WIAW: Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime

Yesterday was a weird eating day. You know, those days where you're busy rushing around and end up eating meals at weird hours or just snack through lunch. These days usually happen when I'm prepping a lot of food for the week. I always want to taste test all the food I make and then I never really get hungry. 

Today I'll share with you a "weird" day of eats, some experiments in the kitchen and a Spicy Black Bean with Cilantro and Lime recipe (at the bottom!). Check out Jenn's blog for other recipe ideas!

Meal #1: My Growing Oat Bran Bowl using 1/3 cup oat bran cooked in 2 cups water. I stirred in 1/2 cup pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract and stevia.  Almond butter on top.

Brett and I just got back home after being in Virginia for the past ten days. We were meeting with a lot of people for work and ate most of our meals out. Now you might think I'm crazy, but I'm one of those people that would rather eat at home than eat out (usually). By the time we got home my body was craving lots of fruits, veggies and home-cooked meals. And of course I was aching to start experimenting in the kitchen.

I still wonder about when I grew to like cooking. When I was younger I would always tell my Mom that I would rather mow the lawn, clean the house, weed the garden...basically do ANYTHING other than cooking. Now I can't stop thinking about new recipe I want to create! We'll see how long this phase will last.

Meal #2: All-bran, homemade granola and banana with freshly Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk.

I think I've discovered my favorite ratio for homemade almond milk. Yum!

Since I was doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen, I ended up taste testing and snacking most of the afternoon. I'm always looking for ways to use the almond pulp that is left over from making Homemade Almond Milk. Yesterday I tried making brownies with almond pulp and dates. Their flavorful and hold together well, but they never really "cooked" and are really moist. While delicious, I don't think they're quite right. You win some you lose some!

Meal #3: Carrots, Celery, Whole Wheat Rosemary Wheat Thins 

and Avocado Hummus (recipe coming soon!)

One of Brett's coworkers invited us and another couple over for dinner last night. She was making enchiladas and asked me to bring some type of bean dish and a vegan dessert. These beans might look like mush, but they're delicious! When jalapeños, cumin and cilantro are involved you can't go wrong. For dessert I made Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies using coconut oil. Those were a big hit.

Meal #4: Spicy Black Beans on top of Brown Rice (not pictured) 

with a side of green beans (not pictured).

Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro and Lime

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cans black beans (or 3 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste 
• juice of 1 lime
• handful of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, jalapeño and garlic until the onion is soft.
2. Add in the black beans, vegetable broth, cumin and salt and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. After the beans start to thicken, use a potato masher to mash the beans until about 1/2 are left whole.
4. Continue to let the beans cook until they have thickened then squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the cilantro.
5. Pour into a serving bowl, garnish with more cilantro and eat!

Right before bed I ate one of my brownies and that was it! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Would you rather eat out or eat at home?

Have you ever made homemade almond milk? What do you do with the leftover pulp?

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Cilantro Lemon Quinoa Salad

I don't know about you, but sometimes I completely forget about certain ingredients that I love. I know, I know. It doesn't really make sense to forget about something you love, but I did. I guess with cooking there are just so many different ingredients that I want to experiment with that I get excited about a certain cuisine or ingredient and then others get forgotten for a while.  

This happened with quinoa. Ever since I was introduced to quinoa I loved it. It's so easy to cook and you can go any which way with the flavor by using different seasonings. You can use it as a side dish or make it the main course by adding in some veggies and beans. 

This past week Brett and I were at my parent's house in Virginia. On Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day at Great Falls National Park with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law. The day couldn't have been more perfect. It was warm with a nice breeze and we got to the park early enough to scope out a good spot. The only unfortunate thing that happened was that the water in the bathrooms stopped working and there were only two porta potties for the whole park. It took about 30 minutes to wait in line. Other than that we had a great time together as a family! I got to go on a trail run earlier in the morning and the rest of the time I spent reading, walking around the park, people watching and talking with my family. 

The week before Mother's Day, Brett and I were super busy meeting with people in the area for work. We ate most of our meals out so by Sunday I was aching to cook. I asked my parents if I could be in charge of the Mother's Day meal and they gladly let me take over.  I decided to go with something that would be easy to make the day before and that didn't have to be served hot. This Cilantro Lemon Quinoa Salad was the main course which I paired with Homemade Grilled Flat Bread and hummus. For dessert we had Vegan Strawberry Shortcake with Coconut Whipped Cream (recipe coming soon!) My brother and sister-in-law also picked up a roast chicken. Everyone said everything tasted great which was encouraging. I'm always a little nervous cooking dairy-free and meat-free meals for others. 

I'm also thankful that quinoa is now back in my life.

Cilantro Lemon Quinoa Salad

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 3/4 cup cooked chickpeas)
• 2 avocados, chopped
• large handful of cilantro, chopped

For the Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 2 small lemons
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. For the quinoa: In a medium-sized sauce pan bring the vegetable broth and quinoa to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and let the quinoa cook for 10-15 minutes until all of the broth is absorbed. After the broth is absorbed, remove the sauce pan from the heat, still covered, and let the quinoa sit for a few minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool. While the quinoa is cooking prepare you veggies and dressing.
2. For the Dressing: In a bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside.
3. For the Salad: Once the quinoa is done cooking and your tomatoes, avocados and cilantro are all prepped, stir together the quinoa, tomatoes, chickpeas, avocado and cilantro in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. If possible let the salad sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes before serving to allow all the flavors to meld. Enjoy!

Eat Consciously,

Faith