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.

chick peas!

because i have this bad habit of tweeting about what i eat & not posting it here, i've been chastised by some folk who simply wanna know how i do what i do in the kitchen. so, here it goes:

ingredients:
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 medium heirloom tomato, large dice (any tomato will do, this is just what i had on hand)
1 small white onion, large dice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a small saucepan)

instructions:
coat a small saucepan with olive oil. add salt, pepper, onion, garlic, curry powder, & tomato.
when the onions begin to turn translucent, add the chick peas & water or broth. bring to a full boil for about 5 minutes.
lower the heat, cover the pot & cook for about 10 minutes or until the chick peas are the texture you like.
remove from heat -- serve over rice.

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.

this blog is moving.

sooner or later.

to a new URL, with pics, and all that fancy shit y'all like.

in the meantime, dig through the archives, check the links, & relaaaaax.

kale recipes abound!

look at this fabulous link: 20 kale recipes, all of which are easy to prepare (by my standards) and probably taste just as yummy as they want to.
enjoy!

(oh. i live in nyc now. i've been busy/ lazy/ my laptop is a piece of crap -- not a lot of blogging. some new food delights have come into my life, though, and i'll have to blog on them soon.)

turkey sage sausage.

see, the thing about me & my food allergies is that the allergies never leave me. i may have fewer symptoms, but i'm never scot-free. so that means that most pre-packaged sausages are not for me. they usually contain soy -- which is my greatest problem when it comes to eating foods prepared by hands that are not my own. so, i talked to my mom -- who is the guru of food allergy stuff now, since she has celiac disease and a mounting list of foods that bother her -- and was able to figure out my own recipe for turkey sage sausage. ready? let's do it!

ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (can be white meat or dark, i prefer stoneybrook farms' 85/15, as it is dark meat and has lots of good flavor)
about 7 leaves of sage, chopped finely or torn into little pieces
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
about 1 tbsp of onion powder (i had no onions, but strongly recommend trying this w/ a finely diced vidalia)
crushed red pepper, to taste
olive oil

instructions:

mix all ingredients in a glass bowl (in my opinion, raw meat should not touch plastics, if possible -- plastic is too porous and i personally don't like the idea of meat remnants being all in my tupperware)
make small meatballs -- about 1.5 inches in diameter and flatten them to the palms of your hands (to keep them from sticking to your fingers, it may be necessary to cover your hands in olive oil beforehand) into patties.
coat a skillet (y'all know i use cast iron) with olive oil; heat the skillet over medium-high heat.
**to tell if the oil is hot enough, drip a wee bit of water into the skillet. if the water dances, it's ready.
fit as many patties as you can into the skillet. brown them fully on each side. make sure the juices run clear from the sausage patties, else you've got some raw meat on your hands. that's not what we're going for here, not at all.
remove each patty from the skillet individually -- be old school like me, and place them on paper towels to catch the oil. lol.

serve w/ biscuits, waffles, grits, oatmeal, or whatever you like. enjoy!

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!

the apologies of an absentee foodie.

dearest readers (all three of you): 

i'm sorry. i've been cooking and not sharing info. i made a garlic citrus risotto a few weeks ago. i have yet to post the recipe here.  i'm obsessed with salads now that it's spring. i haven't recorded a single thing about my foray into making my own salad dressing.  & heaven only knows when i'll post my new spring/ summer beverage recipes.

i'm working on getting better at this. i am.

be patient with me. :)

in the meantime, heidi swanson is still a beast! go to her site and behold the greatness.

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!

curried sweet potato soup: part 1.

the ingredients:

4 lbs sweet potatoes, boiled and peeled
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, skins on, boiled and diced
2 medium red bliss potatoes, skins on, boiled and diced
1 large red onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped (i leave the skins on; you don't have to)
1 shallot, diced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsps olive oil
about 2 quarts of water or vegetable broth
curry powder
sea salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
garlic powder
fresh ginger, grated or sliced (to taste; ground ginger may be subbed)

combine shallot, garlic, onion, spices (all are to taste!), & olive oil in your stock pot.

cook until onions are translucent and the carrots are soft; add water or vegetable broth; bring to a rapid boil.

add all potatoes; lower the heat to a simmer.

cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

** at this point i decided i had to go to bed. next post: coconut milk, pureeing the soup, last-minute tweaking, and what happens when you add a dollop of honey.

UPDATE: i pureed the soup, added a bit more veggie broth to thin it out, and left the coconut milk out. it was deliciously amazing. :)