1 prepared vegan pie crust, regular, graham cracker, or oreo
Instructions
Melt the chocolate. I do this in the microwave for this recipe, in 10 second intervals, stirring between. You may even need to decrease that as it gets close.
Add drained tofu (no need to press) to food processor or blender and blend briefly.
Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. If it won’t mix or won’t get smooth add another tablespoon of milk.
This ended up being even more delicious than I thought it would be! It’s a little spicy, a little tangy, and a lot of comforting.
I only used 2 sweet potatoes, but they were HUGE (image below next to a standard box grater and 6 inch (blade) knife for comparison). You may need 4 or so if they are more regular sized.
Ingredients
1 onion, diced 1.5 tbs ginger, grated 1 ½ tsp garlic, minced 2 tsp cumin 2 lbs or so of sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 tsp crushed red pepper 2 cans tomato paste 1 cup smooth peanut butter 8 cups vegetable broth 1 bunch kale, stems removed and coarsely chopped Salt 1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Rice prepared your favorite way Hot sauce if desired
Process
You can use an instant pot for this, or go with a stock pot. I have directions below for both.
Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger for 2-3 minutes.
Add cumin and sweet potatoes and continue to sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Add tomato paste, vegetable broth, and peanut butter. At this point, if you are using an Instant Pot, pressure cook for 10 minutes, allow to depressurize for 10 minutes and then release if not already done. If you are using your a stock pot, bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft.
Once the potatoes are done, use an immersion blender or mixer to mash the potatoes to your desired level of smoothness. Add the kale and allow it to simmer another 10 minutes while you finish up your accompaniments. Salt to taste.
Serve with rice, chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, hot sauce, and some homemade garlic sourdough bread if you happen to have it handy (ha!).
While I have your attention, I would like to start today’s post by saying that, while I don’t post much on this page about social or political issues, food is, in and of itself, a political issue. Food security is tightly wound with our societal responses to race and socio-economics. When we are sitting in positions of privilege, we need to consider how food insecurity threatens the lives and wellbeing of others in very real ways. While this can occur for individuals of all races, there are disproportionate effects on some. Access to fresh, healthy, and adequate food is a basic human right.
To read more about this, check out this backgrounder from Food First and all of the work they have been doing related to the food movement and food justice. To learn more about ways you can help combat food insecurity, organizations like Food First, Feeding America, Food Not Bombs, and local food banks and food security funds offer much good information.
And now, if you dropped by only for a recipe:
Asparagus with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients 1 lb. asparagus (thinner is better) 1 TBSP olive oil sea salt 1 TBSP sesame oil 4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 TBSP jarred minced garlic) 1 tsp of ginger, minced (or 1.5 tsp of jarred minced ginger) 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 TBSP soy sauce (use wheat-free tamari for gluten-free) 1/2 tsp hot chili oil (if desired) water
Process Remove and discard bottom inch or two of each asparagus stalk. Place asparagus in iced water and swish to clean. Repeat until no more sand comes from the stalks.
Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, and sprinkle with minced garlic and sea salt. Toss or turn so that all stalks are completely covered with oil, and then spread out on a baking sheet.
Roast at 450, stirring/flipping asparagus occasionally, until it starts to brown (about 15 min for thin stalks).
Mix remaining ingredients well, and add enough water so that it becomes spreadable/pourable (I added about 3 Tbsp here and could have added more). Place asparagus on serving dish and drizzle or spread with sauce.
