Soul Food

This is a tribute to Roy "Gramps" Johnson.

While Mama Suzy was visiting us in Santa Fe recently, she asked Andy if he remembered one of his grandfather's favorite evening treats, "Soul Food." At first, I thought they were talking about fried chicken and mashed 'taters. "No, this is ice cream and...what did he put on top of it again?" They lived with Gramps during Andy's childhood on Sanibel Island in Florida, so the recipe was shared with the family. Since Gramps always had a stock-pile of mini-snickers and Dr. Pepper available, it's no surprise that he came up with this sinful little concoction:

What's in it:

Vanilla ice cream (number of scoops? plenty)

Sliced banana

Hershey's syrup

Salted peanuts

Sweet-and-salty.

We decided to use spanish peanuts and add in a chunk of frozen snickers bar.

Um, yum.

Thanks Gramps.

Peanut Noodles with Tofu

Another Sunset magazine find. This one is rich and satisfying, especially if you're a peanut fan. I added some jicama slices on the side for some crunch. Next time I might add some carrot matchsticks, and cut the cucumber into larger pieces. They got a little lost in the robust-ness of the sauce.

What's in it:

8 oz. spaghetti

1/2 cup chicken/vegetable broth (reduced sodium)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. red chile flakes

3 tbsp. soy sauce (reduced sodium)

14 oz. firm tofu, cut into cubes

1 english cucumber, cut into matchsticks

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/3 cup roasted peanuts

How to make it:

1. Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

2. Heat broth, garlic, peanut butter, sugar, chile flakes, and soy sauce in pasta pot until boiling, stirring often. Add tofu, cucumber, and pasta and toss to coat.

3. Transfer pasta to a serving bowl; top with onions, cilantro, and peanuts.

Serves 4 to 6. Takes 30 minutes.

Mmmmmm.

Source: Sunset magazine, October 2010 issue, pg. 104, submitted by Karen Goodwin.