Eating is Art

OK. I first have to confess, this recipe can seem a bit involved or rambling. But I'm used to the pace of working with dried beans and I find the preparation of them both fun, soothing, and flexible. You can substitute canned beans as well of course.

1 1/2 cups dried black beans, sorted and rinsed
4 ounces Mexican melting cheese, shredded (you may use monterey jack)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil (olive or canola)
6 dried chile pods
10 corn tortillas
5 radishes
salt
oil for frying

For the guacamole:
3 ripe avocados
Juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 clove garlic

Prepare the black beans.* As they cook, make the guacamole: first remove the avacado flesh and mash coarsely with a fork. Mince the garlic and add to avocado along with the lemon joice, cayenne, garlic salt, and garlic.

Preheat oven to 350. Take a large dishcloth, wet, and wring out all the water. Wrap cloth around tortillas and place in a casserole dish. Put dish in oven.

When beans are tender, drain any remaining excess liquid. Add butter, oil, chile pods, and salt to taste; bring to a gentle boil. When beans and tortillas are ready, take one steamed tortilla and put about three tablespoons bean filling and a small handful cheese. Fold over and place in a hot pan with oil. Fry both sides until crispy and cheese has melted; but in a warm oven on a baking stone while frying the rest of the tacos.

Remove and top with guacamole and thinly sliced radish. Suggested serving accompaniments: either of my roasted jalapeno recipes (whole or seedless), sour cream, tapatio, and a pickled cabbage slaw.

* Soak overnight for best results (3 cups water to each cup dried beans). You can also use the "Quick Soak" method (which is what I do when I forget to soak beans the night before). Either soaking method aside, a couple hours before you want to eat, rinse the beans and add the same ratio of water back in a large pot. Heat to an active simmer and watch the beans - they should take an hour and a half or so. Two things are important while cooking the beans: add liquid if you need to to keep the beans submerged. Secondly, don't add any salt or spices until the beans are tender. You can then drain again if needed and add spices and oil / butter as the recipe here indicates.

This is a dessert. Below is a slightly-modified version of the recipe at Coconut & Lime (an interesting food blog I plan to visit more often). I think this recipe is a good way to start introducing your kids to different kinds of desserts that aren't loaded with frosting or chocolate sauce. Mango is very fiber- and vitamin-rich and some researchers suspect the health benefits of coconut may outweigh its high calorie and saturated fat drawbacks. This recipe is vegan and also cholesterol-free.

Some more great coconut and sticky rice combinations can be found at importfood.com.

1 very large or 2 mangoes, sliced
2 cups sushi or glutenous rice
14 oz (1 can) coconut milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 lime, cut into wedges.

Using a sieve, wash the rice in several rinses of water. Allow to drain for an hour. Place in a large pot with 2 1/2 cups water and a pinch salt. Bring to a boil, then cover tightly and reduce heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Meanwhile, bring the coconut milk, a pinch of salt and the brown sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook until it has reduced slightly. Place the warm rice into a bowl and pour the hot coconut milk over it. Stir to combine. Allow to sit 30 minutes before serving (should be served room temperature). Serve with sliced mango and a squeeze of lime.

This is Madhur's method and barely modified. Of the handful of cookbooks I've used - I own only four - this is the best one. As far as I'm concerned choka (as M defines it anyway) is the perfect food for me. Vegetables simply prepared and then dressed with garlic, chiles, salt, aromatic spice, and hot oil - a very satisfying dish.

1 medium eggplant
3 medium tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (keep one crushed clove aside)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 fresh hot red or green chile, finely chopped

for the final "choka":

2 tablespoons olive, peanut, or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds

Preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking tray with foil and spread out the eggplant and tomatoes on it. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and put in a bowl. Rotate the eggplant and continue to bake another 35 minutes, rotating every 6 to 7 minutes, until it has flattened and turned soft. Remove the eggplant.

Discard the liquid in the tomato bowl. Peel, remove cores, and coarsely chop them. Peel the eggplant and chop the flesh coarsely. Add three of the cloves garlic, the salt, pepper, and chiles. Mix well.

Heat the oil on medium high heat. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add the garlic and cook just a few seconds more. Now pour the contents of the frying pan, oil and seasoning, over the eggplant and tomato mixture. Serve warm, at room temperature (my favorite), or chilled.