Kwanzaa Culinarians

Recipes and Food Stories from the African Diaspora

Roasted Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Salad

With so many great winter vegetables up for grab, it’s easy to keep salads interesting. This one features cubes of roasted sweet potatoes and shredded swiss chard, which is not … Continue reading

December 24, 2014

Kelewele (Ghanaian Fried Plantains)

Plantains are eaten in many parts of the world, from the Caribbean to the continent of Africa. Most of the time, they are a side dish or integral ingredient in … Continue reading

December 21, 2014

Apricot Jam Pound Cake

The holidays center around baking, so why not try this non-traditional pound cake? There’s a little whole wheat flour, which adds a few extra nutrients and a nutty flavor. The … Continue reading

December 17, 2014

Caramelized Onion and Scallion Cornbread

Cornbread is the side dish that almost always has to appear on the table during the holidays. This one is all about the buttermilk and sour cream that contribute to … Continue reading

December 11, 2014

Marinated Tempeh with Spicy Apricot Pineapple Sauce

Ujima. Collective work and responsibility. It’s one of the main tenants of Kwanzaa that resonates with me the most. Kwanzaa was never part of my family’s holiday traditions, and even … Continue reading

December 8, 2014

Fennel, Kale and Spinach Risotto

The more veggies, the better, right? This risotto is a green-veg packed version of an Italian classic, risotto. Onions, fennel, celery and garlic form the base of the dish, but … Continue reading

December 7, 2014

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Learn more about Kwanzaa

The word "Kwanzaa" comes from the phrase, "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first-fruits." Kwanzaa's extra "a" evolved as a result of a particular history of the Organization Us. It was clone as an expression of African values in order to inspire the creativity of our children. In the early days of Us, there were seven children who each wanted to represent a letter of Kwanzaa. Since kwanza (first) has only six letters, we added an extra "a" to make it seven, thus creating "Kwanzaa." To learn more about Kwanzaa, visit the Official Kwanzaa Website.