Soy Colombiana! I love my rice n beans! even if they make me fart like a trucker, I don't care!

So here is my ALL TIME FAVORITE MEAL! it brings me back to being a little girl. The simplest of ingredients blended together in the right way and it makes the house smell like ... home

Black (turtle) beans, rice, salsa, and guacamole & corn tortillas with cheese. Now if I could only get my Papa to come and make it for me, the meal would be complete! He always takes joy in preparing meals for his family, it is his gift to us, healthy, wholesome, and delish! made with LOVE

Mine never turns out quite like his does (he says it's the love) but here goes my best rendition of his masterpiece

1 cup black beans-soak them for a few hrs, or for the day, and drain the water, give them fresh water to cook in. It's been said that doing this minimizes the farts, but really, your eating beans, or maybe we're just a gassy family. try it, I hope it works for you!
ok, back to the beans, 1c beans to 4 1/2 c water in the pressure cooker. add a shake of salt, 2 or 3 whole garlic cloves, a small palm full of cumin seeds and a dribble of olive oil. seal that bad boy up, burner on High.
When you hear the first steam blow, set the timer to 20 minutes!  yup, it's that quick, from dry beans to fully cooked! I usually start the rice and the beans cooking at the same time!

Salsa- 3 Lg tomatoes diced, 1/2 yellow onion chopped finely, 1-2 garlic cloves grated fine, 1 red pepper diced. throw it all in the fry pan, saute it all up with some olive oil, a shake of salt, 1 teaspoon of vinegar (you can use white vinegar or papa likes to use vinegar from the pickled jalapeno rings!)  1 tbsp of soy sauce, cook until onions are soft and the tomatoes are melting!

Guacamole - 2 Avocados, 1 finely grated garlic clove, juice from one lime, a shake of sea salt, some chopped cilantro (coriander for all you Aussies!) a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (papa doesn't mix dairy with avocado, some fruit law... can't remember, but I like it and it's my blog dammit!) mash and mix it up!

cornflour tortillas
take off your rings and wash your hands because this can get messy, but it's oh so good! Jacob loves spanking tortillas with me! and then he eats the dough raw, whatever, it's yummy!
I can't tell you exact measurements, it's all done by texture
a cup or 2 of Maseca cornflour a shake of salt and slowly mix in WARM water. mix/knead for at least 5 minutes and until you can knead it all into one ball.  everything sticks from the edge of the bowl, but not too dry. Take a ball the size of a golf ball, and squish between two pieces of wax paper using a plate, you will know if it's too dry if the edges split. if that's the case get your hands a little wet, and play with the dough and try again! OR
If you want to try, do it by hand! I call it spanking you tortilla! As a little girl I watched for hours as papa's friend's wife from Nicaragua make hand made tortillas, passing this tortilla back and forth spanking it, shaping it, it got thinner and thinner with each pass from one hand to the other, it's burnt into my memory.
you cook it on a hot cast iron grill, I have been using the flat grill on my BBQ!, lightly oiled, preheat the grill to High, and turn down to medium. put em on the grill and start making the next one till the grill is full, check often, move them around flip them a few times until they are nice and browned bubbles on both sides.

I like to put a layer or rice on the bottom of my bowl, then some beans, salsa, some put some guacamole right in the bowl, some spread it on their tortilla, some use their tiny hands as spoons and shovel it in their mouths and spread into their faces and hair, totally up to you, but how ever you chose to eat it, belly up to the troph and...

he has loved his rice and beans forever

him too!

made with love!

buen provecho! bon apetit! good eats!

makes me drool just looking at it!

OMNOMNOM!

So folks I decided I might share with you some of my favorite quick, yummy and sometimes healthy meal ideas!

Let's start with some pizza on the grill!
The crust: is the thorn in my side! I love making it from scratch, but I can never get it right on the grill, I'll have to chat with my sister Ashley about that one, she's the pro! so for now we'll go with store bought! thin crust
Sauce: a lovely Italian man told me simple, quality ingredients, and don't forget to add the love! So I usually start with a can of whole tomatoes, not the no name, the expensive ones! some sea salt, sometimes if I have time, 1 or 2 roaster garlic cloves, sometimes a couple of roasted red peppers,  always olive oil and zing it up in the bullet!
toppings: 1. to make it super simple I drop some pretty basil leaves, sliced baby zucchini halved cherry or grape tomato, flesh side up and sliced (NOT grated) mozzarella, makes for a ooey gooey yummy eats
2. If I have a bit more time I like to saute some mushrooms, red pepper, onion, while that's sizzling I add some quality Italian sausage, we like something spicy! spread the sauteed toppings, top with sliced mozzarella
3. I trade tomato sauce for BBQ sauce, saute onion and mushroom, cut up leftover chicken and throw some BBQ sauce on that, and mix it in with the sauteed onions, spread on crust and add slices of mozza!
on the Grill because I love the char yummy on the bottom, and I don't like heating up the whole house with a pizza craving!
preheat the grill, turn it down to medium heat, rub a bit of olive oil on the bottom of your crust and place it directly on the grill. keep a close eye on it, cook until the cheese is bubbly! you may have to turn it around on the grill a few times if you have a hot spot on your grill! mine is always hotter in the back. And to get that yummy specimen off the grill, four words...double fist the flippers!

 

here are just a few pics of the different ways I've tried making pizza on my grill! enjoy!

in perfect balance

 Let me take you through my day. we get up, I make breakfast for the boys and we eat together, I pack a lunch get us all dressed and we're off to drop Jake off at School
"After you wake up from nap, you'll have afternoon tea then when you go outside to play mama will be there... I promise" kiss, he cries, and I walk away feeling a little sad, but it gets so much better!

Today felt like things fell into place, and went smoothly, and I accomplished more that I ever imagined I could. Grocery shopping while carrying mistersito, he fell asleep with his tiny perfect little lips against my chest! what a treat, these sweet moments are quickly coming to an end, he's such a busy boy! So while I strolled through the isles, savoring the sweetness that was asleep on my boobies, I sipped my yum yum guilty pleasure. Milk tea half the sugar and every last yummy pearl. mmmm...... bubble tea! then off to another mall to grab some potty training appropriate shorts for Jake. YUP! potty training! so excited! if I never have to wipe his poppy ass again I'll do the happy dance for a week! then the little man and I grabbed out weekly sushi to go, off to the house to put everything away and eat our nummy sushi that somehow tastes better because it's so cheap!

Off to bed for a real nap goes the bambino, and I furiously clean so I can sit for a while with my cup of tea and watch some crappy soap opera. Yup, I've been watching the same one since I was maybe 14? pretty bad, I know, I'm hooked! I get through some laundry, fold and stuff the nappies. I did all of this with my hair up with these cute curls falling around my face, mascara, bronzer and... red lips! yup, I was feeling pretty sassy today! But here is where I wipe those lips clean and wash the mascara away because I was about to get seriously sweaty! Levi woke up and we went for a jog to pick up Jake, found out he had a wonderful day, NO ACCIDENTS!!! I couldn't be prouder! I jogged home, while Jake cheered me on, "good job running mama!" There is something about going for a jog or a ride on my bike, with the wind in my face, I control how fast or how slow, feels like time will stand still for me so I can just.... be...enjoy. It takes my breath away every time, and I wonder "why don't I do this more often?"

I made an easy healthy meal while watching Jake jump on his new FREE trampoline (the short version: a reputable department store was on island time when it came to deliver it, so... I yelled, they said "free?" I said ok!) and my sexy husband take care of the yard, and perform his pool boy duties! (not that it's officially his job, but I like to think I have a sexy pool boy who comes around and services the pool...and other things!) We ate, Jake sand for us, we laughed at the amount of food Levi had on his whole body and under his chair. The boys played, giggled while I quickly cleaned up the no mess supper then had a lovely hot shower with no interruptions! no "mama, look, that's your belly!" or "mama that's your boobies!" or "mama, where's your penis?" just me, with wild giggles in the background. I took my turn at putting Jake to bed and he read ME 3 books! a kiss and he was off to never never land, third star on the right and straight on till morning.

Today I feel like I finally have balance. I feel beautiful, I feel powerful. I feel like a nurturing mother, I feel like I nurtured myself. I feel like I made my husband's day easier (because everything he does at home makes my life easier) we ate healthy, I treated my body to a good sweat, a long shower, I spent that extra time snuggling my boy to bed, it was an awesome day, like the universe gave me the opportunity to make it a good one and I think I did pretty damn good!

Now I'm off to crawl into bed with my best friend, my partner, my hot pool boy!

life is good!
nighty night all
xo