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. :)

Homemade Banana Coconut Granola

I recently went to the supermarket with a friend of mine. As we were leaving she exclaimed "Oh I have to get granola for the kids!". We walked to the cereal aisle to find the fancy bags of granola. Small bags, beautiful packaging, and high prices. I asked her why she buys granola at these prices and she answered the way most mother's answer, "It's something healthy that the kids actually like."
But how healthy is it? Just because it has eco-friendly packaging and says ORGANIC across the label doesn't mean it's healthy.
I love the explosion of "organic" shelf stable food. If you know like I know, then you know that the things they have to add to the product to make it shelf stable negates the organic properties the item once had. To be organic is to be perishable. Point blank.
Back to my friend. I asked her what was in this pricey granola. We looked at the package. Oats, dried fruit, and nuts. In Barbados, nuts can be pricey, but everything else, super cheap. Lets not talk about the high sugar content. How do we combat this? Make your own of course. Granola is easy to make and can be made with left over items. Oats, dried fruit, coconut, nuts, fruit chips, etc. Here is my recipe for Banana Coconut Granola. This is a nice recipe with a great texture and great taste.You can use this as a guide and add to or subtract at your leisure. If you remove the banana you would use about 1 cup of mixed fruit and increase the agave by 2 more tbsp.

3 cups of oats
1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of grated coconut
3 tbsp of raw sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 mashed bananas
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbps of agave, maple, or honey

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients up to the cinnamon. Mix well and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the mashed bananas, vanilla, agave and coconut oil. Mix well. Pour over the oats mixture. Mix well and place on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes. Until dry and crumbly. Be sure to check and stir you granola midway through the baking process

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! 

Citrus Slaw

I am a woman that hates mayonnaise. Yes, I said it! Let the vilification begin! I realize that it is an important component in some recipes and I do use it. Sparingly. A regular sized bottle of mayonnaise could last a year or more in my refrigerator. This dislike of mayo means that I am always trying to find new ways to make traditional foods (leaving out the mayo if possible) This is how I came up with the "Citrus Slaw". This incorporates alot of leftover ingredients and the acidity from the fruit and cider vinegar soften the cabbage while preserving it. Making it a great make ahead salad. No mayo means you can travel with it! Yay!
On to the recipe!

Citrus Slaw

Red cabbage (julienne)
Green cabbage (julienne)
Onion (I used what was in my fridge. I had a piece of red and a peice of yellow) (slices)
Celery (julienne)
Carrot (julienne)
Chayote/ Christophine (peel & julienne)
Bell peppers (julienne)
Scallions (rough chop)
Dried fruit (your choice. I used dried apricot) (slices)
(At least 2) Orange supremes
Dressing-
Juice from oranges
Cider vinegar
Grapeseed oil
Garlic
Soy sauce
Agave
Thyme
Marjoram
Salt & pepper to taste

Knife skills are very in this salad. The components need to be relatively the same size to get an equal amount of the dressing and break down at an equal rate.

Combine all the vegetables up to the bell peppers. Set aside. In a blender combination the juice from the oranges ( just squeeze the oranges after you supreme them), cider vinegar (Not alot. You dont want to over power the orange.) Grapeseed oil, herbs, garlic, soy sauce, and agave. Blend until garlic is pulverized. Add salt and pepper. Add orange, dried fruit and dressing to salad. Toss. Garnish with scallions and rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. That's it!

Christophine Chia Seed Jam

Christophine Chia Seed Jam

What do you know about the awesomeness that are Chia Seeds?
1. They are rich in omega-3s
2. Super high in fiber
3. They absorb 10 times their size and weight in water
Because of this last fact they are a great short cut to making quick and healthy "jams"

Traditional jams use a combination of pectin and sugar to to create the gel consistency. It requires alot of boiling and work to get the right formula of fruit, pectin, and sugar. Pain in the neck. Cut out the middle man and use Chia seeds. When they absorb the liquid they swell and create a gelatinous coating that works well in making homemade healthy jams.
On to the recipe!

1 pound of grated Christophine
1/4 cup of raisins or currants
Dash of vanilla
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup of sweetner (I used brown sugar)
2 tablespoons of Chia Seeds

In a saucepan add Christophine, water, vanilla and sweetener. Bring to a low simmer. Add raisins and Chia seeds. Stir and allow Chia seeds to soak up liquid. If the jam seems thin, add 2 more tablespoons of Chia Seeds. Cook about 10 min. Then cool and bottle. That's it!!

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.