2 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced

1 bunch of scallions – remove the long green parts and chop into 1 inch pieces and set aside to be added to the rest of the veggies for stir frying.  Slice the white parts and put with the minced ginger

1-2 garlic cloves minced or about a teaspoon of bottled minced garlic

½ cup carrot chips or carrots slice on the diagonal

1 crown broccoli florets - or more if you like

½ small head Napa cabbage roughly chopped - or however much you want, could also use regular cabbage

1 bunch bok choy chopped – I used mostly the green part of the bok choy and just a bit of the white stem part

Snow peas

Zucchini sliced in half moon shapes

Any other veggies you want to throw in – sometimes I add a handful of frozen haricots verts

Cilantro

1 can light coconut milk – I only use about half or 2/3 of the can

Chunky peanut butter (optional – this dish is still awesome without it)

Crushed red pepper

Curry powder

Raw cashews

Short grain brown rice (or brown rice noodles) - you can use any noodles you want - I use brown rice because they are gluten free

1- 1 1/2 cups frozen shrimp thawed in warm water and rinsed (use shrimp if desired – but this dish is great even without meat.  Chicken or tofu could also be added)

1) Start your rice or noodles cooking according to package directions.

2) Rinse and chop all your veggies and combine into a big bowl – except for the ginger, garlic, and white parts of the scallions which you should chop and put into a smaller bowl

3) Heat a large wok or dutch oven on medium heat. Add sesame oil and begin to sauté ginger, garlic and scallions

4) Let that go for several minutes until all are tender and the scallions turn clear-ish.  Add more oil if needed

5) Add the rest of the veggies, season with curry powder, crushed red pepper and soy sauce or salt. 

6) Stir fry until desired tenderness – I like my broccoli to be kinda crisp-tender.

7) Add the shrimp at this point if using it – continue to stir fry a few minutes until shrimp turn white.

8) Add coconut milk and peanut butter (if desired) and stir well to mix.  Sometimes I'll warm the peanut butter in the microwave to soften and mix it with the coconut milk before adding to the dish.  Use enough milk to make it saucy but not soupy!  I used about ½ or a little more of the can.  Reduce heat slightly and let it simmer.

9) Let the veggies simmer in the coconut/peanut sauce for a bit.  At this point I usually taste and re-season and add a bit more curry powder, salt or soy sauce – taste and see. If you like a kick add a bit more crushed red pepper.  The mix of the curry and coconut is the key to this dish so make sure you use enough curry!!! 

10) Let it simmer a few more minutes and let all the flavors blend.

11) Serve over rice or noodles in a bowl.  Top with fresh cilantro and chopped cashews or peanuts, and maybe a drizzle of sesame oil J

1. Put the beans in a pot and cover with water the night before (you can do a "quick soak" per the package but if you have time to do an overnight soak do it).  Just leave the pot sitting on the stove and let the beans soak.
2. The next morning drain off the soak water, rinse the beans, refill the pot with fresh water and stick in the fridge as you head out to work.
3. When you get ready to start the dish rinse and drain the beans one more time and cover with fresh water or 1/2 water and 1/2 veggie broth for more flavor.  Turn the temp on high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cock the lid but let them simmer pretty hard.
4. When you put the beans on to cook go ahead and start your rice.  I do my rice in a rice cooker but you can do yours in a pot.  For every cup of rice I use about 2-2 1/2 cups of broth or water.  When making this I use 1/2 water and 1/2 broth.  It gives the rice a great flavor.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven on med heat.
6. Add EVOO or other oil, garlic and onion and saute a few minutes
7. Add the celery and bell pepper and saute until the celery is tender - celery takes a bit longer than the other stuff but be patient...you don't want crunchy celery :)
8. Once the veggies are tender, add the can of tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, seasonings and a little veggie broth (about 1/2-1 cup).  If you don't have fresh parsley use dried.  I apologize but I don't measure ANYTHING usually unless I know I'm going to share the recipe at that time and I try to measure.  But know this...I usually lean on the generous side of seasonings so don't go sparingly with it!  I shake the bottle over the pot a few times then as the dish cooks I taste and add more as needed.  I will tell you that I'm much more generous with the garlic powder, Tony's and the sage...if you add too much Thyme you can ruin a dish so add and taste carefully with that one. 
9. Check the beans, once they are starting to get tender, add them to the veggies.  I usually keep about 2/3 of the water they have been cooking in and drain the rest off. 
10. Stir all this together, put on the lid, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to med or med-low and keep it at a good roaring simmer.  Stir and taste occasionally and add more Tony's, garlic or sage as needed...I usually add alot more :)
11. Once the broth starts to thicken and it all cooks down a bit, take a potato masher and mash some of the beans then stir well with a big spoon.  I usually try to mash about 1/3 to 1/2 the beans.  The mashed beans mix with the juices and creates that thick, creamy texture we love in traditional red beans and rice :)
12. Keep simmering, stirring, tasting and seasoning until it reaches the flavor and thickness you like! 
13. Serve over rice and top with chopped scallions - this adds great flavor and a freshness to the dish - make sure you don't skip this part!

**note - soaking over night or for 24 hours helps make beans easier to digest... so for those of you that have digestive issues or usually can't tolerate beans very well, try doing it this way.  Also, this dish usually only takes about 45 min to an hour - if you have not soaked the beans as long, it will take longer to get them tender.  Make sure they are tender (will smush to the roof of your mouth pretty easily) before you mash them ;)

Hersch offers readers a fly-on-the-wall perspective as she spends three years hanging out with eight youths, submerging herself in their environment. They struggle with all the things you might remember or expect from the teen years: figuring out relationships, establishing friendships, determining what's cool and uncool, experiencing sexual attraction. But these teens--and, as Hersch asserts, the majority of teens in America today--have much, much more piled on their plates. Having been left to their own devices by a preoccupied, self-involved, and "hands-off" generation of parents, adolescents have had to figure out their own system of ethics, morals, and values, and rely on each other for advice on such profound topics as abuse, dysfunctional parents, and sex (with all its accompanying ramifications). Adolescents are indeed "a tribe apart," but not by choice--adult society abandons them long before they ever get the chance to rebel against it.

A wake-up call for all parents and teenagers, this essential book is also hopeful. Hersch urges us not to be afraid of teenagers--even if they have piercings and tattoos and strange hair--because what they really, truly want is a little guidance, attention, and love.

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