Vegan Slow Cooker Stew

As some of you may remember I was very sick a couple of weeks back and I have yet to get back into the swing of things. The house is a mess, cooking healthy has taken a back seat to eating something so that I can take my antibiotics, and junk food has reared it's ugly head. I went to the supermarket and bought four kinds of beans. My objective? To make a tasty vegan stew to eat over rice, cou cou, couscous, whatever.  The point, make alot and stop eating the junk food. There are a lot of recipes out there but I didn't want to follow anything specific. I had three requirements.

1. Use what I had on hand.

2. Use fresh herbs.

3. Finish it with coconut milk.

I wanted all the flavor to come from the fresh ingredients and create a take on the coconut curries of India and Thailand. 

This came out better than I could have imagined. Rich and flavorful, especially with the addition of the coconut milk at the end. Beautiful! Ok... on to the recipe

5 kinds of beans 

(I used lentil, split pea, chick peas, blackeyed and black beans. I used dry. So it was necessary to soak the chickpeas and blackeyed over night, before hand)

1 carrot grated

1 onion minced

2 sweet peppers chopped.

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tomatoes cut up

1 stalk of celery cut up

Broccoli, small chop

Scotch Bonnet pepper

Rosemary
Grated fresh Turmeric

Thyme

Basil

Tarragon

2 Vegetable boullion cubes

Tomato paste

Salt & pepper

Coconut Milk

Put everything into the slow cooker except coconut milk. Cover the mixture with water and cover lid. Turn the slow cooker on high for 6 hours. At the half way mark, stir it up and remove scotch bonnet pepper. Cover. At the 30 min mark add coconut milk, stir and cover until done.

If you want to add meat to this (cause you can) Just add 1/2 lb of seasoned ground beef or turkey mix to the mixture and omit the coconut milk at the end. :)

Green Banana Cou Cou

Being from Barbados, Cou Cou is something that we all have eaten at some point in time. You can make it the traditional way with cornmeal and okra, or with breadfruit, or green banana. Green Banana Cou Cou isn't new, but that doesn't mean you can't do something new with it!

The base of this dish is a little different but the results are complex and delicious. I paired it with my "Easy Black Beans" to create a complete, yet vegetarian meal.

Green Banana, boiled and skinned
A dash of olive oil
1/2 red onion
1/2 white onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of tumeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Water
Butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a small pot under a medium high heat, add the oil, onions, garlic and turmeric. Cook till soft. Add the bananas and mash. Add water a little at a time to aid with softening the banana and making it a "mashed potato" consistency. Add all the spices, salt & pepper and butter. Mix well and then finish with chopped green onion.

That's it!

Plantain Fry's

There are several schools of thought on the plantain. There are the people that want a clean, pristine, yellow plantain. Firm to the touch. There are the folks that want it to be a little soft with a couple of specks. Most people believe that when they are black and mushy it is time to throw them away... of course I'm not most people.
I love a mushy black plantain. This is when it is the sweetest and most pliable. You can put into almost anything to give sweetness without adding sugar. Today's recipe is Plantain Fry's.
In the Rastafarian community here in Barbados they make a fried bean fritter called a Fry. I love them. Everywhere you go you can find different ingredients and textures, but always delicious. My version utilized the plantains I had left over and black beans. The plantain gives the fry's a softness and sweetness to play against the savory items in the recipe. You can eat them alone as a snack or as part of a meal.

2 black plantains
1can of black beans
1 grated carrot
1/2 minced onion
1/4 cup green onion
2 tbsp of minced tarragon
2 cloves minced garlic
1 finger of minced tumeric
1/4 minced scotch bonnet
1cup flour
1/4 water
Salt & black pepper to taste

Peel the plantains and mash them into a semi liquid state. Add the black beans and mash them into plantain mixture. Add all the ingredients up to the flour. Mix. Add water to mixture slowly. You want the mix to have a thick consistency without being dry. You may or may not use all the water. Use your discretion. Season with salt and pepper. Because there is no egg in this, you can taste it to be sure it has the right amount of seasoning for you.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil. Once the oil is hot ladle mixture into pan. The fry's will darken quickly if the heat is too high because of the sugar content of the plantain. You want them to cook evenly on both sides. Watch the oil temp. Place unto a plate, lined with a  paper towel. Allow to cool and enjoy! 

Easy Black Beans!

I decided to make an easy black bean sauce to go with my Turmeric Seasoned Rice (recipe soon come). If you use canned beans it's a fast dish.

Easy Black Beans

 A splash of Grapeseed Oil
Chopped onion
Minced garlic
Thyme sprig
Chopped bell pepper
Grated turmeric
Chicken Bouillon
Cumin (either ground or cumin seeds. I used seeds)
16oz Can of Black Beans
Chopped green onions
Squeeze of lime

Cut up onions, garlic, bell pepper and turmeric. In a hot pan with grapeseed oil, add cut up veges. Cook down till soft. Add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken bouillon cube, thyme, cumin, seasoning and black beans. Bring to a simmer, add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Bring to simmer again. Add green onions and squeeze lime juice. Cook until thickened.

Crockpot Turkey Neck Soup!

Crockpot Turkey Neck Soup!

Im moving! If you have ever moved, you know the process is daunting!  The packing, moving, unpacking, buying stuff for the new place. Cooking was not the priority. Needless to say, my tummy was craving good home cooked food.

I decided to make a soup. A crockpot soup! Good meal, without having to hover over the stove and provide a great source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. 

I went to Carmeta's.  Located on Princess Alice Highway, right before the Fish Market. They are a great place for local meats, low cost and great quality.

I bought Canadian Smoked Turkey Necks. Not local per se, but at $8 for a package it was a great buy.

I picked up some pumpkin, onion and a herb bag and a pumpkin soup starter packet. Ok. Lets get started

Turkey Necks

Salt

Salt Free seasoning

Pumpkin

Carrots

Potato

Onion

Garlic

Green Onions

Marjoram

Thyme

Bay leaf

Hot Pepper

Pumpkin Soup Packet

Soak the Turkey Necks in water, vinegar, and lime for at least an hour, then rinse off. Sprinkle salt and salt free seasoning over the necks. Let it marinate covered in the fridge.

Cut up all the vegetables. Get your crockpot. Place the Turkey Necks in the bottom, cover with all the vegetables, and then top with the fresh marjoram, thyme, bay leaf and hot pepper. Cover with 3 cups of water and sprinkle the soup packet on top.  Turn on the crockpot on low. I cooked my soup for 8 hours. Till the meat fell off the bones. It was DELICIOUS!  

Of course you have the option of adding more vegetables and dumplings and not using a soup starter. I was super tired so I just used what we had in the house. 

Please try the recipe. Let me know how it comes out! 

Top image is the before, bottom image is the after... Mmmmm :)