Black bean brownies

The man & I had leftover beans & rice from a Texican restaurant. Normally, I'd throw it in a chili or something. (& the man would grumble that "this isn't chili - there are beans in it.") I had to do something less obvious with our leftovers. No leftovers left behind!!

This time, I decided to make black bean brownies. We've had them before, & they were okay. However, I found a recipe in a new South Beach diet book that I thought would work.

They are excellent! Here's what happened:

Leftover black beans - about a can's worth.
4 eggs
2 tbsp oil (they recommend olive - heart healthy!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sugar substitute (I used 1/2 brown sugar splenda & <1/2 sugar)
3-5 tbsp. cocoa (I used more as - yo, it's chocolate)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
chocolate chips or pecans/walnuts

Blend all ingredients in a food processor (except the chips or nuts if using) until smooth. Put into an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment or sprayed with cooking spray. Place in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Voila! You have springy, moist, chocolatey brownies. Gluten-free to boot!

So far, I really like this cookbook - many recipes are gluten-free & look delicious. Plus, it's nice to see a cookbook with some nutritional indications.

Crispy skin salmon

I've been sitting on this recipe for a while now, & I can't imagine why. It's easy, it has only 5 ingredients, & it sounds good. I kept on punting & punting the recipe forward in our calendar. Until last week.

The recipe comes from Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix. For those of you who don't know the show, she takes 5 ingredients & makes a dish out of it. She considers salt & pepper to be "free" ingredients. Sometimes she has two ingredients combined together (like garlic oil or simple syrup), which is kind of like cheating. (Forgivable cheating.)

In her Crispy Skin Salmon recipe, she broils salmon skin side up until the salmon is cooked thoroughly. Jeffrey & I were super impressed by the crispiness of the salmon skin. It was a big hit! Plus, we can use that behemoth tarragon that's growing in our front yard garden.

We plan on using this recipe for our Christmas dinner party with trout. Since trout is so thin, we may have to put it higher in the oven. We'll see!

A Fish for Everyone to Enjoy

I have a problem. I can't smell, which means I can't taste. So when a recipe turns out well, I'm happy. When the family proclaims it a favorite, I'm very surprised. My dh loves fried fish. When I mentioned fish stew, he wasn't too happy. After a spoonful, he declared I would become the best cook in the world, because I cook using the force. The kids said they want stew every time they eat fish. Here's the recipe for your enjoyment:

Heat a large pot.

Take out defrosted fish and all the vegetables in the fridge (very lenient in this department):
half a leek
one onion
scallion whites
1/4 cabbage head
4 carrots
what was left of the celery (about 4 stalks)
4 potatoes.

Take out the seasonings:
Nori flakes (a standard in our kitchen, but optional)
dill seed
dill weed, dried
tumeric
cayenne
oil and butter

Rinse the leek, chop. Add oil to the pot, add leek and stir. Chop and add onion, scallions, celery, peeled carrot. I keep the vegetables larger because that's family preference. Add a pinch of dill seed.

Add a half stick of butter. (Think about all the vitamin A you're getting).

Peel and chop the potatoes, add.

Get from the pantry:
One can diced tomatoes
one tablespoon tomato paste
as much stock as covers the vegetables (or use water and extra flavorings). I used vegetable broth.

Get from the freezer:
mixed mushrooms
spinach

Cover the vegetables with liquid. Add about 2 tbl nori flakes, 2 tbl dill weed, 1/4 tsp tumeric and a small shake of cayenne. If you want the soup spicy hot, add more cayenne. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, a bag of mushrooms and chopped cabbage. Let simmer until potatoes are almost done. (I quartered the medium sized potatoes, so this took about 25 minutes).

Slice fish into 1.5 inch strips, add to pot for 5 minutes, making sure simmering the whole time. When fish is cooked through, it will flake easily and be a solid color throughout. Add salt, whole bag of spinach, and stir well. Take off heat and serve with lemon squeeze and grated pecorino romano.

We have two children and two adults in the family. I used 3 cod fillets sliced into thick strips. You might use more or less. This recipe made enough for two dinners for all of us.

Enjoy!

Quinoa salad

The original recipe is here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/quinoa-with-garlic-pine-nuts-and-raisins-recipe/index.html

However, it turned out double of this:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well!
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper
optional - veggie or chicken broth
optional - crumbled goat cheese


Directions
Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water (or use low-sodium broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the olive oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, fruit and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

This receipe (when doubled) served 8 people - with the option for dessert a few hours later.