Author: Suzannah Kolbeck

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Lots of Things, Plus Avocado Cream

A little boat of delicious: sweet potato, roasted broccoli, quinoa,
chopped cashews, and avocado cream.

So this was supposed to post on Wednesday, except I posted Monday’s blog on Tuesday.

Monday was Yom Kippur and KWeeks was home from school. These days, the only way I have been able to keep track of time is through other people. Because I am a freelance writer, every day can be pretty much like the next in the sense that I set my own schedule and can work whenever so long as I meet my deadlines. I have taken to working on the weekends so that I can enjoy the out-of-doors without dodging non-mask-wearing joggers and people who don’t think leash laws apply to them.

But I digress.

This is ostensibly a food blog, but it is having a crisis of conscience. Yes, we all need to eat, and this here is some excellent vegan food that you won’t believe is actually good for you (but it so is), but there are things happening in the world that make it hard to post pithy blog posts about food.

I am not one of those people who is moving on with the news cycle. #Blacklivesstillmatter

And it is luxurious in my life to be able to put aside whatever is trouble and whip up some food. A luxury that so many don’t have.

And I am not here to justify any of that.

But I am here to say this: here is something delicious that I created with loved and shared with people so they can feel good in their bodies.

It doesn’t erase or negate my feelings about what is happening in the world, and it’s not the only action I am taking.

But it’s the small thing I can do – feed people – that I know makes a difference.

I am trying to figure out how to make this more of love in action instead of love online. If you have thoughts, let me know. I am open.

Stuffed Sweet Potato With Roasted Broccoli, Red Onion, Chopped Cashews, and Avocado Cream
(serves 4)

Make this on Sunday night for delicious lunches all week. Quinoa is a densely nutritious seed – a so-called “false grain” – that pairs well with sweet potatoes. Together they provide a sweet-bitter balance of taste set off by the sharp tang of the lime juice.

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed in cold water (see Recipe Notes)
1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe avocadoes
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice (more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped cashews
optional: fresh chopped cilantro (see Recipe Notes)

Method

Preheat oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Scrub sweet potatoes and remove any blemishes. Prick each sweet potato with a fork, then place directly on the oven rack to roast (put a piece of aluminum foil under them to catch any spills). Set your kitchen timer for 25 minutes.

Bring stock to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ½ cup of onion, quinoa, and a pinch of salt. Return to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed – about 15 to 20 minutes.

After your quinoa is covered, prepare the broccoli. Place broccoli, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in large bowl and toss to coat. Pour onto baking sheet. When the timer for the sweet potatoes goes off, put broccoli in the oven with the sweet potatoes and roast for 20 minutes. The broccoli will be done in 20 minutes, and sweet potatoes should be, too, but check by poking with a fork. They should give easily all the way to the center. If not, roast until done.

While the broccoli is roasting, make the avocado cream. Place avocado, coconut milk, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed – consider more lime, salt, or pepper as needed.

When everything is ready, serve family-style with chopped cashews and cilantro (if using), or assemble and pack into portable containers for lunch on the run. Leave avocado cream on the side until ready to heat and eat.

Recipe Notes

• This makes extra quinoa to use in quick salads, in lunch bowls, or as a side. If you want just enough for this meal, cut amounts in half.
• If you are a fan of cilantro, you can add it to the avocado cream. It is optional here as some are not fond of the taste, and a little goes a long way.
• Carnivores can add the meat of their choice to this meal. Think leftover chicken or grilled steak.

Bacon and Broccoli Salad with Grilled Chicken

“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Edited to add: When I wrote this, Breonna Taylor’s murderers were let off the hook. More protestors were arrested than murderers of Breonna Taylor. Two cops in Louisville were shot the night of this announcement, and Kentucky law enforcement vowed to find and prosecute the killers. Until we value Black lives. Until we show our love with justice. Until we recognize the enduring legacy of enslaved people. Until we change. Nothing is good. Nothing is worthy. Nothing is real. We cannot continue in this country the way we have for the past 400 years. Revolution is coming. The uprising will not be peaceful, and no one will be spared. Choose now which side of history you want to be on.

In a desperate attempt to find an unbiased source of news, I signed up for The Guardian’s daily digest.

Although I remain unsure of its neutrality, this morning I got the most glorious story in my email: it’s all about a tree.

Apparently, The Guardian does a little feature called “tree of the week.” Readers snap a picture of a tree and nominate it, sort of like a vegetal popularity contest.

This week’s featured tree is an oak tree growing firm and steady out of a set of stairs.

We should all be so persistent and hardy in these times.

To help, here’s a little lunch.

May you grow strong and tall through the cracks of your life. That is, after all, how the light gets in.

Broccoli and Bacon Salad with Grilled Chicken
(serves 4)

In addition to being a powerhouse of nutrition, broccoli has medicinal properties that support the body’s transition into fall. It regulates water circulation in the body and boosts qi, making a great option for a satisfying lunch that leaves you full but not weighed down. You can use leftover chicken and make the salad ahead of time – it stays delicious in the ‘fridge for 3 days.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see Recipe Notes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups broccoli florets
1 cup shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
½ cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans
½ lb cooked bacon, crumbled (see Recipe Notes)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place chicken breasts in a sealed plastic bag and use a rolling pin or heavy pan to pound them into a uniform thickness. Place chicken breasts on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, salt both sides, and place in the ‘fridge for 30 minutes.

While your chicken rests, get started on the broccoli salad.

Blanche your broccoli florets: Bring a large quantity of salted water to boil (prepare another bowl with ice water). When the water boils, add broccoli to it, cooking until just tender/crisp – about 2 minutes. Remove from boiling water and place in ice bath to stop the cooking.

Drain broccoli completely (a salad spinner helps to get all of the water out). Place broccoli in a large bowl with onions, walnut, and crumbled bacon.

Make the dressing: Combine apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, and olive oil and whisk to combine. Pour over broccoli salad and mix to combine. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

When your grill is hot, brush chicken with olive oil and season with pepper. Place on the warmest part of the grill for 3 to 5 minutes, looking for grill marks and nice browning. Flip and grill the other side until the chicken is cooked through. If you find the chicken is getting too brown before it’s cooked through, move to a cooler part of the grill. Remove from grill and let rest before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Feel free to substitute a different cut of chicken if you prefer. Simply salt and let rest in the ‘fridge, then grill. The safe cooking temperature for chicken is 160 degrees, but there is some carryover cooking, so removed it from the grill just before it reaches that temperature for juiciest results.
• Bacon can be cooked on the grill right along with your chicken, but it will take longer, so plan ahead. Use heavy-duty aluminum foil or an oven-safe pan and cook bacon just as you would in the oven, flipping once and removing to paper towels when crispy. At 400, crispy bacon takes about 15 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash with Preserved Lemon

The steam made this picture fuzzy, I swear.

So it’s maybe a little strange to start a food blog writing about death, but isn’t it all related in the end?

My beautiful friend Mark Garner died a year ago on October 23rd, 2019, and he opted for a green burial – doing more good than harm in death as in his life.

And KWeeks’s father died six years ago on September 20, 2014, two days after his birthday.

And fall is a natural time to think about death, I think, as the leaves plummet from the trees and all of the outward signs of life begin to fold in and shrivel up.

This morning I found this article on mushroom coffins, an excellent idea if there ever was one, and I got to thinking about how we all eventually become food (or energy) for the earth that we took food and energy from in our lifetime.

Perhaps that’s why in the fall we reach for comfort food – familiar ingredients and easy, warming meals. We are returning, in a sense, to our beginnings as we move irrevocably to our end.

This could be a sad and depressing thought, or it could be a meditation on how we care for ourselves and each other in these transitions: with love and kindness, or anger and impatience?

The sweet and the sour. Life and death. Here’s some dinner to mull it over with.

Sweet Potato And Sausage Hash With Preserved Lemon
(serves 4 to 6)

Comfort food at its finest, with leftovers for lunch the next day. Hearty, salty sausage is balanced with the sweetness of sweet potatoes and the deeply satisfying sourness of lemon. Adjust cinnamon and cumin to taste and season lightly.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
1 12-ounce package of kielbasa, cut into ¼” coins (see Recipe Note)
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced into ¼” slices
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼” cubes (see Recipe Note)
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pepper
8 wedges preserved lemon, chopped small (see Recipe Notes)

Method

In a large frying pan with high sides and a lid, heat one tablespoon of olive oil or ghee over medium heat. Add kielbasa and brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining oil or ghee and then add onions. Cook until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add sweet potatoes and toss to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until brown, about ten minutes.

When the sweet potatoes are browned, add spices, preserved lemon, and sausage. Turn heat down, cover, and cook until the sweet potatoes are cooked through. This could take between 5 and 15 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetables.

Remove from heat, check for seasoning (salt and pepper), and serve.

Recipe Notes

• The smaller you cut your sweet potatoes, the faster this will come together.
• Look for kielbasa with no sugar, nitrates/nitrites, or other artificial ingredients
• If you don’t have preserved lemon, you can use 1 ½ lemons, cut into wedges. Unlike the preserved lemon, though, do not eat the fresh lemon.
• If your sausage is lean, drizzle the dish with ghee before serving.

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Vegan)

Luscious and warming – just like me.

Edited: this was written prior to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We have apparently now entered the meaty side of things.

Yes, I am aware that I said we would get into the meaty side of things – and we will.

Seems like much of life these days is waiting to get into the meaty things.

But in the meantime, the nights will be in the mid-40s for the next week, with sunny, dry fall days ahead. This vegan cream of mushroom soup is perfect for lunch, or with crusty bread and a big salad for dinner. It freezes well, so put some up for the rainy days ahead.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
(serves 6, with leftovers)

Luscious and creamy without a trace of cream, this silky soup is full of grounding, warming flavors and herbs. A perfect vegan lunch, or see Recipe Notes for meat-eating options. Use homemade chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (see recipes included below), or look for store-bought organic stocks with limited ingredients. Seasoning makes the difference here, so don’t shy away from salt and pepper. Taste as you go.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews (see Recipe Notes)
¼ cup olive oil or ghee (divided)
1 cup onion, chopped (red, yellow, and white all work)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds mushrooms, roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoon fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (divided)
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of apple cider vinegar for serving
optional for carnivores: ground beef, browned and drained (see Recipe Notes)
optional for serving: fresh thyme and fresh chopped parsley

Method

Cover cashews with boiling water and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain, then purée in a blender with ½ cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Set aside.

Heat olive oil or ghee in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn translucent and take on some color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms, a handful at a time, allowing the mushrooms to color just a bit before adding more. You may need to add a little more ghee or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add fresh thyme and sage. Add remaining stock and bring to a low simmer. Cook until mushrooms are tender (10 to 12 minutes), then add cashew purée, starting with a ¼ cup and adding to get the consistency you want. You may need to add more stock or less cashew purée.

If you are using ground beef, add it back in now and bring the soup back to a low boil. Remove from heat. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, season to taste, and serve with chopped fresh thyme and parsley.

Recipe Notes

• If you have leftover Cashew Cream, it works well in this recipe. Simply add whatever you like for a nice creamy consistency.
• Select any mushrooms you like. In the fall, look for local chanterelles and porcini mushrooms, as well as year-round shitake and Portobello. A mix of mushrooms works fine here.
• If you are making the carnivorous version of this silky soup, start by browning one pound of ground beef in a stockpot. Remove the ground beef when browned and proceed with sautéing the onion, as above (no need to add ghee or olive oil). Make sure and scrape the browned bits of ground beef off the bottom of the pot as you sauté the onions. Add ground beef back in after you incorporate the cashew purée.

How to Stop and When to Die: Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Kale in Coconut Broth

It’s hard to take a good picture of this, but I can tell you with utter certainty that it is fucking delicious.

One of my favorite artists, Marina Abramovic, said this in the documentary Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World:

“It’s important as an artist to know how to stop and when to die.”

I am not sure why this strikes me as so profoundly true, but it does. I have long planned to take up smoking again when I hit 80, and I am adamantly opposed to overstaying my welcome here on this earthly plane.

But the time to stop (and the time to die) are not yet here. Even in this garbage fire of a country, with literal fires in the west and metaphorical fires everywhere, there is still much work to be done.

Here’s some fuel for your good work.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Kale in Coconut Broth
(serves 4 to 6)

There is a lot of chopping here, but don’t let that scare you off. Use pre-chopped veggies as needed to make this largely hands-off, and feel free to swap out vegetables that you prefer. Optional but recommended is fresh cilantro for serving. See Recipe Notes for optional additions for carnivores.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seed
½ large yellow onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼” cubes (about 3 cups)
2 cups of chopped mushrooms (see Recipe Notes)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 16-ounce bag frozen kale (or 3 cups fresh, chopped small)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Optional but highly recommended: fresh chopped cilantro for serving

Method

Heat ghee/olive oil in a large frying pan with high sides over medium heat.

Add mustard and coriander seeds and stir. When they begin to pop, add onion, garlic, and ginger and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.

Add sweet potato, mushrooms, and broccoli. Stir and sauté for 6 minutes, or until the sweet potato just begins to soften slightly.

Add coconut milk, kale, and walnuts and season with salt and pepper. Lower heat, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Sweet potatoes should be cooked through but not completely mushy, so check at the halfway point.

Check for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges and freshly chopped cilantro.

Recipe Notes

• You can use any type of mushroom in this, so pick which ones you like. They are chopped fine and so the shape does not matter. Portobellos give a great flavor and texture and are recommended, but cremini mushrooms work just as well.
• Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables here or play with amounts above. Love mushrooms and just tolerate broccoli? Think cabbage might be delicious, or want to try snap peas or butternut squash? Adjust accordingly.
• It’s always an option to add your choice of animal protein to any recipe. In this case, sliced, fried sausage coins would be a delicious addition.