Santa Fe Black Bean Salad

I have made this salad 3 different times, now, on a whim because it is so yummy! I have never followed the exact recipe (mostly because I am making it on a whim, and did not have one of the called-for ingredients - usually the cilantro). but it has been delicious every time. I have omitted the cilantro (twice) , mixed lemon and lime juice (second time), and subbed tomatoes for the corn, & added jalapeno (third time), all with great results. Here's the basic recipe:

2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup cooked corn kernels
1/2 cup each green and red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 cup red onion, diced small
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine oil, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to make dressing.

Add prepared vegetables and fold with a spatula until coated with dressing. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes for best flavor, mixing occasionally. Taste and adjust as needed.

Smoothies

Smoothies have been our snack of choice this week, and Naomi loves them! (She is enjoying one in the picture.) My Moosewood cookbook actually calls them "fruit shakes". Yum.

Here's a basic recipe, and then I plan I experimenting - I have some frozen mango in the freezer that I am dying to try.

Smoothies

1 cup yoghurt (plain, vanilla, lowfat, whole, whatever. I use lowfat vanilla)

1/2 cup juice (I used the pomegranite-blueberry in the fridge)

1 banana, cut into chunks

1 T. honey (optional)

frozen berries/fruit (optional)

Throw it all in the blender!

Chocolate Enrobed Strawberries

These are the best chocolate covered strawberries I've ever had. John and I enjoyed these for dessert in Estes Park, Colorado while celebrating our 10 year anniversary over dinner. They might not seem that empressive to all you gluten-eaters out there, but they really hit the spot for my sweet tooth. Much better than all of those other glutenated dessert options on the menu, I'm sure! The chocolate was still warm...yummy!

Festive Cake

Here's my attempt at a flag cake for the 4th of July. I saw it in a magazine and it looked pretty easy, plus it was gluten free. It's an ice cream cake layered with chocolate ice cream, assorted fruits (I did kiwi and peaches), vanilla ice cream, and then cool whip with the blueberry and strawberry stars and stripes. It does have 50 "stars" (blueberries), but I couldn't fit the seven stripes on it, so there are four strawberry stripes...oh well! It turned out to be a very good and refreshing cake for a hot 4th of July!

Broiled Eggplant, Sausage and Brown Rice

Mark accuses me of not eating (and therefore cooking) enough vegetables. So I bought an eggplant the other day and discovered broiled eggplant. I also made brown rice and then we grilled some sausage -- bratwurst and chicken-poblano sausage. It was amazing. I've never cooked eggplant like this, and it was great and super easy. Here's the meal:

Broiled Eggplant

Slice an eggplant into 1/2 inch slices. Brush olive oil onto a pan, place the slices on the pan, brush with olive oil. Put in the broiler for about 10-12 minutes until cooked.

Rice

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add pine nuts (or another kind) and fresh herbs (I used thyme and mint). Stir in cooked brown rice and tomatoes.

Introducing myself

Hi all!

I mentioned to Kristin how much I like this blog because it is so inspirational and full of helpful hints.

I have to confess that I have not been cooking as of late, but I hope to change that soon as my kitchen gets set up and we are all officially unpacked.

I just wanted to say hi and thanks for letting me be apart of this blog.

Happy cooking!

Moussaka

I wish I had taken a picture of this dish - it was beautiful, and the perfect thing when we discovered eggplant and tomatoes and onions in the garden - and some ground beef in the freezer. Its from a cookbook put out by the Mennonite Central Committee called "Extending the Table" and its a fun one to find some international recipes, that aren't too flamboyant. We made a couple of modifications that I'll note (when you have white wine, use it!). It might look like a lot of ingredients or prep time, but it really isn't. And the result is worth it!!


Iraqi Baked Dinner -- Moussaka

1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch slices
3 medium potatoes, cut in 12-1/2 inch slices (we used sweet potatoes, cause that's what we had)
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t allspice
3 medium tomatoes, cut in 12 thick slices
2 onions cut in 12 thin slices
15-0z can tomato puree or sauce (we smashed up our own tomatoes from the garden)
1 cup water (we used half water and half white wine)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Cut the eggplant slices in half, sprinkle with salt, and set aside on a cookie sheet.
Cook the potato slices in a saucepan of water for 6 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, Mix the beef, garlic, salt, pepper and allspice, and shape into 12 2-inch patties.
Rinse the eggplant.
In a deep 3-4 quart casserole dish, arrange eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, meat patties, and onions alternately in rows, standing on end.
Mix the tomato puree, water, salt and pepper and pour over the casserole. Bake at 350 for 1 hour until cooked through.