Help! I Need Somebody, Help!....

Anyone remember that song?  Yep, it's the Beetles...and, yes, it was made into a movie that I have watched MANY times.  It was one of THREE movies that we had when my family and I lived in Kyrgyzstan (along with Mary Poppins and Who Framed Roger Rabbit).  As strange as the song and the movie are, The Beetles were onto something.  We all need help, in just about everything.  When it comes to reaching your goals, it helps to have someone, to hold you accountable.  For me, there are many different areas where I need to be held accountable and I use different people to do that ranging from friends to co-workers to my Sunday School class.  However, applicable to Eat. Live. Be. my accountability is basically from YOU!  Because I'm not cooking for other people, I don't have someone to say, "Hey, you didn't cook at all this week!" but I do have you.  There should be at least two meals posted here each month.  Watch me!  In orders to accomplish my goal of cooking a meal at least once every two weeks, I need recipes.  Well, I found a great recipe just before New Years on Tasty Kitchen for some black eyed peas.

 Though this is not heavy duty cooking, I did make the beans from "scratch," i.e., no canned or frozen peas.  It was really pretty easy and has been SO filling and satisfying.  The recipe originally called for using bacon but I didn't use it as I didn't want to buy bacon simple for this recipe...it would have added a different depth of flavor, to be sure.  I loved the addition of the bell pepper to this recipe and might would have added more.  Top this with a little salsa and serve with cabbage and cornbread, and you have a nice little New Years meal!

New Year's Black Eyed Peas adaped from Tasty Kitchen
olive oil
1/2 whole Large Onion, Cut Into Medium Dice
1/2 whole Large Bell Pepper, Cut Into Medium Dice
1/2 small bag Black Eyed Beans, Soaked In water Overnight And Drained, instructions are also on the bag
2 quarts Chicken Broth, Plus 1 To 2 Cups Water As Needed (I used chicken bullion cubes)
1 pinch Salt And Ground Black Pepper To Taste
salsa

Heat a large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Put a little olive oil in the pot.  Add onions and pepper; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add peas and chicken broth or water and bullion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peas are fully tender and cooking liquid turns from translucent to opaque, adding water as necessary to keep peas moist but not soupy, about 1 hour. When peas have fully softened, season generously with salt and pepper and stir in thyme. Continue to simmer to blend flavors, a couple of minutes longer. Serve with a dish of red onion and vinegar or pepper sauce or salsa alongside.  Enjoy!

Sarah Caron - www.sarahscucinabella.com
Cate O’Malley - http://www.sweetnicks.com/
Maris Callahan - http://www.ingoodtasteblog.net/
Chris Arpante - http://www.melecotte.com/
Faith - http://www.clickblogappetit.com/
Kristen - http://www.dineanddish.net/
Emily - http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/
Jenna - FireMom - http://stopdropandblog.com/
Joanne - http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/
Casey - http://www.thestarnesfam.com/
Patsy - http://www.friendsfamilyandfood.blogspot.com/
Tri-Fit Mom - http://trifitmom.blogspot.com/
Allison from http://sweetflours.blogspot.com/
Jen from NJ Epicurean http://njepicurean.blogspot.com/
Leslie from http://www.thehungryhousewife.com/
Rivki Locker from Healthy Eating for Ordinary People http://www.healthyeatingforordinarypeople.com/
Claudia from Journey of an Italian Cook
Jennifer Schulz from lick-a-plate http://lick-a-plate.blogspot.com/

Quick and Easy

(This is the THIRD time I've tried to get this to post!)  During the holidays, I think we find that we get very busy.  So, when it was getting close to Thanksgiving I decided that it would be the best use of my time NOT to go to the grocery store.  I have things in the my cabinets, though my refrigerator was getting empty.  What to make, what to make!  If you're looking for something simple, this is it. 

Given, it is meat free (actually vegan though I wasn't trying for that), this is a satisfying dinner.  I just pulled out a can of chickpeas, green beans, and rotel tomatoes.  Combine, heat and eat!  Yum.  I served this alongside couscous.  I think that maybe next time I'd jsut use diced tomatoes and flavor on my own.  It was just a tad too overpowering and I couldn't taste the green beans as much as I would have liked.

Green beans, chicpea, and tomato "goulash"
1 can french style green beans
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can diced tomatoes or rotel tomatoes
2 handfuls of spinach (this was last minute...it had to be used!)

Open cans, put contents in a microwave safe bowl OR sauce pan.  Heat until hot.  Add spinach, if using, and heat for a minute longer. Put on plate and eat!!!  It went GREAT with couscous.

Thanksgiving is Coming...Not Lent(il)

I'm quite excited! After work on Tuesday, I'm finished for five days at home. I haven't been home (or seen my dad) since August. It's time!!! While I'm there I will definitely be making some fun and new things, so watch for them. Last week, I pulled out a half-used bag of lentils to make something that would be comforting for the cool weather coming up. Let me just say that I am SO glad I discovered lentils. I was under the impression that lentils were like your typical bean and took a while to cook (or at least required soaking). Well, I was WRONG! Lentils cook SO quickly. In fact, they are a great meal to make if you don't have much time (or at least not much hands on available time). Basically, you do a 4:1 ratio of liquid to lentils, bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes. I cooked mine in vegetable broth (I had previously used chicken broth and DO think that the chicken broth lends a good bit more flavor but the veggie broth worked well.). While the lentils were cooking, I cooked a bag of frozen gumbo vegetables. You could really use any veggies you want but these were the ones that worked for me. After the lentils were done I stirred in the veggies, added about half a bag of spinach and allowed it to wilt. The last thing I added was a can of diced tomatoes. I thought about adding rotel tomatoes, and in hindsight, wish that I had! For some reason, I forgot to add any seasonings, and though this was VERY good, it could have used a bit more flavor. The spice from Rotel tomatoes would have been a perfect addition. Anyway, if you haven't tried lentils, I highly recommend that you do. They are easy to make, full of HEALTHY protein, no cholesterol, and are really VERY filling and satisfying. As to the title, though it's not lent, this would make a great meal if you decided to give up meat for lent. :-)Lentils with Spinach and Vegetables
1 cup lentils (1/2 bag)
4 cups vegetable broth (or another flavor broth you want to use)
1 bag frozen gumbo vegetables (or any vegetables you want)
1/2 bag (4-5 cups?) spinach
1 can diced tomatoes
seasoning, to taste

In a large pot, place lentils and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until lentils are tender (the broth will be mostly absorbed at this point.). It's probably a good idea to check at 20 minutes to be sure the liquid isn't gone...the first time I made lentils I burned a good bit of them because the liquid was all gone. Meanwhile, cook the frozen veggies. When lentils are ready, stir in the veggies and any extra seasoning. Add the spinach and stir. Cover pot with a top for a couple of minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Stir in the tomatoes and enjoy!