Spicy Peanut Stew with Rice by Running On Real Food

Hey Guys! I have a special treat for you today- a guest post from one of my favourite blogging friends- Deryn from Running On Real Food! I love reading Deryn's blog and seeing + making her healthy vegan recipes. Her health and wellness tips are well written, positive and always inspire me. This is her first time here on Edible Sound Bites and I’m very honoured to have her post on the blog.

So please give it up for my ultra-talented friend Deryn from Running On Real Food. Take it away...

Hey, guys! I am so happy to be here today on one of my favourite blogs, Edible Sound Bites! Jennifer and I have been blogger buddies for a while now and I just love her site, her delicious recipes and the amazing photography that goes along with them!  

To introduce myself, my name is Deryn and I blog over at Running on Real Food. I post about health, wellness and fitness, as well as share simple, vegan recipes. I was lucky enough to have Jenn guest post for me back in November and she totally spoiled us with these incredible Vegan No-Bake Pumpkin Tarts. They were a huge hit with my readers, super easy to make, packed with nutrition and absolutely delicious. Like I said, spoiled.

Today I’m sharing a recipe for a satisfying and comforting Spicy Peanut Stew with Rice. This recipe is an adaption from the Soul-Soothing African Peanut Stew recipe in the Oh She Glows cookbook. I’m sure most of you have at least heard of Oh She Glows, if not already own her cookbook. Her book is a well-used favourite in my kitchen and at least one of her wonderful, wholesome recipes makes its way in to my meal plan each week. You can find the original stew recipe here and plenty of other great recipes on her blog at OhSheGlows.com.

Her recipe had to be adjusted at my house since my husband doesn’t like sweet potato. Ya, the nerve, right? So sweet potato is out but rice and carrots are in, and peanut butter is of course, sticking around. The thing I love about this recipe is I almost always have everything on had to make it, plus it’s a perfect recipe to make ahead as it’s even better the next day! It freezes well too, so try making a batch on the weekend and portioning it out for grab-n-go lunches.

It’s easy to stay on track with healthy eating when you keep your pantry stocked with staples like some of the ingredients in this recipe. A well-stocked pantry plus a weekly meal plan will set you up for success week-to-week, as well as save you time and money. Plus, if you eat a plant-based diet like I do, it really helps to be prepared with healthy snacks and the ingredients needed to make nutritious meals. Whole food, healthy eating really doesn’t have to be complicated and even the simplest vegan meals can be packed with flavour, just like this amazing stew!

Thanks so much for having me here today, Jenn! And a big thanks to Angela Liddon of Oh She Glows for the recipe inspiration. Enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Stew with Rice

by Jennifer Trennum

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Keywords: saute entree main dish lunch soup/stew gluten-free grain-free vegan vegetarian protein soy-free bell peppers carrots chickpeas tomatoes

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Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (add another ¼ tsp to go extra spicy!)
• ½ tsp black pepper, or more to taste
• ¼ tsp sea salt, or more to taste
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 x 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• ¾ cup jasmine rice
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 6 cups lightly packed, fresh baby spinach
• 1 x 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the garlic, ginger and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring.

Add the spices and tomato paste and sauté a few more minutes.

Add everything else except for the lime, spinach and chickpeas. Stir well to combine.

Simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice and vegetables are cooked.

Stir in the lime, spinach and chickpeas and simmer for a few more minutes until the spinach is completely mixed in.

Serve with fresh cilantro.

To learn more about Deryn, visit her blog runningonrealfood.com. She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs, is and avid CrossFitter, believes balance is the key to achieving a long-lasting, healthy lifestyle and loves to share her knowledge of health and fitness with her readers. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Wow I feel like I haven't posted anything in a really long time. I had a few posts planned but despite all of my good intentions it just wasn't meant to be. Oy! But that's ok, because today I baked you a cake!

And not just any cake. A mighty fine looking Gluten-Free Carrot Cake.

Just in the nick of time for Easter.

Now before I jump right into this post, I think it's been a while since we last chatted. So hang on for just a quick few with me.

First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you to all of your incredibly kind and sweet comments on my recipes and photography. It means so much to me! I'm thrilled you're digging the recipes. I'm hoping to do a bit of site redesign soon but that's still a little ways off, so I'll keep you posted.

Back in January I was contacted again by Low Sugar Living magazine to be featured in their Spring issue. Seeing my photography+recipes in a printed magazine never gets old!

I hope to do more freelance work as the blog continues to grow. It would be incredible if I could turn this into something with a real income, but I'm still trying very much to make it all work. And of course my first passion is to find my dream career in audio+film+music.

Okay, now let's eat cake!

I must say this is quite possibly one of the best recipes I have created for the blog. I know that is saying a lot but I think it just might be true. It's definitely in the top 5 anyway. And it doesn't matter if you're gluten-free or not. You are going to love this cake!

It's not entirely clean, but hey it is cake and it is important to allow yourself some treats every now and then. If you would like to make this a bit healthier I would definitely recommend using this Maple Cashew Cream Frosting I posted a few weeks ago. This frosting is also a great option if you can't tolerate dairy. But for the rest of us this cake is totally going to get covered in browned butter cream cheese frosting. 

The texture of this cake is so moist and dense, which I think you can probably tell by the photos. The anticipation to eat this was killing me!

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: about 1 hour

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
(Serves 8-12)

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 2 1/2 cups raw carrots, finely grated (about 1 pound)
• 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (such as Bob's Red Mill GF All-Purpose Baking Flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, sucanat, coconut sugar or pure cane sugar
• 1 cup sunflower oil (or coconut oil)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Optional toppings: toasted coconut, walnuts or pepitas

For the Frosting

• 1 sticks (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 8 oz light cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For the Cake

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease and flour two 6 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.

Peel and finely grate the carrots, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, beat the eggs until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until the batter is thick and throughly combined. With the mixer running, add the oil in a steady stream, then add in the vanilla and mix until well emulsified, about 45 seconds to 1 minute longer. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined. With a rubber spatula fold in the grated carrots.

Distribute batter evenly between the pans and bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the surface springs back when gently touched. Remove from oven and let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack and discard parchment paper. Cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

Melt the butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally until the butter turns lightly golden-brown, about 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let stand until the solids settle at the bottom of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Place the bowl in the freezer and chill until just firm, about 15 minutes. Using a spoon, carefully scrape the butter from bowl, leaving the browned solids at the bottom; discard the solids. Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar (do this on low speed) and mix until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.

To Assemble

Place one cake layer on a cake stand or large flat serving plate. Evenly spread a layer of the frosting over the top of the cake. Gently place second cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake to seal and fill in any gaps between layers. Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill and firm up the frosting. Finish icing the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting using an offset spatula. Top with toasted coconut and nuts if desired.

Notes

The cake may need less or more baking time depending on the heat of your oven.

Refrigerate. Serve cake at room temperature or slightly chilled.

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If you do make this (and you will if you know what's good for you ;) please take a photo to share and tag it with #ediblesoundbites. I'd love to see it!

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter weekend!