Summer!!!!!

Pool, beach, salads, lazy days....
ahhhh summer.
I've been waiting for you since September!

Sesame Kale Salad (Thank you Harvest Sensations)

1 lbs Harvest Sensations Kale Salad Blend (kale, red cabbage, carrots)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

toss all ingredients together and let it sit 30 minutes before serving.

It is so so good and filling. I've had a few times as a meal.

breakfast of champions AKA don't bother me I'm still sleeping

Have I told you how much I love my crock pot?
Why did I ignore it for so long knowing all the yumminess that comes out of it when I arrive home to the smell of dinner.
Who's in my kitchen?
Yeah that would be Mr. Crockpot.
Why Mr?
Because it was that damn easy and simple.
Like men.
Yeah I said it.
So waking up to the smell of slow-cooked beans I decided to flip the pages of one of my favorite cookbooks Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.
Breakfast.
The most important meal of the day. It is the meal that will make your day. Sleeping in a bit longer is a plus. If you have kids that can serve themselves cereal can surely just take the lid off the crockpot and serve themselves oatmeal.
Yes oatmeal.
You can double the recipe if you are a true oatmeal lover.


This recipe book said it serves 6, go ahead and double it.

Old-Fashioned Apple-Raisin Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups rolled (old-fashioned) oats
4 cups cold water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium-size granny smith apple
3 tbsp raisins
1/2 cup granola

combine all the ingredients except the granola in a lightly oiled 4 quart slow cooker.
cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
to serve, spoon the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with the granola and serve hot.

Growing up I hated oatmeal. The texture and look made me want to run.
Then I grew up.
I discovered that it didn't have to be so wet.
Then steel cut oatmeal came into my life.
If you've never had it get off the computer and go to any supermarket. It takes longer to cook but the end the result is beyond awesome.

and more beans

Growing up with rice and beans, I did not enjoy them.
We're talking about rice and beans 5 days a week with a break on the weekends when my father would make pasta taste like heaven.
Now as a mom, I appreciate the goodness of this lovely protein.
You can have it with your rice, quinoa or rolled up in a tortilla.
This article from Web M.D. pretty much sums it all up
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/beans-protein-rich-superfoods
It is the perfect food for your budget and when you are stepping away from the rotting carcasses. Too much?
Sowwy.

Last night I soaked 1 lb. of pinto beans.
It's cooking for the day in my 6 qt crock pot for a weekend of doing nothing but lazying around sans kids.

Southwest Beans
1 recipe (see last post entitled "basic beans...")
1 4 oz can drained chopped green chiles
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
adobo

Drain the cooking liquid from the beans, then stir in the chiles, cumino, paprika, and season with adobo.
reduce the heat to low and cover for 30 minutes.
add some water or vegetable stock if you prefer and saucier consistency.

YUM!

basic beans in the crockpot

Just to start off, I own 2 crock pots. A 4qt and a 6qt. Some recipes do well in a 4 qt cooker but sometimes you want to cook a huge meal like vegetarian paella or curried cauliflower soup with chutney and cashews.
I am starting my crock pot cooking now that the weather is supposed to get warmer and we are supposed to spend more time in the park or the pool. Supposed to. Yes. Here in sunny California it will be cloudy, rainy and cold like touching 65 degrees this week.
oh sigh!

My first meal out of the crock pot was an easy black bean soup. It was so yummy with tandoori naan.

It takes 2 days to make it but it is so worth it.

Take 1 lb dried beans soak them in enough water to cover plus an inch or two for a 8 hours. I did this in the morning.
drain the beans and replace them in a 6 quart slow cooker. Add 1 large yellow onion cut into quarters, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 2 bay leaves. Cover and cook for 8-12 hours. This was done overnight. Try not to gnaw your arm because your home will smell like someone is slaving in the kitchen. That is the crock pot!

Now the fun part!

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium-size chopped yellow onion
1 medium-size chopped carrot
1/2 seeded and minced green bell pepper
2 minced garlic cloves
3 cups slow cooked or 2 15 oz cans black beans drained and rinsed
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
4 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsps fresh lemon juice

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
add the onion, carrot, bell pepper and garlic.
cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
transfer the cooked vegetables to a 4 quart slow cooker, add the beans, tomatoes, and their juice, stock, bay leaves, cumin, thyme, and cayenne.
Season with salt and black pepper.
stir to combine.
cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
remove and discard the bay leaf and taste to adjust the seasonings to your taste.
just before serving, stir in the lemon juice.
puree 2 cups of the soup solids in a food processor or blender and return to the cooker.

ENJOY!

The recipe is straight out of the Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson

missing home

Just the other day I was reminiscing the good ole NY days living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When I can go to the Koreanos and buy platanos on sale 10 for $1. When buying sofrito down the street and not having to worry about it not readily available because they were sold out. Now I have to buy platanos 69-99 cents a pound which is maybe 2 or 3. Sofrito is sold 3 miles away and if they are sold out I can't buy ingredients to make them from scratch because it is just not sold anywhere. Substitutions are great but not wonderful. I also miss my abuela who is in Santo Domingo enjoying her last days. She used to make mofongo for me whenever I visited her in the Bronx when I was a kid. Yesterday I made a much healthier version and the only fat is what is in the oil for frying the platanos (plantains).

makes 6 mofongos

3 large green plantains
3 cups water mixed with 1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 lbs of veggie bacon (I used Morningstar Farms because they are the most delish. It is not vegan because there are traces of dairy and eggs)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
adobo to taste
1/4 cup corn oil or EVOO

peel the plantains and cut them into 1/2 inch slices, dropping them into the salted water.
saute the bacon and chop coursely then put them to the side.
mix the garlic, bell pepper, and olive oil and season with adobo.
heat the corn oil or olive oil and fry the plantain slices until golden brown.
put a few tsps of the garlic-oil mix in a mortar or a bowl if you don't have.
add 1/6 of the bacon and 5 or 6 slices of plantain.
mash and press firmly into the mortar (if using a bowl get something like a heavy spoon not a potato masher since it is tougher than a cooked potato.
invert onto a plate.
repeat 5 more times

Enjoy!
I had this with the leftover asopao but you can have it with any rice dish you desire.

Buen Provecho!