Tomato Peanut Stew

If you love hearty, spicy soups and stews, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this. Deep, nutty, spicy, vegan, filling and full of heart-healthy fats and fiber, this is something I crave a lot. As with most soups and stews, it’s just as good the second day. My favorite way to eat this is with a scoop of brown rice. Quinoa is great too. You can up the protein content of the meal by grilling tofu, chicken, fish or shrimp to go alongside.

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Tomato Peanut Stew
Adapted from Peanut Stew with Spinach & Miso (pg 100) in Super Natural Simple by Heidi Swanson

Note: Get to know your curry paste. The recipe that I adapted this from calls for 3 tablespoons. I used that amount the first time I made this and it was extremely spicy. Curry pastes can vary quite a bit in heat. The brand I use (pictured below) runs on the hotter side. Of course, personal preference plays a huge role too! When it doubt, start small and you can always add. This recipe, as written, delivers a modest amount of heat.

Glug of extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
3 medium carrots, diced
1/2 tablespoon red curry paste
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (NOT strained)
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon white miso
10 oz frozen spinach, chopped
Brown rice or quinoa, to serve

In a large stock pot, heat a glug of olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and sea salt. Sauté for a few minutes, then add the carrots and sauté for a couple minutes longer. Put in the curry paste and peanut butter and quickly stir, followed by the whole can of diced tomatoes (juices and all). Add the water, bring to a gentle boil, and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

To add the miso, spoon somewhere between 1/2 and 1 cup of stew into a small bowl and fully incorporate the miso before adding it back to the whole pot. This will prevent clumps in your finished stew. (Use this same process if you’d like to add more red curry paste.)

Finish by adding the chopped frozen spinach and simmering for a few more minutes. I usually microwave my spinach on a plate for 1 minute to soften it just enough to make it easy to chop.

Serve with a scoop of brown rice or quinoa, or whatever grain you’d like (if you like!).

Serves 4-6

Mustard Vinaigrette

I’m reposting a recipe that I originally posted almost 5 years ago to reflect how I make it now, which is much easier and more scalable. The original recipe called for thinly slicing and pasting 3 garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle, which certainly isn’t insurmountable, but it’s one of those semi-laborious steps that often stops us from making something despite our best intentions. In my current version, I make a double batch of the original recipe, throw everything into a high-speed blender, let the machine blend it into creamy oblivion, and then pour it into a 32oz mason jar that will keep in the fridge for a good while.

The main benefit of having a tasty vinaigrette ready to go in your fridge is self-evident: you’ll likely eat more salads. And, like all recipes, when you make something at home, you get to control the quality of the ingredients. Even the healthy store-bought vinaigrettes use gums and stabilizers, as well as other oils besides olive oil.

I also use raw apple cider vinegar in this recipe to amp up the health benefits. There is evidence that apple cider vinegar may help regulate blood sugar and support weight loss. And it’s incredibly tasty here.

The olive oil will solidify a bit in the fridge, so I usually spoon out the vinaigrette that I want into a small bowl and microwave it for 10 seconds. If I have more time and I’m still cooking, I’ll set the bowl near the stove to warm naturally.

I hope you enjoy!

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Mustard Vinaigrette
Adapted from the mustard vinaigrette recipe (pg 41) in Cook This Now by Melissa Clark

Special equipment:
High-speed blender

6 medium garlic cloves
Rounded tablespoon sea salt
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend it up! This stores well in a 32oz mason jar in the refrigerator.

Homemade Sushi

This isn’t a recipe, more of an idea. But it’s one that my kids really enjoy so I thought it was worth posting. It’s made 100% from pantry and freezer staples. For the time it takes to boil a small pot of rice and a bag of frozen edamame (in a separate pot), you get an interactive and nutritious meal. White rice and tamari bring the fun, while seaweed, edamame and black sesame seeds bring the nutrition.

There’s no rolling here, just put everything out on the table and let kids (and/or adults) make “taco-style” sushi rolls. I got this idea from my friend Lidya and found it very liberating that I can serve sushi to my kids without needing to know how to professionally roll it.

There’s plenty of nutrition here. Seaweed is rich in a number of vitamins and minerals including B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B9 (folate), iron and magnesium. Black sesame seeds are full of healthy fats, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. And edamame provide protein, folate, calcium and iron, among other things.

If your kids like this, and if you have some add-ins that your family really enjoys, please let me know!

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Homemade Sushi

Seaweed
Cooked white rice
Black sesame seeds
Cooked frozen edamame
Tamari or soy sauce
Optional add-ins: avocado, cucumber, grilled & finely chopped extra-firm tofu, left-over cooked salmon

Put everything on the table and let your kids have fun :)