Pumpkin Peanut Stew

 

Ingredients
3 cups diced peeled pumpkin (from 1 medium pumpkin)
½ cup chopped blanched raw peanuts, plus more for garnish
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¾ cup diced yellow onion (from 1 small onion)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
4 cups unsalted vegetable broth, divided
1 ½ cups cooked hominy (from 1 [15-oz.] can)
1 ½ cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instrutions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss together pumpkin, peanuts, garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil in a large bowl. Spread in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pumpkin is tender, about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through cook time.
Meanwhile, heat coconut oil and remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Set aside until ready to use.
Remove pumpkin mixture from oven; let cool 5 minutes. Carefully remove and discard skins from garlic cloves. Place half of thepumpkin, peeled garlic, peanut butter, and 1 cup of the broth in a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
Add pumpkin puree, hominy, spinach leaves, salt, paprika, cayenne, and remaining 3 cups broth to onion mixture in a large pot.. Bring to a simmer over medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes. Ladle into 6 bowls; garnish with peanuts.
Enjoy!

Easy, Fool Proof Roux

 

Ingredients
2 cups flour

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 °F.
Add flour to a dry roasting pan and smooth it out to about 3/4 inch thick. Bake it in the oven at 425°F for 45 to 55 minutes. Once you get the color you like remove it from the oven and take the dry roux and put it in a medium bowl to cool. (Do not leave it in the hot pan). 
It is now ready to use in any recipe requiring dark brown roux. It will get darker when oil or water are added to make a slurry.

Blind Scouse

 

Ingredients
1 leek, washed well and cut into bite sized chunks
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
2 handfuls pearl barley, soaked overnight in cold water or soaked in boiling water for an hour
1000ml vegetable stock
1 x 410g can butter beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE DUMPLINGS
125g self-raising flour
50g vegetable shortening
1 tbsp onion, peeled and very finely chopped
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
salt and pepper to taste
100ml very cold water
Herb dumplings
Pickled red cabbage, or chopped pickled beetroot (optional)

Instructions
For the Scouse: Put all ingredients except the butter beans in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the butter beans, return to the boil then add the dumplings (if using). Replace lid and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Serve in soup plates.
To make the dumplings: Mix all dry ingredients. Just before adding to the Scouse, mix in enough cold water to make a rather sticky dough. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls into the boiling soup and simmer til they float. Enjoy!

Easy Roux Filé Gumbo

 

Ingredients
1 cup vegan chicken, cut into small chunks
Vegetable oil
1 cup all purposes flour
1 tbsp butter
1 red, green, and yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1  tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups of not-chicken broth
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 links vegan andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch half circles
3/4 cup vegan ham, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1 cup vegan shrimp
1/2 pound okra
2 tablespoons filé powder

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 
Add flour to a dry roasting pan and smooth it out to about 3/4 inch thick. Bake it in the oven at 425 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes. Once you get the color you like remove it from the oven and take the dry roux and put it in a medium bowl to cool. (Do not leave it in the hot pan). 
Heat some vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and cook the vegan chicken until it is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the butter, peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, Cajun seasoning, roasted flour,, white wine vinegar, and broth. Stir well and bring to a boil. When the vegetables are soft, let the gumbo simmer for 1 hour, then add the okra. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Put the chicken back into the pot.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and ham until they are browned. Add them to the pot along with the shrimp and stir well.
Ladle a couple of cups of the liquid into a mixing bowl. Add the filé powder and whisk until well blended. Pour back into the stock pot and mix well. It's ready to serve!

Hoppin' John

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ancho chile peppers, chopped

2 ribs celery, sliced

1  medium tomato, chopped

2 cups cooked black eyed peas

2 cups vegetable broth

1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced (or more, if you love garlic as much as I do)

1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat til soft and golden. Add chiles, celery, tomato, and black eyed peas, and saute for ten minutes. Add vegetable broth, paprika, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add garlic, and simmer five minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with rice.

 Throughout the coastal South, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls.  Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, kale, cabbage etc. along with this dish are supposed to also add to the wealth since they are the color of money. Another traditional food, cornbread, can also be served to represent wealth -- being the color of gold. On the day after New Year's Day, leftover "Hoppin' John" is called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality, bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 197 g

Servings per Recipe: 6

Calories: 213 Calories from Fat: 66

Total Fat: 7.4g, 11% of Daily Value*

Saturated Fat: 1.5g, 7% of Daily Value

Sodium: 274mg, 11% of Daily Value

Total Carbohydrates: 35.6g, 12% of Daily Value

Dietary Fiber: 14.2g, 58% of Daily Value

Sugars 3.8g

Protein 14.4g

Vitamin A 7%	•	Vitamin C 68%
Calcium 4%	•	Iron 23%

*Based on 2000 calorie diet.

Photo from web.