Potato Stew Stuffed In Acorn Squash

POTATO STEW STUFFED IN ACORN SQUASH

I have to share this one with you, although the recipe is not mine to give :( It is another from my marvellous co-host on my Vegan World Cuisine group, posted just yesterday. You can find it HERE

I had two 'baby' golden acorn squashes, so I cut the tops of those so that I could save the dear little caps, scooped them out and baked them until they were done. Meanwhile I made Linda's beautiful potato stew, using 'baby' red potatoes and subbing jalapeno for the dried chili she has in her recipe. The rest, as you can see from the pic below, is onion (I used half a medium red onion), red bell pepper, sweet corn, and of course garlic. Cooking the potatoes, etc., in soymilk gives a nice creamy texture and some powdered ginger a nice extra bite. I topped mine with a little cilantro and served with green beans. I should add that I made it, of course, without frying in even a little bit of oil :) Excellent!

The 'extra' stew that didn't fit into the little squashes disappeared very quickly, thanks to my delighted husband.

This is certainly one to remember!

Wakame Broccoli, Tofu and Broccoli Stir'Fry'

WAKAME BROCCOLI

Dunno if anyone else is as mad for wakame as I am, but I like to add it to all kinds of things. This week we've been eating our way through some broccoli we got from our organic grocer. After a stir'fried' (read steamed) dish the other day, we needed a change. So, short of putting it in lasagna (a great recipe but one for which I didn't have the energy or time today), I decided to steam it up with lots of minced garlic, ditto minced ginger root, a little red bell pepper and a hefty pinch of crushed chilies while I was reheating some pre-cooked and frozen components of our lunch today: chickpea curry and three-grain medley. While I made a salad - our favourite spinach, cranberry, pear and cranberry concoction with a raspberry balasamic dressing - I soaked some wakame, so that by the time the broccoli was just about done I could stir it in. It went very well, I'm pleased to admit :)

This evening we have concert tickets, so it's a quick meal of soup (cabbage and tomato) with some rye bread I made this morning. Simple things, simple things.

And here's the

TOFU AND BROCCOLI STIR'FRY'



I used what I had on hand, and as you see there was a mix of vegetables (not out of a package, although that might work too) as well as the broccoli - and the tofu which had marinated in a little low-sodium soysauce, minced ginger and minced garlic and not added until the end. Instead of frying, of course, I simply steamed the veggies in a little water. We had it all with brown rice.

Nigerian Chickpea Stew With Peanut Sauce

This is a great dish that was posted by my wonderful co-host, Linda, on my Vegan World Cuisine group (http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=10159&pst=688573)on Care2. You can find the recipe on the "West Africa Mains and Sides" thread.:
Nigerian chickpea stew with peanut sauce. The recipe can easily be adapted to non-fat cooking by sauteeing the onions, etc., in stock or water. No big deal. There is 1-1/2 Tbsp peanut butter in the sauce, but spread over 6 servings that's a very small amount. I went for it! The photo, however, was taken before I remembered to sprinkle the top with spirulina. That adds a great extra taste.

Today we had it for the second time (will power exerted not to eat it all up on three consecutive meals!), and because we were late home from town we simply made some couscous rather than rice, which was ready by the time the stew was reheated.

To go with it, the dh made a light salad of baby spinach, a little onion, celery, sliced pear and craisins, which we dressed with a mix of rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, a tsp of minced ginger (out of a jar) and a tsp of mirin.

CHICKPEA CURRY (CROCKPOT STYLE)

We had this for lunch yesterday. It's a favourite here, in some version or other, simple like this one or perhaps with a different bean (red kidney beans are nice, although I prefer chickpeas) and/or with the addition of some chopped vegetables. It should serve 4.

CHICKPEA CURRY (CROCKPOT STYLE)

1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, grated
2 or 3 red thai chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1-1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
14 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp garam masala, or to taste
salt to taste
cayenne to taste - if needed

Steam-saute onions, ginger, and garlic for 5 minutes in a little water in a skillet. Place onion mixture and all other ingredients except for garam masala, salt and cayenne in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6-9 hours - or on high for a comparatively less time (3-4 hours, depending on the age of your crockpot).

Before serving, add salt to taste along with the garam masala. If you require more ‘heat’, this is a good time to stir in a little cayenne. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with brown basmati rice, vegetable dishes, and other accompaniments.