SLACKER--and Jamaican Red Bean Stew

So I completely forgot all the stuff I meant to put up here...I need to look back. The vegetarian bean cassoulet, the corn-black bean chowder, spinach enchiladas, tofu parmesan...too much! But I'm on summer break now, so I'll catch up, especially since this week is a "boring" week--meatless tacos tomorrow (still on the vegetarian fast), left overs on Tuesday, pancakes on Thursday (YES breakfast for dinner, I LOVE it!)--the only days that will be recipe interesting are Wednesday and Friday. An apple-curry sauce over chicken (veggies for me), and a pasta-chickpea-spinach-sundried tomato concoction on Friday.

As for today, Jamaican Red Bean Stew! I realize it probably isn't really Jamaican at all, as I'm sure my islander friends will tell me....but this is what it was called in my Quick Fix Vegetarian Cookbook. This was decently tasty, but I thought it had too much liquid--however, in the crock pot, it's a delicate balance, because you don't want to not have enough liquid and have things dry out/burn. I wrote the recipe as I did it today, but next time I may use a bit less of the veggie broth. Also, I thought it could be spicier, but my husband liked it as-is. May want to add more garlic too (I just used the garlic-onion tomatoes to save a step--if you use fresh minced garlic, saute it in olive oil or olive oil spray for a few minutes before adding it to the crockpot). So season to taste-- :) We had it with homemade corn bread (recipe follows as well). Enjoy!

1 can garlic-onion diced tomatoes, drained

3 scallions (green onions), chopped

2 cups sliced baby carrots

1 sweet potato, peeled and in large (1/2 to 1 inch) dice

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (I used ground red pepper)

1 cup veggie broth

1 13.5-14oz can light unsweetened coconut milk

2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1. Add tomatoes, scallions, carrots, sweet potato, curry, thyme, allspice and red pepper to crock pot (and the fresh sautéed garlic, if using). Stir.

2. Add the broth, coconut milk and beans. Stir.

3. Cook on LOW 6-8 hrs.

Corn Bread

3/4 cup flour

1 cup corn meal

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 8oz can creamed corn

2 eggs, slightly beaten (can probably use 1/2 c. egg substitute)

1 cup milk (can use reduced fat or skim)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking pan (I use a glass one) with nonstick spray.

2. Mix flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.

3. In a separate bowl mix eggs, milk, corn and oil. Mix well.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix until well combined.

5. Pour in the prepared dish. Bake 20-25 minutes (I do the full 25).

Leftover cornbread is also really good warmed up with jam or preserves as a snack!