The Last Wednesday of April, part two

So, after a bit of troubleshooting with internet speed and downloading, I've attached the links for my recipes for Sunday night's dinner that we had here in our home. I made Columbian & Peruvian dinner, as a treat for the interns who've been here in Vermont since mid-Jan. We've sponsored the Columbian interns since last summer, which has been a treat for improving my spanish and exposing Tristan to the spanish language to continue to grow and nurture our bilingual home. Anyway, please click onto the links below for the recipes in full, and remember, when life hands you lemons, launch them back like hand granades if you don't care for the prospect of making lemonade. Cheers!

Earth Day 2010

Earth Day 2010....celebrated at our home by gardening more this morning. My Glory of the Snows are about to their lifetime, and all other flowers are in bloom or coming up to bloom later this season and into the summer months. Scattering of lettuce and greens seeds, cleaning areas out to let flowers and herbs grow...yarrow, dandelion greens, plantain leaves, and sorting through the massive tangled roots of flowers that have been here long since we've come but due to neglect, bulbs have formed root systems and need to be thinned out severly. I love the colors when the flowers bloom but I don't need massive groves of these beauties; they also multiply, anyway. Share, share, share.....
The other element of today's posting is what is for dinner tonight.

Traditional Hummus
Coconut Curry Hummus*
Black Bean Hummus*
Braised Chicken with Crushed Wheat Stuffing
Steamed Brown Rice

Focus is on the hummus for today. I love the stuff, especially when its made that day. Well, its a hummus making factory here in my kitchen today. The traditional is very basic: chickpeas-canned or dry to cook, your choice; salt to taste, 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; lemon juice and tahini (ground sesame seed paste, found in the health section of some markets or located with the peanut butter at others). Combine ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Serve at room temperature. That's the basic; here comes the good stuff.

Coconut Curry Hummus
-2 15oz. cans chickpeas (or dry if you have the time to cook ahead of time)
-4 Tbsp tahini
-Juice of 1 lemon
-3 lg. garlic cloves, minced
-1/4 c. water
-1 tsp. sea salt
-1 Tbsp. black pepper
-1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped (you can use dried, just half the measurement)
-1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (same rules apply for dried herb)
-3-5 dashes paprika
-7-8 Tbsp. red curry paste (international section of market or make your own, I do)
-1/2 c. coconut milk (international section of market)
-1/2 c. coconut shavings (baking aisle)
-2 dashes olive oil

In a food processor or blender, puree all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a serving dish with olive oil and enjoy!

Black Bean Hummus
-16 oz. dry black beans, cooked, drained
-4 Tbsp. olive oil
-Juice of 1 lemon
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-Sea salt
-1 tsp. cumin
-Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-Tahini, to taste

Combine the black beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper, and tahini in a food processor container; process until smooth. Serve at room temperature.

Yum! If concerned about how your traditional hummus is going to turn out, jot down the ingredients, making reference to the recipes added here today for measurements and directions, and go for it. Getting the consistency just right is the essence of the whole experience; don't sweat it, just try it. So, in honor of a very special mother today, take time to smell the flowers, savor the sounds of the birds calling to each other, enjoy the making of and eventually eating of a home cooked meal, and take five minutes of your day to research something in regards to earth conservation, green energy, wildlife conservation, sustainable living practices, etc....just five minutes, really. You'd be surprised what you might find. ~Mom











Growing Pains
-" ...the most important event in a woman's life is the birth of a child...In this period, she learns the discipline of sacrifice: her body, her time, her nutrients, her psyche, her knowledge, her skills, her social life, her economic abilities, her relationships, and her spiritual knowledge and values are called into service for her children. This passage, ambivilent at best, pushes her to reach far beyond whatever limits she thought she labored within, making her stronger." Paula Gunn Allen

Dinner

Now that would be dinner during the summer, and I can't keep my mind off of the hope for a good growing season this year! I love fresh veggies, especially if I know I've nurtured and helped grow into edible yummies!

Found this fantastic vegan chili recipe on Facebook this morning, and can't wait to try it out this Friday-the season of Lent is upon us, and although I'm not the perfect Catholic, I try to stay in tune with the observances throughout the year.

Dinner tonight? Check it out:

Albondigas Guisadas en Salsa

(Meatballs Cooked in Sauce)

-1 lb. ground beef (sub with 2 lbs. ground turkey)

-1 cup bread or cracker crumbs (2 cups for turkey)

-1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

-Salt and ground pepper to taste

-Vegetable oil for frying (sub olive oil or canola for healthy choice)

-1 cup tomato sauce (jar pasta sauce for added flavor)

-2 tbsp. sofrito (will have to post the recipe and what this is on a later date)

In a bowl, mix meat, bread and seasonings. Form into meatballs. Fry in oil until brown on all sides. Add sauce and sofrito. Mix well. Cover and simmer 15 mins. -Serves 4 (6).

Arroz Verde

(Green Rice)

-2 cups rice

-2 medium green bell peppers, cored, seeded and chopped or 1 lb. fresh (frozen) spinach, washed and chopped

-1 cup chopped parsley (sub cilantro)

-1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

-3 Tbsp. olive oil

-2 Tbsp. sofrito

-1 chicken bouillon cube (chicken broth has less sodium)

-Salt and ground black pepper to taste

-Water to cover rice (forget this and forget the rice :( !)

Wash rice and drain (not needed if you use parboiled rice). Blend bell peppers (or spinach), parsley (cilantro) and onion in a food processor (blendor worlks just as well). Blend until it forms smooth puree. Heat oil in a heavy kettle or pot. Add sofrito and rice, and saute for 5 mins. Pour in the puree. Add water to cover contents in pot by 1/4 to 1/2 in. Add bouillon cube (chicken broth), salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to boil. Cover tightly and simmer on low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender (about 20 mins). Dot with 1 Tbsp. butter, fluff with a fork and serve. -Serves 6.

Now, those who are old school about how rice is made, you would have to have a caldero (cast aluminum pot, otherwise find a cast iron that will function just as efficiently). My husband and son are Puerto Rican, and I cook quite a bit of Spanish food in our home. I also make a point to go around the world with our cuisine, as it opens the palette to other tastes and brings an awareness of other communities through food. Eating Spanish food is one of my favorite gastronomic adventures, and learning to cook it was just as fun. I am German, grew up with that yummy artery clogging food, which I still love but find it priceless to reach out and find the joy in cooking foods from around the world.

Enjoy chowing down; its a great pleasure. ~Love, Mom