My family and I have celebrated Kwanzaa for about 12 years, to remember our history tangibly and annually.
This year, we’re focusing on celebrating through food as a way to remember ancestral foodways, creating space for conversation, storytelling, and deeper understanding at the table.
It also elevates my son’s role and the importance of his cake contribution, reminding him that what he brings matters.
After the rush of the holidays, Kwanzaa brings a sense of joy, grounding, and even a little fun through meaningful tradition.
Most of all, it is a legacy I hope my son will one day pass down to his children, a living tradition rooted in values, culture, and connection.
Each year we try to add one new “flavor” to the celebration. One year my Son asked me if he could add to the tradition and I agreed absolutely! His addition was to always have cake 😂. Well what do you do but let them eat cake 🤷🏽♀️.
I love observing Kwanzaa primarily because it creates intentional space to teach my son uplifting values.
- Unity– as a family despire ups and downs, we must unify ourselves at the root.
- Branches may come and go, but the root stays firmly on the ground.
- Purpose– Discussing the principles reminds us to honor our self-determination
- Community- Serving the community, and creating community are both important to our family.
- Money may come and go, and the legacy we leave behind is what remains.
As parents, the days can be both long and short. Routines, responsibilities, obligations, and raising our children can become mundane. Making purposeful time to teach values out loud as well as live them can mean so much.
If you want to know more about the principles of Kwanza check out this post. 👇🏾
Let’s Talk about Our Dinner Plan!
Day 1 Umoja: means unity in Swahili. “To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race”.
Dish to make: Grain Bowls- The grains of Africa are rich in nutrients we need every day. Having a healthy grain bowl as a family, mixing and matching various toppings can be a fun way to kick off the day!
Day 2 Kujichagulia: means self-determination. This principle refers to defining, naming, creating and speaking for oneself
Dish to make: Cold Bean Salad
I chose this dish due to it’s variety and ease of prep. Once made, it is not only vibrant bu beautiful in color and texture.
https://oldwayspt.org/recipe/cold-black-eyed-pea-salad
Day 3 Ujima: “collective work and responsibility “To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.”
To celebrate our rich community, Coucous is such a quick and easy grain. It pairs well with veggies both savory and sweet.
Dish to Make: Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Couscous:
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh herbs (such as dill or cilantro), chopped for garnish
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 bell pepper (red or yellow), diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven:
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). - Prepare the Vegetables:
In a large bowl, combine the diced zucchini, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. Drizzle with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss until vegetables are evenly coated. - Roast the Vegetables:
Spread the seasoned vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and slightly caramelized, stirring halfway through. - Cook the Couscous:
While the vegetables are roasting, bring the vegetable broth (or water) to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, stir in the couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let it sit for about 5 minutes. - Fluff the Couscous:
After 5 minutes, add olive oil, salt, and pepper to the couscous. Fluff with a fork to separate the grains. - Combine:
Once the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and add them to the cooked couscous. Gently mix to combine. - Serve:
Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with fresh herbs, and enjoy as a delightful side dish or a light main course!
Tips:
- You can customize this recipe by adding additional vegetables like carrots, asparagus, or mushrooms.
- For a protein boost, consider adding chickpeas or grilled chicken.
Day 4 Ujama: Uplifting your community economically.
This is my favorite principle, as I love to shop a bit this day :). If you’d like to have some ideas on BIPOC owned shops to support, check out these favorites of mine.
Rather than make a dish, consider supporting a BIPOC-owned local restaurant! There are some high quality spots across the country that have mouth-watering menus. Give one a try!
Day 5 Nia means purpose. To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Dish to make: Homemade Salad!
Day 6 Kuumba means creativity: “To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.”
Dish to make: Jollof Rice
This recipe is one of my favorites as it has texture, flavor and most importantly taste! I find myself tweaking this recipe each time I make it in a differnt way. Whether it is the rice used, or pepper there’s so many ways to make it creative! For this recipe, it can be found at this link on the Oldways site. I make just a few swaps and adjustments.
Jollof Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 3 large red bell peppers (1 pound), deseeded and chopped
- 1 Hungarian pepper (stem removed)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 large onions (1 pound), diced medium, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh
- 2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
- 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups Carolina Gold or long grain rice, rinsed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, ginger, and half of the onions and blend until pureed.
- In a pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining diced onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the curry powder, paprika, and thyme, and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste is a rust red color, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the pureed tomato and pepper mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Cover the pot with a lid, lower the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. (Note: If you are not using a heavy or tight-fitting lid, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pot, then cover with the lid.)
- Add the vegetable broth, bay leaves, and rice, and stir to combine. Cover the pot and let cook for 20 minutes.
- Uncover the lid and stir the rice, folding from the bottom. Cover the pot and continue to cook on low heat for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before removing the lid. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt as needed. Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a serving dish to serve.
Day 7 Imani The final principle translates to “faith.” “To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Dish to make: Hoppin John and Have cake!!
Whether you choose to sample some or all of this meal plan, I hope these ideas spark joy for you and your family this holiday season.
Happy Eating!
J