Quick-fix Mujaddara

Lentils and rice (Mujaddara) is one of my favorite things, a classic Lebanese combination that I have written about at least once and think about...a lot! A homey dish, it was the Friday special at Byblos in Wichita, KS and I actually got to enjoy it there on my last visit. I have fiddled with my own version over the years, but I was thinking the other night about a quick version? One thrown together with those lovely packets of microwaveable rice and canned lentils? Maybe not as good as the real thing, but in a pinch...it'll do.

 Recipe: Quick & Easy Mujaddara 

• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
• 2 16-oz cans lentils, rinsed and drained
• 2 8.5-oz packages microwaveable rice, I like to use Seeds of Change Brown Basmatic Rice, prepared according to instructions
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package fried onions

 In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium and then add the onions. Sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the onion is soft and transulcent. Add the lentils and rice and stir to combine. Add about half of the vegetable broth and continue to stir, smashing the lentils against the pan as you do so. And the rest of the broth a little at a time and continue to stir until it is absorbed and the mixture starts to look a little dry. Taste and season with salt and pepper then let cool slightly. Serve warm, topping with a drizzle of olive oil and the fried onions. 

Sopes

I was so excited to find pre-made sopes at the store this week--I have recipes for them, but have never got around to making them. There was a vegan restaurant in Omaha, NE we used to frequent that always had a couple of seasonal sopes on the menu. Delicious! What is a sope? Think of them as thick little cornmeal pastries with walls that are made for fillng...with whatever you want!

We had an array of choices so everyone could fill their own: beans, corn, mushrooms, seitan, avocado, queso fresca, cilantro, radish, pico and more.

e heated the sopes in the oven for a few minutes, then added the fillings that we wanted warmed up like homemade refried beans, fried zucchini, mushroom, onion and cheese.

After, we topped with the cool, fresh ingredients that added more flavor, crunch and color.

I served the sopes with a big green salad tossed with with hearts of palm, orange segments and pepitas plus a zesty lime dressing. Simple and delicious, sopes are endlessly adaptable plus a great idea for a party. Everyone gets what they want! Sopes!

Beans Glorious Beans!

I have to tell you that my mother knows how to stretch a dollar and feed a crowd.  She could do a million and one things with ground beef; enough to make your head spin with innumerable delicious variations.  And beans?  We had many meals that revolved around a big pot of beans that could be navy beans with ham or just pinto beans cooked to perfection.  Of course, there was usually cornbread to go along with it which we happily slathered in butter mixed up with molasses in true country fashion.  During the winter, beans fill the belly and warm the soul and a pot cooked beans on your stove is so much better that opening a can.  Not to mention more economical!

Steps for Great Pot of Beans

1. Sort and rinse your beans.  In a world of perfectly processed foods, we're used to every little detail being taken care of, but with dried beans, you might find a tiny pebble or some dirt.  You want to go over them carefully and make sure they're all good.  After, rinse your beans in a large colander and get them all ready to go into the pot.
2. I prefer the quick soak method, so now put your beans in a pot and cover them with about one inch of fresh, cold water.  Turn the heat up to medium and bring the pot to a boil.  Once it comes up to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it set for two hours.
3. Now, some people will cook their beans in this water, but I say no to that.  You want to rinse the beans, rinse the pot and then return them to the pot again covered with about one inch of fresh, cold water.
4. Now, add some flavor.  Most cooks believe that salting the water while the beans cook can make them tough or take longer to cook, so I don't add salt until after the beans are done.  However, I do add some other flavorings.  Use whatever you like, but I usually throw in a couple of bay leaves, several cloves of garlic and then I'll put some black peppercorns and crushed red pepper in a tea ball and toss that in as well.  Your kitchen will smell so good and the beans will be infused with all of the flavor.
5. Cook those beans!  Bring the heat back up to medium and your beans up to a simmer; now cook them for about two hours or until they are done.  Depending on how old the beans are, it can take a shorter or longer amount of time for them to get tender.

How to make them delicious?
In a skillet, cook one onion that is very finely diced in oil until it is soft and translucent.  Add a couple of cloves of garlic that have been minced and two jalapeno peppers that have the seeds and ribs removed and are finely diced.  Cook all of this until the peppers are soft, then add to the beans with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Depending on how much water your beans absorbed and how much pot liquor you want to include, you may want to drain off some of he liquid.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Serve the beans with cornbread!  Or try strips of freshly fried tortilla, fresh tomato and diced avocado.  A squeeze of lime adds a bright counterpoint to the earthiness of the beans.  Rich and delicous, this bowl of beans is a satisfying meal for a cold January day.  Peasant food at its simplest and best.

And after?  Always make more beans than you think you will eat because you can use them after in burritos or mash them up and serve them with rice.  Once you have the beans cooked, the things you can cook with them are limitless.