Recession Approved Black Beans and Yellow Rice

Alright so I know this seems basic and maybe a little time consuming but lets put it this way maybe this is an entry for those of you who are short on Cash and HUNGRY for some good eats that will last! And although the canned stuff is still pretty good, why not make it yourself… you are the master chef! If you want to put sprigs of provencial herbs in your meals so be it you King of the Kitchen, you! Okay so here’s what you need …. It’s a pretty simple Brandy version but then again most beans are simple cooking ;-)

Some form of Salt Pork/ Or chunk of Ham

Black Beans (dried, like in the bag)

Spices: Kosher salt, Pepper, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Cilantro, etc (really whatever you feel like)

Onion (I prefer white – general rule of thumb, one onion per pound of dried beans)

Garlic (half a whole clove – ditto as above, more if you like)

Chili Peppers – Try and find a Hot scale (they have one at Dekalb Farmer’s Market) I chose Thai Peppers but that’s because I like my mouth on fire… they are 10 out of 10 on the scale and I used 4 tiny ones and let me tell you there is a definite KICK

Tomato

Chicken or Veggie Stock

Long Grain Rice (or your preference)

Annatto Seed (ground or whole)

Olive Oil

Since I am poor and hungry quite often and still a meet lover I will usually flavor my food with meats to get that bite, flavoring, or filling meatiness without stubbing the toes of my wallet! Often with beans or soup my choice is PORK! Ah yes the almighty PIG you are delicious and I love to eat you. (Sorry Piglet, or Petunia, or Porky the pig whatever your names are… you taste soooo good). I like to find salt pork or the closest thing to it. Publix has a pretty good brand called Bear Creek, you can find it next to the bacon or meat section. Make sure to get the hunk and not the cubed or sliced version if you like the fall apart chewy pieces like me.

First you want to get your hunk of meat boiling. I’d say it needs to steady cook for at least 2 hours, and since in this case black beans take only about an hour before they are edible you can start boiling your salt pork in a pot of water before hand and get all your other ingredients chopped and spices ready to go. (note: you can cook beans as long as you like, the longer you cook them the creamier they get but you have to make sure your pot stays hydrated because if they scorch the whole pot is ruined…ever wonder how it feels to scorch a pot of beans after you so lovingly cooked them for hours? My advice is just don’t find out.)

Rinse your beans to make sure there’s no dirt or rocks going into the pot, Chop up all your veggies “seasoning” in the meantime and if you’re using chilies make sure you wear gloves or protect your fingers because if you do it with your bare hands, forget, and then touch your eye you will rue the day you were born sometimes even after washing your hands, the heat permeates the skin.

After the pork boils for about 45 minutes to an hour --(another side note: if you are cooking a bean that takes longer to soften you are welcome to chuck it all in the pot at once)—put your beans in the pot, make sure there is enough water to cover the beans by at least an inch, and throw in your “seasoning”- garlic, onion, chilies, tomato (for me this ingredient is usually specific to black beans but that’s just me), and whatever else you like.

Next for your spices and this part is pretty broad, you are welcome to make things to your taste of course but the musts are salt and pepper (be careful with the salt if you are using salt pork because it is salty and even after you finish cooking your beans they may even be saltier the next day. I like to start with a once over with the salt, shaking to cover the surface area of the top of the open pot. Other must have items are a little bit! of thyme and at least 2 bay leaves to throw in whole so that you can remove them later.

The rest is waiting and making sure your beans stay hydrated. You want to bring them to a boil at first with all your “seasonings” and spices but then you have to turn your pot to LOW or just before Low (maybe a “4” setting on numbered dials) – this should produce a low rolling simmer. Make sure to give a good stir and check the water level every half an hour. The longer you cook your beans the creamier they will get (delicious) and the more closely you’ll have to watch them to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom and burn. After about two hours (total cook time) your pork is done, you can remove the chunk, get rid of the fat to find the meat bits and separate them with a fork to distribute bites of pork throughout your beans mmm. them

For the Yellow Rice!

Just FYI there is an amazing recipe in one of my cookbooks for yellow rice; a book called “Daisy Cooks” by Daisy Martinez (she’s now featured a little on The Food Network yaaay). This takes a little prep work, you can make “alcaparrado” – olive and caper mixture, and her “sofrito” – peppers, onion, garlic etc, ahead of time and freeze it in portions so that you can just thaw and make dishes quickly and talk about adding YUM…

So anyway the color comes from Annatto seed. You just need a little bit of ground annatto seed and olive or veggie oil. Because I lacked the time and ran out of sofrito the week before I just decided to simply color my rice instead.

Heat the oil in the pan and add the ground annatto seed, you don’t need much maybe a small pinch or two. (You can also use whole seeds but you have to make sure it doesn’t burn or it will turn colors and get bitter; remove and discard them while keeping the oil.) I also had some cilantro in the freezer so I just broke some out and threw some in the pot with the rice. When your oil turns a reddish color add in the rice and let it sizzle slightly, coating the grains. (after that would be when you’d add a little salt and the cilantro, alcaparrado, sofrito, or extra spices.) Add chicken, veggie stock, or water and cook like you would regular rice.

This meal is cheap mostly because you have many of these things already in your cabinet… the pork is around $2.50 for the chunk and you can get a pound of beans for under $1.50 ... If you’re feeling festive grab some tortillas, cheese, sour cream, and extra tomato or salsa for a good time… a pound of beans will last a normal family of 4 for about 2 nights and me a whole 7 days or more. You can also freeze in portions and thaw later… ENJOY!

Adventures in Vegan Baking!

Alright y’all something a little different! This entry is about a journey I took into the world of baking VEGAN! So, I have a friend (Hi Kristen!) who is Vegan… now let me just dispel some things you may be thinking. And the answer is to be open minded because as a meat and dairy LOVER… some of the food is actually not so bad . . . really! I like to think of it as eating something “ELSE” for dinner and not trying to substitute, or maybe pointing out that there are things out there that we eat that we don’t realize just doesn’t have that stuff in it…. Like fruit salad, still “mmm” without the “moo”.

Getting past my staunch European behavior when it comes to food is not always so hard since I tend to have a “sure, I’ll try it” attitude when it comes to food. Okay --get over yourselves, I will not eat bugs, ever. But, I realized that for a couple of hours (while making this dish) I was able to imagine that maybe the doctor told me that I was lactose intolerant or that milk didn’t exist. I have had the grace so far to not develop major allergies to really anything but you never know about the future right…

Relatable Story Time:

The last chef I assisted (I assist cooking classes, fun!) had an amazing menu with all kinds of goodies on it and before I could even register that it was “something different” he mentioned that he was allergic to wheat, rice, milk, just about everything…. And I thought, “Deeeeepressing”! But his way of getting around some of those things was to point out the items that we use everyday and personify those in his meals for instance: making a tomato basil tart or using pecorino in your pasta dishes because it’s made from goats milk (no diarrhea explosion for those of you who are lactose intolerant; ie cow’s milk!).

Chef John also mentioned something that rang true with me when I thought on it… he said that he really didn’t like chocolate, or dessert – it started off that he mostly couldn’t eat them because of the dairy. He loves to make it for his dinner guests but he mentioned that he had a lack for the love of sweets and I thought “how odd”. And then! I was able to relate to this theory of “non-existence” because one Lent I gave up “junk” and after the words were uttered from my mouth I realized that EVERYTHING IS JUNK. No sugar, no pre-made snacks, no quick food what so ever… but by the end of that manic episode 40 days later I realized that I’d completely lost the craving for sugar and now got extremely excited about things like broccoli and Brussels sprouts; even though I already love those veggies, it was weird. I figured mentioning those stories was worth it because taking the sugar out of Brandy is like trying to get blood from a turnip! If I can try it so can you…

Random Reader: “Um, can we get to the point of this damn entry? I thought there was supposed to be a freaking Vegan recipe in this thing…” FINE.

I made Apricot Butter Bars from a book called “Baking with Agave: Over 100 Recipes Using Natures Ultimate Sweetener” By Ania Catalano. The original reason for my purchasing this book was to try and cut back on my sugar (like I mentioned earlier)… this is another story but you should look into Agave if you already haven’t it’s a great way to cut back on processed sugars, no funky after taste!!! At all! And here was a way to bake with it, yippy. But the book also has some Vegan and Gluten Free Recipes so it worked out great when my friend Kristen had a surprise birthday unbeknownst to her and I wanted to contribute!

Dough Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups Rolled Oats (Not quick cooking!), 2 cups Brown Rice Cereal, 1 ½ cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (a choice between that or Spelt Flour – which is more nutritious but a little more on the adventurous side since its grainier and nuttier), 1 tsp Baking Soda, ½ tsp Cream of Tartar (mixed with baking soda for a fluffier rise with nonconventional baking), ½ cup Sliced Almonds, 1 cup Unsweetened Apple Juice, ¾ cup Light Agave Nectar, 1 tsp Vanilla, 1 tsp Almond Extract, ½ tsp Nutmeg, and 2 tsp Cinnamon.

Filling Ingredients: 2 cups Dried Unsulfured Apricots, 2 cups water (more if necessary to keep moist while cooking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish with oil spray preferably veggie or canola.

Start by making the filling. Put the apricots and water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer; partially covered for around 20-25 minutes. You want the apricots to be soft. With a food processor puree and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together; Brown Rice Cereal, Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Oats, Baking Soda, Cream of Tartar, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg. In a separate bowl mix together the Apple Juice, Agave Nectar, Vanilla, and Almond Extract.

Pour Wet onto Dry Ingredients and mix to combine.

Take 2 cups of the dough mixture and press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the filling on top evenly. Mix the almonds into the rest of the dough remaining and then spread evenly on top of the filling. Pack tightly. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and let cool… recipe says about 20 minutes of cooling time but I would probably double it so the bars will stiffen up a little.

Overall, they aren’t too bad. I think I would have to get used to the taste of the brown rice cereal but can always tweak your recipe. I think I might make less dough next time to make them a little thinner. They are actually huge even when you cut them into what you thought were small pieces because each bar ends up being about 2 inches thick from top to bottom with this recipe! If you don’t like it at least you can say you tried it …. That’s what I told myself ;-)

BAGEL PALACE Deli and Bakery!!! A hidden Jewish Deee-light

Okay so this place is totally unassuming. Well I guess most of the places I tend to go end up being unassuming but this one may have been more for me because its in the middle of the Emory/ Toco Hills area of town (often weird to think it’s still Atlanta) in between two major grocery stores. Without knowing better I could have easily assumed it was one of those awful Honey Baked Ham franchises or something while driving by. That is a regretful assumption Friends. This is probably the first and only place that I’ve been to in Georgia that reminded me of that awesome lox bagel I shared with my cousin Colette a couple years back while visiting her in Manhattan.

First of all, the menu is GIGANTOR… front and back has a huge list in tiny print with all of your million choices. This day I was interested in bagels and their accompaniments (like the name suggests) so of course staying true to myself, I chose the Lox Plate --thin sliced smoked salmon! (bagel on the Right)

(one on the Left is Pastrami... mmmmm)

!Note!

To clear up any future confusion….

There are often two versions of this fun food… you can have a “Lox Plate” like I had, or you can order a “Bagel with Lox”.

Here’s the difference: “Bagel with Lox” is often your spread---cream cheese mixed with chunks of smoked salmon. The “Lox Plate” is more of a make it yourself sandwich with cream cheese to slather on your bagel, and thin large slices of smoked salmon with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and capers to layer on top!

Don’t get me wrong the “Bagel with Lox” is equally delicious. The first time I had “LOX” was in the spread form. During that trip to New York I mentioned, we walked into a neighborhood deli and inside were about a billion different billowing fluffy spreads (very reminiscent of Gelato) behind a gleaming glass counter. YUM.

Lucky me. Due to my boyfriend’s inability to stay away from good food, I got to try the “Bagel with Lox” from Bagel Palace what felt like maybe 24 hours later!

Salty, fishy, chewy, cream cheesy goodness on a soft bagel. And lets not forget to mention that you have choices with the bagels: Poppy Seed, Garlic, Plain, Everything, and the list goes on…

And that’s not all! Besides having anything from Challah French Toast and Pancakes with eggs and all your normal breakfast items, you have everything Jewish (something not normally on the radar here in the south)… (all Kosher deli) Brisket, Salami, Pastrami, Liverwurst, Sardines, Whitefish, Gefilte fish, Tongue, and even Chopped Liver, just to name a few choice meats. There are also appetizers and sides that range from Knish’s with spicy mustard and Potato Latkes, to every type of fish or pasta salad. And never to be forgotten, there is also a second shiny giant glass counter with every delicious bakery item imaginable. Cookies and pastry galore.

FYI I’ve also tried the Pastrami Bagel Sandwich (pictured above) on a separate occasion and it was just as insanely delicious and I’m sad to say that there’s still so many new things to try and that I’m forcing myself not to just do what I always do and eat the same thing over and over melting with satisfaction.

Second part to the new years resolution: I’m gonna have to keep the treadmill running at this point . . . Cheers!

2869 North Druid Hills Rd
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 381-1237

(*Up NEXT*... something outside of my realm of existance but equally neat: ADVENTURES IN VEGAN BAKING)

Sings..."Welcome back, welcome back, weeelllccoome back."

Dear Havana,

We would just like to say welcome back… Welcome Back to existence. Your chicken and cheese empanada is amazingly ooey and gooey. Wholeheartedly fattening, fried, and artery clogging would be the delectable words I’d like to use to describe you. Imagine if you will sinking your teeth into this diet killer: the dough is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside (similar to thick egg roll skin); the cheese is more than likely processed but fantastic, and it is laced with shredded seasoned chicken. Grab a few pickled jalapenos on the side and you’ve got yourself a great way to grow the biggest badonkadonk this (inner city) side of I -20 has ever seen.

Here’s to you Havana. Thanks for coming back to us.

Time for a little Creole Christmas Montage!

Seafood Gumbo, Oyster Pate's & Spinach Artichoke Pies, Glazed Ham, Mirliton w/ shrimp, ham, and beef, and an MidEastern inspired curry spiced Lamb Roast with Carrot, Potatoes, and Onion

Seasons Greetings... I'm late, I know. But then again I always am ;-) Gonna put that under new years resolution.... love that I'm doing that late too, ha!