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Jollof Stewed Okra
Red Enchilada Sauce
Making a really good red enchilada sauce is an extremely rewarding and messy procedure. Seeing that I order enchiladas at least once a week, I couldn’t go on any longer without paying tribute to this amazing comfort food. When I have my cravings I almost always choose green sauce. However, when my mom sent me…
Jamaican Red Beans and Rice with Okra
This spin on the classic American Southern recipe for red beans and rice incorporates two key ingredients to give it a Jamaican edge … Scotch bonnet pepper and allspice. I was inspired to cook with okra more often after watching countless African home chefs on YouTube, so this recipe seemed okra-appropriate. Many thanks to Ghanian…
Smoked Tomato Soup with Roasted Eggplant
This tomato soup gives you a good reason to fire up a small grill during the cooler seasons. It captures all sorts of hearty, tomatoey goodness by grilling tomatoes over mesquite chips and sautéeing a tomato paste base over the stovetop. There are only few ingredients to this recipe, but there are a lot of…
Spinach Artichoke “Pesto” with Goat Cheese
This easy “pesto” was born on a day when I was craving spinach artichoke dip, but was really not in the mood for the cream cheese and heavy cream in practically every recipe I could find. So, I took a healthier & lighter approach with fewer ingredients and arrived at this pesto-like mixture (omitting the…
Cucumber Salad with Chili-and-Garlic-Oil
The marinade from this cucumber salad can be applied to any vegetable you prefer, but I’ve found that it works most amazingly with cucumbers due to their absorbent nature. A tangy edge is introduced from fresh lemon juice and if you’re not familiar with freshly ground coriander – which I hear is actually seeds of…
Jollof Rice – Vegan Style
After obsessing over countless Jollof Rice recipes from African cooks on YouTube, I have arrived at this recipe which follows more of a Ghanian method. There is an ongoing culinary debate about how Jollof Rice is prepared between countries; for example Ghanian uses basmati rice and a has lighter, fluffier texture. Nigerian recipes use long…
Coleslaw with Sriracha-Ginger “Vinaigrette”
If you’re in the mood for coleslaw without mayonnaise and enjoy a spicy edge, then consider this vegan alternative featuring Sriracha sauce and grated ginger. I uses the term “vinaigrette” loosely because lemon juice is the acidic stand-in for vinegar this coleslaw recipe, and like most vegetable marinades this side dish gets better as it…
Black-Eyed Pea Dip with Roasted Garlic
Put down the hummus and consider this faster-cooking black-eyed pea dip to impress any vegan and/or Southern/Soul food aficionados you may be cooking for. Roasting garlic is a crucial step you certainly don’t want to skip, as it takes only 20 minutes and ideal to be done in a toaster oven. Once the peas are…