El Jalisco, Wichita, KS…This is a great little hole-in-the-wall/hidden gem of a Mexican restaurant. Since our diet change though I wasn’t sure what we’d get. After talking to the waitress we decided they would put together a bean & rice burrito. It is great!
Neither one of us liked either one of these. We didn’t like the flavors. I had forgot to put the oats that the meatless loaf recipe called for so it didn’t stick together. I don’t think the oats would have helped with the flavor though.
I didn’t save the recipe to either one.
I found this little book shelf for $4.99 at a thrift store. It’s one of those pine, finish yourself, pieces of furniture. It had already been painted red but had a few spots where the paint was missing. I decided to hit those bad spots with a red spray paint I had on hand that was a little different shade. That’s when with the push of the nozzle, the cost of my cheap find just went up (Notice I said cost, not value). It was too cold to paint in the garage yet knowing it was a dumb thing to do, I did this quick little touch up in the house. Over spray from the rattle can got on the carpet. That’s when the cost of my $4.99 find went up dramatically. After many days and carpet cleaner solutions later, I did eventually get the paint out of the carpet. I liked the mismatched reds as it gave some depth/dimension/character to the paint (aka too lazy to paint the whole thing properly). We’ve placed it on the basement. Now what to put on it?
Side note: The red, blue and tan color scheme of the basement is the “in” look according to Ralph Lauren. Now that was many years ago… he may have changed his mind by now. Is he even still alive?… Google says Yes.
Notes: I thought it was ok. Nova didn’t care for it. She doesn’t like the ginger.
Ingredients:
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 whole yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
3 whole baby bok choy, chopped
1 cup cauliflower florets
½ cup frozen edamame (soy beans), thawed
2 tbsp sherry
1 tbsp agave nectar
1½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
½ tsp ground ginger
5 whole garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Cubed tofu, snap peas and mushrooms also make a nice addition to this dish.
Chef’s note: For a thicker sauce or glaze, add 1 tbsp of cornstarch mixed into 3 tbsp of water.
Directions:
Line a large skillet or wok with water and cook vegetables over high heat until fork tender but still fairly crisp, about 7-10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk remaining ingredients (except edamame) together to make a sauce. Once vegetables are cooked, pour sauce over top and cook for another 2-3 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken up a bit. Add edamame, stir until everything is fully incorporated and serve over brown rice.
Source: HappyHerbivore.com
Notes:
Ingredients:
6 corn tortillas
1 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (might be good to smash them or use re-fried beans)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 green onions, sliced into rounds
1 jalapeno diced
Salsa
Guacamole
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil.
Cut corn tortillas in to quarters. Place on sprayed cookie sheets. Broil approx 1-2 minutes on each side. Watch closely.
Remove chips from oven.
Spoon the beans over the chips. Add the tomatoes, bell and jalapeno peppers and green onions. Broil again 7–10 minutes.
Top with salsa, guacamole.
Source: Unknown.
Assortment of grilled veggies and guacamole in a pita pocket. Served with Baked Kale Chips.
We also make the Veggie Pitas with hummus.
Notes: As Tony Tiger would say… They’re Grrrrreat! Very important step – make sure your kale is dry before adding the olive oil. These were really good.
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh kale leaves, well-washed and dried (you can use a salad spinner, or pat dry with towels, or just let air dry!)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse sea salt (or whatever salt you prefer
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
On a cutting board, use a kitchen knife to chop the kale into bite-sized (about 1 1/2″) pieces or simply tear it with your hands. Be sure to remove the large center stem and discard (for your compost pile) Place pieces in a large bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. Then using your hands, toss the kale until the leaves are evenly coated with the oil.
Lay the kale pieces out evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and then sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until kale is dark green and crunchy. Remove from oven, (you can also add additional seasons here), let cool, and then serve.
Source: Old World Garden Farms
We were just given this beautiful wooden nut bowl that my Father made in high-school wood-shop in the early 1950s.
I recently acquired a set of copper bottomed Revere Ware (4 pans and 4 lids). We can’t use the copper bottom pans on our stove so we’re giving them to a friends Daughter. I spent a little over 2 hours cleaning them up. I was beginning to think elbow grease wasn’t going to be enough and would have to get out a power tool. We had these exact pans at one time and I would use Cameo copper cleaner but our local store didn’t have any so I purchased and used Bar Keepers Friend instead. Can’t say if it’s any better or worse.
Notes: Chopped kale sautéed with onions and garlic, mixed with a sauce of sesame tahini, sesame oil, lemon juice, and salt.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound kale, well rinsed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
4 Tbsp tahini (use tahini made with toasted sesame seeds, not raw)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3-4 Tbsp water
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Directions:
1. Using a sharp paring knife, cut out the rib of each kale leaf. Discard or compost. Slice the leaves roughly 1/2-inch thick.
2. Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a large sauté pan. When hot, add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
3. Add the kale to the sauté pan. Even if you have a pretty large pan, the kale will be practically falling out of it. Put in as much as you can and use tongs to turn over and mix with the oil and onions. After a couple minutes the kale should wilt a bit so you can add the rest of the raw kale. Cook, turning the kale leaves over occasionally until the kales leaves have wilted and are tender. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale leaves while cooking.
4. While the kale is cooking, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and dark sesame oil. Add more salt and sesame oil to taste.
5. Once the kale is done, toss in the sauce, reserving a little to drizzle on top.
Serve, topped with a little sauce and toasted sesame seeds.