Good Friday was Bad… a little

April 8, 201212 Comments

Good Friday began quite nicely, actually, nothing major. Slept-in a bit, then made biscuits for my Elflings. They’re addicted. Went to the Farmer’s Market for juicing carrots and baking potatoes. It was awesome! I even found a lovely manioc/cassava/yuca root. I was thrilled, because I hadn’t had “Mandioca Frita” since I was in Brazil… many years ago. In hindsight, I think I was just a little too excited.

Mandioca Frita – Fried Cassava

1-2 mandiocas*

1 small onion*

salt

oil* for frying

* = Organic

∴ Peel the mandioca/cassava and cut into 3-4 manageable chunks. Boil in salt water with a small onion until fort-tender. Remove the water, and allow to cool so you can handle them. Once they are cool, split them open with your fingers, and peel out the fibrous root-like core in the middle. Continue to split your chunks into smaller, chip-sized pieces. Fry in hot oil until brown, cool on some paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

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Splitting-up the boiled mandioca chunks.

Chip-sized pieces with the fibrous centres removed.

Happy little mandioca chucks, frying nicely in boiling hot oil.

So crunchy and yummy! Super-hoot, too, though. These little suckers retain their heat inside for a lo-ooo-ong time. Take care not to torch your mouth.

I went on to chop up the boiled onion and sauteed it in some of the remaining frying oil with veg (carrots, brussel sprouts, garlic, salt and pepper) for a side. Chucked in some quinoa, and our supper was lovely. =0)

Now for the the bad part. Like I’d mentioned above, I was a little too excited to have the mandioca, and at one point while I was frying, I was sloppy. I rushed. Oil splattered. As a result, I burned a couple of my fingers pretty good. No worries! They’re fine, and don’t even hurt a bit… anymore. *happy dancing*

Feijão denovo…

February 18, 2012February 19, 20122 Comments

Yes, we had beans and rice again. This time I made it with 2 cups of organic pinto beans, but the method is the same as for the Feijão Preto (Black Beans). It was fabulous! Some people will put tomatoes or tomato paste in while cooking, but I’m not really a fan. Also, it’s pretty common to put plain or spicy kinds of sausage in, too. Since embracing a vegan lifestyle, I have no desire for any meat whatsoever even near my Feijão! lol

I started it just after lunch today…

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…and this is how it looked around 18:00 when we ate.

SO good! My Elflings and my Mister loved it!

Feijão Preto e Arroz

February 16, 2012February 17, 20122 Comments

Black Beans and Rice…

I used to live in Brazil (São José dos Campos, SP, then São Paulo, SP) when I was a teen. We ate beans and rice every single day. At the time, I didn’t appreciate the value of it, I only compared it to what I was used to from Canada and the fact that I wasn’t getting that. I do appreciate the experience now, and know that it shaped who I am today. I’m glad, and looking forward to eating Feijão e Arroz often again. Maybe not every single day, but often enough.

This is the pot of beans I started this morning…

Really simple food: 2 C beans, water, salt and pepper, diced onion, garlic (I stirred in the minced garlic about an hour before we ate). Boil over medium heat for the better part of the day. Keep adding water as needed. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking/burning. Serve with rice or quinoa.

The rice is super-simple to make Brazilian-style, too: 1 C brown rice (rinsed), chopped onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper, EVOO, 1.5 C water. Saute onion in EVOO over medium. Add rinsed rice and toss to coat. Continue to cook a few minutes, until onion and rice begin to look transparent. Add salt and pepper and minced garlic. Cook another minute or so. Do not burn garlic. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to minimum and cover for 30 minutes. Fluff with fork once done.