Jerk (or Curry) Veggies!

Guess who's back?!?!  I missed ya'll!!! I really did!!!

Where have I been? Where did I go? What happened?? Life happened :)
That's the past and we're now moving forward!

And I never stopped cooking ;)

So, I have set a new goal for myself, to blog on Mondays! Which works because I normally cook on Sundays and/or Mondays. And now that the Blogger app is working again (yea that was an issue) I can carve out the time for myself. There will be a new post every Monday!!!!!

Here we go!

Per several Facebook requests, here is my jerk(curry) veggie recipe. I put curry in parentheses because you can make the same recipe with either and it turns out yummy.
   

Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced (can also use the ginger in the tube, add another 1/2 tbsp)
1 tsp coriander
3 tbsp jerk seasoning (you can use curry instead)
4 thyme sprigs
1 can chopped tomatoes (look for low-sodium)
3 tbsp honey
2 low-sodium vegetable stock cubes, crumbled (I have used one before and it turned out well)
4 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped

Before you dive in, let's chat a little about the sweet potatoes. You can take one of three approaches:

1. Roast them in the oven so that they get tender. - If you want a precise way to handle things then I recommend this version. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes into cubes. Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with coconut oil. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the sweet potatoes out evenly. Roast sweet potatoes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Now your sweet potatoes are ready!

2. Boil them whole, let them cool, peel, and then cube them. This is the method I use. - Fill the pot about half full (you will need just enough water to cover the sweet potatoes). Bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes. Cover the pan and cook sweet potatoes for 10 to 12 minutes or until just tender on the outside but resistant in the center when pierced with a knife. You do not want to cook them all the way through as if you are making a pie because they will get mushy when you peel and cut them. I don't recommend you peel and cube them, and then boil them because they will get soft very quickly.

3. Cook them as the other ingredients cook. - You can peel and cube the sweet potatoes and add them after you saute the diced onion. The catch is, you will have to wait for them to cook to your preference. So choose your method wisely.

Directions:

In a dutch oven or medium sized pot, heat the coconut oil. Add the roughly chopped onion, ginger, coriander, and jerk (or curry) seasoning. Mix these ingredients together well. Stir in the thyme, chopped tomatoes, honey and stock cubes with 600ml water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 mins. Stir in the beans, peppers and some seasoning, and simmer for another 5 mins. Lastly add the cooked sweet potatoes. 

If you choose to cook the sweet potatoes using method 3 noted above (after you add the chopped onion, ginger, coriander, and jerk (or curry) seasoning) - Stir in the thyme, chopped tomatoes, honey and stock cubes with 600ml water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 mins, then drop in the sweet potatoes and simmer for 10 mins more. Stir in the beans, peppers and some seasoning, and simmer for another 5 mins until the potatoes are almost tender. 

Sorry if this seems a little complicated but I wanted to give you the big picture. And some options on how you prepare things. I have added a little more honey to taste. And this dish pairs WELL with fish and chicken. It's become one of my favorite dishes :)

Okay, let me know if you make it and how it turns out!!

And look out for another post on Monday May 16th!!!!!

Salud!!!