Recipes for Kwanzaa
Lisa Grentz, MS, RDN, CD/LDN, FAND
Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday that honors and celebrates African-American history, culture, values, family, and community. This week-long celebration culminates with a communal feast, Karamu, on the sixth night where delicious African inspired food and drink is shared. Traditionally, the main dish at the heart of Karamu is a one-pot stew. Our variation of peanut stew is packed with wholesome ingredients and full of flavor making is as comforting as it is nourishing.
If you’re organizing a Kwanzaa celebration this year and want to keep with the tradition of serving red, black, and green food and drink, consider kale lemonade as a flavorful beverage option. Its rich green color and sweet taste compliments the stew nicely.
Kale Lemonade
Yield: 4-6 serving
4 large kale leaves, discard the stems
2 small green apples, cored and chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup honey (if over 1 year of age) or agave nectar (if under 1 year of age)
2 cups cold water
Instructions:
Place kale leaves, apple pieces, and lemon juice in a blender.
Blend on high for 2 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the canister.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.
Pour blender contents through a strainer.
Use the back of the spoon or spatula to press all the juice from the pulp through the strainer. Discard pulp. Rinse blender to remove any pulp.
Add the strained apple/kale mixture, sweetener, and water to blender. Blend again until well combined. Serve in a glass over ice and garnish with a lemon slice if desired.
Slow Cooker African Peanut and Chickpea Stew
Yield: 6-8 servings
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
½ cup peeled and sliced carrots
1 can (15-ounce) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. curry powder
½ tsp. fine sea salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3 big handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves
Chopped peanuts for garnish
Instructions:
Add diced sweet potato, carrots, chickpeas, and broth in crock pot. Set crock pot to low.
Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté until the onions are brown, about 2 minutes. Place the sauteed onions and garlic in the crock pot and mix to combine.
Add tomato sauce, peanut butter, smoked paprika, ginger, curry powder, salt, and pepper into the blender and blend until sauce is smooth and creamy.
Add sauce to crock pot along with spinach. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 3 hours.
Serve stew over a bed of brown rice and garnish with chopped peanuts.