peanut-yam soup

Recently, I attended a potluck where this was far and away the star dish. Everyone, myself included, raved about it. The chef confessed it was from a Moosewood cookbook, and I immediately went online to look for it and attempt to replicate it.

I ate leftovers of it today for both lunch and dinner and I'm still excited about it.

Anyway, here's the recipe. It's a little messy to make but totally worth it. And it makes a lot so you can freeze some for later. Or just bring it all to a potluck and show up everyone else.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot (you can peel ginger with the back of a spoon, if you had not already learned that from the Food Network!) 
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 cups chopped sweet potatoes (up to 1 cup white potatoes can be substituted)
• 4 cups vegetable stock or 4 cups water (I used half stock and half water, cuz I ran out of vegetable stock. It was fine)
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional... I used honey)
• 1 cup chopped scallions or 1 cup chives  (I didn't use these)

 So... first cut everything. I tried to cut it as I went along and it ended up a little chaotic. Then start sauteeing the onions in the bottom of your soup pot for a few minutes. Then add the cayenne and ginger. Then add the carrots and sautee for a few MORE minutes. Then add the sweet potatoes (and regular potatoes if you are using them) and the stock or water and bring everything to a boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Then blend all of that with the tomato juice with a food processor or immersion blender if you have one, or with a shitty regular blender if you are like me.

Ugh it looks disgusting in this phase. It gets better, I swear!

After it's blended, put it back in the soup pot and stir in the peanut butter. Taste it and add sugar or honey if you think it needs it. (I did.)

Then eat it because it will be so delicious!! Oh yeah and the recipe called for topping it with fresh chopped chives or scallions, but I had it that way at the potluck and I personally feel like it's better without them. But you can add them if you think you will like them.

Mmmm!

Seriously, I know I said the other spicy sweet potato soup recipe was the best soup ever, but I think this is the NEW best soup ever until further notice.

peanut butter swirl brownies

I got it into my head that I really wanted to make peanut butter swirl brownies, but for some reason I either found really elaborate recipes that called for melting down baker's chocolate, or really basic recipes that started with a box of brownie mix. I had neither baker's chocolate nor brownie mix on hand and I didn't want to go out and buy anything since I was confident I already had the makings of peanut butter brownies on hand. I ended up combining this recipe and this recipe and they turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself.

Brownie batter:

• 1/2 cup butter (I used Smart Balance)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Peanut butter filling:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (again, I used Smart Balance)
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (I used white sugar and it was fine)
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Then, in one bowl, first mix all the wet ingredients for the brownie batter, and then add the dry ingredients. Set them aside and mix up the peanut butter filling. Then grease an 8x8 pan and fill it about halfway with brownie batter. Drop in several spoonfuls of peanut butter filling and swirl it around with a butter knife or something. Don't get TOO swirly or it will just blend together. Then pour the rest of the brownie batter over this, and then the rest of the peanut butter filling in spoonfuls and swirl it again. Bake it for like 20 minutes. Or until they're done.

Swirls!

veggie peanut noodles!

My friend Amanda taught me how to make this sauce and my friend Stephanie taught me how to make noodle stir fry with ramen noodles. But I was the one who combined them!! This recipe is sooo good and pretty easy. But it feels so fancy to make your own sauce!

Peanut sauce ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup-ish water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ginger (the sugar and the ginger are optional & to taste. You could also try some garlic powder or whatever suits your fancy)

 

Put everything except the water in a bowl and stir it. Stir in the water a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you want.

 

Saucy! Make this first and set aside. OR, buy some pre-made sauce and skip that part of the recipe.

Noodle stir fry ingredients:

Some vegetables. I used 1 carrot, 1 onion, and 2 little peppers. Broccoli would be good but it's really expensive in the DR.

2 eggs (optional. Meat could also be optional here, I guess)

2 packets of ramen noodles (any flavor--you won't use the seasoning packet)

5 cloves of garlic, or a few spoonfuls of pre-minced garlic

Sesame oil (sesame oil is a little expensive but I must emphasize how totally delicious it is. If you must, you could use a different type of oil here).

I forgot to put the eggs in the picture, but y'all know what those look like, right?

Hey, maybe the reason Roland hasn't posted much at CB the last few years is that he's been busy building an oil empire!

Anyway, cut all the veggies up into bite size pieces. Mince the garlic.

 

Now! The timing here is a liiittle tricky, but not too bad. Put a pot of water on to boil. Then, start stir-frying the vegetables and garlic in some sesame oil. When the water starts to boil, put the noodles in. Don't cook them all the way! Leave them in the water for about a minute and take them out. (Throw the seasoning packets away unless you are super super thrifty and have some alternate use for ramen seasoning. I don't.) Meanwhile, crack the eggs into the veggies and scramble them in, and then dump the peanut sauce over it.

 

Mmm, almost ready! OK, after the noodles have been in for a minute-ish, take them out with a slotted spoon (or drain them) and toss them over the veggie-egg-sauce mixture. Stir fry the noodles in with everything else for a few more minutes.

Mmm-mmm good!! This serves 2 Renatas. It might serve three light eaters.