For the love of Produce...

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  • Tankiscool
    Tankiscool Posts: 11,105 Member
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    purplefizzy wrote: »
    mg07030 wrote: »
    I thought of you guys and this thread today..

    A friend from Ghana gave me a recipe for West African Peanut Stew....

    This is the vegetable base before peanuts and meat were added.

    I ran out of collard greens. I substituted spinach. Hope that’s not too blasphemous. 🤷🏼‍♀️

    Stew base :
    Yams
    Tomato
    Garlic cloves
    Yellow onion
    Greens (see above lol)
    Herbs 🌿

    vyoby4l1320m.jpeg

    I’m SO INTO peanut stew wight now. Taste of Yum has my fave recipe, but I amp up the heat 🌶

    That sounds delicious! I thought you were spicy when I came across you on here haha
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
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    Tankiscool wrote: »
    That sounds delicious! I thought you were spicy when I came across you on here haha

    I make ghost peppers look positively MILD by comparison.
  • Tankiscool
    Tankiscool Posts: 11,105 Member
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    purplefizzy wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    That sounds delicious! I thought you were spicy when I came across you on here haha

    I make ghost peppers look positively MILD by comparison.

    Lol love it!
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
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    purplefizzy wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    That sounds delicious! I thought you were spicy when I came across you on here haha

    I make ghost peppers look positively MILD by comparison.


    Food can never be too spicy as far as I’m concerned!! Hope to see some pepper love on here soon! 😊
  • kodiakke
    kodiakke Posts: 379 Member
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    I love this thread! I think I've bookmarked three recipes so far! Thank you to all contributing the ideas and gorgeous pics!
  • lbgardener
    lbgardener Posts: 13 Member
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    I found my people! Friends & family think I'm a little nuts on my quest to try new veggies & fruits. I get emotional at the beauty of rainbow chard I grew or Easter egg radishes. I must say I'm jealous that some of you live in the tropics or close to BIG farmer's markets with Asian choices. I live in the midwest, it's 4 deg. with snow on the ground. I'm growing dwarf moringa trees in the house and that's only unusual thing I have right now. Has anybody heard of pawpaws? They grow mostly in the wild around here and taste like a cross between a banana & a mango. They have big black seeds in them which make them hard to cut around. You have to just bite into it and spit out the seeds. We recently went to Jamaica and I was so excited to try 4 new fruits. One of them was really similar to our pawpaw.
  • swirlybee
    swirlybee Posts: 497 Member
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    Tankiscool wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    People seem to either love or hate cilantro. I love it.

    Apparently there is a gene that some people have that makes it taste like soap hence why they don't like it.

    I wonder if it's something you can outgrow because I used to think it did taste like soap but now I love it.
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
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    crazyravr wrote: »
    mg07030 wrote: »
    purplefizzy wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    That sounds delicious! I thought you were spicy when I came across you on here haha

    I make ghost peppers look positively MILD by comparison.


    Food can never be too spicy as far as I’m concerned!! Hope to see some pepper love on here soon! 😊

    Sure it can. Spice should boost the flavour of what you are eating not kill your taste buds so that you dont lol :)

    @crazyravr - I hereby invite you over for turbo chili to see if we can change you mind!! Lol 🌶

    Habanero is my middle name. 😉

    Sincerely,
    The nitro spice squad

    😋
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
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    lbgardener wrote: »
    I found my people! Friends & family think I'm a little nuts on my quest to try new veggies & fruits. I get emotional at the beauty of rainbow chard I grew or Easter egg radishes. I must say I'm jealous that some of you live in the tropics or close to BIG farmer's markets with Asian choices. I live in the midwest, it's 4 deg. with snow on the ground. I'm growing dwarf moringa trees in the house and that's only unusual thing I have right now. Has anybody heard of pawpaws? They grow mostly in the wild around here and taste like a cross between a banana & a mango. They have big black seeds in them which make them hard to cut around. You have to just bite into it and spit out the seeds. We recently went to Jamaica and I was so excited to try 4 new fruits. One of them was really similar to our pawpaw.

    @lbgardener - welcome! This is one of my fav threads too 😌☺️

    I love trying new vegetables and you are not alone in loving the beauty of a bountiful garden! Nature amazes me. I grow a lot of basil and rosemary since I love the smell. I love the colors of purple kale or a beautiful red radish. Beet and rainbow chard everything :)

    Pawpaw is awesome!! Have you tried paw paw custard or ice cream?! I was just reading an article about pawpaw being indigenous to North America! Maybe you can spark a comeback to this little forgotten fruit.

    I love trying new produce — I’m going to have to go on an expedition to my exotic food store to see if I can find something to share with the group. 😇

    M

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
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    lbgardener wrote: »
    I found my people! Friends & family think I'm a little nuts on my quest to try new veggies & fruits. I get emotional at the beauty of rainbow chard I grew or Easter egg radishes. I must say I'm jealous that some of you live in the tropics or close to BIG farmer's markets with Asian choices. I live in the midwest, it's 4 deg. with snow on the ground. I'm growing dwarf moringa trees in the house and that's only unusual thing I have right now. Has anybody heard of pawpaws? They grow mostly in the wild around here and taste like a cross between a banana & a mango. They have big black seeds in them which make them hard to cut around. You have to just bite into it and spit out the seeds. We recently went to Jamaica and I was so excited to try 4 new fruits. One of them was really similar to our pawpaw.

    Just FTR: It isn't necessarily just big farmer's markets. If your city (or a nearby one) has a noticeable Asian immigrant population, you may find the occasional booth at a small community farmer's market in that general area. The last few years, there's been an Asian family selling at a inner-city community center farmer's market in my mid-sized Michigan city. Limited selections, but some interesting ones. Even one of our big local produce-oriented grocery stores (overgrown farm market ;) ) carries some unusual items that are popular with some of our immigrant communities (or us produce adventurers.)
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
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    crazyravr wrote: »
    mg07030 wrote: »
    purplefizzy wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    That sounds delicious! I thought you were spicy when I came across you on here haha

    I make ghost peppers look positively MILD by comparison.


    Food can never be too spicy as far as I’m concerned!! Hope to see some pepper love on here soon! 😊

    Sure it can. Spice should boost the flavour of what you are eating not kill your taste buds so that you dont lol :)

    I agree with this fully. I like spicy foods but I also want to taste the rest of the meal.
  • Tankiscool
    Tankiscool Posts: 11,105 Member
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    swirlybee wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    People seem to either love or hate cilantro. I love it.

    Apparently there is a gene that some people have that makes it taste like soap hence why they don't like it.

    I wonder if it's something you can outgrow because I used to think it did taste like soap but now I love it.

    I am not sure, a coworker got one of those ancestry DNA tests for Christmas by his family and he did it and apparently they can show that in the results as well or so he was telling me. So if it's genetic I doubt you can outgrow it.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
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    @lbgardener Paw-paw is on my list to try it if I ever come across it

    @crazyravr I believe in spice in context.
    I’m not indiscriminate in my application of fire.
    I swear.
    I like green curries to scald, yellow to mildly incinerate... jabenero Is not my fave instance of capsaicin- I do like chipotle in adobo... for ‘nose-hot’ I like fresh horseradish on skirt steak, wasabi in my seared ahi salad dressing :)

    Red pepper flakes and cayenne not so much. But I remain open to having my mind changed. Always ;)

    Prepping tonight:
    Shredded fennel, Dino kale, cilantro... soup on stove and kabocha roasting in oven.
    Protein goals hit already, indulging in all of the veg as a reward!!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Tankiscool wrote: »
    swirlybee wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    People seem to either love or hate cilantro. I love it.

    Apparently there is a gene that some people have that makes it taste like soap hence why they don't like it.

    I wonder if it's something you can outgrow because I used to think it did taste like soap but now I love it.

    I am not sure, a coworker got one of those ancestry DNA tests for Christmas by his family and he did it and apparently they can show that in the results as well or so he was telling me. So if it's genetic I doubt you can outgrow it.

    From what I read, the gene determines whether you can taste the particular compound, but doesn't predict whether you will like it. So it seems like it's a matter of some people liking the "soapy" taste - which is something that could change over time.

    I got the Ancestry traits add on (it's a ten dollar add on, after which they give you the information about a few specific genes which they already have) and found it didn't match my observations at all. For example, I have the gene to taste bitter things as extra bitter, which means I should avoid bitter flavors. (And some other things such as my hair color and texture were not what they predicted.) But in reality I love dark chocolate, coffee, kale, etc. I'm thinking more genes are at work, and the science isn't quite up to predicting from a single gene.
  • HonuNui
    HonuNui Posts: 1,464 Member
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    I rarely post outside of the Monthly running challenge, but since I made a TRIPLE batch of Green Papaya Salad today, this thread called to me...(my papaya trees runneth over). I use green papaya diced as squash in stew and soup, shredded in GPS or as a substitute for cabbage with slaw dressing. (However, I am not very fond of RIPE papaya....)


    2 medium green papaya, peeled and shredded (we like them JUST on the verge of turning yellow-makes the salad a bit sweeter)
    1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
    2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
    1 scallion, finely minced (or green onion)
    1/4 cup of fish sauce (the sauce I use is made from mackerel or scad)
    1/4 cup of granulated sugar
    juice from 2 limes)
    1/4 tsp of lime zest
    2 Thai bird chilies, sliced cross-wise , or a few drops of hot sauce (I use mango pepper sauce)

    10 long asian green beans, blanched and cut into 2″ pieces (or string beans if you can’t find long beans…)

    5 cherry tomatoes, quartered and seeded

    Mix all ingredients, chill before serving

    Add roasted cashews or peanuts, and basil or cilantro, just before serving to garnish

    Add boiled shrimp or cold crab to make it a meal!
    1vaoeob73nh0.jpg


  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
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    [
    mg07030 wrote: »
    Have you guys tried kale sprouts? Also called kale-ettes? They are a cross between a Brussels Sprout and kale....pretty awesome 😎
    This. Right here. What gets me excited about LIFE again. I have a shot at actually finding these and being able to afford them!!! (Stared longingly at a Cherimoya again yesterday. At $9/lb I just... can’t. Maybe I’ll promise myself one as a reward for something unpleasant. Like cleaning up my google drive.)
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
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    HonuNui wrote: »
    I rarely post outside of the Monthly running challenge, but since I made a TRIPLE batch of Green Papaya Salad today, this thread called to me...(my papaya trees runneth over). I use green papaya diced as squash in stew and soup, shredded in GPS or as a substitute for cabbage with slaw dressing. (However, I am not very fond of RIPE papaya....)
    Thank you for veering into new posting terrain in the name of helping fellow veg aficionados.
    I have everything but the papaya. Will pick one up!

    I’m afraid to go anywhere near any running threads. I’m having a hard time even reading Trail Runner in this (very important and long-range recovery worth it, I know...) period of non-running. I WILL be back out there. Please run for me, just a few steps. Deep inhale, feeling so alive. Send it this way ;)
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
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    Maybe we need to start a cilantro poll or thread and gather evidence.

    Personally hated it as a little kid. Soapy.
    Lived in rural Mexico as a teenager- soapy and unavoidable because my Spanglish was non-stellar and the type of places we ate (often a local woman’s kitchen) were not places where you made requests. I ate what I was served. The food still brings fond memories.

    Today, cilantro (the smell especially) is really soapy. In a way that I LOVE.

    Same story around red beets.
    They still taste earthy, but like the most cravable earth ever.
    Golden and Chiogga beets are what I reach for first for raw, but red I will roast.

    Beets, especially red ones, sorta make my throat weird, so I have to shave them really thin and eat them sparingly.

    (It’s not as bad as pineapple. God I love that stuff, and it does NOT love me. Tongue swells, mouth itches. I used to cater, and my boss would ALWAYS know if I was eating pineapple. It was a team joke, they would tease me in my ‘pineapple voice.’)

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