Black Bean Mexican Pizza

Last week when I saw Katie’s Black Bean Mexican Pizza, it immediately went on my Recipe Wish List.

I thawed out a frozen whole wheat pizza dough I’d stored in the freezer, so putting this recipe together took about 20 minutes from start to finish.

 

I topped the cooked pizza with homemade guacamole for dinner on Thursday…

and ate leftovers cold and guac-less for lunch on Friday.

Sunshine makes all things better.

This recipe certainly is a keeper.

I can foresee it becoming a regular ‘round these parts.

Do yourself a flavor favor and make this pizza soon.

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Spinach and Leek White Bean Soup

It has been snowing all day in Bonn. On cold and damp days like today, my hungry mind turns to one thing- soup.

I adapted the following recipe from allrecipes.com.

This is one comforting and warming soup. The combination of veggies, protein and whole grains is not only delicious, but nutritionally outstanding. This may be one of my new favorites.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 liter vegetable broth

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. ground rosemary

1/4 cup quiona, soaked for 10 minutes in hot water and rinsed

1/2 cup frozen spinach

4 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges (Don’t leave this out, it makes the dish!)

freshly grated parmesan cheese

 

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the vegetable broth, quinoa, beans, bay leaf, cumin and rosemary. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
3. To serve, squeeze lemon wedge over each serving. Sprinkle each bowl of soup with 1 tsp. parsley and shaved parmesan.

Serve with warm crusty bread on a cold winter’s day.

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Bruschetta Beans and Greens

Hi Friends!

I hope wherever you are, your day was as beautiful as mine.

The sun was out, the skies were blue, and the air smelled like summertime today.

One of those days when you’re just happy to be alive!

This morning I got up, ate a quick piece of toast and then got dressed to head out the door. My big plans for the day were to head into Bonn to do my produce shopping at the fresh market then shop for fabric to use while photographing my friend Rosetta’s baby.

Any crafting material is much more expensive over here than it is in the US. The first fabric shop I went to, the cheapest black fabric I could find cost €12 for a meter. I said no way Jose then found the deal of a lifetime at the only department store that has fabric.

I bought 4 meters of black fabric to use as a backdrop- grand total, €6. I also picked up some very soft mellow moss pastel green fabric for €1.50 as well as a periwinkle fabric with a soft but scrunchy texture for also €1.50. I’m really getting excited to take these photos now that I feel a bit more equipped!

At the market, I picked up 3 little zucchinis, 1 eggplant, 3 chili peppers, a bunch of parsley (I’ve depleted my garden,) blueberries, a peach, tomatoes, and a baguette. I love market shopping. Everything is so fresh and local.

Anyways, once I was home, I was hungry and in need of something quick.

I filled that hunger with bruschetta, beans and greens!

My lovely assistant was nice enough to slice, spray and toast the baguette.

First up for me, tomato and olive bruschetta.

I sliced some tomatoes and green olives, tore up some basil and drizzled balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the first batch.

Then came the beans (with rosemary olive oil.)

For the rosemary infused olive oil: crush some rosemary leaves with salt using a mortar and pestle. Add a couple glugs of olive oil and set to the side while you’re cooking your beans.

For the beans: cook 2 sliced gloves of garlic in a glug of olive oil until they are lightly golden. Add a can of drained and rinsed cannelloni beans, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Then mash the garlic and beans together. Add a bit of water if it’s dry like mine. Smoother would have been better.

 

Next up, the greens!

1 avocado, some fresh tomato, fresh cilantro, fresh lemon juice, garlic powder, cumin, and sea salt.

We enjoyed our lunch in the sunshine of the balcony.

Ah, summertime!

Later in the day, I used up the rest of the bruschetta and beans in my dinner salad.

Honestly, I was a little bruschetta and beaned out so only ate about half of the salad… but now I’m getting hungry again. What shall I have next?

Alright, I’m off. Have a great weekend everyone!

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Eat by Colors

Remember those awesome coloring books that helped every youngster look like a junior Monet simply by painting by numbers?

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As long as you were equipped with a wide range of colors,  could stay in the lines and tell the difference between 24 and 42, you too were capable of creating a masterpiece.

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When trying to make your eating into a nutritional masterpiece, follow the same theory and eat by colors. The most nutrient dense foods are those with the brightest colors. No mixing the paint pots here, that means fruits and vegetables.

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Mixing up bright, vibrant, fresh ingredients will give your system a vitamin bang and keep you full for longer.

Why not start your morning with a dense omelette, loaded with fresh veggies?

Red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, vegetarian “ham,” and eggs. Wheat toast with strawberry jam.

If you’re running late and have no time to cook, simply do your best at getting as many different colors on your plate as possible.

Beans in tomato sauce, sweet potato, sautéed spinach with garlic and lemon juice

And don’t worry, if all this eating by colors starts to shake up your system a bit, there’s always paint by number toilet paper to pass the time as you pass your business.

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This special number was saved just for you, dad. Happy Birthday! I love you!

For those of you who do not know my father, this was saved just for him due to his sense of humor, not because my father deserves a dedication ending in a dirty deed for his birthday.

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