Senegalese Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 teaspoons african curry powder
3 cups vegetable stock
1-1/2 cup soy or coconut cream
salt and black pepper, to taste
coconut yogurt

Cook the onion in the butter and add the carrots. Saute for a few minutes and add the curry powder followed by the stock. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender.

Transfer soup to a blender along with the cream, salt, and pepper, and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan and simmer, thinning with stock as needed.

Top with a dollop of yogurt before serving.

Southern Style Corn Grits

Ingredients:

2 cups water
3/4 cup corn grits
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (or more, to taste)
1/2 cup cashew cream

Stir water, grits, and bay leaf in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until it simmers. Stir in salt, butter, and nutritional yeast followed by the cream. Continue to cook until grits are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Kale and Red Quinoa Salad with Sesame

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red quinoa
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 lb kale, chopped
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Cook the quinoa and set aside to cool.

Combine the dressing ingredients and massage into the kale. Toss with the onion and quinoa and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Sesame Soba Noodles with Bok Choy

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon sriracha
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
sesame oil, to taste

6 ounces soba noodles
6 heads baby bok choy
2 green onion, sliced
a pinch of white pepper
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
cilantro, chopped

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Boil the soba noodles and toss with the sauce. Set aside.

Stir fry the bok choy. Add the white part of the green onion and a pinch of white pepper.

Arrange the bok choy over the noodles or stir it in along with the peanuts and cilantro.

Creole Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

2 cups black eyed peas
1 teaspoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon old bay seasoning
2 tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup tomato sauce
vegetable stock
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
salt, to taste

Soak black eyed peas and set aside.

Cook onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in oil and add the seasonings followed by the tomatoes. Bring to simmer and add the peas and stock. Cover and cook until peas are tender. Add the hot sauce, liquid smoke and salt.

Serve with corn grits or long grain rice.