Sweet Potato Soup with African Spices, Sweet Potato Leaves & Chickpeas (Vegan)

Inspired by the rare find of sweet potato leaves at our local farmer's market, this warmly spiced, slightly nutty vegan soup combines African spices with potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, sweet potato leaves, red peppers and chickpeas. Both hearty and light, a little peanut butter highlights the nuttiness of the chickpeas and greens and adds a touch of creaminess to a warm tomato broth spiced with harissa, sumac, cumin, and chili. 

Sweet potato leaves look like this:

They have a faintly nutty taste and are best used in soups or stews.  They aren't easy to find, however, so feel free to substitute spinach or your favorite greens in this soup recipe.  (If you use spinach, you'll want to adjust the cooking time and add it right at the end of the cooking.)

Sweet Potato Soup with African Spices, Sweet Potatoes Leaves & Chickpeas:

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced small

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp harissa 

1 tsp sumac

1 TBS ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 carrot, diced

1 sweet potato, diced

1/4 red pepper, diced

1 zucchini, diced

32 fl oz vegetable broth

2 TBS peanut butter

1 TBS tomato paste

7 oz tomatoes, petite diced

1 cup sweet potato leaves, chopped (or spinach or other greens)

7 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed

10 olives, chopped

1 tsp chili-garlic paste

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the diced onions.  Cook for 3 minutes, stir well and add the minced garlic.  Cook for 1 minute and add the harissa, sumac, cumin, and coriander. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds. Add the diced carrot and potato, stir, and cover.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add the sweet potato and red pepper. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Add the zucchini, cover, and cook 2 more minutes.  Uncover and add the vegetable broth. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and add the peanut butter. Stir until the peanut butter is dissolved. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, and sweet potato leaves (or other greens - if using spinach, don't add it until the last 2 minutes of cooking) and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chili paste, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning.Turn off the heat and finish with the chopped cilantro.

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Brassicas, Souffl�s & Okra: Single Subject Cookbooks

Brassicas: Cooking the World's Healthiest Vegetables 
Remember when people hated broccoli? And Brussels sprouts? And kale and collard greens were something only Southerners ate, but that was about it. Happily the brassicas which also include bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, mizuna and tatsoi are in vogue. But if you only know a few ways to cook those glorious cruciferous greens, you should check out this book. The recipes sound like dishes you�d find on a trendy menu� Kimchi Pancakes, Moroccan Turnip and Chickpea Braise, Smoky Kale Salad with Toasted Almonds and Eggs. While it's a shame this book didn't come out in the Fall, that is my only quibble with it.



The French Cook: Souffl�s
I love souffl�s. I just need the encouragement and reminder to make them more frequently. That is the role of Greg Patent aka The Baking Wizard, who offers up sound advice regarding the importance of separating whites and yolks, the freshness of eggs, the use of salt and sugar and the most crucial question of all, when are the whites beaten enough? As a chronic overbeater, this is something I desperately need to learn.  From savory to sweet to frozen, there are recipes for 2, 4-6 and 8-10 so for just about any occasion. If you�ve only ever had a cheese or chocolate souffl�, try your hand at the Spinach and Mushroom Souffl�, Fresh Apricot and St. Germain Souffl� or Meyer Lemon Souffl�.

Okra: A Savor the South� Cookbook
A whole cookbook on okra? Yes! This book takes on a vegetable that some love and others don�t. But seasoned chef and all around charmer, Virginia Willis can do magic with okra, frying it crisp, turning it into gumbo and also shares African, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Indian recipes for this odd vegetable. This book is a must for okra lovers, but also those, like me who don�t have a clue how to prepare it. I bought some okra just the other day and plan on making the West African Chicken Stew with Okra and Peanuts as well as the Limpin� Susan, with rice, okra and bacon. When tomatoes are in season I want to try the Old School Okra and Tomatoes.



Disclaimer: These book were provided to me as review copies. This post includes Amazon affiliate links. 

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Off The Grid Fort Mason, 2014

I�ve been going to Off The Grid, the street food event at Fort Mason since it first began, five years ago. Each year the event grows and evolves. Early on there was a mostly Asian theme that linked all the vendors and there were just a handful of food trucks relegated to a small section of the parking lot, now it�s really spreading its wings. 

So what�s new this year? There is no theme as there has been in some previous years, and the food is a little more approachable, perhaps a little less adventurous. But it�s still pretty darn delicious. Also this year? A DJ before and after the live music begins, arcade style games and extended hours (5-11pm). Here�s an inside tip, if you can�t deal with crowds, arrive between 5 and 6:30 pm before it gets too jam-packed. 

I got a chance to check out a number of the new vendors and some of the new food from returning vendors. Here are some my top picks:

Nora Spanish Cuisine featured a savory paella with pancetta, bacon and chicken. It's a great dish for sharing. 

This is just a sample of the shrimp taco done nacho style from The Taco Guys. Plump juicy perfectly cooked spicy shrimp are offset by cool and creamy avocado. If the taco tastes like the nachos, I�m in! 

From Il Pipila, Guadalupe Guerrero�s nopales sope was bright a fresh tasting, very herbal and earthy. This is a specialty from Guanajuato, by the way.

Drewski�s fried macaroni and cheese bacon balls were ooey gooey comfort food, reimagined. 

While sadly the Hapa SF truck has ceased operation, Jeepney Guy�s deep fried kettle pork is destined to become a new classic. It�s basically a riff on Filipino lechon. 

I�m a big fan of Casey�s Pizza. While normally I would never choose pepperoni, Casey�s is made by Zoe�s Meats in Petaluma and is outstanding. It's spicy and dry and makes this pizza something special. 

New this year is a roaming beer cart from Magnolia. I recommend the Oysterhead Stout. 

The Boneyard is offering Texas style brisket and pulled pork. I wrote about The Boneyard for 7x7 last year. 

Looking for something sweet to nibble on while waiting for your turn at skeeball or shuffleboard? You might want to try some Sugar and Spun cotton candy in flavors such as li hing or matcha green tea. A little too sweet for me! 

Another sweet treat that�s messy but not a bad choice if you�re willing to share, is the Johnny Doughnuts version of a Cronut, the CroDo with layers of flaky dough and a pastry cream filling. Next time I think I�ll try the lime mascarpone bismark�.

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Bite-Sized Spinach & Cheese Frittatas

These bite-sized spinach and cheese frittatas are ideal for picnics, parties, and lunch boxes.  Protein-packed and seasonally green, enjoy them as an appetizer or with a crisp, green salad.  Made in a mini-muffin pan, the possible vegetable-cheese combinations are endless, but spinach with sharp cheddar and grated parmesan is a great place to start.  This recipe makes 12 mini-muffins (half a pan).  For 24, simply double the recipe.

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Spinach & Cheese Mini Frittatas:

vegetable spray
4 eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half
salt & pepper
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
2 TBS grated Parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 shallot, finely diced
1 cup spinach, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.  Beat the eggs and half-and-half together. Add salt and pepper and beat.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and fry the shallot for 2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach, cook stirring for 1 minute until spinach is just wilted and remove from heat.

Add the cheese to the eggs and stir.  Spray the mini-muffin pan with vegetable spray to prevent sticking.  Add the spinach to the egg-cheese mixture and stir.

Use a spoon to fill about half the mini-muffin cups, drawing from the bottom of the egg-cheese mixture to make sure all your frittatas get an equal amount of cheese (the cheese will probably sink to the bottom).  Then distribute the remaining mixture between the cups (four eggs will make approx. 12 mini-frittatas).

Bake in the middle of the oven for around 20 minutes, until the frittatas are firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.  Enjoy!

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