West African Black-Eyed Peas & Bulgur

This was inspired by my favorite dish at Cookry, the West African restaurant in Des Moines. My version isn't nearly as butter-laden, and I'm far too lazy to make rice, but it was delicious over cracked wheat.

1 heaping tablespoon Earth Balance
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 small leek, thinly sliced
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained
1 can finely diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

1/2 cup cracked wheat
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 vegetable bouillon cube


Melt the Earth Balance in a heavy-bottomed large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the spices, garlic and leek and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until fragrant and golden. Add the black-eyed peas, tomatoes, 1/2 of the bouillon cube, nutritional yeast, water and coconut milk and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, put the cracket wheat, water and the other half of the bouillon cube into a smaller saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the bulgur has softened.

To serve, spoon the black-eyed pea mixture over the bulgur. Eat with grilled plantains.

Hearty Vegetable-Barley Soup

I threw this together last night because I needed something easy and filling; when I ladled it out into bowls, my boy happily sighed: "I love this kind of soup!" Which just goes to show you that sometimes the simplest food can be the best.

1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 potato (preferably Viking Purple), diced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup pearled barley
1/3 cup red lentils (optional)
1 veg bouillon cube
2 cans of water
1 bay leaf
1 small dried chipotle pepper (optional)
1 tsp white miso (optional)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the leeks, garlic and carrots, and saute for a few minutes, or until everything begins to brown. Add the tomatoes, potato, beans, barley, lentils, bouillon cube, water, bay leaf and chipotle pepper and mix well. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Turn the heat down to low. Remove the bay leaf and chipotle pepper and stir in the miso until dissolved.

Note: I got Viking Purple potatoes at our farmer's market. I don't normally care for white potatoes, but these are wonderfully creamy and have an almost velvety texture.

Butternut Curry w/ Sweet Potato Leaves

I got the inspiration for this from a library book on African cuisine. The book included a recipe for pumpkin curry, which reminded me of all the times I had spicy, savory, coconutty pumpkin curry for lunch in Thailand. I was surprised at how easy it was to nail this recipe in one. Truly delicious.

1 medium butternut squash, seeds removed, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
6-8 oz. sweet potato leaves (or spinach)
1 cup green beans, cut into small pieces (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 drizzle olive oil
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, cardamom & garam masala
1/2 tsp red curry paste
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 tsp peanut butter
2 tsp tamarind paste (or lime juice)
1-1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp white miso

Arrange the squash cubes on a baking sheet and spray generously with canola oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cubes are tender. Meanwhile, steam the green bean pieces. Remove the squash from the oven.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, spices and red curry paste. Stir until the garlic is well coated. Cook for a minute or two, just until fragrant. Add the squash cubes, green beans and coconut milk and lower the heat to a simmer. Whisk the peanut butter, tamarind paste, soy sauce and miso together, then add to the pot along with the water. Stir well to dissolve everything. Add the sweet potato leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the leaves are wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Autumn EquiDetox Soup

This soup is light, nourishing and packed with antioxidants and vitamins to help clear out toxins and ward off autumn chill.

1 tsp olive oil
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 small winter squash, diced (butternut or delicata)
2 cups summer squash, ribboned
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 dried chipotle pepper
3 cups water
1 vegan bouillon cube
1 small apple, diced
1/3 cup uncooked barley
1/4 tsp garam masala


Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, diced squash and carrot slices. Saute for 5 minutes, or until browned. Add the water, bouillon cube, tomatoes, chipotle pepper, apple and barley and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, add the garam masala, and cook for 40 minutes, or until the barley are chewy and the squash is tender.