Sweet & Spicy Peanut Soup - VEGAN

So...VeggieBee was here for Christmas and I wanted to cook her something vegan since she focuses on eating vegan food at home.  I was searching for recipes on the sofa with The Robinator and as I was flipping through this one list, he saw this recipe and declared that he used to have peanut soup at this hotel he used to stay in for work before me and that he hadn't had any since.  As he looked at me with puppy dog eyes...I knew I'd be making peanut soup even though I'd never had it.

onefromphilly has attempted to get me to have things such as vegan cheese, etc. and well...she hasn't been successful.  I don't like oxymorons as it relates to my food.  LOL!  As I read the ingredients, however, I perked up because it sounded DELICIOUS!  And man!  Once it got going the aroma was sooooooooooooooooo awesome!  If you don't have an immersion blender, simply allow it to cool well enough to transfer to a blender and puree.  It's worth it.  I promise.  If all vegan foods tastes like this I'm going to be a tad bit more open to vegan foods from now on! 

Do YOU eat any vegan dishes?  What do you like?  What do you NOT like that's vegan so I  know to steer clear?  LOL!

Sweet & Spicy Peanut Soup 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
• 1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• One 14.5 oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 2/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrots and cook, stirring, until the veggies soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in sweet potato, stock, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Add the peanut butter and honey. Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in two batches and return the soup to the pot. Serve warm garnished with scallions.

Southern Comfort Cake Recipe!

18-1/2 oz. yellow cake mix
3-1/4 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup Southern Comfort
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I prefer walnuts.)

Glaze: 
4 T. Butter 
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Southern Comfort

This is a super easy one bowl cake recipe that I've been making since I was tall enough to use the hand mixer and see into the bowl.  LOL!  It's truly delicious.  I've used both regular yellow cake mix and gluten-free yellow cake mix and it's delicious either way.  

Combine cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat at a medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch tube or 12-cup bundt pan. Bake at 325ºF for 1 hour. Carefully invert on rack and cool for about 30 minutes.  Place a plate under cake and cooling rack and prick top repeatedly with toothpick.  

To make glaze, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Southern Comfort.

Brush with glaze.  If you lose a lot of glaze and it drips to the plate, remove that plate and add another plate.  Use the glaze from the first plate to continue coating the cake. 

IF YOU WANT TO...sift 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar over cake.  For Christmas time it's really pretty.  You can use cookie cutters to make snowflake designs if you'd like.  Just set the cutter on the cake lightly and hit the sifter once or twice over cutter and repeat.

I send these to Robby's office in Plain Cake Boxes which I buy from Michael's (Remember...never, ever, EVER go to Michael's without visiting their website first for a coupon.  They usually have one of those FABULOUS 40% off coupons and you can just show it to them on your phone!).  I also buy the 10 inch cake rounds to put the cake on before putting it in the box.  I think I get 10 in a pack for like $4.  I also print recipe cards with the recipe printed on them for him to put next to the cake in the event anyone wants to make it at home.  It's usually a MAJOR hit! 

Fire Cider

4 oz Apple Cider

2 oz Fireball whiskey

1 apple slice sprinkled with cinnamon

Warm apple cider and whiskey. (I did it in microwave.)  Add apple slice.  Fancy people add a cinnamon stick for presentation.  I didn't need all that.  *HICCUP*

Call me in the morning to discuss cuz we won't discuss anything productive tonight.  Blame my friends.  They are lushes who make me try stuff I've never tried before and it's always, ALWAYS delicious!  GO ME!

I'm perfecting it so I can impress my brother when he gets here next week.  LOL!  Yup...this is simply RESEARCH!  *HICCUP*

Ms. Linda's Sweet Potato Pie

Peel & slice 2 large sweet potatoes or enough to equal 2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes.
Boil until done. Add the following:

1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees until brown - about 1 hour. 
 

Be sure the center of the pie is done. Let cool before cutting.

HIDE ONE OF THESE FOR YOURSELF.  YOU'LL BE MAD IF YOU DON'T.  TRUST ME.  

Oh...and don't EVER mix this up with a pumpkin pie.  There's sweet potato pie and there's that other pie that isn't allowed in my home because...NO.

Creamy Creole Red Beans

It's no secret that I LURVE red beans and rice.  But only mine.  LOL!  I'm far too critical of other people's red beans and rice so I don't even try them.  I know...bad Mingo...BAD!

But my beans are pretty dang delish.  If you've ever had them...you know this for sure. 

Here is my recipe for each pound of beans you're cooking:

1 lb red beans (Rinse and sort beans and then START SOAKING IN WATER THE MORNING BEFORE THE DAY YOU COOK THEM!  The gas needs to expel.  Look for white fluffy stuff on top of the water.)

1 ham bone or 1 lb ham hocks (This is why you save the bone with the difficult to cut meat on it from the Christmas ham...just wrap it good in foil and put in a ziploc freezer bag!  When I don't have one I use ham hocks.)

1 - 2 lbs sausage (sliced and browned)

1 yellow onion

1 bell pepper

5 stalks of celery

3 cloves of garlic minced

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of thyme

9 cups of chicken broth (I use Herbox chicken granules http://www.hormelfoods.com/Brands/BrandWall/Herb-Ox-bouillon)

I season the beans while they are soaking in the water.

Salt and pepper (black and cayenne) to taste  *NOTE!  I DON'T PUT IN SALT UNTIL THE VERY END AS YOU NEVER KNOW HOW SALTY THE HAM HOCK WILL BE!  WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR LAST "TASTE" ADJUST SALT THEN...YOU PROBABLY WON'T NEED ANY!

In olive oil, saute diced onion, celery, garlic and bell pepper for about 10 minutes.  Add thyme, bay leaves,  black and cayenne pepper.  Add beans, broth, and ham hocks/bone.

Bring to boil uncovered. Add sausage.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.  YES...I SAID TWO HOURS!  The best cooking is done slooooooooooooooow!

After two hours, remove ham bone and put on plate.  Then, scoop out about 1/2 cup of beansand mash them up.  Carve meat off bone into bite sized pieces.  Put meat ONLY back in pot.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Bring to another low boil and stir mashed beans in well making sure they don't stick to bottom of pot.  Lower temperature and simmer on low, covered, for 20 minutes.  This makes the beans creamy.

Serve over brown rice.  Oh yeah...they will be muuuuuuuuuuch better tomorrow!  LOL!

SMOOCHES!

P.S.  For non-pork eaters...I guess you can use smoked turkey...but I wouldn't know cuz I use pork...the pig ain't never done nuttin to me!  I eat it "from the rooter to the tooter!"