Artist Highlights

 Introducing:

Danielle Duncan

Okay, I know she isn't food; but look at how cool she is.

She made me this awesome t-shirt for Christmas this year.  It has a moose with my running shoe hanging off of it's antler and the reverse side of the shirt is wishing everyone a warm and hearty Merry Christmoose!

I am an avid appreciator of art in all forms.  This one is not only is she creative; but she is talented too!  Sometimes I get little stories from her like the one below.  She wrote me a comic depicting her terrorizing adventure home one day where she almost ran over two deer after already hitting and killing a baby skunk!

If you want to check her out for yourself, her blog is Marmalade Bleue 

and her website is Marmalade Bleue Creative 

Check her out for yourself and you might soon be wishing everyone a "Merry Chrismoose!"

:)

Chili-time

Alright, 

Again, it has been a while since I posted.  So much going on!  Anyway, not an excuse right, Melissa?  Right!  I wanted to share my chili recipe with you.  Seeing as the weather took a turn for the colder, I believe now is a good time to cozy up next to a nice bowl of chili.  I usually do vegetarian chili because it is a little cheaper than buying meat.  This time I actually had meat, so I added about 2 lbs of cooked ground beef to this recipe:


*Since I buy my beans dry, I start out by cooking my beans (this takes about an hour and a half).  You can also use two 16 oz cans of cooked beans (whatever beans you like). I use:
1 lb black beans
1 lb pinto beans


In a large dutch oven (cast iron), saute:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium onions chopped (almost 2 cups)
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
Saute this until the onions are translucent and then add:
 
Chili Seasoning:
6 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbs minced (1.5 tsp powdered) garlic
1 Tbs Cumin
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 chipotle cube*
black pepper and salt to taste

*You can use regular chipotle seasoning (1 tsp). I like to get the cubes at the grocery store.  They are usually in the ethnic isle.* 

Saute the seasonings with the onions and garlic for about one minute (until you can smell the fragrance).  Then add:
1 box white mushrooms, chopped
the cooked/canned beans
Stir.  Then add:
3- 14 oz can crushed tomatoes in juice
1- 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 bottle of beer
Simmer this for about 1 hour.  And you're done!  Eat this with your favorite accompaniments like corn bread, chopped onions, sour cream or cheddar cheese (not if you're vegan).

This recipe is vegan and vegetarian (without the meat).  If you want to add a little more flair to the chili, you can add Italian sausage tofurky for some more flavor!

 

 

Let me know how yours turns out!

 

Let us talk basic kneeds! 

Black Bean and Lentil Soup!

Alright, 

This soup is not pretty; but man does it taste good!  I found this recipe, again, off of epicurious.com but I made my own tweaks to it.  Here is the original recipe (which is just for red lentil soup):

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh or canned tomato
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried red lentils
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley




The several modifications that I made were:
- I doubled the garlic, carrots, and celery
- I only used 1 cup of water.  The other 4 1/2 cups were broth (I used beef broth)
- I added 1-1 1/2 cups of black beans (I used raw and cooked them to their halfway point so they could absorb more flavor. Canned works just as well and is faster/easier)
- I added about 1/4 more lentils than it asked for
- I doubled the cumin


This is a really simple recipe to carry out.  Basically, you heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and saute until translucent.  Then you add the garlic, tomatoes, carrots, celery, cumin and salt and saute for about 2 minutes until the cumin is fragrant.  Then you add the beans and lentils and stir them until they are covered.  Then add the broth and the 1 cup of water.  You will simmer this for about a half an hour.

 

I told you it wasn't pretty!

This is served best with a little bit of cilantro or parsley and some sour cream.

If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, just use vegetable broth instead of beef broth!  (vegans, don't use the sour cream as the accompaniment) It's still really tastey!

I hope you enjoy this.  Let me know how yours turns out and if you have any questions for me!  It's really easy!

Let us talk basic kneeds! 

**** UPDATE ****

So I made this again and did a few different things and I wanted to add it to this recipe so you guys could try it too!

So I followed the basic recipe that I had modified originally; but instead of chopping up tomatoes, I used a large can of crushed tomatoes in the juice, vegetable broth instead of beef broth, added a can of chick peas and 1 tsp of thyme.  I think it gave it a little better of a look to it and I LOVE the taste!

  Let me know your thoughts!