Weekend of Cooking

I don't really have anything exciting to report from this long, cold, holiday weekend. I would say that most of the weekend was taken up with things related to our various house projects and with cooking.

On the home project side we finally ordered the appliances we need which was a long process as we needed cooktops and wall ovens that fit in the current cut outs. We also had an insulator come by to get together a price quote for us so we can get the attic insulated as soon as we get our new roof. The insulator tried to be nice but basically the small amount of vermiculite in our attic is apparently like having no insulation at all. Hopefully when we get up to R40 our heating bill will go down! He said the upstairs apartment would be noticeably warmer which our tenants should appreciate!

Now for those of you with an interest in food and cooking I did a ton of cooking this weekend. I made bread for the first time in a long time. I made Rice Bread which as the name implies has rice baked in which gives it a very subtle sweet flavor. I love warm, crusty homemade bread and I was motivated as I wanted to prove to myself that I deserve a fancy new oven. I also made a couple kinds of banana muffins since I had some over ripe bananas that needed to be used.

However, for your enjoyment I have to recommend the Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew from Vegan Planet cookbook. It was AMAZING although I have to say that most things I've made from that cookbook are really good. It's probably my favorite cookbook and in a little bit I'm going to make the Wheat Meat Stroganoff recipe for dinner which is delicious as well.

Here is the Sweet Potato/Peanut Stew recipe for those of you who like to cook:
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar or natural sweetner
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
One 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

1. Heat olive oil in 1 green bell pepper and garlic, cover and cook until softened. Stir in brown sugar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat. Stir in tomatoes, vegetable stock and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer until vegetables are soft (about 30 minutes).
2. About 10 minutes before cooking time ends, stir in the kidney beans and simmer until heated through.
3. Place the peanut butter in a small bowl and blend in about 1/4 cup of the broth, stirring until smooth, then stir into the stew.
4. If a thicker consistency is desired, puree 1 cup of the stew in a blender or food processor and stir back into the pot.
5. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and serve over rice or couscous.