The Charleston Real Estate Search.com

African Peanut Soup to celebrate the day!

Happy Inauguration Day!   Whether you voted for Obama or not, he is our leader. Let us all savor this opportunity to adopt a new attitude of hope. Hope for our country.  Hope for our economy. Hope for a better tomorrow. It all begins today.

African Peanut Soup

In celebration of our first African-American president, I made African Peanut Soup, a delicious vegan recipe chock full of nutritious ingredients. Although the original recipe called for peanut butter, I used green peanuts boiled the day before.

Since boiled peanuts are such a common snack food in Charleston, this is also a great way to use up the left-overs. Just shell them and soak out some of the salt.

If you’ve never boiled your own peanuts, here’s how:

BOILED PEANUTS – the long way

• Place fresh or frozen green peanuts in a large stainless steel soup pot.
• Add 1/2 – 1 cup of salt for every 5 lbs. of peanuts.
• Cover with water to at least 1 inch above the peanuts.
• Add 1-3 hot peppers just for some zip. Don’t worry. I’m a spicy wimp and I hardly tasted the heat.
• Boil 4 hours on medium high until peanuts are tender. 

AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP

• 1 quart of vegetable broth
• 2 medium tomatoes diced fine or 1 14-ounce can
• 3 carrots, sliced thin
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 1 cup soy milk (not vanilla flavored)
• 1 cup of fresh cooked & shelled peanuts, slightly mashed or 1 cup of peanut butter
• 1 tsp hot sauce

Heat vegetable broth to a simmer.

Add carrots, half of the scallions and the tomatoes. Cover and cook 20 minutes until carrots are soft.

Stir in mashed peanuts (or peanut butter) and soy milk, whisking well until mixed thoroughly. 

Add hot sauce to taste.   The boiled peanuts will have enough salt but if you substitute peanut butter, add salt to taste.

Sprinkle remaining scallions over each serving. Serves 4-6.