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.

the best veggie sandwich ever:

avocado, sliced thin
plum tomato
red onion
alfalfa sprouts
cucumber
trader joe's goddess dressing or other condiment
toasted whole wheat, rye, or other bread

arrange the sandwich according to your vegetable hierarchy. make sure both bread slices are adequately slathered in the condiment of your choice.
slice the sandwich in half, and serve with pickle, chips, soup, salad, popcorn, or other delicious item.

it's hot toddy season!

here's my own recipe:

8 oz boiling hot water
1 shot southern comfort 100 proof (that's the black label)
the juice of 1 lemon, fresh squeezed
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)
honey, to taste
1 bag tazo wild sweet orange tea
1 bag tazo calm tea

brew the tea; allow it to steep for about 3 minutes.
add southern comfort, lemon juice, ginger, cayenne, & honey.
nuke the tea for about 30 seconds or add more hot water to it, to ensure that it's hot enough.

enjoy!

also, feel free to add a dash of black seed oil to make it extra serious for those colds & other winter ickies.

it's turkey day, kid!

or tofurkey day, or meat loaf day, or lasagna day . . . or maybe chicken pancit day?

anyhow, enjoy it!

i'll be back later w/ recipes.

crispy eggplant w/ curried tomato sauce

(courtesy of omi)

an improvisation with yummy results. one of those "i can't believe it's (almost) vegan!" type deals.
all spices are to taste--if you want a truly curried sauce, use more powder. if you just want to hint at curry, use less.

1 medium eggplant or 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2" slices
3-4 whole tomatoes, diced (or 1 can whole tomatoes)
1 can tomato sauce (probably 1/2 can if using canned tomatoes)
1 can coconut milk
1 medium or small red onion
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled & diced (use appropriate substitution for powdered)
2-3 cloves garlic
1.5 cups jasmine rice*
egg wash (1 egg, beaten with 1/2 cup water)**

olive oil
vegetable oil (optional--for frying i usually use a mix of soybean & olive oil)
kosher salt (optional)***
plain breadcrumbs
curry powder
sage
basil
thyme
bay leaves
salt & pepper
honey or vegan sweetening agent (approx. 1 tsp)


1. dice the onion, ginger, and garlic. season with curry powder, salt, pepper, sage, basil and thyme. set aside.
2. if using fresh tomatoes & tomato sauce, dice the tomatoes and set aside. if using canned tomatoes, you can open the can later.
3. cook rice according to package directions, adding a bay leaf. remove the leaf from the rice before serving.
4. time to fry the eggplant! heat about 1 cup olive and/or vegetable oil (enough to almost cover the eggplant slices) in a pan. the oil should be almost smoking before you add the eggplant.
5. pour the egg wash (or vegan version) into a dish. in a separate dish, pour out some breadcrumbs and stir in salt, pepper, and approx. 2 tsp curry powder. dip the eggplant slices in the wash, then the breadcrumbs. fry the eggplant until it's golden brown, about 3 min on each side. drain using paper towels and set aside.
6. reserve enough oil from eggplant frying to sautee your onion/ginger/garlic mixture (about 2 tbsp).
reheat the oil in the same pan (don't wash it! keep that flavor!) and sautee the mixture until onions are translucent.
7. reduce to medium heat and add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a bay leaf. bring to a boil.
8. add coconut milk to taste, and adjust seasonings. if there is any bitterness, add honey SPARINGLY until it fades, stirring well after each addition.
reduce heat to simmer and cover. bring to a second boil (about 5-7min).
9. once sauce is boiling, taste again and adjust seasonings as needed. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF!
10. when you like the sauce, puree it in a blender or food processor until smooth.
11. make a bed of the jasmine rice, place several slices of eggplant on top, and pour the sauce over it all. enjoy!!

makes approx. 3-4 servings

*depends on how "indian" you want this to taste. you can probably use plain white or brown rice as well, but nothing tastes like jasmine rice cooked with bay leaves.
**or whatever vegan concoction makes breadcrumbs stick to food. :-)

***some ppl salt eggplant before using it. i find it doesn't matter, but you can try it.
after slicing the eggplant, put it in a colander with a plate underneath. layer the eggplant in the colander, sprinkling each layer with kosher salt. after about 30-60 minutes, the water will come out of the eggplant. pat dry with paper towels, brushing off any excess salt. cook as directed.

chicken croquettes.

these little meaty creations are typically something you find in the frozen food aisle in the market, or in some diner. & they usually look or taste really freaking weird. but, since my mom once taught me how to make salmon croquettes i decided to try my hand at the chicken jumpoffs (thanks, fish allergy!). i made this up as i went along, so the measurements are all kinds of odd. there's essentially no precision involved whatsoever. i think they turned out pretty okay. . .

1 can trader joe's white meat chicken in water (broth is okay, but i find it to be kinda salty)
whole wheat flour, enough to bind the chicken mixture
nasoya nayonaise (regular), enough to maintain the moisture of the chicken mixture
random seasonings, including old bay (for the fishy flavor), diced bell peppers (very little, maybe 2 tbsps), oregano, garlic (fresh, chopped, crushed, or powder), ground blk pepper, cayenne, onion powder, & turmeric
grapeseed, olive or canola oil -- enough to brown croquettes, depending on the size of the skillet being used

drain and rinse the chicken. mix it in a bowl with all seasonings, flour, & nayonaise.

heat the oil in the skillet to the proper temperature for frying (see the fish recipe for ideas if you aren't sure, & do the drop of flour test before adding anything substantial to the oil. turn it DOWN if you've had it turned up to high to heat it rapidly)

as the oil heats, fashion the chicken mixture into small balls, about 1/3 the size of your palm. flatten the balls a little, making them no thicker than 3/4 inches at their thickest point. place as many croquettes as will fit in your frying pan.

brown the croquettes on one side, and turn over for browning on the other side. ideally, the croquettes will cook up to a warm brown color & also be very firm when pressed upon with a fork or other utensil. when they are cooked to your desired brownness, remove the croquettes to a plate topped w/ layered paper towels. (don't act like you don't know how to drain a fried food, dammit)

you may have to change the oil, for stray bits of food that didn't hold together. that's fine. just make sure you turn the burner off & be extra certain to heat the oil slowly -- the skillet will likely still be hot.

serve with sauteed spinach, collard greens, string beans or other sexy vegetables & a nice starch like mac & cheese or some fancy schmancy rice pilaf thing.

this recipe would probably kick ass w/ some sort of meat substitute. i won't try it any time soon since i hate cooking lately, but i encourage you veggie/ vegan readers to try. xoxo

collard greens!

since it's about to be autumn, that means one thing to me: it won't be too hot to cook. i can actually warm my entire apartment by roasting some potatoes or making cornbread. most importantly, though:
i can prepare as many stockpots full of collard greens as i wish to. praise the lord & pass the hot sauce.
my greens are a mash-up of omi's recipe for collards & whatever i feel like the day i prepare them. i usually throw some sofrito into the pot, & have been known to squirt a lil lemon juice in (don't ask, it sounded good at the time & turned out great), also. anyway, here's my first photo contribution to the delicious ignorance blog:

veggies, sauteed & looking sexy:



collards in the pot!




simmering vegetable goodness...



the finished product:




i took these photos w/ my camera phone & am amazed that they turned out this good... lol.

a note about the spicy mango fried rice:

if you wanna make a risotto out of the dish, mix some coconut milk, orange juice & spices then add the mango & rice... it's yummers. fa sho.

also, it's really good w/ trader joe's pad king. really. good. really.

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.

black bean burgers are my shit.

apparently, i'm not alone in feeling that. :D

(found this link via blogs of note...)