deliciousness unreal: black eyed pea salsa.

i think black eyed peas are awesome. after making & eating this salsa, you probably will, too.

ingredients:
1 big-ass can of black eyed peas (i use goya), drained & rinsed
1 bag frozen corn, thawed & drained
1 large green bell pepper, large dice
3 roma tomatoes, large dice
1 medium white onion, large dice
3 celery stalks, sliced horizontally (you can be fancy and dice if you want, i don't really care)
the juice of 1 lime
sea salt, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
crushed garlic, to taste
black pepper, to taste
olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) (optional)

combine spices, lime juice, onion, & celery in a bowl. mix enough to thoroughly coat the onion & celery. set aside for about 10 minutes. (during this time, you can finish any chopping or do the rinsing/ draining of the corn and black eyed peas)
add all other ingredients; mix gingerly, as the peas will be kind of soft & you don't wanna turn them into mush. chill the salsa or serve at room temperature.

this salsa is also absolutely fucking delicious when served as a soup, in chicken or veggie stock. jesus.

fried rice.

i like rice.
i am also kinda broke on the regular.
so, i make fried rice. like this. (as per usual, no actual recipe, just an ingredient list & room for modifications and substitutions)

ingredients:

2 cups of rice (i prefer brown, but it's not necessary), cooked (make sure it isn't sticky)
1 large white onion, diced (or 1/4 lb scallions, chopped)
carrots (three medium sized),cut into medallions about 1/4 inch thick
the juice of 1 lime
toasted sesame oil, to taste
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
garlic (about 2 tablespoons,minced)
3 medium sized chicken breasts marinated (optional)
olive oil

instructions:
cook chicken breasts in olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic. set aside to cool. cube the chicken once it cools.
in the same pan, add rice & carrots. cook on medium-heat for about 2 minutes. reduce heat. add scallions. add a splash or two of sesame oil. add lime juice. while the rice & veggies are cooking, season the mixture to your tastes. add chicken to rice by folding (don't stir, you may break the rice, & nobody really wants that). return to high heat. cook for about 5 minutes.

serve w/ as many or as few veggies as you like, with or without soy sauce, with tofu, red meat, or pork. it's up to you! just don't forget the lime juice. lol.

white bean turkey chili

quick, easy chili that can be veganized and goes really well with kale or collards. enjoy!

3 cans cannelini beans, rinsed (i use trader joe's)
1 can tomato paste (trader joe's organic)
1 lb ground turkey (shadybrook farms)
olive oil
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
cumin, to taste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 crushed red pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 lime
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can diced tomatoes

1) brown turkey in a skillet w/ olive oil, two cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
2) add diced bell pepper and onion; add cumin and lime juice.
3) transfer contents of skillet to stock pot; add lime juice.
4) add tomato paste, chili powder, crushed red pepper, diced tomatoes and beans.
5) fill tomato paste can w/ water; add to pot.
6) bring mixture to a boil; reduce to a simmer.
7) simmer for about 45 minute , stirring often to help prevent sticking. serve with rice.

and, of course, it tastes even better on the 2nd day!

awesome sauce.

no, really, that's what i call it. here's what it is:

1/2 can organic tomato paste

1 cup vegetable broth 

1 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

black pepper, to taste

sea salt -- just a pinch!

a healthy squeeze (if you have a squeeze bottle) of honey

enough olive oil to coat the pan you're cooking in

add the olive oil, onion and spices. when the onions turn translucent, add everything else with the honey being last. stir. bring to a simmer. once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, remove it from heat. 

this sauce tastes excellent as a base for lamb stew (i added squash and zucchini to mine), would probably be great with steak or a vegetarian steak-like protein (mushrooms! holla!), and just makes my tastebuds dance like the brand new day scene in the wiz. 

enjoy!

mashed potatoes.

(what? in august? YES.)

i saw this recipe from heidi "i am secretly the devil because i want you to cook and eat all the time" swanson and had to try it for myself.

holy crap. it's delicious. my variations:

no scallions, just fried shallots
veggie broth instead of milk
garlic powder in addition to fresh garlic
a sprinkle of cayenne
smart balance instead of butter (it was all i had available)
no parmesan

it's awesome. i wanna add some more potatoes to it. such goodness.

getting ready for fall . . .

fire roasted salsa.

tomato. shallot. green pepper. lime juice. salt. pepper. garlic.

4 roma tomatoes, rinsed
1 large green pepper, seeded and halved
1/2 shallot, diced
lime juice, to taste
salt, pepper, garlic (crushed or powder) to taste

roast the tomatoes, one at a time, on your stovetop. when the skin is blackened and almost peeling, remove. dice the tomatoes and set them aside in a bowl w/ salt, pepper, garlic and lime juice.
roast the green pepper and dice it.
add the shallot and pepper to tomatoes.

serve room temperature or chilled. enjoy with eggs, toast, as a side to some home fries, with a tofu scramble for breakfast. yesterday it served as a topping for a vegetable tamale, and WOW was it delicious. :D

i'm a lightweight lush.

this cannot be denied.
i'm a teetotaler; a sipper of alcoholic beverages, if you will.

and, because of that, i'm always looking for new/ different ways to enjoy booze.

today's recipe is for something totally warm-weather inspired and awfully tasty: red wine sorbet.

3/4 cup raspberry sorbet
1/4 cup lemon sorbet
red wine (i used cabernet sauvignon) to taste

you can blend the ingredients in a blender if you'd like -- i was lazy and used a spoon inside the wine glass.

it's good.

i'm enjoying it despite having taken some allergy meds earlier today (i forgot!). . .

happy sippin!

black eyed peas with brown jasmine rice

(i meant to make this post days ago, but i've had a series of internet issues that have resulted in my becoming comcast's bitch as opposed to verizon's or earthlink's again)

if you're a person from the african diaspora or live in the southern united states, you probably know about the new year's day tradition of eating black eyed peas & collards to bring in a new year of wealth & prosperity.

so, here's my recipe. late as hell (i forgot to publish it after adding photos) . . .

ingredients:

one 1-lb bag of goya frijoles caritas (it says in english somewhere on the bag, black eyed peas), soaked & rinsed
one carton of trader joe's vegetable broth
diced bell peppers (assorted colors)
olive oil
1 small red onion
sofrito
garlic, crushed (to taste)
salt, pepper, adobo & whatever spices you like (to taste)
bragg's liquid aminos (for the smoky taste)

instructions:

1) saute veggies & sofrito in olive oil, in the same stock pot you're going to cook the peas in.
2) once the onions are translucent, add veggie stock, braggs & spices.
3) add peas. bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4) cook the peas to your desired consistency.
5) serve with the rice of your choice. enjoy!

note: i cooked my brown jasmine rice with bay leaf. YUM.

spicy mango fried rice.

i made the coconut forbidden rice about 2 weeks ago, & was looking for something to do w/ allllllll the leftover i had. so, i froze it & thought really hard about what would be suitable. it's tooooooo hot for soup, & i wasn't about to attempt much else (sweet sticky rice was out because of the ginger & garlic) beyond plain old coconut rice as a side dish. then i thought about it. i like mango & coconut outside of desserts.
so i came up w/ spicy mango fried rice! here goes nothing. all measurements are estimations, children...

2 cups coconut forbidden rice
1 cup trader joe's frozen mango chunks, thawed slightly and diced
2 small cloves (or one large clove) garlic, peeled & pressed
3/4 teaspoon pureed ginger
2 tbsps olive oil (or whichever oil you cook with -- butter or margarine would mess w/ the flavor)
ground ginger, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
onion powder (i didn't have a real onion), to taste
blk pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
chili powder, to taste

1) mix the diced mango & seasonings in a bowl; set aside. (i let mine sit for about 10 minutes or so before i started cooking, so the mango would get thoroughly spicy)
2) in a skillet or wok, heat the oil to its frying point.
3) add rice. stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
4) add fruit/ spice mixture. stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the mango is tender.
5) remove from heat. serve.

i like my rice kinda crisp so i kinda overcooked it, then added the mango. i let the whole dish cool before tasting any of it. it was really good. i'm supposed to be sharing it w/ my homegirl but i genuinely don't see that happening. lol.

happy eating.

coconut forbidden rice.

this is my own variation on the recipe for purple jasmine coconut rice which i posted a few days ago, from 101 cookbooks. this was a complete stab in the dark, as i (a) didn't want cashews or shallots, & (b) had never cooked w/ forbidden rice ever in my life . . . i used heidi's measurements for the rice, coconut milk, water & salt.

2 cups forbidden (aka black) rice
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (i use the foco brand, which is hella cheap & thick as thick can be -- do NOT use lite. use regular, whichever brand. & please for the love of pete, don't use coconut creme.)
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 large clove of garlic, crushed (optional)

soak the rice in cold water for 45 minutes to an hour in the pot you'll be using to cook it. once the rice is finished soaking, drain & rinse it twice. add to the pot the water, sea salt & coconut milk. stir the mixture. place the pot over high heat, uncovered. bring rice to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. lower the flame to a low simmer. cook for about 20 minutes without stirring the rice or removing the lid. remove from heat. allow the rice to sit for 20 minutes (still covered). fluff the rice with a fork & serve with the garnish of your choice.

this was a really easy recipe.
i ended up adding about a half cup more coconut milk once i'd finished though; the taste wasn't quite right to me.

next time i'll try some shredded ginger . . .

are you lactose intolerant?

tryna lay off the cow juice?
are you looking for something more nutritive than regular old elbow macaroni?
do you love macaroni & cheese, but find it to be the kind of thing that'll ruin your insides as well as put you to sleep?

well, look no further. heidi swanson is looking out! i'm posting the link but will also come back w/ my own report on said recipe, along with any possible ingredient substitutions.

if any of you tries it first, please give me a shout & lemme know how it went. thanks!