Barbed in BX.

Veggie Chili & Plaintain Chips Revisited . . .

This is a much simpler and cheaper veggie chili. I've had a can of small red beans in a cabinet for way too long and it was about time to bust them out. And it goes a little something like this: first I cooked a big pot of dry black beans. Then I removed about 2 cups of them, added the red beans, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, pimenton, and cayenne pepper. Wicked. Now why that was simmering I got out my new mandolin, which certainly makes life easier, and sliced up some green plantains, fried them in peanut oil, and hit them with some salt & garlic powder. Fab. 

114th & Morningside Dr.

Coconut Pudding Cake w Ganache & Toasted Almonds. {What?!?!}

So, I was dead set on baking a coconut pudding cake today. The problem is that I couldn't find a recipe that wasn't, "Take a yellow cake mix, add pudding mix, and some extra ish." What's a girl to do? It's simple really. I found a recipe for yellow cake from scratch, added the pudding mix, and some of my own extra ish. I would say it's not easy being a genius, but sometimes it is. Savor! 

Birthday Suit

Lusciousness . . .

Awww, Shit, look who's dressed up and hittin' the town!

Spicy Shrimp Tortillitas

So, in the spirit of food exploration, I bought some chickpea flour from Sahadi's the other day. {More on that wonderful place soon.} I couldn't remember the recipe that called for it and when I did a google search for chickpea flour, of course a Bittman recipe for tortillitas with shrimp was one of the first to pop up. This delicious Spanish treat is fairly painless to prepare. Ya'll know me, I had to make the recipe my own. I used cayenne pepper instead of black and half a cup of whole wheat flour instead of white. You will need to add more water since the flour is heavier. I used a generous amount of olive oil on the first pancake as Bittman instructed. As you can see below, it spilled over a bit, but it's actually a good thing. I used less oil on the second pancake and it wasn't quite the same consistency. They are brilliant. Explore & Enjoy!

Don't mind the oil on top, it helps cook the other side.

I almost never make pancakes, but I flipped this b like a pro!

Great color & texture. Try it with a small salad.

Get Your Mac On!

It's Friday, so Ms Christiana's getting her mac on . . . old black lady style. I was a vegan for many years so I hadn't cooked mac & cheese since I was in HS. Anyone who comes from a Black Southern family knows that this wicked dish is an easier said then done. It takes patience, good timing, and a bit of finesse. My family doesn't f with eggs or extra milk or any of that ish. We go for a straight rue over pasta, then pop it in the oven. I used cavatappi because it looks more fun then a standard macaroni. I also used a New Zealand Cheddar which is on sale at Whole Foods this week. The cheese is a bit oily, but it melted well. I dashed some pimenton on top for a bit of color contrast. To put it simply, the shit was good.

Anyway you slice it, they're still good!

Gorgeous!

By god is that bacon? Nope, it's something much much sweeter. I've had it in my head for weeks now that I wanted to make plantain chips. I love snacks, but hate packaging, and highly processed foods. Munching on dal was cool for awhile, but sometimes I yearn for something with a crunch to it. So, the experiments started. I don't have a mandolin and could not find a plantain slicer so, on the first go round, I cut the plantains free hand with a small knife. It's a no go, at least for me. They tasted fine, but the pieces were too thick for them to be crunchy. Today I remembered that I have a vegetable peeler and used it to delicately slice the fruit. It does get a bit sticky, and the chips were super thin, but damn if they weren't oh so good! I had to force myself to stop eating them and grab my camera.

 What you'll need: peanut oil, black {sweet} or yellow {less sweet} plantains, a plate with a paper towel on top for grease collection, a deep pan to get your fry on, and some tongs. I placed one strip in the oil to see if it was hot enough. You'll have to move very quickly once it is because they fry up fast. Try to shake off as much access oil before placing in on the paper towel. Let them cool for a minute or two before diving in. For attempt number three I will be using a proper slicer. I'll keep you posted.