Black Bean Avocado Dip

Easy appetizer and surely a crowd pleaser for your July 4th picnic. Make it easy on yourselves and just serve with store bought corn or whole grain tortilla chips. Use the time you save to enjoy your company this July 4th with lots of social distancing in mind of course. But then you can always air fry corn tortillas.  

Caution:  I ate a lot of it after I made it. Irresistible after the first bite. Fortunately the recipe makes plentiful amount, around four cups.

Black Bean Avocado Dip  

Inspired by a Forks Over Knives recipe.

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups tomatoes, finely chopped

4 stalks scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped

½ cup cilantro, stems and leaves, finely chopped 

3−4 cloves garlic, minced 

8 jalapeño pieces from a jar, finely chopped 

2 limes, juiced

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 avocado, coarsely cut to pieces

corn or whole grain tortilla chips for serving

Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT the avocado and chips in a medium bowl. Add the avocado before serving.

Serve with corn or whole grain tortilla chips.

Trustful Soul Be

Worry not. Bloom with

abandon like wild flowers.

Flow free like the stream. 

My Heroes

When the lockdown was enforced, I slept quite a bit the first week. When I recalled what the week was before it, I realized I had a hectic one. That past weekend, I was supposed to teach my third grade CCD class in which I would have had a seminarian as guest speaker for fifteen minutes then I would conduct activities covering the topic of the day.  Right after that class, I was to teach the children’s liturgy for kids 3-8 years old during Mass in the church basement.  These two did not materialize since the school was closed including CCD.  But I did two preparations that took me days to think and prepare for.   One more factor for my fatigue was the driving to my various exercise classes. No wonder I was more tired than bored that first week. 

 I was not as scared either or panicky as my daughter was who visited me during the first week bringing with her disinfecting wipes and tales of empty shelves in the grocery stores of toilet paper and cleaning products.  I stayed home glued to the TV watching news after news and talk shows dwelling on the grim picture of the pandemic in some states. The seriousness of the coronavirus situation was slowly sinking in.

I had a well stock pantry of canned foods and luckily also paper products including the sought after toilet paper before the lockdown started.  But we needed fresh bananas, a must have for my husband's breakfast every day.  I decided to take a trip to Aldi's.  I was well prepared with a mask and a plastic bag with just my credit card and driver's license.  The less I carried the better.  I would have less to disinfect.  The Clorox wipes were in my car to disinfect my hands after.

I put on my mask as I walk towards the entrance  of Aldi's.  As I was walking, I was overwhelmed with pride seeing everyone wearing masks as they entered the store, My heart swelled with both joy and hope and I cried.  In my eyes, they were heroes.  Not to the same degree as the health workers, but  I was witnessing unselfishness and service. I am pretty sure they found the masks uncomfortable but they wore them anyway not only for themselves but for others. I saw a united effort by these soldiers quietly fighting an invisible but deadly enemy, the virus. 

Many conflicting opinions as to the effectiveness of the masks have been spread especially by those who are into invoking conspiracies but I will not go over that.  I just want to pay homage in this blogpost to my heroes,  all of you,  who continue to wear the mask uncomfortable it may be.  Thank you.

Below are the lovely masks made by my sister Menchie.

A Beautiful Garden

Restful feast to the

eyes.  Comfort for the soul. Joy,

music to the heart.

Note:  This photo features the beautiful garden at Flowers in the Attic Restaurant and Flower Shop in Penn Hills, PA

From A Pure Detached Heart

Are we moved to do. 

The impossible. What we

do not want to do. 

No Sweat Barbecue Chicken Wings

This an easy recipe.  It does call for two steps but they are both worth it.  You do not want to end up with half cooked chicken wings or an overdone burnt one just to be sure they are safe to eat.

First you cook the wings in the Instant Pot seasoned with seasoned salt and Weber Kick'N Chikn Seasoning. 

For the second step,  you douse the cooked chicken in the fabulous barbecue sauce and air fry them in batches in your air fryer.  You can use conventional methods for both steps but I wanted to play or watch my grandkids as they frolicked in the inflatable pool during the hot, hot weather last week.  

Here are the ingredients for the bbq sauce.  I ran out of catsup in a bottle so I used the packets of catsup I collected from McDonalds and elsewhere that were tucked in the fridge.

Is it really that good?  My husband ate one fourth of the wings for his lunch.  They were that good.  Plus I did not break into a sweat in any of the steps.

 

No Sweat Barbecue Chicken Wings

Sauce adapted from this blog

1.  Instant Pot Step:

• 1 cup water
• 2 x 3 lb frozen chicken wings
• seasoned salt
• Weber Kick'N Chikn Seasoning
  

Place 1 cup water in the Instant Pot bowl.  

Place a steamer or trivet sprayed with cooking spray on top of the water and add the frozen wings in layers on top of the trivet.  

Season each layer of chicken wings on both sides with the seasonings.

Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes and then quick release.

2.  Air Fryer Step:

Barbecue Sauce

• 1 cup catsup
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar  or stevia
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha (skip if serving the wings to children)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
  

Preheat the air fryer.  390 degrees Fahrenheit and 10 minute settings.

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl while the air fryer is pre heating..

Place the cooked wings in a large bowl and douse the barbecue sauce all over the wings.

When the air fryer is ready, place the basted wings in one layer as much as possible.  Depending on the size of your air fryer you need to cook them in batches.  I cooked mine in four.

Beauty and Joy

What comes first? Joy or

beauty? You see what your soul

sees.  Beholds beauty. 

Easy BBQ Jackfruit Slider

I had this for lunch today and it made me very happy.  You know how good a sauce is when you forget that you are eating barbecue jackfruit in your slider and not pulled pork or beef.  The barbecue sauce recipe came from the blog Nora Cooks.  I tweaked it by adding the juice of half a lemon and one teaspoon of garlic powder.  I also decreased the amount of sugar added.

Easy BBQ Jackfruit Sliders

Adapted from this blog

Ingredients:

•  1 can green young jackfruit (14 oz net wt or 10 oz drained wt) (available in any Asian Store or large grocery stores)

Barbecue Sauce

•  1 cup catsup
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar  or stevia
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Drain the jackfruit,  Shred them with a knife or fork. Set aside.

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Place the shredded jackfruit in a medium skillet and pour the barbecue sauce over it.  

Heat the mixture at medium heat till the jackfruit absorbs the sauce.

Serve over toasted slider bun or hamburger bun.  

The Irony of Freedom

I thought I had it

with control and the more. It

is with letting go. 

Note: Inspired by the reading from Richard Rohr's reflection for today.

Citrusy Sweet Potato Tacos

These tacos were inspired by the Tofu Tacos I ate at Mad Mex Restaurant in Miracle Mile Mall in Monroeville, PA the first day of the green phase in our county, Allegheny. 

I decided to substitute sweet potatoes for the tofu they used. I microwaved first my sweet potatoes which I then doused with the orange juice and soy sauce mixture. I then crisped them in the air fryer.

The tacos were close to the tofu tacos I swooned over at Mad Mex.  The avocado helps moisten the tacos, so you do not need mayo. Eaten with spinach and beans on the side, I had two superfoods in a meal. I was happy.

Citrusy Sweet Potato Tacos

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp orange juice from bottle or fresh
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 avocado, halved and sliced
• greens (optional)
• 2 tbsp cilantro leaves
• 4-6 corn or flour tortillas

Cut four slits, not too deeply, on both sides of the sweet potatoes. Microwave for three to four minutes or till you can poke a fork on surface.

Score the potatoes with a knife so you have 1/4 inch cubes.  Scoop the cubes out with a spoon into a small bowl .

Add the soy sauce and orange juice to the potatoes and mix.  Add the garlic powder.

Transfer the potatoes in the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes.

Place your tortillas in the microwave covered with slightly wet paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds.

Assemble your tacos by distributing the sweet potatoes, greens, avocado slices and cilantro on 1/2 of one side of tortilla and then fold over the other half.

Serve with cooked rice with salsa on top and black beans and spinach on the side.

How I Played House Growing Up

I played house as a child in the Philippines without any toys.  No Fischer brand kitchen. No toy utensils. Nothing. My mother did not believe in buying us toys. She was both a health and neat freak.

I loved playing house like any child. So I used what I had.  

I used chairs to divide spaces into kitchen, living room and bedroom. They served as walls.

When we went to visit my Grandmother in Quezon City, I used our station wagon as the house.  I would lift the rear door that opened up into the spacious trunk. There I would serve my younger brothers leaves I picked in the garden as food and the larger ones as plates. They actually played along.

I called this our al fresco kind of dining. 

While living in my other grandmother's house which was in the same compound as the fish sauce factory she built, I would use wooden sawhorses that supported tables to be the foundation of my house.  To the chagrin of our Nanny, Lola May, I would use blankets to hang over the wooden sawhorses. And with that I then had my tent. Since the yard was all cemented, with hardly any garden, I might have used rocks for food. Come to think of it I might have taken real food from our kitchen.

As I reminisce, I could feel the joy I had entertaining my guests, my brothers, food I prepared from leaves and rocks. No fancy plastic Fischer stuff. Just what nature offered and I was very happy.

Instant Pot Tilapia Tikka Masala

This is that time of the year, I think, or at least once a year when appliances break and deliveries are made with 4-5 hour window.  I was prepared and decided an Instant Pot lunch featuring Tilapia with Tikka Masala sauce.  Of course, I prepared rice in my multi use cooker to go with it.  

I wanted it to be a one dish meal and added as many vegetables as I could from the fridge.  I used carrots, celery, and kale from a bag. I decided to use dry spices and aromatics rather than do any chopping.  

Anything with coconut milk tastes good and so does this easy dish.  I usually add either tomato paste or a can of diced tomatoes but I truthfully forgot but this still is on par with any tikka masala I have prepared before.  I added tofu to augment the protein since I only had three tilapia pieces left to use.  By the way I used the tilapia frozen.  

I wanted a no fuss meal on a tense delivery day when you were not sure if they would install or not your dryer or whether they just dump it in front of your front door.  They did install it.  Whew.  All was well especially followed by a delicious lunch consisting of this saucy dish over rice.

Instant Pot Tilapia Tikka Masala

• 1- 15 oz coconut milk full fat
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic flakes
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander 
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/8 tsp cardamon powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 3 carrots, cut in half
• 3 stalks celery, cut in fourths
• 2 cups cut kale pieces from a bag
• 3 -5 pieces frozen individually wrapped tilapia fillets
  
• 1 block firm tofu (optional), cut into large cubes

Add all the ingredients except for the tilapia and tofu in the Instant Pot  and mix together.  

Then you can either place the frozen tilapia fillets directly on top of the mixture or on top of a trivet placed on top of the mixture.  

Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.  Quick release at end of cooking.  Adjust the spices if you like.  

Add the tofu when serving.