Dessert.

Since the man & I have been together, I've gained 7 pounds of "happy" fat. While I'm still happy, I had decided to make smarter choices for our meals & portion things more realistically.

However, this doesn't mean that we've stopped having dessert. Oh, no. That wouldn't do. There are definitely fewer desserts in a week, though.

Last night, the man & I had a little date night. We opened a bottle of wine (courtesy of Food & Wine's wine club), I made strip steak with garlicky olivada, & then we had poached pears for dessert.

It was a caloric splurge night for sure.

The pears? They were magnificent. We couldn't find star anise, & I didn't want to use my vanilla beans for this. So, we used extracts without any real hit to taste. Also, I used about 1/2 cup agave nectar in lieu of the 1 & 1/4 cup sugar. (That's a LOT of sugar!!)


I ate my half pear plain with a little of the syrup on top. The man had his with a little vanilla bean ice cream. Divine!!!

We gave this 5/5 stars. Make it!!

P.S. We used the small bottles of Robert Mondavi cab sav for this. The bottles come in a 4-pack & are super convenient for cooking.

Black Bean and Yam Stew

I got the recipe from here: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/09/chipotle-black-bean-and-yam-stew-recipe.html This is quickly becoming a favorite food blog. They also have a lovely cookbook that is gluten, egg and dairy free! All the things our family must also limit.

But I didn't have all the ingredients. So here's what I made:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 stalks celery chopped
tiny bit of cumin seeds
good dash of coriander
large bit of dried oregano
chili powder
sea salt
2 yams
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cans cooked black beans
3 cups water or bean cooking liquid
1 cup coconut water (I reserved the cream for the kids' porridge)
1 head broccoli
lime

Heat a large 6 or 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add olive oil then add onions and saute for 5 to 7 minutes. Add chopped celery and garlic.

Then add the spices, sea salt, yams, and saute a minute or two more. Add the black beans, coconut milk and water (or bean cooking liquid). Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until yams are barely tender but not yet cooked. Timing will depend on what size you dice your yams.
Then add the chopped broccoli and simmer for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust salt and spices if necessary.

Ladle into bowls and add lime juice.