Sweet Potato Pie

2 cps Sweet potatoes, drained

T Margarine, melted

3 Eggs 1

4 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Grated nutmeg

¾ c Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

1 9" pie shell, baked

¼ c Chopped pecans

Use a food processor or fork to mash sweet potatoes together with melted margarine. Blend in eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add milk and vanilla. Pour mixture into baked pie shell. Microwave on 70% (medium high) 7 minutes. Sprinkle pecans over surface of pie. Rotating midway through cooking, microwave on 70 percent (medium high) 6 to 8 minutes or until centre no longer jiggles. If you prefer, you can bake it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35-45 minutes or until it doesn't jiggle.

Grandmother's Southern Fried Okra

1 lb Fresh okra, cut 1 inch pieces

1 lg Green tomato, diced

1 med Onion chopped

1 Clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 Jalapeno pepper halved & sliced, remove seeds if too hot

2 Eggs beaten

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Black pepper

½ c Milk

1 c Cornmeal

¼ c Vegetable oil

Combine okra, tomato, onion, garlic & jalapeno in large bowl. In separate bowl combine eggs, salt, pepper, milk. Pour egg mix over veggies and toss to thoroughly coat.

Gradually add cornmeal until mixture on the okra and at the bottom of the bowl soaked up. Continue to toss till ingredients evenly mixed. Mixture will have a gooey consistency.

Heat oil in 10 inch skillet over med. heat until hot. Oil is ready when dash of cornmeal sizzles.

Spoon mixture evenly in skillet. Reduce heat to med low. Cover and fry till underside golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Then invert on plate and slide otherside up into skillet and cook uncovered 5-8 min until golden brown. Remove from skillet to paper towels to drain excess oil. Serve hot.

African Vegetarian Stew

4 sm Kohlrabies or Parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

½ c Couscous or Bulgar Wheat

1 lg Onion, chopped

¼ c Raisins, dark or golden

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Ground Turmeric

2 Zucchini, sliced thick

½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

5 Tomatoes, fresh or 16 oz Can Tomatoes

½ tsp Ground Ginger

¼ tsp Ground Cumin

15 oz Can Garbanzo beans

3 c Water

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

African Squash & Yams (futari)

1 sm Onion; chopped, pared & cut into 1" pieces

2 tbs Oil

1 c Coconut Milk

1lb Hubbard squash; cut into 1" pieces

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Ground cinnamon

2 medium size Yams or sweet potatoes

¼ ts Ground cloves

Cook and stir onion in oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer.

African Green Pepper & Spinach

1 med Onion; chopped

1 med Green pepper; chopped

1 tbs Oil

1 med Tomato; chopped

1 lb Fresh spinach; stems removed

¾ tsp Salt

? tsp Pepper

¼ c Peanut butter

Cook and stir onion and green pepper in oil in 3 quart saucepan until onion is tender. Add tomato and spinach. Cover and simmer until spinach is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and peanut butter.

Heat just until hot.

African Vegetable Stew

1 Onion (very large) chopped

1 Swiss chard bunch

1 can Garbanzo beans/chick-peas

½ c Raisins

½ c Rice

2 Yams

Several fresh tomatoes (or large can)

1 Garlic clove

Salt and pepper, to taste

Tabasco sauce, to taste

Fry onion, garlic and white stems of chard until barely limp. Add chopped greens and fry a bit.

Either peel the yams or scrub them well with a vegetable brush, then slice them into thick slices. Add garbanzos, raisins, yams, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook a couple of minutes.

Make a well in the center of the mixture in the pot. Put the rice in the well and pat it down until it's wet. Cover and cook until rice is done, about 25 minutes. Add Tabasco sauce to taste.

African Tomato-avocado-

buttermilk Soup

3lb Tomatoes, peeled and seeded

2 tbs Tomato paste

1 c Buttermilk

1 tbs Olive oil

1 Avocado, mashed to a puree

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs Finely minced fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Hot pepper sauce

Garnish: 1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced, sour cream, plain yogurt or creme fraiche

Puree tomatoes in a food processor or food mill, then press through a sieve to remove seeds. In a large mixing bowl, beat the pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, buttermilk, and oil.

Toss pureed avocado with 1 tablespoon lemon juice to hold the color. Add the avocado, remaining lemon juice, and parsley to the tomato mixture; stir to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and a generous number of drops of hot pepper sauce. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

At serving time, taste soup for seasonings. Ladle into individual bowl and have guest garnish their portions with cucumber and sour cream. Pass hot pepper sauce around to add more piquancy.