Preventing Future Pandemics Through World Veganism

During the Coronavirus Pandemic, being able to make creative recipes with immune-boosting properties is key!  Today we are joined by Ellora Wellness, who shows us a couple of easy recipes, that will give your immune system a jumpstart.

Vanessa Marsot prepared the first in a series of world recipes with a common ingredient, in honor of preventing future pandemics through world veganism. She is taking one vegetable and finding recipes with it from around the world. First up was the mighty sweet potato in a Senegalese Ground Nut Stew. This recipe is rich in immunity boosters, with tomatoes, red bell pepper, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, turmeric, peanuts, and plantains. You can cook it on the stove for about an hour, or throw it all in the instant pot for about 2 minutes, if the sweet potatoes are pre-baked. 

For those who are allergic to nightshades, Vanessa made a separate batch that had beets instead of the bell pepper, and umeboshi paste and tamarind paste instead of the tomatoes. These alternatives have the tanginess, sweetness, and zing of the nightshade tomatoes and bell pepper, but give it a sweeter, and more mellow flavor. Two very similar recipes with rather different notes to them. 

It takes the world uniting to stop animal agriculture and thus end all future pandemics and reduce climate change. Vanessa will continue to make power-packed dishes with sweet potatoes from a few more countries and then will move on to another starring ingredient. 

Vanessa posing in front of Ellora Wellness.

Ellora Wellness is a space to experience all of the amazing benefits of a healthy lifestyle while adhering to your vegan values. Everything from healthy snacks, beauty treatments, yoga classes, massage, and even pole dancing classes, can all be found under one roof at Ellora Wellness!  

Ellora Wellness in Altadena is open for brunch orders for pickup or delivery on Sunday. Be sure to support our vegan small businesses! 

The finished dishes by Ellora Wellness.

Vanessa posing with her delicious vegan dishes.

Print Recipe

Senegalese Ground Nut Stew

Course: Main Courses

Cuisine: African

Keyword: vegan

Ingredients

• 1-2 plantains
• 1 large yam
• 3-4 onions
• 1 red pepper
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 11/4 cups of peanuts
• 1/2 jar of peanut butter unsalted and chunky
• 11/2 cans whole peeled tomatoes 183/4 oz
• 1 can ground tomatoes 28 oz
• red pepper
• white pepper
• black pepper
• soy sauce
• curry
• bay leaf
• thyme
• basil
• oregano
• cinnamon
• ginger
• maple syrup

Instructions

• Chop onions, garlic, & red peppers and sauté until soft.
• Add all the tomatoes. Make sure tomatoes are well cut up. Let simmer.
• Add peanut butter, mix in well. Add plantains & sweet potatoes. Simmer. Add peanuts.
• Optional--add a dollop of alcohol (nothing sweet, no grain--use wine or bourbon).
• Add a dollop of soy sauce or liquid amino acids, and all spices to taste.
• This should be thick like a stew, not soupy and orangey, and not red (which means not enough peanuts). Let it boil about 1-1.5 hours. Or put everything in the instant pot for about 2 minutes, if you've pre-baked the sweet potatoes.

Notes

For the nightshade-free version:
Substitute beets, umeboshi and tamarind paste for the tomatoes and red bell pepper.