This is one dinner with SOUL! I love making soul food once in awhile, and this dinner was a true test of the term “non-perishable food item”. After doing inventory of my pantry, in the back I found two cans of crabmeat that were at least 3–5 years old. Scary stuff, but still worth a shot, I thought.

I prefer kale to collard and mustard greens, but they’re all quite good. I just used a recipe in my trusty How to Cook Everything book and it was a huge success.

The crabcake recipe was improvised with stuff I had around the house and it was absolutely incredible; extremely flavorful and even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans crabmeat (lump is best, but I just used regular crabmeat)
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise (I used half regular and half chipotle mayo)
• Creole seasoning (I like Zatarain’s)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 small onion, diced fine
  1/2 bell pepper, diced fine

Butter & EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

Whisk together the eggs, mayo, and seasoning. Then add in breadcrumbs and let them soak for a bit. Next, drain the crabmeat and add the meat. Mix it all together and toss in the fridge or freezer.

Sauté the onions and peppers until soft. Mix into the crabmeat mixture, then toss back in the freezer for at least 10 minutes, the fridge for half an hour. This will make the cakes more solid and easier to form.

Add butter (about 2 tickmarks worth… can’t remember how much each tickmark is) to pan and melt. Form the first patty, about 3-3.5″ across, and place in the pan. Fry over medium heat about 4 minutes each side, adding more butter as it gets soaked up. Keeping the heat at medium should let the cakes cook through without charring the crust.

This favorite recipe is modified from a pretty well-known basic recipe using Lipton Onion Soup Mix, but it’s an easy winner when you want a comforting stew and you didn’t prepare things ahead of time.

I served this over some mashed purple potatoes acquired at the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. The result is a bit strange-looking but really delicious. Purple potatoes have a really delicious, rich, earthy flavor that are a great contrast to your average mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Pork Steaks, Country Ribs, or Pork Chops, chunked
• 1/2 onion, sliced ; 3–4 cloves garlic, crushed or sliced
• 1 envelope Onion Mushroom Soup Mix (or any variety of Onion soup mix)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste (I prefer Amoré Double-Concentrated Tomato Paste in a tube… you won’t waste half a can of tomato paste ever again!)
• Baby carrots, frozen corn, frozen peas, vegetables as desired

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Sauté onion & garlic in olive oil. Add pork chunks and brown on all sides. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer on low until vegetables are tender and meat is cooked through, about 15–25 minutes.

I like serving this over mashed potatoes, but you can also cut up potatoes and add them to the stew as well.

Awhile back a woman on Freecycle was giving away “a bunch” of Patak’s curry pastes. Why not, I said, that stuff’s expensive! So I picked up all 7 jars and they have lived at the back of my pantry because I’ve been, simply, afraid.

After nearly 6 months I finally decided it was time to step up. Oh, some yummy Garam Masala and pakistani peppers from Penzey’s helped a lot. So I put the curry paste together with some diced tomatoes, chicken, onion, baby carrots and sweet potatoes and *POOF!*

I’m no longer scared of curry paste. Well, maybe a little, but this was outstanding.

Even better, I served this with bread made from my favorite bread machine mix, Classic Hearth Brand Hawaiian Royal Sweet Bread Mix. The sweetness of the bread paired perfectly with the spiciness of the curry. An accidentally brilliant combination for sure!

It’s no secret that I love prepared ethnic sauces, but Iron Chef’s line of Asian sauces is far and away the most tasty and restaurant-quality that I use for Asian sauces. Any combo of meat and vegetables can be quickly thrown together and tossed over rice for a quick and awesome meal. Last night’s was a bottle of Thai Sweet Pepper & Garlic that I bought in the clearance bin at Dominicks for $2 awhile ago, and what a find!!

I took onions, cabbage and green peppers and tossed it all with sliced chicken breasts and served it over jasmine rice. Super quick and really fresh, and it just took a few minutes of prep!