Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts

Day 31: Black Bean Soup

It's funny how once you leave home your tastes change. I'm totally convinced that as I drove that long stretch of road away from home to college my tastebuds actually mutated and started liking different things. Perhaps my liberal education liberated my tastebuds as well.....as if I could get more liberal in the kitchen than my mom and grandma....but that's beside the point.

As I said before, at our house we ate strange things like sweet spaghettie and tacos! But, we never had anything with cooked tomatoes. We weren't exactly prohibited, we just never had it. Even tomato soup was looked down upon. It actually wasn't until I was married that I had a tomato based soup. And I liked it. I'm such a rebel, I know.

After my first daring experience, which was this soup, I confronted my mother about what a deprived child I was. How could she do this to her children? Her reply, "ya, I don't like cooked tomatoes." That was it. I was a bit taken back by her brutal honesty. I can think of a lot of things that we didn't like as kids but were "invited" to quietly gunk down. We even had this rule in our house....the "no thank you" rule. This meant that we had to try everything at least once (twice if he was really cute) and if we didn't like it we could say "no thank you." I fully intend on torturing my children with this, and, as payback - Mother, I know your reading this, and I invite you to a no thank you helping! :)


Black Bean Soup

1 lb black beans cooked
2 carrots cubbed
2 potatoes cubbed
1 can corn
1 onion chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 box spanish rice
lime
avacado
cilantro



Place everything but the corn, lime, avacado, and cilantro in your slow cooker and add enough water to fill it. Let simmer till carrots soften. Before serving add the corn, just to warm. Top with lime, avocado and cilantro. Enjoy mom!

Day 20: Cous Cous Salad

Several years ago I lived just down the street from my fantastic sister-in-law. Those were good times! We were at their house on a regular basis (a little too regular they thought). We had adventures at the park, carved my brother-in-laws head on a pumpkin, and put up their Christmas tree for Halloween. I know he won't admit it but even my brother-in-law felt magic in the air.

I want to apologize to my sister-in-law in advance for her "honorable mention" on this blog but our adventures in the kitchen never fail to bring a smile to my face. If there were to be a cooking show like Tool Time, my sister would be Tim. I say that with all the love in my heart! I really look up to her in SO many things!

One evening we went to their home for dinner and I brought warm cous cous as a substitute for rice. The family, having tried some of my other concoctions and not being fans, took a little coaxing. After the first bite they loved it. My sister asked what it was. I told her it was cous cous and she gave me a confused look. I told her she could get it at any health food store.

To my surprise, the next day I got a call from my sister. She had gone to the health food store, I think for the first time. She had bought cous cous, cooked it up, and it was terrible - nothing like mine. I asked her what spices she put in it, "spices, what spices? You didn't say anything about spices." Which was true. This reminded me of the time when I was telling her how to make gravy. I said, " you start out by making a rue." To which she replied, " rue, isn't that Kangas baby? You're just making these words up right?"

I adore my sister-in-law, and in her defense I have recently heard that she makes scrumptious homemade rolls. I can't wait for her to teach me and for many more memory making moments in the kitchen...which will be posted soon. For now, Here comes the cous cous

Cous Cous Salad
1-2 c cous cous
1 can black beans
1 can corn
cilantro
1 green chili
EVOO
lemon or lime juice

In your loyal rice cooker cook your cous cous in double the amount of water (2 water to 1 cous cous). Drain, wash, and drain your black beans. The beans need to be clean with no juice or they will turn your cous cous black. Drain your corn. Mix cous cous, beans, and corn in a bowl. In the food processor or blender, add your cilantro, green chili, EVOO, and lemon juice. Puree and place everything in the fridge. Let everything cool. Just before serving, drizzle the salad with the dressing. This is a great refreshing meal.