Sasha and I ran the relay race that James and Allie put on for their wedding day. Really cute idea..great family event...loved it. Thank you to Jake's team for donating their 1st place award money to the Pachev family. That was a beautiful gesture and we really appreciated it. We took the kids out to dinner that day. Bonnie flew in for the relay and it was great to see her in person. She mentioned that she missed my recipe blog. I'm going to try and make a few entries in it while I'm pregnant and have my hands a bit freer. For those of you who have never looked at my recipes I cook by principles..not recipes..these are general ideas and not measured recipes..sorry if that bugs but that's just how I cook. Today's lunch is going to be black beans and basmati brown rice. I love love love to cook using my food storage and garden. When I can create meals from them I feel that I am truly a sucessful cook. A few months ago a cooked up a gigantic pot of black beans. I learned super yummy bean making tricks from my Russian friend Yulia Draschil. To cook the beans I used the quick method. I have a 12 quart pot that I fill up about 3/4 of the way. I bring this water to boiling and then add the beans. 4 parts water to 1 part beans is a good ratio. I add my beans to the boiling water and let them cook for 1 minute and then cover them and remove them from the heat. They need to sit for 1 hour or so. The black beans usually cook a little faster then pinto or kidney but need about 2 1/2 hours. While I'm bringing the beans and water to a boil again after the hour has passed I add my spices: garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt to taste. Then I add in 1 whole peeled onion, 1 or 2 whole tomoatoes ( don't chop) 1 whole pepper (de stemmed) and three or four garlic cloves (whole). These are taken out again at the end and make a very rich and delicious broth. I used part of this for dinner that day and then froze the rest in small manageable portions. The rice I cook with 2 parts water and 1 part rice. For the beans I sauted half an onion in olive oil, add the beans, a couple of diced chicken sausages from Costco (my favorite brand is adells chicken and apple), some diced up herbs and chard from the garden and two cut up garlic cloves. I let this simmer for about ten minutes and serve it with the rice and some fresh veggies. You can basically add any combination or spices to the beans. I put in every kind of herb I grow and it is delicious (oregano, chives, parsley and basil) Happy Healthy Eating!
|