Friday, December 12, 2008

J'aime...


Some things I love right now...


all these little cups



This Super Mario plant sprouting on the sill.


And most importantly....

This awesome Nina Simone video. I'm kind of obsessed with her right now. She's so Beautiful.
(Wait for minute 2:40)




Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Brazilian Black Bean Soup


This is one of my all time favorites. The perfect winter dish to make you feel like you're eating sun and southern latitudes. It also makes for a great dip when its cold.

Ingredients:
About 3 cups cooked black beans
1tbs. olive oil
3 cups chopped onion
10 medium cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. cumin
2-2.5 tsp salt
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium bell pepper, also diced
1,2 cups orange juice, diced ;)
black pepper, to taste
cayenne, to taste
2 medium tomatoes, diced (optional) ( the tomatoes, not the dicing. I've tried both with and without tomatoes and it's delicious either way)

Toppings: Sour cream, fresh cilantro, salsa, tortilla chips

Directions:

Heat/boil black beans

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion, half the garlic, cumin, salt, and carrot. Saute over medium heat until the carrot is just tender. Add remaining garlic and the bell pepper. Saute until everything is very tender ('bout 10-15 minutes more). Add the saute mixture to the big pot of beans.

Stir in the OJ, black pepper, cayenne and optional tomatoes. Puree the soup. I recommend a mixer staff. They're great. Just don't stick your fingers in it. I did it once while making Humus in Spain and nearly cut my finger off. Simmer over low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes. Top with salsa, sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips.

Enjoy.

Salsa Recipe

3 medium size ripe tomatoes
2 scallions finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Lots of cilantro, minced
1 tsp salt.
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
1tbs vinegar.
1 tbs. olive oil

Squeeze all the seeds and liquid out of the tomatoes. Chop. Mix. So good and fresh. You'll never want to eat the supermarket jar crap again.


Source: Mollie Katzem The New Moosewood Cookbook

In honor of this recipe, here's video with my favorite Brazillans, CSS. Their video makes me so happy every time I hear it. Eat and dance my friends.