Well I'm finally doing it: starting a blog so I can share all my vegan eats (and other various life adventures) with the world! Or with the possible one person who may see this blog and then never visit it again. Check it out for vegan recipes and eats, hiking adventures, percussion what-not and more. Here we go!
Typically I cook a couple things on the weekend that I can have throughout the week, and maybe end up needing to whip something up again in the middle of the week to get by. Not this past week, however. This was a "cook-all-you-can-or-you-won't-be-eating" type of week. So naturally, I cooked all I could (because I like to eat), and the end result was a giant pot of semi-spicy peanut-y pumpkin potato stew. Delicious, nutritious, cheap, and filling stew. It is the time of year where I have auditions left and right, videos to make, classes to prepare for, and concerts, concerts, concerts - so cooking on the weekends is a must.
Typically I cook a couple things on the weekend that I can have throughout the week, and maybe end up needing to whip something up again in the middle of the week to get by. Not this past week, however. This was a "cook-all-you-can-or-you-won't-be-eating" type of week. So naturally, I cooked all I could (because I like to eat), and the end result was a giant pot of semi-spicy peanut-y pumpkin potato stew. Delicious, nutritious, cheap, and filling stew. It is the time of year where I have auditions left and right, videos to make, classes to prepare for, and concerts, concerts, concerts - so cooking on the weekends is a must.
Of course, I couldn't stop with just the stew, so also on the menu for the week was my yummy Peanut-Ginger noodles (yeah, it's a peanuty type of week) from EatingWell.com. Also, simple, cheap, and delicious. These two dishes definitely got me through the week with a full stomach and great energy! Plant-power, it never fails!
Semi-Spicy Peanut-y Pumpkin Potato Stew:
This recipe comes from one of my favorite sites that I've been using for a few years. A fellow whole-foods plant based eater with a liking for spice and flavor, The Healthy Librarian. I owe many a dish to this blog, and I'm sure you'll be seeing them over time!
This recipe comes from one of my favorite sites that I've been using for a few years. A fellow whole-foods plant based eater with a liking for spice and flavor, The Healthy Librarian. I owe many a dish to this blog, and I'm sure you'll be seeing them over time!
This is a fairly simple recipe that I doubled in order to make a large batch. I simple chop everything at the beginning, lay everything out on the table and...GO! For me the end result is only semi-spicy, but full-flavor!
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium/large carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes (for me, its Muir Glen fire roasted!)
1 (16 ounce) can of solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup of 100% natural peanut butter*
2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sweet or regular curry powder
2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15.5 ounce) can of no-salt black beans, drained & rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chiles, drained
1 1/2 cups of frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup of dry roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped (optional garnish)
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium/large carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes (for me, its Muir Glen fire roasted!)
1 (16 ounce) can of solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup of 100% natural peanut butter*
2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sweet or regular curry powder
2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15.5 ounce) can of no-salt black beans, drained & rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chiles, drained
1 1/2 cups of frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup of dry roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped (optional garnish)
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
*A combination of powdered peanut butter, like PB2 or Better'n Peanut Butter, with regular peanut butter (look for no salt or other preservatives added), works great.
Directions:
1. Preheat a large soup pot on medium. If you’re making a double recipe you may need to also heat up a sauté pan to get all the veggies. Add the onions, carrots, potatoes & garlic and dry sauté by covering the pot, & cooking until softened, about 7 minutes, allowing the onions to "sweat". Take a peek every 2 minutes or so, stir, and add a few tablespoons of vegetable broth if the vegetables start to stick in order to deglaze the pot. I prefer to dry sauté rather than use oil to make things just that much healthier.
2. Once the vegetable are nicely softened, stir in the tomatoes, pumpkin, peanut butter, soy sauce, curry powder and vegetable broth. Make sure to stir after each addition to blend the flavors well.
3. Add the beans, chiles, and any salt or pepper you want, to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and the flavors are nicely blended together (about 20 minutes).
4. Add the peas right before serving--mixing into the soup. It works to add the peas even if you’re keeping the stew in the fridge for the week.
5. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts & parsley.
1. Preheat a large soup pot on medium. If you’re making a double recipe you may need to also heat up a sauté pan to get all the veggies. Add the onions, carrots, potatoes & garlic and dry sauté by covering the pot, & cooking until softened, about 7 minutes, allowing the onions to "sweat". Take a peek every 2 minutes or so, stir, and add a few tablespoons of vegetable broth if the vegetables start to stick in order to deglaze the pot. I prefer to dry sauté rather than use oil to make things just that much healthier.
2. Once the vegetable are nicely softened, stir in the tomatoes, pumpkin, peanut butter, soy sauce, curry powder and vegetable broth. Make sure to stir after each addition to blend the flavors well.
3. Add the beans, chiles, and any salt or pepper you want, to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is hot and the flavors are nicely blended together (about 20 minutes).
4. Add the peas right before serving--mixing into the soup. It works to add the peas even if you’re keeping the stew in the fridge for the week.
5. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts & parsley.
I know many people hear vegan and think "bland," (even vegetarians). Perhaps that has to do with cheese? Is cheese an all-powerful flavor that makes food a million times better? (No, I quite agree with you, it is not). But boy-howdy, do I love flavor, so you better believe it's in my vegan dishes.
Cheers!
Cheers!
