Recipe: Black Beans and Corn

I've posted recipes similar to this a few times, but wanted to reitorate how TASTY AND EASY this is to make. Great to have on hand for vegetarian snacks or lunches - or to serve plated up as a main course for dinner.  I always get very excited when my garden is producing enough to fill otu a nearly complete meal. If i'd grown more black eyed peas last year i might have been able to do it - but this batch uses soaked and homecooked store bought black beans. I grew the rest of the ingredients, though! I think that makes it taste better, personally.

Zesty Black Beans with Fresh Corn

• Dried black beans, probably about 2 cups. Soaked over night and cooked for about 3-4 hours with kaffir lime leaves and a diced garlic clove
• Lightly boiled corn on the cob, cut off the cob. Equal amount to the beans.
• 3 finely diced garlic cloves
• 1 finely diced red onion
• Finely diced jalapeno
• Dashes cumin, chilli powder, cayenne powder, pepper
• Liberal salt
• Splashes of white vinegar, lime juice, and a light drizzle olive oil
• Teaspoon or so of habanero sauce
• Some cilantro (cut off a block of frozen cilantro)

Mix it all together and refrigerate. I served mine with some chopped black olives and a side of cabbage i experimented with. Was attempting to make kale chips with cabbage - it almost worked! I'll keep you posted if i succeed.

Could also be great as a condiment to a meat dish, tacos, or atop a green salad.  Make a big batch and feed a big family on the cheap, or have some stocked in the fridge for easy, healthy snacks. I personally have a hard time keeping my hubby from eating it all in one sitting.
Enjoy!

Fish Tacos in Homemade Corn Tortillas

I got a new tortilla press for my birthday, and i am stoked to try it out!
Homemade corn tortillas sound super easy - but will they be plagued with the same "cracked in the middle when trying to fold, taco contents everywhere but in mouth" problem many store bought corn tortillas have?

Tortillas (makes 7-8):

• 1 cup masa
• 2/3 cups cold water
• 1/8 tsp salt
• optional flavorings, i added some chilly powder

(ratios of masa to water are generally found on the package of masa - can be increased or decreased per the amount of tortillas you desire)

Fish filling:

• Fillets tilapia, one per person
• Generous lathering of the following herbs/seasonings
• cumin, cardamom, salt, pepper, chilly powder (optional), lime juice, garlic powder

Optional filling ingredients/condiments:
Chopped cilantro, salsa, ranch dressing, habanero sauce,  coleslaw (without the mayo or miracle whip, plus more vinegar, some mirin, and green onions from my garden instead of a vidalia).

Mix the masa with the salt then the water, blending to form a dough. Let dough rest, covered for about 20 minutes. When ready, form into 1 1/2 inch balls, one at a time placing in tortilla press (sandwiched betwixed wax paper) and press flat. Carefully peel wax paper off of tortilla, not the other way around. If you accidentally break off a chunk of tortilla, just reform the ball and squish again. Heat two minutes per side in a hot pan on medium heat. Place in a tortilla warmer or lidded pan (off heat) until ready to use. Tortillas can also be frozen.

For the fish, simply slather the herbs on each side of the fish, stick them on a baking sheet and back about 15-20 minutes on 350. You want the fish to be sizzling, cooked through (firm to the touch) but not dried out. Can be kept on 'warm' or on top of the warm-from-cooking oven between taco construction/consumption.

Delicious! Pictured here with habanero sauce, diced cilantro and freshly made coleslaw (with a side of homemade mayo for the heck of it). The little tortillas ended up being about 65 calories a piece and scrumptious! AND: They folded well! No breakage! Yipee!
No picture of the folded taco,  (again i was anxious to EAT not photograph) but the husband agrees: "These fold great, very sturdy."

FYI: i skipped the 'let them rest' portion of the preparation: i simply mixed the dough, rolled into balls and covered with a moist towel while preparing the fish. As fish cooked, i pressed and cooked the tortillas. By the time all the tortillas were made the fish was perfectly cooked: couldn't be easier.
So, don't be afraid to make your own tortillas. The press was a whopping 17 dollars at my local feed store, a great investment for quick, delicious, bendable, homemade tortillas anytime you please.

Do you prefer corn or flour tortillas? Have you ever made your own?

"Canada Goose" Loaf

No, we're not actually eating a "honker" as i grew up calling them. My husband wanted to eat something themed with the hosting country of the Olympics, this year that's Canada. I couldn't think of anything we had on hand or could get cheaply or easily that would fill that roll (elk, caribou, moose?), so i'm making a turkey meatloaf with ground turkey meat i had in the freezer.
I'm making this up as i go along, but my mom says that's the best way to do it. Here's what i ended up with:

• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves + some jarred diced garlic
• 1/2 12.oz can of tomato paste
• assorted herbs and spices to taste + salt and pepper
• splash Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup(ish) chicken stock
• 2 eggs
• 1 package lean ground turkey
• ~1 cup oats

Saute the first 6 ingredients until onions are soft. Add more chicken stock if the pan is simmering dry. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with nonstick.

In a bowl, mix together turkey and oatmeal. Add the sauteed onion mixture (let it cool first!) and mix thoroughly, add the 2 eggs, scrambled first and mix it all up until it's well blended. I could have added more oats and have the loaf be oatier, but this turned out moist and meaty. Spoon the meat mixture into the loaf pan and top with remainder of tomato paste. Cook for about 1 hour, or until toothpick (or chopstick in my case) comes out clean.
Next time i think i'll use two packages turkey with a bit more oats and see how it turns out.

 

Served with freshly picked and steamed broccoli from the garden.

This was SUPER delicious, and happened to time out perfectly (between mixing and rising bagel dough and simmering herbal hair rinse) to eat during the opening ceremonies. The husband reviews: "some of the best meatloaf i've ever had. It's true." That's a good review, if you ask me!
Don't feel limited to the ingredients i listed. This would be great with mushrooms, hot peppers, sweet peppers, corn, you name it. This mixture turned out smooth, moist, and evenly textured. I look forward to sandwiches with the last little bit left (we had a hard time not eating the whole loaf!)

Did you make anything special for the Olympic opening cermonies?