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Gumbo with Mogettes de Vendée (v)
Cajun food, starring the humble Vendée mogette As a long-time expat and having lived many places, multi-cultural meals are a normal part of what I cook. Secretly I think it’s one of the reasons my husband is fond of me. 😉 We enjoy an international kitchen! It’s inspiring to prepare something that you know will evoke a memory, or certain flavors on the palete, that represents somewhere you’ve been on holiday or have lived for a while. In fact. Gumbo is a perfect example of migration and the merging of cultures, combined with what is available locally, to create something entirely different and exciting. According to scholars, the dish originates in the 18th century and is first described in the early 19th (1802). The word likely knows its origin in Africa and refers to the okra vegetable which acts as a thickening agent. Gumbo is a type of stew that …
Springtime coral lentil soup (v)
Healthy and refreshing Cool mornings and warm afternoons can be a bit of a puzzle when it comes to figuring out what to eat. It’s too warm for hearty winter fare yet, too cold for summer food. If you’re the go-to cook at your house, you know the happy medium can be frustrating to achieve. Well, here’s a wonderful little recipe to the rescue: this coral (or red) lentil soup will warm your bones and give you a taste of summer all in one healthy bowl-full. The secret ingredient? Lemon!Ingredients and preparation – springtime coral lentil soup (vegetarian) 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped 1 large carrot, chopped small 1/3 cup of finely chopped bell pepper (paprika) – trio (red, green, yellow) 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika …
Chickpeas and Kale (v)
In the Kale-for-Winter post I had already described how I typically stock up on this healthy treat before winter by blanching in broth and freezing for soups and stews. This vegetarian (or vegan with just a small change) recipe is an example where I use one of my ‘treasure packages’. I call them that because I love this ‘green gold’ that much. Kale is a superfood with many health benefits. Like Popeye and his spinach, I feel stronger when I consume it. This is where my work before winter pays off because this recipe is so tasty and easy to make, and all I have to do to finish it is to drop one of my kale-frozen-in-broth packages into the pot at the very end. If you really don’t like kale, another potent green vegetable will work too, including spinach. This is not a chickpea stew, nor is it a …
Pumpkin Tart (v)
Pumpkin pie … Just one of the things to look forward to each year for Thanksgiving for 24 years of my life! Along with sweet potato pie and my sister-in-law’s wonderful squash casserole. Yummy! But guess what. My husband HATES any of these things. It’s decidedly un-American. So… this year I have devised my very own recipe for a pumpkin pie. It’s more tart than pie, so I’m calling it a pumpkin tart. Listen. You don’t have to try it. But I challenge you to. The test-kitchen for this recipe happened to be at my mother’s house. My mother who also doesn’t like pumpkin pie. I’ll tell you what was left of this 4-person pie after it came out of the oven… 1 wedge. One. Which is how I know it’s as delicious to eat hot or cold. I can’t wait to serve it my pumpkin tart to my husband, …