Black eyed Pea-Sweet Potato and Tangerine Stew

I guess black eyed peas are good to eat on New Years because they bring you good luck or money or something. I have heard this and a lot of other food traditions but I don’t really do New Years so I have never really actively thought about what I consume on the day. But when I went to ponder my bean selection ( I have so many varieties) I figured what the hell, why not make the stew I was about to make into a good luck black eyed pea stew. I mean I was already making it (I was leaning towards black beans) but If there is a chance that eating these delicious beans will give me a little extra luck (and or money) this year, well by all means I’ll take it. And the stew because that is really what I was after.

This stew. It is thick and creamy from the sweet potato and beans, bright and light from the ginger and tangerines, and hearty because it is stew. It is a perfect stew situation to eat on any given day but especially nice on a cold winter evening. And I guess on New Years. Like today.

Now to the black eyed pea stew!

The stuff. Cooked black eyed peas. a sweet potato, some kale, a few tangerine, an onion, some garlic and ginger, tomato puree, and salt and pepper.

Start with chopping up the onion, mincing the garlic and ginger, and dicing up the sweet potato.

Toss the onion, garlic, and ginger into a big pot and add in a splash of water or oil and a pinch of salt. Place on medium heat ans cook until tranlucent and fragrant. Add in the sweet potatoes, tomato puree, and enough water to completely submerge it all. Keep on medium heat and cook until sweet potties are fork tender. Add more water if needed.

In he mean time chop up the kale.

And juice the tangerines.

Once potatoes are tender, add in the black eyed peas, the kale and the tangerine juice. Add more water to completely submerge again. And keep on medium high heat and cook for another 10-15 minutes or went everything is all melded and cooked together.

Like this. A pot of good goodness.

All that is left is to scoop the stew into blows and eat it. Squeeze more tangerine juice on top too, it makes it nice.

Good luck all year long!

-C

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Black eyed Pea-Sweet Potato and Tangerine Stew

• 2 cups cooked and drained black eyed peas

• 1 medium sweet potato

• 2-3 tangerines

• 1/2 cup tomato puree

• 1 small onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 inch fresh ginger root

• a few leaves of kale, chard, or collard greens

• 4-6 cups water

Start by dicing up onion and peeling and mincing up the garlic and ginger. Place into a large pot with about 1/4 cup of water or a splash of oil and stick on stove on medium heat. Cook the mixture for 5-8 minutes or unit fragrant and translucent. While that is cooking dice up the sweet pot into small 1/2 inch cubes then add them into the pot once onion mixture has cooked, along with the tomato puree and enough water to completely submerge in all. Stir and and keep on medium heat and cook for another 20 or so minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.

Chop up kale and juice tangerines.

Once the sweet potato is tender add in the rinsed and drained black eyed peas, the chopped kale, and the tangerine juice. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more water to submerge it all again and keep on medium heat. Cook for another 20 minutes so that all the flavors have time to meld and turn into a great pot of stew. Depending on your preference for thickness, cook down more for thicker stew, or add more water to keep it brothy.

Once cooked, scoop into bowls, season with more salt and pepper, and if you have an extra tangerine, squeeze a little more fresh juice on top.

Maple glazed sweet potato cookies

If you are not making cookies right now then what are you even doing?

But seriously, I think that December is basically a month long cookie baking marathon and we all should be participating by baking up a least one batch of cookies. If not for yourself (although you really should be doing it for yourself) then for others. What better way to say something nice without saying anything at all then with homemade cookies? Cookie sharing is a language all on it’s own.

These here cookies are of the sweet potato kind, almost like pumpkin cookie, just a little less cakey and a little more sweet potatoy and are drizzled all over with a nice thick maple glaze that really just ties the hole cookie experience together. They are pretty simple to make, no extra steps or difficult anything. Just a spoon a scoop and the want and or need for a delicious cookie situation.

This cookie is going back into my baking marathon rotation next week when I go all out and bake like 6 batches of cookies .They were a hit and even requested so, you know, got to make the people happy. More like I have a couple extra sweet potatoes. HA!

Now to the cookies!

The stuff. Mashed sweet potato, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, plant milk, powdered sugar, and last but not least, maple syrup.

Start by mixing the dry ingredients together into a big bowl, Then mix the sweet potato, oil, sugar, vanilla, and oh the milk in a separate bowl. Once mixed and completely combined, dump the wet into the dry and gently mix until a combined and dough has formed.

Now scoop equal sizes amounts of dough onto a cookie sheet the pop them into a preheated oven.

Some minutes later they are done. Nic ans golden brown and slightly domed. A little trick I do is once they come out of the oven I right away take two fingers and just slightly push he dome down a bit. It makes the cookies a little less pillowy and more chewy.

And then place them on a wire rack to cool.

In the meantime make the maple glaze. Mix maple and powdered sugar together until completely combined and is thick put still pourable.

Once cookies have cooled, drizzle on the maple glaze. And if you are feeling like it, add a little sprinkle situation. I added gold sparkly granulated sugar. It was a good idea.

As for the rest, you know what to do. Eat. share, eat some more. Do you.

-C

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Maple glazed sweet potato cookies

maskes about 20

• 2 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 reason baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup sweet potato mash

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/3 cup melted but cooled coconut oil

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (real shit please )

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1-2 teaspoons plant milk

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl mix together the sweet potato mash, brown sugar, and coconut oil. Once completely combined add in the vanilla and milk and mix.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix until combined and a dough forms. Scoop equal sized ball of dough and place on a baking sheet. The cookies will expand but not a lot. When the sheet is full, place into preheated oven and bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or unit they have puffed and turned a nice golden brown. Remove cookies from oven and very gently give each cookie a little smoosh, just to get rid of the dome. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

While cookies are cooling make glaze. Mix powdered sugar maple, and 1 teaspoon milk together until completely combined and glaze forms into a thick yet pourable consistency. If it is too thick add in a splash more of milk.

Once cookies are cooled, drizzle on maple glaze. And if you want, add a sprinkle situation before the glaze sets and hardens .

Eat.

Cookies will be good for about a week in an airtight container at room temperature. They also freeze amazingly.

Pumpkin Cranberry Poke cake

Instead of making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving I decided to leave the pies to someone else and went the cake route mostly because I have been wanting to make a poke cake for a while and this was as good a time as any.

When I told the mr I made a poke cake he had no idea what I was talking about, do you? A poke cake is exactly what it sounds like, a cake that had been poked. This cake that got poked was a simple but delicious pumpkin cake. Then all those poked holes got filled with cranberry sauce. and then frosted with a simple vanilla glaze situation.

A chunk of it was gobbled up within hours, the mr saying every time he ate a piece how good it was. I was trying to save at least half or it for family Thanksgiving but that didn’t happen. I ended up feeding it to a few more people. And they confirmed to me what I already knew…. It is delicious.

And now it is family Thanksgiving and I only have likes few pieces of the cake left…Good thing I have a brownie mix stashed somewhere in the pantry. Oops.

Now to the poke cake!

The stuff. Pumpkin puree, fresh cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Some brown sugar and white sugar. Flour, baking soda, salt. A neutral oil, apple cider vinegar, plant milk. And powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little vegan butter.

Start with making cake. Mix brown sugar, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, plant milk, and oil in a big bowl. Once mixed add in the flour, spices, baking soda and salt and mix until just incorporated.

Scoop batter into a well greased pan and pop into a preheated oven.

While cake is baking make the cranberry sauce. Cranberries go into pot with white sugar and some water. Bring the mixture to a boil then simmer for a few minutes until all the cranberries pop when stabbed. Remove from heat, let cool a minute, and then either with a hand held blender or regular blender, puree until semi smooth.

A gorgeous baked cake. Now let it cool a bit in the pan.

After cooling for a few minutes grab a wood spoon or something that has a dime size handle and well, poke a bunch of hole into the top of the cake. Go deep but not all the way through.

And now grab the craberry sauce and pour all over making sure the sauce goes into the holes.

And now for the frosting glaze situation. Just mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, plant butter, and a little plant milk together unit completely smooth. It should be the consistency of a really thick glaze.

Then pour/smooth the glaze on gently. And if you are feeling fancy, make a design with a little extra cranberry sauce.

Finished cake looking like a class act.

And then you eat it.

Have fun poking!

-C

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Pumpkin Cranberry Poke cake

makes a 10x10 cake

For cake

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 cup of neutral flavored oil

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 1/4 cup plant milk

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  For Cranberry sauce

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup water

  For Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl mix the brown sugar, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, oil, and plant milk together unit completely combined. Next add in the flour, all spices, salt, and baking soda until just completely incorporated. Grease a 10x10 baking pan and scoop batter in. Level off and pop into the oven. Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden brown, but start checking for doneness at around 30 minutes.

While cake is baking make the cranberry sauce. Cranberries, sugar and water go into a pot. Place on stove and bring to a boil and once its boiling turn heat down and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until all the cranberries are soft and pop when stabbed. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Then with either a hand blended or regular blended, bend until semi smooth. Some chunks are good.

Once cake comes out of oven and has had a chance to cool down a little, grab a wooden spoon or something with a similar sized handle and poke a bunch of holes all over the top of cake. Go down deep but not all the way to the bottom. Now grab cranberry sauce and pour it all over the top of cake making sure it fills in all the holes. Smooth out the extra on top. Set aside and let cool and set.

To make glaze just mix the powdered sugar, plant butter and milk, and vanilla together unit smooth.It should be the consistency of almost frosting but still thin enough to pour. If it is to thick add a tiny more milk. o thin, more sugar. Once the cake is cooled and the cranberry sauce has had a little time to set up on the cake, pour glaze all over cake. And if you are feeling fancy and have a little cranberry sauce left in the pot you can make a little pattern in the glaze.

And then that is it. You eat it.

Cake is fine in airtight container out at room temperature for a couple of days but after that should be stored in the fridge for up to a week but really, who makes a cake and doesn’t eat it all right away?

Beet Focaccia

This is me trying to get into the holiday spirit (and also trying to keep my kitchen warm. We have’t turned the heat on yet), but I think I might be thinking of the wrong holiday. Whatever. Pink bread can be spooky and Halloweenie right? And it really doesn’t even matter cause it is bread and pink and awesome so no holiday needed to eat it.

So this focaccia is pink because it is made with pureed beets and before you go and say anything, no it doesn’t really taste like beets. It tastes like amazing bread with a soft tender interior and a nice crispy crust that might have a very slight earthiness to it that only makes it better. It is simple and delicious and again, pink. That is it.

Now you want to make it and all you need is a few beets, flour, yeast, salt sand oil then you are good to go. What a nice little weekend baking project for the last few days of October. And if the pink bread creeps anyone out, well all the better!

Now to the beet focaccia.

The stuff. Roasted beets, flour, yeast. salt, water, and there should definitely be olive oil in this picture.. I don’t know where it went.

First, peel your roasted beets (or roast them and then peel them) The skin should come right off and a little left over skin is fine. Oh and make sure you eat left over skins. They are fanatic.

Now puree the skinned beets unite smooth.

Pureed beets and water go into a big bowl along with the yeast and get mixed around. Then add in flour and a little salt and mix until a shaggy dough is formed. Cover and left rise.

Risen dough.

Grease baking sheet and add a puddle of olive oil to the middle. Scrap dough into the oil and gently smoosh and push dough into pan. Cove and let rest for another 1/2 hour and preheat oven.

Once dough has rested, drizzle more oil on top and dimple the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle the top with some good salt and pop into the hot oven and bake for about half an hour.

Done!

Pink and pretty and all sorts of good. Focaccia at its finest!

Now cut it up and eat it!

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Beet Focaccia

makes a 9x13 inch loaf

• 4 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons yeast

• 1 cup pureed roasted beets (3-4 medium beets should do)

• 1 cup warm water

• 2-3 teaspoons salt

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

If you haven't roasted your beets yet, do that. Just toss beets on a sheet pan and stick into hot (like 450 degree) oven for about an hour until tender.

Start with beets. If still hot from roasting, wait until cooled and peel off skin. Place peeled beets into a blender and blend until smooth. You should get about a cup if puree. Any extra, well you got yourself a snack

Place the cup of beet puree into a large bowl along with the warm water and yeast. Mix until combined. Add in a teaspoon of salt and the flour. Mix until a shaggy and wet dough forms and there is not dry flour left. Scrap all the dough into a ball and then cover bowl with a bowl and place somewhere warm to rise for an hour, to an hour and a half (longer if your kitchen is cold)

Once dough has doubled in size, preheat oven to 425

Grab a 9x13 sheet pan and grease with a butter or shortening (this helps with sticking) them drizzle 2 tablespoon of olive oil in the middle. Scrap the dough into the oil oil puddle the with oiled fingers gently smoosh the dough into the pan. Cover again and le dough rest and poof up again for about 30 minutes.

The oven should be nice and hot and when you check the dough it should have poofed up a bit and spread little. Drizzle another tablespoon of oil on top of dough and with oiled fingers, dimple the dough. Press nearly to the bottom of the pan but be gentle about it to try and not knock all the air out. Once dimpled sprinkle the top with a teaspoon or two of good course or fishing salt and pop into the oven. Bake for about a 1/2 hour or until the top is starting to brown. Remove the bread from oven and let cool a few minutes in pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool some more. Or just cut into it warm and eat it.

Focaccia is best eaten within a day or two but freezes well.

Tomatillo Pumpkin and White Bean Stew

First off, I am not sure if this is technically a stew, or chili, or just a soup, but I think a stew so I am sticking to it.

Secondly, I don’t give a flying f%$# what it technically is because whatever it is is so freaking good!

Lets talk about this stew and whats in it. Me and tomatillos are having a thing right now and I can’t seem to get enough if them. They are bright and slightly sour, but also sweet with a bit of acidity, kind of like a unripe tomato but just better and taste fantastic. Then I got the pumpkin which is hardy and creamy and I will eat all day, everyday forever if I could. White beans which are also creamy and delicious, all in a pot with a good amount or cumin, some of this and that, cooked down to a delicious pot of stewed goodness.

And isn’t stew just he perfect food for a nice crisp fall day? 100% yes to that and yes to this stew. It will make you happy, smile, and full.

Now to the stew!

The stuff. Fresh Tomatillos, a pie pumpkin, cooked white beans, an onion, a jalapeño, a couple cloves or garlic, cumin, chili powder, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and fresh cilantro.

Start with dicing up the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Remove the seeds fro meh jalapeño to make is less hot.

Toss that stuff into a pot along with the cumin and chili powder, a pinch of salt, ans about a 1/2 cup of water. Place on stove on medium heat and start to cooke.

Husk, rinse, and halve tomatillos.

Once the onion and jalapeño mixture is cooked a bit like this…

Add in the tomatillos and enough water to submerge the all. Place back on stove on high heat.

Now dice up pumpkin into inch sized cubed.

Now add the pumpkin and the white beans into the pot. Bring the whole thing to a boil once more, then turn the heat down to low. Cook for about an hour to hour and a half, string once in a while, until its cooked down nice and thick.

It is ready.

Grab a bowl, fill it up, top with fresh cilantro, and get down on it.

P.S. This is now my new favorite food

-C

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Tomatillo Pumpkin and White Bean Stew

2-3 good hardy servings

• 20-22 tomatillos (about 3 1/2 cups after husked and halved)

• 1 small pie pumpkin (3 1/2 cups cubed pumpkin)

• 2 cups (or 1 can) cooked and drained while beans

• 1 yellow onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoons cumin

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

• 6-7 cups water

• salt and pepper

• fresh cilantro

Start by dicing up the onion into really small pieces. Mince the garlic and cut the jalapeño up into small pieces (remove seeds) while you are at it. Place the onions, garlic, jalapeño,cumin, chili powder, and a pinch of salt into a pot. Add in about 1/2 a cup of water and place on stove on medium heat and start to cook.

While that is cooking a bit, husk, rinse, and halve the tomatillos. When the onion and garlic mixture has cooked down a bit, add the tomatillos to the pot along with a couple of cups of water (enough to submerge the tomatillos). Place back on stove on high heat and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, dice up 3 1/2 cups of pumpkin (remove seeds and save for later and don’t peel pumpkin unless you really want to) into mouth sized cubes. Once diced up, add into the pot along with the with beans and vinegar. Add more water until everything is submerged (about 3-4 more cups) then bring pot back to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let cook for about an hour to an hour and a half, stirring on occasion, until the tomatillos have cooked and thickened, the pumpkin is nice and tender, and the whole stew is nice and well, stew like.

And once it is cooked, taste for seasoning (add more salt and pepper if needed). Then ladle into a bowl, toss on some fresh cilantro then dig in.

Left overs store well in fridge for about a week. Its easy to heat up but really, cold stew is amazing!