Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew

It's been so insanely cold here lately, and our building is old and barely insulated. Plus we are on the ground floor with a dirt basement. So we feel the cold- I feel it in my bones, despite wool on wool on wool.  It's just the season for hearty soul-warming stews!

This stew has a nice sweetness, which Lena loved, and is a little tangy too. I would have liked it a little spicier, but thought I should keep it pretty toddler friendly.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

Soak about 1 cup of black beans over night, and in the morning rinse well, and boil. For tips on digesting beans, check out this article:
http://www.choosingraw.com/10-tips-for-better-bean-digestion-a-few-announcements/
When your beans are boiling- do NOT go into the other room and have a dance party with your two year old to the muppet soundtrack. Unless you WANT the smoky taste. Let's assume I did, very well- dance up a storm then run frantically to the kitchen to save the beans from utter ruin.

Scrub your burnt bean pot ( setting beans aside first of course. I didn't have to tell you that, because you are intelligent... but this is the internet after all so you never know what someone else might do)

Finely chop a bunch of green onions and a handful of brown mushrooms, and fry on medium with a bit of olive oil.

Cube a sweet potato, in toddler bite size, and when the mushroom are aromatic, add the sweet potato to the pot.

Add a dash of each: cinnamon, cayenne, garlic, pepper (I save salt for the end, because slow cooking condenses the stew and can make it too slaty)

Open up a jar of either canned diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or if you are lucky and have a tomato press and canned 150lbs of tomatoes in the summer then one of those.  Add it to the pot, lower to simmer and cover. Add the beans. If you'd like to add some diced carrots or celery, this is a good time to do it. When everything is nice and hot, throw it in the crockpot on high.

Stir periodically through the day and add water if necessary. About an hour before serving, dice some red, yellow and or green peppers and add them to the pot. Just before serving, finely chop some black kale, or chard, or any hearty green. You can even add that to each bowl and mix the stew in- I really like it just wilted.

To serve, I made some basic corn tortillas, mixed some avocado with red pepper, tomato, lime and salt and we ate it largely with our hands (which is how Lena eats anyway, might as well embrace it)

This morning we had it again, but this time added some scrambled egg to make it more brunchy.
Also, I find corn tortillas have a hard time staying together and not crumbling, so we've gotten into wrapping a leaf of chard around the whole shebang.
Happy mama, Happy daddy, Happy toddler!

A new year feast.

A few months ago I discovered the only local yoga studio in the city, and to my surprise, the owner spoke English!  He is an American who has been living in Japan for 18 years and is married to a Japanese woman.  When I contacted him about attending classes at his studio, his response was warm and friendly, and I felt instantly grateful.  When Barry and I got to chatting, we arranged to offer a healthy vegan cooking workshop and feast, along with yoga classes, for a day of learning and retreat.

The workshop day was this weekend, and unfortunately the cooking portion had to be cancelled because Barry came down with the flu (and we were doing it all at his house).  However, I still got to teach my yoga workshop and had lots of fun!  I had planned to take photos of the food and post the menu, and while I don't have pictures I might as well share the recipes here.

I typically don't use exact measurements in my cooking and go on taste, creating the magic as the food cooks (it's magic, right?)  Please use these recipes as a guide and adjust for your individual preferences and number of servings that you would like.   Most of the ingredients I chose are local and in season right now in Japan, but many of these foods are available in other cold climates right now too.  Hope you enjoy!

MENU

~ Creamy Turnip Soup
~ Baked Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin
~ Curried Chickpeas
~ Ginger Carrot & Cabbage Salad

Creamy Turnip Soup

2 bunches of small japanese turnips (7-8)
4 leeks
2 medium potatoes
3-4 cups water or veggie stock
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
White or yellow miso to taste

Roughly chop and saute the leeks in 1/2 Tbsp of coconut oil in your favourite soup pot.  Quarter the turnips and cube the potatoes, adding those in once the leeks are soft and flavourful.  Add your water or vegetable stock, careful to just *barely* cover your vegetables or else your soup will be too watery.  Bring to a boil, then gently simmer until turnips and potatoes are soft and cooked through.  Use a hand blender to make your soup smooth and creamy, turn off the burner.  Gently stir one tablespoon of miso into the soup at a time, adding more as it fits your taste.  Most of the saltiness and flavour will come from the miso, so keep testing as you add.

Baked Maple Cinnamon Pumpkin

What can I say, I had to add some Canadiana to the meal!  Use only the best Canadian Maple Syrup for this recipe.

1 small pumpkin
sea salt
cinnamon
cumin
maple syrup
coconut oil

Slice your pumpkin into crescent moon shapes and evenly spread them out in your baking dish.  Sprinkle some sea salt, a touch of cumin and cinnamon to taste.  Drizzle a thin layer of melted coconut oil and a medium layer of pure canadian delicious maple syrup.  Bake in the oven at 350 until pumpkin is soft and mushy.

Curried Chickpeas

I use a Japanese curry powder for this recipe, and Japanese curry is a fair bit sweeter than other traditional kinds.  If you don't have access to an asian grocer selling this particular spice blend, I would plan to sweeten your curry dish with a bit of honey or maple syrup to get a similar flavour.

2 cups of soaked and boiled chickpeas
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 a medium onion, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
2-3 Tbsp Japanese curry (or any type of curry with 2 Tbsp of honey)
Sea salt or soy sauce.

Saute your ginger, onion and garlic in coconut oil, careful not to burn.  Once the lovely aroma hits, time to add the curry, getting the powder nice and wet.  Let it warm for a minute on low heat.  Add the cooked chickpeas and a tiny bit of water if things start to stick to the pan.  Add sea salt or soy sauce to taste. It will only take 5-10 minutes for the flavours to blend.

Ginger Carrot & Cabbage Salad

2-3 medium carrots, grated
1 head of cabbage
1-2 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
2 sheets of nori
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup rice vinegar (without sugar) or apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt

Cut the cabbage in half or quarters and thinly slice into long strips, place into salad bowl. Add the carrots and onion.  This is an important step!  Sprinkle sea salt onto the salad and drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bowl.  Vigorously massage the cabbage with your hands, the salt and oil will help to soften and wilt the cabbage.  On the side, mix together your dressing (ginger, vinegar, honey, sesame oil) and pour over the salad.  Add raisins and toasted sunflower seeds, garnish with thinly cut up strips of nori seaweed.

And that's it, a perfectly healthy and balanced vegan winter meal made to share with friends!