Thai Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew

Hello my darlings! I'd like to take just a quick minute to encourage you to help kickstart Home Grown Food Products! Home Grown Food Products (HGFP) is a small-scale, intentional food processing business making all natural, holistically healthy food products for the benefit of their community. They are located in McMinnville, Oregon, a town of over 32,000 residents in the lush Yamhill River Valley, approximately 35 miles southwest of Portland. HGFP is operated by just a handful of environmentally-friendly stewards of the earth, one from my hometown of Palmer, Alaska! They have until December 30th to reach their Kickstarter goal. See their Kickstarter page here. Even if it's just one dollar, it's the small contributions that add up to make the difference! Feel good this Christmas by helping out a local, small-scale, healthy food company with integrity.

So, go do it! Then, make this delicious Thai Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew. When Todd and I first started removing animal products from our lives, this was one of the first things we made and we loved it! It's pretty quick and very hands off. I'm so excited to share it with you!

This stew is thick, and filling. It's sweet and hearty and has a wonderful Thai influence. I really like to use red lentils because they cook so quickly. They also happen to be the most nutritious of lentils and the prettiest too! 

Thai Lentil & Sweet Potato Stew

Serves 6

• 4-6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled and diced
• 15 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 2/3 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. lemongrass paste (optional)
• sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 small green cabbage head (or half a large one), chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

--Notes-- Using brown or green lentils will significantly lengthen the cooking time. Dice the sweet potato fairly small, to ensure a shorter cooking time. 

In a large soup pot, bring the vegetable broth, lentils and sweet potatoes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, uncovered and stirring occasionally or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are cooked. The lentils should not be hard, yet, the sweet potatoes should still hold their shape.

Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes and coconut milk.

In a large frying pan over low, heat the coconut oil. Then add in the turmeric, lemongrass, ginger and red pepper flakes. Saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Now, add in the garlic, onion and cabbage. Saute for about 10 minutes, or until the cabbage is limp and cooked through. 

Add the cabbage mixture to the lentil and sweet potato mixture and stir to combine. At this point, if you want a thinner soup, feel free to add more coconut milk or water. 

Serve hot and garnished with a liberal amount of cilantro.

Listening to The Head And The Heart – Down in the Valley

[yumprint-recipe id='51']Adapted from Pinch of Yum

The Best Vegan Eggnog

Todd (in the loft): "What's that cacklin' down there?"Me (in the kitchen): "Heh heh...heee heeeee!" Todd: "You're suuuper excited about something...you remind me of Jacob the Bat Mitzvah Boy,  from SNL." Me: *massive grin and laboured breathing from over-excitement* "You'll see!"

  Meet Jacob here. Especially frames at 1:08, 1:37, 2:08 and 2:40.

You'll never drink eggnog from a carton again. This is so easy to throw together and is totally incomparable to the store bought variety. Quick, simple, no risk for salmonella poisoning, whole foods and no sugar added, you really can't go wrong. Plus, it's incredibly delicious! Why have anything else!? You really have to make this, I cannot get over it!

It's shocking, disturbing and downright upsetting that I haven't been making this my entire life. I can't wait to bring this homemade, vegan eggnog to our upcoming holiday parties!

The Best Vegan Eggnog

Makes about 14 (1/2 cup) servings

• 3/4-1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 30 minutes 
• 2 cups fresh water
• 1 15 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk
• 6 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 tsp. Kahlua or vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. spiced rum (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum (optional)

--Notes--   Don't you dare use pre-ground nutmeg. It's a complete travesty! Ill be watching! Just like Santa... For a thicker eggnog, use 1 cup of cashews. For a thinner version use 3/4 cup.  The spiced rum is optional. Three tablespoons is barely, barely noticeable. Adjust to your preference.  The xanthan gum will give the eggnog a super duper thick, smooth and creamy texture. Omit if you prefer your eggnog thinner. 

Place the cashews in medium bowl. Cover completely with boiling water and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes. When the time is up, drain and rinse the cashews then place in a high-speed blender. 

Add in the fresh water and blend with the cashews on high for about 2 minutes or until very well blended and smooth. 

Now, add in the remaining ingredients and blend on high again  for another two minutes or until the dates are completely blended.

I have no preference as to the temperature of my eggnog, but Todd likes his chilled. Serve at whatever temperature you fancy. Be sure to consume within a few days. Because of the whole food quality, this will not keep like cartoned eggnog.

Stir before serving if being chilled. Garnish with additional freshly grated nutmeg.

Middle child. Only girl. Listening to Gin Wigmore – Black Sheep

[yumprint-recipe id='50']Adapted from The Chalkboard

Easy Herbed Garlic Bread

Any medical people out there? I had the worst exam of my life today. It was so bad. On so many different levels. The ARRT is going to come and revoke my licenses. They are going to rip them right off the wall and smash them to pieces on the ground in front of me. Then...they are going to decapitate me. Yes. It's true. So, if you don't hear from me in the coming weeks, it's because I was decapitated. And I deserved it. Though I plead technology difficulties! After work, I bought some Coconut Bliss ice cream (treat yo' self!) and sniffled on the couch while contemplating my utter incompetence. I can be a bit of a perfectionist, at times. 

Moving on from my gruesome and inevitable death, when we were down in Ohio, one of Todd's sisters had made us some garlic bread. Todd was instantly addicted. We got the recipe, brought it back home and it stayed safe and sound in my sock drawer. I understand that makes no sense. But, that's what happened.

Anyways, in the move it got lost and so Todd took it upon himself to find a recipe and make us some garlic bread. He's always in charge of the garlic bread making. So this time he did the cooking!

Crispy, soft and warm herbed garlic bread. This is about as easy and quick as it gets. 

Easy Herbed Garlic Bread

Inspired by Todd's sister

Makes 1 loaf

• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano 
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• sprinkle of ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large loaf of fresh Italian bread
• slathering of vegan butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Add all ingredients except the bread and butter into a small saucepan. Saute over low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the garlic has cooked. 

Slice the bread in half horizontally and butter one half. Spread the garlic and herb mixture on the other half.

Put the bread pieces back together and wrap with foil. Bake on the middle rack at 350 F for 5 minutes. Then, open the foil and continue to bake for another 5 minutes. 

Remove from the foil and serve in warm slices. 

We ate this with some scrumptious pasta last night! 

Listening to The Lumineers – Charlie Boy

[yumprint-recipe id='49']Adapted from Ina Garten