Beans! Cuban Beans!

I felt the need to stock up on some extra iron this week so I went to an old standby my Mom used to make for me. Comfort food, ahh! 

It's simple and delicious and you'll love it! 

Ingredients: 

1 bag or 2 cans of black beans (if using dry, prepare as you normally would) 
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, diced
2 packets Goya Sazon seasoning
1 bunch of cilantro, loose chopped
1 whole fresh tomato, diced
salsa verde
sour creme
sliced green olives
finely diced onion

1 cup rice per person (if using regular rice ratio is 2 parts water to 1 part rice, if making quick rice, follow the box) 

Placed the peeled and cubed potatoes in a decent sized pot and cover with water. Add in 2 packets of Sazon, 1/4 cup diced onion, and clove of garlic. Place on high and let boil for 5-10 minutes until the potatoes are about 3/4 cooked. You will see them change colors a bit. 

Add in the beans and cook until they're soft, anywhere from 5 - 15 minutes depending on the bean. You should have a nice dark broth with your beans and potatoes now. 

Remove from the heat and add in some cilantro. Taste and add salt if needed, but not too much if you like the olives (like I do). They add a good saltiness to it at the end. 

Place rice in the bottom of a nice deep bowl and ladle over the beans and potato. Add a nice dollop of sour creme in the middle, sprinkle on some tomato, salsa verde, onion, and olives. Sprinkle generously with cilantro! You can add some nice Jalapenos too if you like. Although I will say they tend to overpower the whole thing. I haven't figured out how to add enough to get the heat but not too much to kill the subtle flavor of the beans and potato. 

Here's what mine looked like. I forgot cilantro at the store (will be rectifying that tomorrow!) so imagine it on there for me. 

It was really delicious. The best part is for you preggers or anemic folks, the potato and tomato contains lots of nice vitamin C which is necessary to digest the iron in the beans! Tada! Healthy blood! It's a nice rounded meal with lots of good stuff for you and easy to make. You could even do it in the crock pot (or mini crock pot) if the mood struck. 

Quinoa with Roasted Garlic, Tomatoes, and Spinach

Jessie has some quinoa in her panty and doesn't know what to do with it... So I decided to research a few quinoa recipes for her. I found one that interested me enough to try for dinner tonight. You can find the original recipe here, but I decided to modify it a bit. Mainly, I adjusted the roasted garlic part... Jessie told me to roast the garlic at 375 degrees for 25 minutes... Next time I should probably go for 30-35 minutes, but I'll play with that part of the recipe later...

Most of the ingredients... The garlic was in the oven and the quinoa was rinsed by the time I took this picture...

I rinsed the quinoa, also as per directions (it keeps it from getting bitter). Note: either use a SUPER-FINE mesh strainer or use a bowl and your hand to drain the quinoa... the mesh strainer I used had holes bigger than the grain, so a bit went down the sink...

Rinsed quinoa....

As the garlic was finishing, I sauteed the shallots and crushed red pepper. I didn't measure the shallots out, I just used the smaller part of the bulb.... I also didn't measure the crushed red pepper, just eyeballed it... Added the quinoa, as per the directions and then splashed it with some white wine (probably more than the recipe called for but, meh....)

Quinoa, shallot, & red pepper flake mix... after wine...

After the addition of the chicken broth....

Of course, when cooking with wine, it is customary to pour yourself a glass, or two (or three, I won't judge)...

Wine... yummy... I had to have an extra glass since Jessie cannot (preggers)

While the quinoa was cooking as per directions, I took the garlic out of the oven and let it sit for a bit....

Roasted Garlic

Another departure from the recipe - it calls for a chopped, seeded, small tomato... I chose to use grape tomatoes cut in half and NOT seeded... but that was purely my choice...

Halved Grape Tomatoes

When the quinoa was cooked, I added the tomatoes, spinach, and parmesan cheese and mixed it all together...

Mix it all together...

Note: you should probably taste the combination after you add the parmesan and before you add extra salt... I used "full-strength" chicken broth (and not the reduced sodium type) for the recipe... The parmesan is a bit salty on its own and the addition of salt after the parmesan was added was a bit too much for me... Still edible (and tasty), but not as amazing as it could have been...

If you are making this for a side, it makes 4 servings... If you are making it as a main dish (as I was), it makes two...

I will definitely make this recipe again, as it is light enough for the times when I don't want to eat a heavy dinner, and it has a lot of nutritional value... Apparently, quinoa is high in protein, so it is good for "meatless" nights... It is also awesome for any garlic lover... It is awesomely garlicky!

Pumpkin Pie? Why yes please!

My friend Kadee sent me this recipe. I, of course, tweeked it to make it super delicious. And come on, who doesn't want to drink pie! 

Makes a wonderful easy treat while watching for trick-or-treaters. 


Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree (I used what we had left from last years Halloween pumpkins I had painted)
1 very ripe medium-sized banana, you can use the frozen ones you forgot about in the freezer
1 

cup fat-free vanilla yogurt, my favorite is a greek style
2 tbsp honey (We were out of honey and the honey dude hasn't called me back so I used Karo Syrup)
1 cup milk or cream, you could use any sort of liquid that suits you, I just went off of the standard pie recipe

a splash of Mocha or Chocolate flavored coffee creamer, totally optional but why not?! 

3/4 tsp Penzey's Baking Spice
a splash of vanilla extract
a handful of crushed ice

Toppings:

Whipped Cream

Candy

Throw everything in a blender. Make sure you remember the lid. Throw that puppy on high speed and let her rip! 

Pour into a lovely glass, preferably with a straw. A scoop or squirt of whipped cream on top and your favorite tiny candy crumbles on top. Perfectly festive! 

Cool Weather Grub!

Fall is DEFINITELY in the air here in Juneau. It was 36 degrees this morning when I took the hubby to work... You know what that means? I can FINALLY cook soups & stews for dinner! Yay! I am trying to convert my husband over to my way of thinking when it comes to the awesomeness that is a pot of delicious soup... He maintains that "soup is not dinner" but I can usually get him to eat stew or chili with few complaints.

Earlier today, I had a craving for lentil soup. To satisfy my craving, I went to the store to get ingredients while I had a bit of time between when I got off work and when Aaron got off work. While wandering the store, I saw a bag of baby yukon gold potatoes... and changed my mind (I just couldn't convince myself that I could successfully add potatoes to lentil soup). So I could use the potatoes that I immediately craved upon sight, and so I could get Aaron to eat it, I decided to make chicken stew.

Another good thing about soup weather? You don't really need a recipe... Just a good understanding of what tastes good together...

Heat some olive oil in a dutch oven (love my Lodge Enameled Cast Iron one). Cut one chicken breast into cubes, season with salt & pepper, and brown in the oil. When browned, remove the chicken and set aside. Add a bit more oil and then add one red onion, two stalks of celery, and two carrots (all chopped) and cook until the veggies start to soften. Add the baby yukon gold potatoes (roughly quartered, but it depends on the size of the potatoes... just make sure they are about the same size, but not too small, or they'll be mushy) and the chicken. Season with more salt, pepper, and about 1 tsp. of an herb blend (I used herbs de provence, but you can use whatever you like). Then, add 1 quart of chicken broth and let it simmer with the lid on over medium heat. Cook until the potatoes are soft. Mix in some cornstarch (mix it with liquid first, or you'll be sorry.... I used some white wine I had lying around). Thicken it to the desired consistency (Aaron likes it thick, so I used about 2-3 tbsp of cornstarch, but 1-2 would probably be fine). Taste for any additional seasoning it may need. Fresh herbs might be nice (but I didn't have any luck with my kitchen herb garden, so I didn't).

Feel free to add anything else you want to it... soup isn't rocket science and it isn't exactly precise... I RARELY measure anything for my soups. And it is pretty rare for me to have a crappy batch of soup.

I didn't get any pictures of the awesomeness, so you'll just have to take my word that it looked and tasted great. Definitely hit the spot for some comfort food. An added bonus? When I plugged the ingredients in to calculate the calorie count of the dish, it works out to a little over 200 calories per serving. We each had 1 bowl and I separated the rest of the pot into two plastic containers. I figure it is about 6 servings a pot, at these quantities. Sometimes I go a little overboard with soup production, but I successfully reigned it in for this one :)

Grandma's Peanut Butter Fudge (Fo' Real, yo!)

So, today I had a major craving for peanut butter fudge... It could be because I'm homesick, or overworked, or missing my grandma... Or it could just be that I've had a craving for it ever since I sent Jessie the text with the "directions" in it... Either way, I needed a break from my school work today and decided to whip some up...

BTW, Jessie, for someone who doesn't like to do excess dishes, you sure made it complicated! Made properly, it is a one pot-one plate experience, with a few additional tools necessary for making the candy.

Directions will be given by picture, so pay attention :) No measurements were taken. This very much depends on proportions and current weather (humidity), etc...

Add sugar and cocoa powder to the pot and whisk to combine.

The sugar-cocoa mixture should look like this (I had to add more sugar to get to this stage)

Add just enough milk to moisten the sugar. I started with about a 1/4 c. and ended up using about a 1/3 c. (just eye-balling it)

Turn the heat to med-low and switch to a wooden spoon... As Jessie said - "Just keep stirring..."

Just starting to bubble a bit...

Getting nice and bubbly...

Really cooking now!

 It was at this stage that I tested the "done-ness" of the candy. I don't have a candy thermometer, so I tested it with cold water. (I didn't get a picture of this because it moves pretty fast). Pour some really cold water in a glass dish (mom used a small drinking glass, I use glass prep bowls). Drizzle some of the candy into the cold water. Stick your fingers in and manipulate the candy ball. It should form a nice ball, but still be pliable (soft-ball stage). If you cook it past this point, the fudge will be too tough to eat... Mine was in the perfect soft-ball stage, so I removed the pot from the heat. This is when you add the vanilla (it maximizes the vanilla flavor).

I also added a couple of heaping tablespoons of peanut butter to the pot and beat it with the wooden spoon to thoroughly incorporate the peanut butter (you can use smooth or chunky, your choice)... WARNING: It sets up REALLY fast so you better be prepared to dump it onto the greased plate as soon as it comes together... otherwise it will start cooling in the pot and it will take forever to get it out again...

Aaron took a picture while I was stirring... I know, not a very good one...

After it's been mixed... It should be the consistency of thick frosting...

Glob it onto a (greased) plate and press flat... Cut into squares while still warm to prevent breaking...

Let it cool and eat your fill!

My mom used to make this anytime one of us kids got sick. We'd take the (nasty) medicine she'd give us and then follow it up with a piece of peanut butter fudge... It made getting sick not so bad!

My grandmother is no longer alive, but anytime I visit my Auntie, she makes me peanut butter fudge. I'm usually not a great candy maker and the last few efforts of making peanut butter fudge were disastrous! My sugar constantly crystallized... it made for very gritty peanut butter fudge. But, it must be sufficiently humid out today because I had no problems with this batch... Yummy!

She's Crashing! I need a pan of Brownies! STAT!

After the day I had today, anyone would understand why I NEEDED chocolate... You know, that base NEED that if you don't get it in the forseeable future, you will drop down dead... OK, maybe I'm being a little over-dramatic, but I don't care... I had a REALLY CRAPPY Monday and I NEEDED chocolate... (not to be confused with the days where I NEED a margarita... those are reserved for a different kind of day and a different post altogether).

I love my Mother-In-Law... She has become my personal shopper when it comes to my challenge of going Gluten-Free. She constantly sends care packages, and each time, there is something new for me to try. Well, this particular item has been sitting on my shelf in my pantry, mostly because I haven't had time to bake for a while... Didn't really have time for it today, but, you know, I needed the chocolate...

Vegetable Oil, Egg Replacer, Brownie Mix, Vanilla, and Water!

I almost cried because I didn't have my usual egg replacement options for the brownie mix (the only applesauce in the house has cinnamon in it... I wasn't feeling adventurous)... and then I remembered that she sent me a box of egg replacer when she sent the brownie mix. Somehow, the jar (it HAD to be repackaged - long story) got shuffled to the back of my cabinet and I forgot all about it... But, I found it and I had no excuse NOT to make brownies now!

I pretty much followed the directions on the box - except for replacing the melted butter with some vegetable oil and replacing the egg with the egg replacer mix. Oh, and I omitted the nuts, primarily because I don't have any (I AM a girl, ya know!).

What the ...?

I learned very quickly that my usual method of mixing brownies would NOT work with this mix... To be fair, it did call for the use of a hand mixer, but I, in my hubris, deemed it unnecessary... They knew what they were talking about... I have a VERY sturdy whisk and this THICK batter almost bent the wires back (I stopped before it could and I brought out the more appropriate tool for the job).

Much better...

Also courtesy of my MIL is my awesome brownie pan (that I forgot to grease ahead of time - again, not completely following the directions on the box). I had to use a paring knife to unstick the sides a little bit before I could unpan the brownies (but not too bad - the oil in the mix helped)... I got impatient (apparently I undercooked the brownies, but I don't care - I love them extra-fudgy) and served me up three... YES, three brownies... After a day like I had today, that is the requisite starting number... What was that? Brownies for dinner? Yes please!

I'll probably be so sick tomorrow........

PS - after 3 more brownies, my guilt got the better of me and I had to have "actual" dinner - I can't in good faith allow myself brownies for dinner and still call myself an adult... but I did, at least, have dessert first!

Baby Spinach, Orange Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Green Onions, Parmesan, & a Balsamic Vinaigrette.

And if I haven't made myself clear by this point - the brownies DEFINITELY hit the spot!

Jen

More than just baby mush... NurturMe

Recently I ran across this company called NurturMe. 

You may be wondering why I was even interested in a baby food company as neither Jen or myself have any kids. Well, here's why. These things are good. So they sent out a little sample pack of the apple powder stuff. Nom Nom. 


Here's the awesome part. Those glass and plastic jar things that baby food comes in, they break. As in big giant mess. If you're me, about anything you carry around ends up in a mashed mess, likely in the deepest crevices of your purse. You never get it clean and never get the smell out. 


This company essentially makes dried fruit and veggie powder. It comes in these great little pouches that make the equivalent of one serving. Just add water and done. 

Now on to the really cool part and why a childless cook would love them, you can add these suckers to your recipes for USDA Certified Organic produce from smaller farms. Supporting the little guy, eating whole. And that's the point of this whole blog right? Good food with good friends. What better way to make friends than supporting them?! 


They even tout a good recipe page. Everything from pancakes to pasta. Remember when I squeezed in some squash to Jeff's venison gumbo? I can't remember if I told y'all that one. Well, now I can get the same effect, just without him noticing little chunks of yellow (note: remove the skin of squash when sneaking it in!). I just wrote a post today about some Banana Sugar Shortbread Cookies. Banana's out of season? Add in 2 pkgs of NurturMe and some extra water and done! 

We also bought a sampler pack to keep in our pantry. Here in MS we are rather known for bad storms. That one a few years ago, Katrina, yeah, that wasn't good. Having a few of these pouches around is a good idea for keeping up strength to fight zombies and all. 

More than anything, I just really like the company and product. No more worries about having food for your friends kids around. From the time they eat solid foods to age 4, this is like the one stop shop. My next thing to try is mixing it into a good 48 oz of water for some healthy nutrient packed flavored water. Those things you get to add into water are all gross and sugary. Lately I've been just boiling fruit with honey down to make syrup and mixing them together anyway. 


So do me a favor, just cruise around their website, check out their blog, and send me some ideas you have for using the packets in your every day food. Never know, I may even pick a post comment to reward handsomely. That's just the kind of giver I feel like today. 


Oh yeah, and Jen, they're all GF! 

For Cod's Sake!

Tonights dinner was unexpected but a result of a few sales at my local Kroger and a free Rachel Ray Cooks magazine. Possibly that Metamucil I had this morning too causing a prolonged visit to my office (aka, the spare bath). 

Anyway... Eggplant was on sale for $0.88 each. Great deal! Beautiful locally grown eggplant with a nice bouncy firm skin. Mmmm, bouncy and firm, generally reserved for boobs but on eggplant, delightful. Besides, I'm almost 30, nothing on me is firm anymore! 

Some fresh wild caught cod filets were in the seafood counter. Seeing as cod is a sustainable fish and so creamy and fatty and delicious, who could say no!? Besides, I have had a fish craving for awhile. Mississippi produces catfish... a lot of FARMED catfish. I'm not saying it's terrible, I'm saying I'm generally not a huge fan. I prefer my fatty saltwater fishes. 

On to my next ingredient, basil. It's gardening season and my lovely backyard garden is going nuts. My basil is like 4 ft high and bushy. Mmmm, bushy basil. While we're out there, the spring onions are going nuts too and so delicious this year. Flavorful but not that kind of onion that leaves a nasty taste on the back of your tongue, the good kind that's like fresh and pops.

The one thing I had to go searching for was cherry tomato. Blah, mine aren't ripe yet! Soon enough, for now we got some locally grown from the supermarket. 

Putting it together... 

Set the oven on a normal broil. Let it get HOT. 

Saute some chopped garlic and choppped basil in grape seed oil just until it turns light blonde. Half the tomatoes and throw them in (DO NOT STIR). I used about a cup and a half of tomatoes. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Let them sit until they look happy and shake the pan a bit. They'll do their own thing. When they saute a little, turn it all off and set aside. 

Slice the egg plant into like 1/2 inch slices and lay them on a baking sheet with some grape seed oil on. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put under the broiler for like 5 minutes. Don't let them burn. 

Take the eggplant out and flip it over. Pile the tomato mixture evenly divided onto the eggplant. Nom... try to contain eating all the tomatoes right here. 

Lay pieces of cod over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. See a theme? Just a touch at each step gives it a great flavor! I sliced paper thin slices of lemon and laid them on top of the fish here. It made it good. Nice touch of sour fresh. 

Pop back under the broiler until the fish turns kind of white and starts to seperate. That's when it's delicious. Again, do not overcook.

This tastes great served with couscous. It cooks in like 5 minutes. Boil water, add some lemon juice, chop the spring onion and basil. Let the couscous sit in the hot water until it absorbs. Stir in the onion and basil and add a dash of salt. Fluff a little (hehehe) and you're ready to go! [That's what she said]

Here's a picture! 

Happy eating!

GF Pancakes

I know it has been a while since I posted anything here, but I have been cooking and taking pictures of everything, I just haven't had time to post anything... I know, excuses, excuses...

I've been rather depressed lately about what I can and cannot eat. I try to focus on what I CAN eat and ignore what I CAN'T, but it is difficult. Especially when you go out to a restaurant and you get a salad (because it is something you CAN eat) and your husband gets Eggs Benedict... seriously wanted to hurt him (but I didn't... aren't I a good girl?).

Wandering the store yesterday, I came across Gluten-Free Bisquick. Normally, I don't like Bisquick. The flavor is too weird to me. I rarely used it even when I could eat it. But, I saw the Gluten-Free Bisquick and thought "pancakes sound good"...

So I followed the directions on the box for GF Pancakes. They were not bad! This coming from a person who doesn't really like pancakes (I've just been craving them lately because I can't have them). When I have eaten pancakes in the past, they've either been silver-dollar pancakes or they had fruit on them rather than syrup. I don't care for the texture of large pancakes with syrup...

Hedging my bets, I made silver-dollar pancakes for dinner (with bacon and hashbrowns... had to include meat and potatoes for the man to eat it). I learned that I can only eat about 4 silver dollar pancakes when I'm eating hashbrowns along with them. But they were good! It's nice to have another option for a quick dinner when I don't really want anything else.