Spicy Vegetable Stew With Coconut Food

COCONUT CURRY VEGETABLE STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden.
• Add the carrots, potatoes, and 2 cups water, and bring to a slow boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are about half tender.
• Add the cauliflower, simmer sauce, optional chiles, ginger, and coconut milk. Return to a simmer; add the green beans or asparagus. Continue to simmer gently, covered, until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes longer.
• Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to thicken the base. Stir in the spinach and cilantro and cook just until the spinach is wilted. The stew should have a thick consistency, with just enough liquid to warrant serving in bowls rather than on a plate.
• Serve at once. Garnish each serving with extra cilantro. Adjust the liquid with water or plant-based milk as the stew stands and thickens, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

LENTIL STEW WITH COCONUT AND MADRAS CURRY

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, madras curry, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften, about 1 minute. Add the parsnips, sweet potatoes and red lentils and cook until warm, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the lentils are cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute more. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with the Fresno chile, fresh mint and a lime wedge. Serve with grilled naan if desired.

COCONUT CURRIED VEGETABLE STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil, broth, or water in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden. Add the carrots, potatoes, and 2 cups water and bring to a rapid simmer. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are about half tender.
• Add the cauliflower, ginger, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, chili peppers (if desired), and coconut milk. Return to a simmer; add the green beans or asparagus. Continue to simmer gently, covered, until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes longer.
• Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to thicken the stew's base. Stir in the spinach and cilantro and cook just until the spinach is wilted. The stew should have a thick consistency, with just enough liquid to warrant serving it in bowls rather than on a plate. Adjust the liquid with water or nondairy milk, keeping in mind that as the stew stands, it will thicken. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

SPICED CHICKPEA STEW WITH COCONUT AND TURMERIC

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent and starts to brown a little at the edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle and fry a bit in the spices and oil, until they've started to break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove about a cup of chickpeas and set aside for garnish.
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, further crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides. (This will help thicken the stew.) Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has thickened, 30 to 35 minutes. (Taste a chickpea or two, not just the liquid, to make sure they have simmered long enough to be as delicious as possible.) If after 30 to 35 minutes, you want the stew a bit thicker, keep simmering until you've reached your desired consistency. Determining perfect stew thickness is a personal journey!
• Add greens and stir, making sure they're submerged in the liquid. Cook until they wilt and soften, 3 to 7 minutes, depending on what you're using. (Swiss chard and spinach will wilt and soften much faster than kale or collard greens.) Season again with salt and pepper.
• Divide among bowls and top with mint, reserved chickpeas, a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes and a good drizzle of olive oil. Serve alongside yogurt and toasted pita if using; dust the yogurt with turmeric if you'd like.

INDIAN SUMMER STEW: BUTTERNUT SQUASH, COCONUT, AND LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Rinse the pigeon peas in a couple changes of water.
• In a large soup pot, combine the squash, drained pigeon peas, tomato, coconut, turmeric, cumin, and enough stock to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
• To temper: In a small skillet, warm the canola oil until shimmering. Add the mustard seeds and when they stop popping, add the red pepper flakes, garlic, and salt. Swirl the skillet so the contents cook evenly, and cook another 10 seconds. Then pour the contents of the skillet into the soup, along with the salt. Spoon a ladleful of soup back into the skillet (it will sizzle, be careful!), and pour back into the soup pot. Finish with the honey, lime juice, and cilantro. Adjust the seasonings, to taste, and enjoy a little Indian summer in the middle of your winter!

SPICY PEANUT STEW WITH GINGER AND TOMATO

Steps:

• In a colander, toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt; set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain well and set aside. In a small bowl, combine cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne; set aside.
• In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and fry, stirring often, until soft, crisp and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shallots to a large bowl, leaving oil in pot. Raise heat to high and add eggplant. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and just tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with shallots.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add ginger and chilies and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds more. Add onion and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Add diced tomatoes, stock or water, eggplant, shallots and a sprinkling of salt. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Place peanut butter in a medium bowl, add one or two ladlefuls of hot soup, and stir until emulsified, then pour mixture back into soup.
• Reduce heat to a simmer, add zucchini, cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Let cool slightly and taste; add salt if necessary. Serve in bowls with rice, garnished with cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts, if desired.

SPICY BEEF VEGETABLE STEW

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, 5-10 minutes, breaking meat into crumbles; drain. , Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the vegetables are tender.