In other delicious fall news...

For some reason I'm crazy excited about fall this year. I can't wait for the leaves to change, and I like the feeling of the weather ever so slowly getting cooler.

Yesterday, I kicked of my fall fitness fanaticism, where I did an hour of yoga and then swam for 45 minutes. The results? Every muscle in my body hurts, and I have a cold. I'm going to power through though. I will conquer the aching muscles.

To reward myself, I dug out Smed's delicious African Yam Stew recipe. This is absolutely one of my favorite recipes, and I'm going to make it tonight (yummmm). I thought you guys might love it.

Says Smed:
This is based on a recipe called "Pea Chop (Peanut and Chicken Stew)
(Africa)" from the "Peanuts" section of Jeff Smith's "The Frugal
Gourmet Cooks American." In his blurb, he explains why this is
relevent to put in a book about American cooking. Good enough.
Unfortunately, he doesn't say where in Africa the recipe came from, so
I can't vouch for its authenticity since even he doesn't. Therefore, I
feel no remorse at all in tweaking the recipe to make it vegan and add
yams and potatoes and peppers and whatever else catches my whim. (And
if you know me, you know that my cooking style is very whim-based, and
thus it's a challenge for me to actually write down a recipe. But
then, if you know me, you also know that I love a challenge.)

Serves 6 hungry people.

Ingredients:

1 box "So Soya" defatted soy protein (or you could use a pound of
tofu, or some tempeh, or TVP, or your favorite beans; some kinda
protein)
1/2 - 3/4 c crunchy peanut butter
1 - 2 quarts vegetable broth
2 large yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 medium potatoes, cleaned and chopped into chunks
other vegetables to your taste; I recommend bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms
fresh hot peppers to your taste, diced; I used Hungarian wax,
jalapeno, and Thai chilies from Clio and Andy's garden (if you can't
get fresh peppers, use a small can of jalapenos, or use less than the
whole can if you're timid; you can always put the rest of the can out
on the table for people to add to their own taste)
dill, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to your taste
(especially salt)
enough rice to satisfy the number of people you're serving
4 - 5 bananas, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 - 2 T vegetable oil (or use butter if you're not vegan)
1/2 - 3/4 c chopped peanuts
1 can pineapple chunks
4 oz shredded coconut
Preparation:

If using So Soya or TVP: heat 4 cups of veggie broth to near-boiling,
and pour over the So Soya or TVP. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Cut the yams and potatoes (and other vegetables) into chunks. If you
are pressed for time, microwave the yams, potatoes, and carrots for 5
minutes or so to soften them -- not to mushiness, just till they cut
easily with a spoon.

Stir 1/2 c or so of broth into the peanut butter and mix well.

Put the So Soya (or other protein thang), the vegetables, the peanut
sauce, and some more broth into a large soup pot. Add finely chopped
hot peppers, salt, dill, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, etc. Bring to a
near-boil, then simmer for at least half an hour. (You'll need an hour
or more if you've not pre-softened the potatoes et al.) If you want it
thicker, add some water to cornstarch in a separate bowl and add to
the stew. Start with 3 T cornstarch and 1/2 c water. Get all the lumps
out, then stir quickly into the stew.

While the stew is simmering, toast the coconut on a cookie sheet at
375 degrees until just turning golden. Don't burn it! This goes
quickly; keep an eye on it.

Also while the stew is simmering, sautee the bananas in vegetable oil
(peanut oil if you have it), or use butter if you're not vegan.

To serve:

Serve this stew buffet style. Each person puts some rice down on their
plate, then stew on top of that, then bananas, pineapple, chopped
peanuts, and toasted coconut. I also put out some extra diced hot
peppers for those who like it really hot!