Last week

There's nothing better than being able to have a soy mocha and a bagel with soy cream cheese and local jelly on the weekend. I feel a little bit pretentious. But there IS a street taco van outside my door. So it makes me feel more...grounded.

Anyway, life has been hectic. Last Sunday I cooked some African Peanut Stew for a friend and finished it for lunch for a few days. Definitely decadant....

African Pineapple Peanut Stew
I made this tonight and it was SO good. My kale was a little wilted, so I'm glad I could use it all up (I froze it, don't ever do that).

African Peanut Stew

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1-2 bunches kale (4-8 cups sliced)
1 cup, about 5-6 small red potatoes, quartered
about 2-3 portobello mushrooms, sliced into small chunks.
1 can crushed pineapple in juice
1 can no-salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup crunchy, natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
I used dried parsley and oregano
salt to taste


Boil the potatoes in a pot, covered with water for about 10 minutes, to get them soft. Drain.

Prepare the kale by washing it and removing the large center stem from each leaf. Stack the leaves on a cutting board and slice them into one-inch thick slices.

In a large, wok sauté the onions for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic, and stir for another minute.

Add the pineapple and tomato and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Add potatoes and mushrooms. Stir in the kale, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender. Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and spices and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, (This makes about 4-6 servings).

Middle Eastern Fusion

Magic! It's the name I have for the stuff I make up.

The meal started off wanting to sautee pistacchios. I forgot to do that (teehee). But I did use up some leftovers in the fridge and made a spicy slightly curried stew. I really threw everything together, so everything is an approximation.

Middle Eastern Fusion Stew with Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
A bunch of cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 small zucchini, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 packet veggie crumbles
leftover tempeh cacciatore
leftover 3 C soup
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of yellow mustard powder
black pepper
sea salt

Israeli couscous (cooked like rice in veggie broth)

Saute everything in a large pan (wok).
Enjoy!