Relaxation in a Skillet

Sorry it's been a little while since I've written- my plate is filling up with the wonderful tasks of my masters program. I am reading lots of research articles on home gardening, and quite enjoying it once I actually get started.

I took an excruciating statistics exam from 4:15 to 6:45 today, and then I slipped and fell in mud on the way home!

That being said, I needed some nourishment and a few moments to not think about school when I got home.

I was considering baking a sweet potato with raspberries- one of my favorite simple fall dishes, but decided not to heat up the oven. Plus, I'm in love with my cast iron skillet, so why not use it?

(By the way- I ended up using the oven anyways because then I decided to make some Whole Wheat Flax Bread. It's in the oven now and it smells MARVELOUS!)

Here's my original creation (no internet searching for ideas, even!)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet with Greens and Raspberries

1. Chop a sweet potato into chunks (about 1/2 inch)
Place in skillet over medium high heat along with a minced clove of garlic and teaspoon of oil.
Saute for about 10 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are 3/4 of the way soft.



2. Add 1/2 cup of black beans (mine were straight from the freezer, as described in my post on cooking beans) and cook another 3 or so minutes.

3. Roughly chop a handful of fall greens ( I used swiss chard). Toss in skillet along with 1/4 cup of water, and cover until greens are wilted.



4. Remove lid and add 1/3 cup raspberries, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger and salt and pepper to taste.



5. Dish and enjoy :)

My New Favorite Convenience Food

So, I've just become enamored with a new vegetable: delicata squash. I've barely finished my lunch, and I can't wait to share it with you, so here it is!

A small squash (5-6 inches in length) is the perfect size for a meal for one person. I just cut off both ends, sliced it in half lengthwise, scooped out the seeds (saving them to make roasted pumpkin seeds- a great source of iron!) and placed both halves cut side down in 1/4 inch of water in a covered microwaveable bowl.

It took about 4 minutes to get soft in my microwave. Then, I drained the water, flipped the halves so that the cut side was facing up (looks like little canoes) and threw in a handful of frozen beans, some random spices, and a drizzle (2 teaspoons-even though it looks like a lot more in this photo) of tahini as a source of fat because I didn't feel like using olive oil. I also sprinkled some dried hot pepper over the pile, and the capsaicin is now dancing in my mouth.

I microwaved the squash for another 2 minutes to heat up the frozen beans, pulled it out, and commenced my lunch.

The great thing is that you can eat the entire squash- skin and all, at least according to my friend Sarah. It tastes fine to me, so even if most people don't eat the skin, I think I will.

I ended up needing a dollop of yogurt on top to cut the spiciness, but overall it was delicious.
This "recipe" is super versatile- you can stuff the "canoe" with pretty much anything- pre-cooked meat, tomato sauce, beans, pesto, cooked grains, and any sort of vegetable.

Enjoy!

After a morning of completing nutrition assessments in convenience stores and finding myself ridiculously tempted by the fatty, sugary, processed items (but resisting the temptation to buy anything, I must add!), I'm off to bake bread and quiche and all manor of yummy things for my cousin and his wife who are visiting this weekend. What a fun way to spend a Friday :)

Beans

Cheap, healthy, full of fiber... Beans. I love them- any shape, any size. They don't have much flavor of their own, lending themselves to lots of delightful creativity.
You can buy them in a can, but canned beans have a lot of extra sodium. Plus, it's more economical to cook them yourself. And dried beans are beautiful sitting in jars around the kitchen.
For the sake of convenience, I cook a pot at one time, and then drain them and spread on a cookie tray in the freezer. Slip them into a ziploc bag, and you can grab a handful and heat them up anytime!

Basic Sketch of How to Cook Beans:

1. Place beans in a pot with plenty of water and allow to soak overnight.
2. Drain and pour in new water.
3. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or until soft.


There are lots of variations, methods that include adding baking soda to reduce the deleterious side-effects of beans (which do tend to decline as your body becomes used to eating more fiber!), as well as changing the water more often, adding spices, etc, but this is a quick and simple way to get the job done.

To make a quick refried bean dip, I grabbed a handful of beans, a bit of beef broth, and lots of delicious spices- including cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. A clove of garlic from my garden added some additional depth to the flavor. I even threw in a few roasted peppers that I had frozen when I had an abundance from my CSA share for a bit of extra color and nutrients.


These were placed in a small pan, and heated slowly for an hour or so while I worked on homework.


Total active time required for this process? Probably 35 minutes... about the same time that it would take for me to go to the nearest grocery store for a can of refried beans. Plus- these are far more economical, low sodium, and delicious!
Good cooking doesn't require a lot of time- just a bit of planning :)