We Interrupt this 31DBB with Summer Stew

There is nothing like a good stew when you're in need of comfort. You are in need of comfort, aren't you, at this juncture in the 31DDB Project?

This Nigerian Stew began as delicious Nigerian Baked Beans. The following night I added potatoes and fried onions (sliced really thin, fried really dark brown).

Today I want to remember what I did, in case I'm in need of comfort again sometime. Or just want to eat a great summer stew.

Nigerian Baked Beans, from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian (modified by moi :)

Stir briefly over low heat..

• 1 onion, chopped and already sauteed until light brown
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TB curry powder


Add onion and garlic mixture to...

• 1 1/2 cups dried Great Northern Beans, already soaked and cooked until tender (retain cooking water)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 TB peanut butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Bake all together about an hour or until tender and sauce is thickened.

Serve with salad and brown bread with herbed butter (herbed butter is a stick of softened butter you whip up and add chopped fresh garden herbs to, along with minced garlic, onion and a bit of lemon juice; I added fresh lemon thyme, sage, rosemary, chives, and oregano).


For Stew the Following Evening...

• cut 4-5 potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks, add to beans with enough water to cover, and cook 15 minutes or until tender
• garnish with one onion sliced very thin, browned until crisp
• add a generous scoop of herbed butter and stir until melted


Nigerian Stew photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Comfort and Care

Last January, I made the commitment to go outside for a little while each day. I can't believe it has already been almost a whole year since that decision. This journey into solitude, by pretty much going nowhere (just to my own back yard), has been truly life-giving.

Of solitude, Ruth Haley Barton says...

In the quiet listening and noticing that solitude affords, I am able to monitor the ways I allow [my body] to become a bit run down so it is not quite up to the rigors of meeting with the living God. When I am able to open up to that reality in God's presence, it becomes an opportunity to work together with God on fashioning a life where the needs of the body are cared for as a part of my commitment to the spiritual journey. (p.67-68)

I have always been a person who's fairly attuned to my body and its needs, but I realize that Barton is right. In going outside almost daily, lying back and looking at the sky, I've become even more willing to take moments of rest, to seek silence, and to accept that caring for my body's needs are part of the spiritual journey.

Indeed, I recently started running again, after almost twenty years of being away from it. Somehow, the urge to run got all wrapped up in the new things I'd begun to feel in my spiritual journey in my own back yard. This too has been life-giving. A great comfort and another level of opening up. Often, after I run, I find myself writing in my journal or over at Love Notes to Yahweh.

So the running then became a way back to another part of my spirit and the Spirit, thus beginning a new experience of prayer and worship. Who knows where this will take me? Next January I'll be back here to think it through. In the meantime, I pray for you: a renewed sense of finding comfort and growth in taking care of your own body and spirit.

Oh, and for the road, here's a little comfort food. Simple and nutritious.




Cowboy Hotpot

Layer and bake about 1 hour or until tender, covered, at 400 degrees...

- a 1 to 1/2 inch layer of baked beans (your favorite canned, or using recipe below)
- Tofu pups (soy dogs) cut into rounds and put in baked beans
- a layer of parboiled sliced potatoes (parboil 4 or 5 potatoes about 10 minutes)
- salt and pepper to taste over top

Finish by broiling briefly, after adding...
- some cheddar, shredded, over potatoes
- bread crumbs over cheese, if desired
- a few pours olive oil

Serve with garlic bread, sauerkraut and a salad or broccoli.


Baked Beans

Cook stovetop, for about an hour or until tender...

- 2 to 2 1/2 cups soaked dry great northern beans in enough water to cover


Add and cook until thick...

- 1 TB Frontier brand "bacuns"
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tsp dried mustard
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 TB worcestershire sauce

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LL's Taking Care