Dhokkar dalna (Fried Lentil Cake Curry)

Tonight I again braved the world of Indian Cookery. Most Americans in my part of the country are put off by the turmeric-dependency of most "Indian" curry recipes. Growing up my image of curry was of lumps of greyish chicken drowning in a bright yellow, pasty sauce that smelled vaguely of French's Mustard.

This was die in large part to the exuberant use of commercial curry powder. Frankly, while commercial 'curry powder' may make lovely chicken salad (in tiny doses) it's really nasty for main dishes.

We've been attempting to eat more beans, and I'm assiduously avoiding simply serving them, bean-style every third day. The prior foray into Indian-inspired cooking, the chickpea-zuchinni blossom fritters, were a success, so I thought I'd try again.

This particular recipe was adapted from a traditional Indian curry, Dhokkar dalna. I altered the spices slightly to suit the Carnivore's admittedly less adventurous palate -- omitting some of the turmeric, substituting a milder paprika for the hot chilli powder called for, and reducing the amount of spices.

One thing that completely surprised me about this dish was the beautiful presentation it made on the plate. The curry in the original cookbook looked exactly like the nightmare curries of my late childhood, but this dish emerged closer in texture and colour to a stew.

This was very helpful, of course, in getting the Carnivore to eat it.

A nice side note: I've found that the practice of frying bean paste, letting it cool, and then shaping and refrying it creates a fabulous texture and appearance, similar to stew meat, and I plan to do some experimenting with more American seasonings. Another observation: the lentil paste, when fried in small pieces, resembled ground beef exceptionally well. We'll be playing with that concept later this week.

Here's the recipe. It's not a quick-cook meal, so plan to make it when you have plenty of time to devote to the kitchen. However, the taste is worth making it at least once.

Trust me, this is curry for those who hate curry:

Dhakkar dalna
(Fried Lentil-Cake Curry)

1 pound lentils, soaked overnight in 7 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp grated gingerroot (or boughten ginger paste)
6 tbsp coconut
1/4 c diced green peppers
1 1/2 c water

1 1/2 c oil, divided

5 potatoes cut into dice (about 1/2 inch dice)
2 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp butter
1 tsp Garam Masala (make sure you're buying a GF version!)

Brown short-grained rice)

Instructions

Drain the extra water out of the soaked lentils and place them into a blender. Add the salt, turmeric, gingerroot, coconut, peppers, and water, and blend until absolutely smooth.

Meanwhile heat 3/4 of a cup of the oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, pour the lentil mixture into the oil and fry, stirring, until the mixture thickens considerably and becomes somewhat cohesive.

Pour the mixture and oil into a baking sheet, smooth to an even thickness, and let cool completely.


When you are ready to eat:
Begin cooking your rice, as per package instructions.

Meanwhile heat the rest of the oil over medium-high heat in a very heavy skillet or saucepan.

Cut the lentil-paste cake into one inch squares and fry in the oil in a single layer (you'll need to do several batches), turning carefully until all sides are deeply browned. Set aside.

Place the potatoes in the same oil and fry until light golden brown and set aside.

Working quickly, in the same oil, sprinkle the bay leaves, cumin, paprika, and coriander. Add the salt and tomatoes and cook for two minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil.

Place the potatoes back into the spice mixture and cook for 5-10 minutes or until tender, then very gently add back in the fried lentil-cake cubes and heat through.

At the last minute add the butter and stir very gently. Sprinkle Garam Masala over the dish.

Serve with the rice.

Kale-Spinach Strombolli Infused with Lemon and Nutmeg

Okay, now seriously this might sound really weird to those of you who've never had to deal with five thousand pounds of kale.

But when the fresh, seasonal produce gods are attacking you, the only options are flee or adapt.

So we adapted.

And actually I think I might have found nirvana. Well, at least momentarily -- then I got indigestion from overeating and was sucked right back into the land of the living.

The Carnivore liked it. The kids overate it, too. So I'm guessing this one is a go.

This recipe is a direct homage to great Italian cooking. The classic combination of fresh lemon and nutmeg underscore the nutty Parmesan cheese, and the mildness of fresh mozzarella tempers the bite of the garlic and kale. Serve this with plenty of great pizza sauce.

Kale-Spinach Strombolli infused with Lemon and Nutmeg

Filling
1 lemon, very, very finely sliced (paper thin)
1 tsp nutmeg (or appx grated from a 1/4 fresh nutmeg)

1 Tbsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper (we use papaya seeds)
6 cups kale, chopped into small pieces
2 cups fresh spinach
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
1 tbsp fresh oregano
pinch crushed red pepper

8 oz Part Skim or Fresh whole-milk mozzarella
8 oz really good parmesean cheese (we like block parmesean, freshly grated)

Gluten-Free Strombolli Dough
1.5 c warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups Better Batter All Purpose flour or a really good cup-for-cup substitute
1 teaspoon salt
extra flour

Instructions
IN a heavy skillet, saute the filling ingredients. Meanwhile mix up the strombolli dough.

IN the bowl of your mixer, combine the water, yeast, sugar, oil, flour, and salt, and beat on high for three minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

On a baking sheet, lay out a sheet of parchment paper, and coat it with a layer of flour -- about 1/8 inch thick or a little thicker. Wet your hands and spread the dough batter out until it covers about a 9x13 inch area.

Top with 1/2 of the cheeses, then spread the filling mixture over the cheese, leaving an inch margin on all sides. Top with remaining 8 oz cheeses.

Take the edge of the parchment paper and flip it up so that the dough rolls over to touch the other side. You may want to be gentle doing this, so that your filling doesn't fly everywhere and your dough doesn't stick.

Wet your hands again and mush the edges of the strombolli together to seal, rolling up slightly.

Let rise on baking sheet about 30-45 minutes.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until golden brown. Let sit for five minutes before slicing open.

Variations on a Theme: Kale Spinakka

I come from a Sephardic Jewish Family on my dad's side, which means that I grew up eating some pretty amazing food. Sephardic Jewish Cookery is different than what most Americans think of as "Jewish" food -- much closer to Greek food, in some regards, or Spanish food. One of my favorite dishes, my grandmother's legacy, is a dish called spinakka.
Spinakka is essentially a spinach and cheese casserole, heavy on the cheese. Since I was overrun by Kale, I wondered if I could get away with slipping some well sauteed Kale into the dish without being caught out.

The Carnivore thought the dish was acceptable, though he's still of the mind that it's more properly a side-dish than a main course, but I thought it was hearty enough to stand on its own.

A side benefit? It's ridiculously easy to throw together.

Kale Spinakka

12 cups fresh kale, ribs cut out and cut into small pieces (about 2 pounds)
8 eggs, beaten
16 oz. grated/crumbled cheese (for best flavour used mixed cheeses: we like the combination of cheddar, parmesean, and feta cheeses)

2 tsp salt
1/2 c Better Batter Gluten Free Flour or a really good GF cup-for-cup substitute

Mix the kale, eggs, flour, cheeses, and salt in a large bowl.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and add the kale mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until slightly golden brown on top. Let cool for five minutes and cut into squares.

Really Fresh Lasagne or: Hiding Beet Greens

So we're a part of a local organic CSA (community supported agriculture) coop, and we get all kinds of great veggies with our weekly share.


Sometimes great also is rather weird.

This week I received a ton of beet greens, thanks to thinning-the-rows. I know this is the reason because I've been thinning-the-rows of beets in my own garden...

As you can imagine we had a TON of beet greens. The Carnivore hates beet greens.

Lasagne to the rescue!

I was really nervous about this lasagne because it was the first lasagne that I've ever done completely vegetarian, and, frankly, the first one I'd made completely from scratch with really fresh ingredients. (our basil plants and herbs are misbehaving in a good way).

I'm glad I took the plunge because this lasagne was fabulous in a shoot-it-in-your-veins way. There was only a teeny bit left for lunch the next day, and we fought over that.

I'm posting the recipe. Feel free to substitute pre-made pasta noodles or sauce in your own, and be warned: Beet greens DO tend to bleed a bit into the ricotta and pasta... so a thicker sauce would help hide that.

REALLY Fresh Lasagne

1 pound pasta, preferably homemade
Leafy Layer
1 pound beet greens, or other leafy greens (spinach is great)
1 clove garlic finely minced
Extra Virgin Olive oil
pinch Nutmeg
Quick Tomato Sauce
six vine-ripe tomatoes
1/4 c fresh basil
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1 clove garlic
1 small spring onion (or one small onion)
3 fennel seeds (optional)
2 tsp salt (we use sea salt)
26 oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese (get one without fillers.)
16 oz Fresh, water-packed whole milk Mozzarella, grated. (It is really worth it.)

Instructions:
If making fresh pasta, cut the pasta into strips (at least 1/8th and no more than 3/8ths inch thick)

In a heavy skillet saute the beet greens, garlic, olive oil, and nutmeg until wilted. Set aside.

In your blender, blend the tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, onion, fennel seeds, and salt.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. put 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Add a layer of lasagne noodles, and top with 8 oz. mozzarella. Top with the sauteed beet greens. Spread the ricotta cheese over the greens. Add another layer of pasta. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce mixture and top with the remaining 8 oz. of cheese.

Cover very lightly with a greased sheet of foil (the idea is not to touch the top of the lasagne -- you're creating a tent) or parchment paper.

Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, removing the foil or paper the last 10 minutes.

Serve with salad and a nice crusty french-style bread.

Kale and Cannelinni Bean Pasta

There's something extremely satisfying about Italian cooking.

It seems sometimes that Italians know how to make practically everything into a great pasta dish or casserole.

The Carnivore and I were blessed enough to spend a great deal of time in Italy, where his best friend lives, and picked up several tips and tricks from our friend's Italian wife and family.

One great tip: greens go well with beans.

Seriously... the smooth flavour of beans compliments and tempers the bitterness of the greens in a special way and makes two essentially unpalatable foods into ambrosia. And pasta only sweetens the deal.

The carnivore liked it, and the kids begged for leftovers for two days.

This pasta was inspired by our time in Italy (and the ridiculous amount of kale that came with this month's weekly farm shares) and is ridiculously cheap, easy, and...best of all...FAST to make. You can feel free to use any really sturdy leafy green.

Serve this with a really, really sharp parmesean cheese (in thin shavings, not grated!) for best flavour.

Kale and Cannelinni Bean Pasta

6 cups Kale, washed and chopped into bite sized pieces (I never remove the ribs, but you can)
2 cans Cannellini Beans (or 4 cups homemade cooked northern beans)
1 small onion (or one spring onion, green parts included) minced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt (we use sea salt)
pepper (we use ground papaya seeds)
a pinch of crushed red pepper
1 pound GF pasta, store bought, asian, or homemade

Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta pasta. (remember you'll need to adjust cooking times for fresh pasta -- it only takes about 2 minutes to boil fresh as opposed to eight for dried)

In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the kale, onions, and garlic and cook til wilted (about 8 minutes). Add a large pinch of salt and a generous grinding of pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper: stir. Dump the two cans of beans into this mixture and cook for another two minutes or until beans are heated through.

Mix with the freshly cooked pasta and top with sharp, shaved parm cheese.

I'm playing Catch Up Tonight...and the accidental vegan??

and posting all the lurvely recipes that have been milling about in my head (and our kitchen).

We've had an abominably busy few weeks, which explains the blog-negligence.

However, there is some interesting news on the home front:

We've decided to call June "National what-the-heck-do-you-do-with-kale??? Month"... because my farm share of kale this last month was ridiculously generous. Hence all of the million and one kale-containing-or-based recipes I'll be posting tonight.

The Carnivore's gone Vegetarian...let me amplify and modify that.
The Carnivore had decided to stop buying beef (the price was too high), we'd already stopped eating pork, and suddenly he announced this week that he doesn't like chicken (except in a great while) and could we please stop buying it often...
So right now we're down to meat once a week -- fish and lamb and a once every blue moon chicken.

Amazing what frugality can do for ya.

For instance, tonight he ate a lentil-cake curry. Amazing.

I think I'm going to have a heart attack.

But that's probably jsut from all the cheese I've consumed this month.

Speaking of which: We've reduced our egg consumption from 5 dozen per week to 1 dozen and begun using flaxseed. (organic eggs can bankrupt you at that rate).

We've dropped dairy milk (at least for now) because I won't pay 7$ a gallon for raw, local, organic. The last month we've been on soy.

And we're doing other changes

Childhood-Favorite Sandwiches for Grown Ups

Tonight, having eaten a very heavy lunch (on our day off we usually go out to eat), I decided to have something light, like sandwiches.

Grilled (sometimes called toasted) Cheese and Pb&J Sandwiches have always been big hits in the house, so I decided to make them a bit more sophisticated:

Grilled Cheese For Grownups
I substituted the ubiquitous white bread for a nice, Sunflower Seed-Caraway Bread and used San Juaquin Cheese instead of the vile and often-glutened processed American Cheese. Of course I used real butter.

A big surprise was that San Juaquin, which tastes like a cross between extra-sharp cheddar and parmesean when cold, turns into a soft, stringy, brie-flavoured delight when toasted.

Peanut-Free Pb&J
We've dropped all peanut products from our house, so I substituted natural, unsweetened cashew butter for the peanut butter, and Faux Wheat Toast for the white bread, which made this sandwich a little smokier and hearty.

And then there was Salad...
I wanted a very light salad, so I used butter crunch lettuce and spring onions with a very light dressing -- nothing more, really, than some Ume Plum Vinegar, diluted with water, a few shakes of sesame oil, and some gingerroot. This was an amazing contrast to the smoky flavours of the sanwiches.
Everyone was rather pleased, might I say.

Pasta Pepperoni (Pasta with Peppers and Ricotta)

This was an especially nice dinner -- we learned how to make it in Trieste, Italy, where the Carnivore's best friend lives. It's a super quick, super easy dinner that lends itself well to any kind of pasta.



We're running a bit tight on budget, so we used the same asian noodles that you buy for Pho. Simply shove them in boiling water, turn the heat off and wait 8 minutes. Perfect Gluten Free noodles, and very cheap.



Here's some food porn and the recipe:

Pasta Pepperoni

1 each red, yellow, and orange pepper

1 clove garlic

1 medium onion

1 tbsp salt

1 pinch crushed red pepper

olive oil

16 oz ricotta cheese (we like whole milk)

16 oz GF pasta

Boil the pasta, meanwhile saute the onion, peppers, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper in the olive oil til tender.

Mix the sauteed veggies with the cooked pasta, and stir in the ricotta cheese.

Serve warm.

Chickpea-Zuchinni Blossom Fritters with Manchego Cheese

The Carnivore, if you'll remember absolutely hates chickpeas, or so he claims. But of course I've got tons of them lying around, so I had to come up with a tasty camophlage. I've been doing a lot of reading about indian foods, in an attempt to find new ways to cook things, and I've found a lot of recipes using gram (chickpea) flour.

One idea led to the other, and I was inspired to combine a little Indian cookery with another, equally loved cuisine... Italian. A dish I fell in love with in Italy was the fried zuchinni blossom fritters.

This dish is the marriage of the two, and fabulous, if I do say so myself. The fritters are light as air, crunchy and fluffy, and savory. Even the Carnivore approved. We served this with a big green salad.

Chickpea-Zuchinni Blossom Fritters with Manchego Cheese

1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 c water

2 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp onion powder

6-10 zuchinni blossoms, torn into pieces

3/4 c green onion, chopped

3 oz Manchego cheese, shredded

1/2 c Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

oil

Puree the chickpeas, water, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a blender till smooth. Add the zuchinni blossoms, green onion, and cheese and stir well. Add the flour and baking powder and stir. Beat in the eggs.

Fry in hot oil, flipping once. Serve hot with additional cheese, if desired.

Last Night: Cheddar Crust Cornish Pasties

Last Night's meal was one of those serendipitous things that happen when you try to use the last of your produce before the new batch is ready at the farm.

I made a fabulous cheddar cheese pastry crust, and filled it to the brim with chopped veggies and herbs, diced cooked potatoes, peas and (in place of ground beef) highly seasoned mushrooms. I included nutritional yeast for a meatier taste and added health benefits. Everyone simply devoured these hand-pies, and I have to say, I didn't miss the meat at ALL.

Yeasted Cheddar Pastry Crust

1 c warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

2 cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1. Mix the warm water, salt, sugar and yeast and let sit for five minutes.

2. Stir in the flour and cheddar cheese and knead well, until a smooth dough is formed. Proceed with your recipe.

Pastie Pie Filling

1 cup finely minced mushrooms

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped spinach

1 1/2 c diced cooked potato

1 c diced carrots and peas (fresh or frozen)

1/2 c warm water

1/4 c Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

1/2 c mixed chopped fresh herbs (I used sage, oregano, thyme, and rosemary)

1 tsp salt

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms, nutritional yeast, garlic, green onion, spinach, potato, and carrots and peas.

2. In a small saucepan cook the warm water, flour, and fresh herbs together until thickened, and stir into the other mixture.

To assemble: Divide the pastry into four pieces. Roll each out, on a floured board, into an 8 inch circle. Fill with 1/4 of the vegetable mixture, and (wetting the edges) fold over to make a half-circle. Seal the edges and place on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Pad Thai-style, Cashew Noodles with Fresh Cilantro and Green Onions

Tonight was one of my favorites. Admittedly I did use a tin of anchovies, so technically this wouldn't be considered a full-on vegetarian meal, but it was darn close. And I'm assuming most people reading this are, like us, 'flexitarian.'

There were a number of alterations I made to a basic Pad Thai dish. I omited tamarind paste, because it's not exactly available in my part of Podunk. I also subbed in cashew butter for the peanuts and coconut and flaxseed oils for the peanut oil(we're peanut free), a tin of anchovies for the fish paste (I haven't found a good GF fish paste yet), and the typical tree-hugger healthy options wherever terrible stuff like white sugar was called for. Here's the recipe:

GF PAD THAI-Style Noodles

1/2 c evaporated cane juice

1/2 c rice wine vinegar

1/4 c GF soy sauce (we use Bragg's aminos)

2 tbsp ketchup (don't ask)

1 tin anchovies

2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp paprika

1 full cup cashew butter

1 pound package asian rice noodles.

1/2 c cocounut oil (or mixture coconut oil and flaxseed oil)

4 eggs

one bunch green/spring onions, sliced thin (save the green parts for the garnish)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped.

Boil a pot of water. Set noodles in boiling water, cover, turn the heat off, and let sit for 8 minutes. Drain.

While noodles are cooking, in a small saucepan heat all ingredients down to the cashew butter, making sure to whisk them til smooth.

Meanwhile heat the oil and saute the white parts of the spring onions. Add 4 eggs (beaten) and scramble thoroughly.

Dump the egg mixture in the drained noodles and mix. POur the sauce over the noodles and distribute into bowls. Top with a little fresh green onion and cilantro and serve.

sooo good.

Yesterday: Pasta Pesto with Crusty GF whole-grain French Bread and a Big Salad

This one is, of course, fabulous. The Carnivore's not huge on pesto, but the rest of us are, so he had to make due.

This pesto was bursting with home-grown basil and garlic, EVOO, some nice sea salt, and freshly grated parm cheese. Rather than destroy my piggy-bank, I opted to use walnuts instead of the traditional pine nuts.

The French bread was made with a teff-sorghum gf flour mix, from Better Batter Gluten Free Flour, and my Fanny Farmer baking book. It had a nice crusty exterior and a fabulously soft crumb. I mixed dehydrated garlic into the batter for 'instant' gralic bread.

Terrrific!

Cilantro-Lime Chili with Brown Rice, topped with Cheddar

Tonight was at least acceptable to everyone. I'd decided to make chili, without realizing that the Carnivore had ordered chili for lunch; so there was a bit of ho-humness to the response.

I was inspired by our recent trip to Puerto Rico. The beans in PR are to die for.

Unfortunately, they're stock-loaded with sodium and msg in the form of Sazzon, which is a little, fabulous seasoning packet that tastes good, but does nothing for you.

Also they usually add pork to the beans, which is a no-no for us.


Oh, and did I mention that they use something called recao, which is like really strong cilantro (and improssible to get in PA)?? in addition to something called recaito (once again, filled with more ingredients that are hard to get, including more recao)???

So.....


Inspired is definitely the word.

Here's more pics of Dinner

(I'll explain what I did after):

Okay, beyond soaking the beans (pinto, this time)...







In my mortar bowl, I made a recaito by mashing together 2 cloves of garlic, a 1/4 cup packed fresh oregano, a 1/2 c packed fresh cilantro, stems intact, a 1/4 c fresh chives, a tsp of annato (american saffron), and a tsp of sea salt. I let this macerate overnight in the fridge.

The next day I reconstituted a cup of texturized soy protein in beef-flavoured bouillion ( I usually use brown miso, but I was out), with a splash of Bragg's liquid aminos and a dash of worchestershire sauce.

I cooked the beans and then added 1 1/2 c left-over marinara sauce (bottom of the jar -- waste not, want not!), the homemade recaito, and the tvp.

I cooked brown rice, Puerto Rican style (this means adding salt and oil before boiling).

I sliced several limes. When I assembled the chili bowls, I laid a layer of rice, then one of chili, squeezing a lime wedge over the entire thing, then topping with CHeddar CHeese. I then placed lime wedges for a garnish and served the meal with a nice, dry peach-kombucha.

Yurm.

Fabulous Fresh Herb Pizza

Well, tonight was a real hit!







We had Individual Pizzas made with fresh buffaletta mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, home-grown basil, and a great marinara sauce on a fresh-oregano spiked crust, with spring greens salad.

The carnivore was happy.







I'm including some food porn for your discerning eyes and the recipe. If you're not eating gluten free, then you'll need to alter the crust recipe by halving the water and kneading the dough instead of beating it. You'll also benefit from allowing it to rise a bit.:

Basil and Tomato Pizza

With Fresh Oregano-Seasoned Crust

This pizza is really fresh and delicious, and a great way to use fresh herbs. This pizza makes growing your own herbs worth it! Fresh herbs, real mozarella cheese, and ripe, sliced tomatoes bring new authenticity and flavour to an old favourite. For a real taste sensation, move the pizza to a hot grill after the initial cooking of the crust.

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp yeast (or 1 package)

1 Tbsp sugar

2 ½ cups Better Batter Gluten Free Flour

½ cup cornmeal

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup each finely chopped fresh oregano and grated parmesean cheese

12 oz fresh whole milk mozzarella (the fresher the
better, water packed is best)

1 handful fresh basil leaves

3 small italian tomatoes, very ripe

1 or 2 cups of marinara, pizza, or tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets/baking stones with parchment paper or oil a stonewear pizza pan.

In a bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar, stirring to dissolve. Let sit 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat at high speed for 3 minutes.

Spread batter onto prepared pans to make 6 inch pizza rounds.

Bake for ten to fifteen minutes, or until crust is slightly puffed and light brown.

Top crusts with 1/4 to 1/2 cup marinara sauce, then scatter 3 oz cheese over the top of each pizza. Top with tomatoes and basil and either bake or grill over medium high heat for another 5-6 minutes.

Back from Puerto Rico

Well, the family and I just spent two weeks cavorting in the beautiful islands of Puerto Rico (bet you didn't know there were more than one island, eh???)

Which meant lots of meat, meat, glorious meat.

And rice and beans.

My oh my how I loved those rice and beans.

The Carnivore has agreed to add a few of them to the menu, at least as a side dish (and reduce the portion of meat at the meals). Yippee! Puerto Rican Bean-fest is coming soon.

But not too soon.

I think we beans-and-riced ourselves a bit much this trip.

I know we chicken-ed out ourselves. We must have eaten chicken five out of seven days there. I doubt that will be on the menu for the next month.

The beans on the other hand....

beansbeansbeansbeansbeans!

My how I loevd those beans.

And on another note... I found the camera, so expect pictures in the near future!