, tamari, and remaining 2 T. olive oil, and stir well to combine.

7. Chill mixture for at least 30 minutes. Mixture should hold its own shape (be relatively dry). Add more flour if it is too wet.

8. Form burger patties from 1/2 cup of the mixture. Fry/cook lightly in a skillet with olive oil, until browned on each side, 6-8 minutes.

Crystal Noodle Salad with Tofu

(from World Vegetarian Classics)

salad:
7 oz firm tofu, drained
corn oil for frying
4 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 stalks lemon grass, trimmed and finely sliced
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
handful fresh basil, choppe
2 scallions, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cucumber, cut into thin slices
handful of chopped lettuce
1/2 cup roasted peanuts

dressing (you probably have to play with the proportions here):
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 T brown sugar
1-2 t chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 T coarsely grated carrots

1. combine dressing ingredients and set aside

2. slice tofu into 1x2 inch slices. fry in a shallow pan of oil, turning with tongs, until both sides are golden and crisp. drain on paper towels.

3. put rice vermicelli in a bowl and cover with boiling water. let stand until noodles are cooked, about 4 minutes. drain thoroughly.

4. combine salad ingredients, except for tofu and peanuts, and add dressing

5. sprinkle tofu and peanuts on top of each plate.

Mango Yogurt Curry

(from World Vegetarian Classics)

2 T oil
1 T black mustard seeds
handfull fresh/dried curry leaves (can use bay leaves)
2 t turmeric
large hunk fresh ginger, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped/crushed
1 red onion, sliced
2-3 fresh green chillies, halved and seeds removed (can use chili powder)
salt
12 oz diced tomatoes (can use fresh or canned)
2 large peeled mangoes, cut into small chunks
2 cups plain yogurt
(optional) 2 T tomato paste

1. heat oil in a large saucepan or wok. add mustard seeds and fry until they start to pop, then add curry leaves, turmeric, ginger, garlic, onion, chillies, and salt. saute until onions start to brown.

2. add tomatoes and mango, and fry until tomato starts to soften, 1-2 minutes.

3. remove from heat and stir in yogurt. stir in tomato paste, if desired.

The Priest Fainted (Stuffed) Eggplant

(from World Vegetarian Classics)

3 medium or 2 large eggplant
3 T olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
14 oz can diced tomatoes, mostly drained
any variation of the following spices: cumin, fresh parsley, cayenne pepper, coriander
1-2 t salt
1.5 t brown sugar
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T tomato juice (can be from diced tomatoes)
toasted pine nuts or raisins

1. preheat oven to 400. slice eggplants in half from top to bottom. hollow out the wider part of the eggplant half to form a boat. discard scrapings.

2. sprinkle eggplant halves with salt, let stand for 10 minutes, then thoroughly wipe down to remove salt (this sucks out the bitter juices)

3. heat olive oil and garlic until fragrant. add onions and dry spices and saute until soft. remove from heat and mix in tomatoes, fresh spices, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, tomato juice, and sugar

4. lightly spray a casserole dish with olive oil. lay eggplant in dish and fill with onion-tomato filling. sprinkle nuts/raisins on top

5. cover and bake for 45-60 minutes

6. uncover and bake for another 30 minutes, until eggplant is very soft

serve with rice or couscous.