Fiery Liberian Bean Soup

This is another one of those West African dishes that is so much more than the sum of its relatively few parts. The order in which the ingredients are added to the pot helps create layers of flavor and a very pleasing slow build of spicy heat.  

Artisinal Grain "Sausages" with Sauteed Summer Vegetables

Americans, by and large, eat too much meat, but I'm not here to try to convince anyone to become a vegetarian.  It's true that I don't eat land animals, partly because of the horror that is factory farming, and partly because I'm a incurable girl and think that furry animals are cute. But I do occasionally eat seafood, and, as even a cursory glance at my recipes will demonstrate, copious amounts of cheese, so I'm not exactly on the short list to be a PETA spokesperson.