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Africa


North African Lentil Stew

This North African lentil stew features a flavorful base of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs to which a generous amount of lentils and spinach are added and cooked through. An easy one-pot meal for cold days!


4 servings


Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 2 Roma tomatoes diced into 1/4 inch dice

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 2 tablespoons parsley chopped

  • 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon allspice

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 3 cups vegetable stock or water

  • 1 cup red lentils

  • 5 cups fresh spinach leaves loosely packed


Directions

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil until soft and golden. I recommend using a Dutch oven if you have one and get it good and hot before adding the onion and garlic. Don't rush through this by turning up the heat. The garlic should not be brown as it will make the stew bitter.

  2. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and keep sautéing until the tomatoes release all the water. Keep cooking until most of their water is evaporated.

  3. Now, add the herbs and spices and sauté for a couple more minutes until it begins to look like a thick paste. Then add the stock and bring to a boil.

  4. Once it boils, add the lentils and cover your pot.

  5. Cook the lentils for about fifteen minutes until they start to soften, and then add spinach to the pot.

  6. Continue cooking for ten more minutes until the spinach is wilted and the lentils are tender and fully softened.

  7. Garnish with the remaining herbs, and then taste and adjust for salt before serving hot.


TIPS FOR THE BEST VEGAN LENTIL STEW

  • You can use a cup of canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.

  • Fresh spinach can be substituted with frozen, thawed spinach.

  • Use orange lentils or brown lentils if that is what you have on hand.

  • Add extra broth to make this a lentil soup instead. Both the soup and stew are delightful.

  • You may wish to have coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper for seasoning at the table.

  • Garnish with slices of fresh lemon. The lemon juice will add a little brightness to the dish.



 


Ye'abesha Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)

Ingredients

  • 10 ounce Collard Greens/Kale chopped

  • 3 or more tablespoons Niter Ethiopian Spiced Butter or cooking oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ginger minced

  • 2 teaspoon garlic minced

  • 1 large white onion chopped

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cardamom spice

  • 1 teaspoon coriander/cumin

  • 1-2 Fresh Chili peppers or 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste

  • 1 fresh lemon


Directions

  1. In a large skillet, add oil, spiced butter, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, cumin, cardamom, and paprika, then sauté for about 30 seconds or more. Be careful not to let the ingredients burn.

  2. Add onions, mix with the spices. Sauté for about 3-5

  3. Throw in chopped collards, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. Continue cooking for another 7-10 minutes until flavors have blended and greens are cooked, according to preference. Adjust Seasonings (salt and pepper) to taste.

  4. Remove from heat and let it cool.


 


Kelewele Recipe (Ghana – Spicy Fried Plantains)

Kelewele (pronounced Kay-lay-way-lay) is a popular Ghanaian dish made with fried plantains seasoned with spices. It is often served with rice and bean stew or alone as a vegetarian dessert or snack.


6 Servings


Ingredients:

  • 4-6 plantains (ripe but not past ripe, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes)

  • 1-2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper or ½ teaspoon of red-pepper

  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger root peeled and grated

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • Palm oil or vegetable oil to fry


Directions

  1. Mix grated ginger root, pepper, and salt in water.

  2. Toss plantains and spice mixture together in a bowl.

  3. Using a deep skillet, heat oil (it needs to be deep enough to allow plantains to float) to 350 degrees. Fry plantains, turning once, until golden brown on both sides.

  4. Drain plantains on paper towels and keep in a warm oven until all the plantains are fried.


*Tip: Don’t fry them all at once; they should not touch each other while frying.



 


Pineapple Ginger Juice

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 4 ounce ginger chopped

  • 7 cups hot water

  • 1-2 cups fresh pineapple juice

  • Juice of a freshly squeezed lime


Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, mix ginger and hot water. Let it sit for about an hour or more. Using a cheesecloth or fine sieve, drain the water and set aside.

  2. In a medium bowl bring the 2 cups of water and sugar to a boil.

  3. Simmer until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool.

  4. Combine ginger water, juice, and simple syrup. Stir and serve

over ice.



 


Easy Lime Cake

Ingredients


CAKE


  • 1 standard size package white or vanilla cake mix

  • 1 cup vegan lime yogurt or sour cream (not fat free)

  • 1/2 cup oil

  • 4 eggs or egg replacer

  • 1 tablespoon lime peel zested

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice


GLAZE


  • 2 cups powdered sugar (add more if you want a thicker glaze)

  • 3 tablespoons vegan butter melted

  • 3-4 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1-2 tablespoons almond milk (more or less depending on consistency you want)

  • Pinch of salt


INSTRUCTIONS


  1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan or 10-inch fluted tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. Dust with flour.

  2. BEAT cake mix, yogurt or sour cream, oil, egg replacer mix, lime juice, and lime peel in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute or until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

  3. BAKE 40 - 44 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

  4. MIX powdered sugar, melted butter, lime juice, milk, and butter with a whisk in a large bowl. Once combined, spoon over the Bundt cake. If desired, garnish with additional lime peel zest.

  5. Enjoy!



 


Chakalaka

Chakalaka- a refreshing spicy tomato bean relish that will provoke your taste bud.


Ingredients


  • 1/4 cup cooking oil

  • 1 medium onion diced

  • 1-2 teaspoon curry powder

  • 2 teaspoons garlic minced

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ginger minced

  • 1-2 tomatoes

  • 3-4 cups sliced cabbage

  • 1 -2 Chili peppers diced (seeds removed for less heat)

  • 1 large carrot grated on the large side or sliced thinly

  • 1 medium green pepper diced

  • 1 medium red pepper diced

  • 1 14 ounce baked beans

  • 1 teaspoons bouillon powder optional


Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.

  2. Add onion and cook for a minute or two.

  3. Stir in all the spices: garlic, ginger, smoked paprika, curry, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Continue stirring for about a minute to let the flavors bloom. Then add tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and cabbage.

  4. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burns.

  5. Finally, add baked beans and bouillon powder. Stirring occasionally, continue cooking for about 2-3 minutes.

  6. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve warm.



 


East African Chapati Recipe 

East African Chapati is a beautiful unleavened flat Bread eaten in East Africa in Countries like Burundi, Uganda, Mozambique, and Kenya. What I like about this bread is how soft it is and how it goes along with a lot of meals.

4.72 from 60 votes


Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus a little more flour for kneading

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 3 Tablespoons oil

  • 1¼ cups water


Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and oil in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the water to form a soft and sticky dough.

  2. Turn to a floured surface. Knead for about 10 to 15 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl. Cover and let it rest in a warm place for about 20 to 30 minutes.

  3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll each piece into a circle. You can cook the Chapatis at this point. However, if you want a flaky and well-layered chapati, move on with the rest of the steps below.

  4. Lightly brush the rolled out chapati with some oil and roll it as you would roll up a mat. At this point, it should be like a rope. Then roll the ”rope” to form a coil. Pull the tip towards the center of the coil and tuck it in using your index finger. Cover it up with a damp towel and leave it to rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.

  5. Flour your work surface again and start rolling out each of the coiled dough to about an 1/8th thickness (the dough will eventually shrink up to about 1/4-1/2 inch thickness).

  6. Preheat a non-stick pan or a heavy bottom skillet. Place the chapati on inside the pan and leave it to cook for a few seconds before disturbing it. 

  7. Brush the surface of the chapati with a very thin layer of oil. Once you begin to see bubbles rise on top of the chapati, flip it over to the other side and brush it also with a thin layer of oil.

  8. Continue to flip over about one or two more times until you achieve your desired brownness. Serve hot or warm. Enjoy with your favorite dish.

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