Can you believe we’re halfway through January already? Seems like just yesterday we were eating Christmas cookies and wishing each other Happy New Year. I do love the holiday season with the big family meals and celebration toasts and all the festive, fattening treats, but by the time we get to the New Year I am so ready to get back into a day-to-day routine, with normal meals and just the regular amount of chaos.
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If you too are ready for some Normal – or maybe Normal but Better – then you’re going to want to know about this amazing broccoli salad. Sounds kind of blah, right? Nah. This salad is surprisingly addictive, is perfect for make-ahead occasions, and gets even better a few days down the road. 

The Occasion: Pick one. Marinated Broccoli Salad will work for almost anything. Make a batch on Sunday and it’ll serve as a side dish for several family meals. (This recipe makes a lot.)

​Make it for a party or potluck. It’s best when made a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. It’ll keep and remain tasty for about a week, it just won’t look quite as pretty. 

The Recipe: The broccoli salad recipe comes to us from Foodie with Family, a blog that can be seen as “… an homage to all things food, family, and travel related.” Rebecca, the blogger, has a wide range of recipes and a special fondness for canning. Check it out!

What Makes it Special? The unexpected combo of broccoli and grapes simply works. The sweet/tangy dressing and pickled onions add some nice zing to the mix as well. 

Here’s a new release that’s got me dancing in the kitchen. It’s a classic Bob Marley and the Wailers tune reinterpreted as a house music track by DJs JUDE & FRANK. Give it a listen and see if you’re inspired to shake a tailfeather. 

Kitchen Tips: When it comes time to mix the salad ingredients together, I like to put on gloves and do it by hand. There’s a lot of stuff and you really want the mayo on top to get friendly with the vinegar and onions on the bottom. If you prefer to use a spoon, make sure you’re working in a large enough bowl (or aluminum foil pan) so you can dig in there with gusto.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: YUM. That is all. 

Marinated Broccoli Salad
Recipe Source: Foodie with Family
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium red onion
• 3/4 cup rice vinegar not seasoned
• 2 cups red or black seedless grapes
• 8 crowns broccoli
• 2  medium sized carrots
• 3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise (start with the smaller amount)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt or more to taste, divided
• Black pepper to taste 

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Cut the red onion into small dice and add them to the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt and pour the rice vinegar over the onions. Stir well and let them stand while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Cut the grapes in half; if they’re very large, cut them into quarters. Add them to the mixing bowl on top of the onions but do not stir yet.
• Cut the broccoli into bite sized florets – approximately the same size as the grapes. (Reserve the stems for another use, such as soup.) Add the broccoli into the bowl on top of the grapes, but do not stir yet.
• Grate the carrots and add to the bowl.
• Add the remaining ingredients and toss until everything is evenly combined and a thin dressing has formed from the rice vinegar and mayonnaise. If you want it creamier, add a little bit of mayonnaise at a time.
• Transfer to a tightly lidded container and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving but preferably overnight. Mix thoroughly before serving to re-distribute the dressing.
• Leftovers stored in a tightly lidded container in the refrigerator will last for at least 7 days.   

Fun Fact: Groundnuts = peanuts. Other aliases include monkey nuts, earthnuts, and goobers.

The Occasion: Cook a big pot of Groundnut Stew on the weekend and ride the Leftovers Train for a few lunches and dinners during the week. This stew tastes even better when it sits a while. 

The Recipe: Did you ever watch the TV show Top Chef? I followed along religiously during the earlier seasons and one of my favorite contestants was Carla Hall, the tall, vivacious runner-up in Season 5. This is her recipe for Groundnut Stew. Wow, if the rest of her recipes are this good I’ll soon become a regular visitor to her website – check it out!

What Makes it Special? This dish rings the bell for several reasons.

A) It’s always nice to have a few gluten-free and vegan-friendly recipes in your hip pocket.

B) It is AMAZINGLY delicious. No, seriously, everyone who has taken a bite has declared “OMG this is so good!” With their mouths full. Gross but flattering in a weird way. What can I say. 
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C) You can make it a couple days ahead of time. Super handy at party time or when planning around your family’s busy schedules.

Kitchen Tips:

• There are a LOT of ingredients to prep in advance for this recipe. Definitely assemble your mise en place in advance.
• The quantity as written seems a bit skimpy. You may have to double or triple the recipe based on how many at your table and what else will be served.
• In Carla’s original recipe the dish is more soup-like. I wanted a firmer stew that could be served on a plate vs a bowl. Both approaches have merit and taste delicious.
• Obviously, this is a nutty dish. There are nuts involved. Peanut butter in the stew itself and chopped peanuts as a garnish on top. They are central to the endeavor. No reasonable substitute can be made.
• IMO the garnishes are a MUST for this dish. Do not skip them! Chopped herbs, chopped peanuts, and a little splash of lime. Mmmmm.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: This is not the prettiest dish, and my photos do not do justice to the stew either. Please take my word for it that this is a truly delicious and healthy meal. Kids love it, adults love it, carnivores devour it quite happily, and vegetarians/vegans are usually pretty thankful to find such a satisfying dish on the menu. Give it a try yourself and let me know what you think!

Groundnut Stew
Recipe source: Carla Hall, From Cooking With Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
• 1/4 habanero chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, plus more if you like
• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 15-ounce can small red beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, cumin, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has lightly browned and caramelized a little, about 3 minutes. 
• Add the bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Don’t let the mix burn!
• Add the tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the habanero. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Stir in the sweet potato and raise the heat to medium. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes, then stir in the beans. 
• Transfer 1/2 cup liquid from the pan to a small bowl. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth, then add the peanut butter mixture back into the pan. Resist the urge to just throw the peanut butter straight into the soup; it doesn’t work!
• Stir in the pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste.
• At this point, the soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; otherwise, return the soup to a simmer, then remove and discard the bay leaf. When ready to serve, garnish with the peanuts, parsley, and mint. Serve with the lime wedges.