Fall Stew: West African Peanut Soup

I first made this dish in college and fell in love with the combination of flavors. This is a fantastic recipe to take advantage of all the fabulous fresh fall produce available in October.

There are many versions of this soup, so feel free to substitute ingredients based on what you have available.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or equivalent fresh tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced (I used a white sweet potato)

1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1 cup creamy peanut butter

4 cups kale roughly chopped (or substitute bok choy)

2 ½ cups shredded chicken

Salt, to taste

Crushed peanuts and chopped fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)

Other optional additions include chopped bell peppers or diced carrots

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the ginger, jalapeño, and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pepper, cumin, and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens, about 2 minutes more.

Add the crushed tomatoes, stock, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and peanut butter and stir until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Add in the kale and shredded chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for about another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is warmed through and the kale is wilted. Adjust the salt to taste.

 Serve topped with peanuts and cilantro, if desired. Serve with rice.

Recipe adapted from: The Modern Proper

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Last spring one of my friends was preparing for a surgery and was on a very restrictive diet. To liven things up, I offered to make supper with lots of fresh ingredients from the farm. It was a really fun challenge to prepare a 5-course meal that was under 1000 calories.

This is the first course in the Asian-themed, low-calorie, five-course meal: shrimp lettuce wraps as an appetizer.

ingredients

• 2 Tbsp lime juice

• 1 to 2 Tbsp gochujang (which is a Korean hot pepper paste), or your favorite hot sauce

• 1 Tbsp oil (try sesame if you have it)

• 2 tsp honey

• 1 green garlic, grated (or 1 clove garlic)

• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 lb small shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 head romaine lettuce (or other head lettuce), leaves separated

• 1 cucumber, cut in small cubes

• several radishes, sliced (or substitute salad turnips)

• several leaves fresh mint (or basil, or cilantro), cut in small ribbons

directions

Combine lime juice, gochujang, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and shrimp in a bowl, stir, and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange shrimp on a sheet pan and roast until just opaque throughout, about 10-15 minutes.

Allow shrimp to cool slightly, then lay out lettuce leaves and fill with shrimp, cucumbers, radishes, and mint.

West African Ground Nut Stew

I love trying new foods and especially foods from different countries. I first ran across a recipe for Ground Nut Stew in college when I was assigned to make a dish from west Africa. If you're looking for a hearty soup for a rainy day, definitely try this one. I sometimes make it in a crock pot, which makes it even easier. This is a great recipe to try if you still have some sweet potatoes hiding in your basement from the last CSA boxes last year!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can chicken or several pieces leftover chicken, shredded

• 1 T oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 carrot, chopped

• 1 green pepper, chopped

• 1 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (or 1/2 tsp powdered ginger)

• 1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped

• 2 cups chopped spinach (fresh or frozen, or other greens)

• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

• 2 cups water or broth, divided

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

• 1 can tomato paste or tomato sauce

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• cayenne powder to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Add 1 cup of the water or broth, onion, carrot, green pepper, ginger, sweet potato, spinach, and garlic to crockpot. Saute chicken (if raw) in oil, then add to crockpot. In a bowl, stir together remaining cup of broth, peanut butter, tomato sauce, and spices. Add to crockpot. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 8 hours, until ingredients are tender. Add more broth/water to make a thinner soup. Serve over rice, and garnish with cilantro, roasted peanuts, or hot peppers.

NOTES:

• You can leave out any ingredients you don’t have or don’t like. This is a flexible recipe.

• Substitute chickpeas for chicken to make a vegan version.