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Peanut Butter Greens

The Vegan Host
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1
Peanut Butter Greens
Peanut Butter Greens - image courtesy of The Vegan Host

Happy #Africa_day shamwari dzangu!

Africa Day celebrates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now known as the African Union) on 25 May, in 1963. It aims to celebrate African unity.

I am proudly Zimbabwean and this is a national holiday for us.

To celebrate, I have made my favourite dish. muriwo une dovi (vegetables with peanut butter).

My mother makes this dish and she shared the recipe for the vegetables with me and I make it the way she does. When I think of Zim, I think of eating this at my grandparents’ farm in the smoky kitchen, where I can barely see but I don’t leave because there is nowhere else I would rather be; It tastes like home.

I served my greens on sadza(fufu) coated in bread crumbs and I will share this recipe soon!

 

The Vegan Host

Peanut Butter Greens

The Vegan Host
  • MAKES/SERVES 3
  • PREPARATION TIME 10
  • COOKING TIME 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250 grams greens - sliced
  • 2 beef tomatoes - diced
  • 1 big onion - diced
  • 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • 1 tablespoon oil (I used olive oil)

Instructions

  1. Fry the onion and greens in a pan for for two minutes
  2. and the tomatoes and water and let it simmer for 5 minutes
  3. add the peanut butter and stir
  4. Leave to simmer for a further 3 minutes
  5. Stir well and serve!

Notes

Zimbabwean food is about taste so feel free to add more or less of what you like. When my mum gave me the recipe, it was a "bundle of this, a cup of this" so I"m sure you get the gist.
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The Vegan Host
I surprise myself every time I say this but I am vegan. In a year where I only left the house for my daily exercise, I found myself confronted by thoughts I had imprisoned in the back of my mind for too long. Although I have always eaten animals, 3 years ago or so, I started feeling strange about it. I struggle to this day to explain the feeling, but it was like a reluctance to do something, but you do it anyway because it is what's expected. The Pandemic meant all restaurants were shut for a long period of time, so my excuse was ripped away and I saw this as a good opportunity to try eating vegan food for 6 months and also give up alcohol for 6 months. Well, the first thing I did was buy a vegan cookbook because I simply didn’t know what vegans ate (I know…I’m rolling my eyes too) I quickly realised that my hate for vegan food was a social construct and that vegan food in restaurants truly is awful. After following the recipe book for a week and spending far too much money on extravagant ingredients (saffron!?) I decided to trust my own instinct and just cook what I would usually cook but without meat (easy). That was the moment I fell in love, the kind of love that gives you peace and tranquillity. I don’t spend hours planning what I’m going to cook, I don’t follow recipes, I simply look in the fridge or when I’m shopping, I just imagine what I want to eat and that is how I cook. The thought of making lunch or supper fills me with such joy because I know its going to be a relaxing experience. I have now created an Instagram page to share my food, so people know that vegans eat more than bean burgers and salads. The trick with vegan food is seasoning… for the love of all that is food in this world, season your food and it will taste great. Trust yourself and you will be surprised by what you can create. If I can show people the excitement and beauty in vegan food, maybe I can convince them to try being vegan for a day… or a lifetime. It has been over 6 months now and I have completely embraced my new life. Of course, I dread the thought of restaurants reopening and the only vegan options I will have available to me will be a bean burger with chips… so do not be surprised when I shun mainstream restaurants altogether. I would like to see more vegan restaurants that offer fine dining options outside of major cities, but I understand the uncertainties around that. Oh of course, you’re probably wondering how I feel since I also gave up alcohol for 6 moths… Well, truth be told, I failed that challenged after 3 months.

1 COMMENT

  1. I like the way you say you do not plan you just look in the fridge ,thats.ineresting,you also say you donot spend too much time preparing a meal ,thats a good seller.We are so busy nowadays we do not like to spend too much time on cooking.

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