This post is my introduction to quinoa. It’s a little out of the ordinary because SAME Café is out of the ordinary . . .

It’s a sunny winter day in Denver, still several minutes before the doors open at SAME Café and there’s a line of people forming outside on this East Colfax sidewalk. The group is a mix of sorts – several in tattered clothes, others in suits, and a few hip folks with piercings and tattoos. They are here for lunch. This, however, is no regular café.

SAME is short for “So All May Eat” and the unusual mode of business here is that people pay what they want. Yeah, that’s right, there’s no set menu price. And, for folks who can’t pay, they can work in exchange. There’s no cash register, just a donation box . . . . Read more & view recipe at Fork Fingers Chopsticks.

About Andrea
Andrea Juarez is an award winning writer. She writes on a variety of topics, however, her food blog ForkFingersChopsticks.com is the nexus of her love for food, research and culture. There you’ll find recipes for cooking an ingredient several ways. She makes cooking both fun and interesting.

A lot of folks still make resolutions for the New Year. I’m one of them. This year I’ve vowed to be a better me in 2010. I’m calling it 3B: better, bolder and badder. To do it
I’ve got to break away from what’s comfortable and lean toward that which makes me apprehensive. You know the things big and small where you silently say to yourself – maybe I shouldn’t, maybe I can’t or I won’t like it. In 2010, I aim to be open to the possibilities.

This recipe for sweet rice and beans is a step in that direction . . . it’s out of the ordinary for my palate but I was pleasantly surprised. When I was researching black eyed peas and the different cultural preparations for these legumes last month, my brows rose with curiosity when I first learned about che dau trang, a Vietnamese sweet rice and bean dish. See, when I eat Vietnamese, my lips smack for spicy lemongrass sauce, salty fish sauce, pho or bun. But since I’m working on my 3B, I resolved to at least try this sweet bean pudding. And, I’m glad I did... Read more & view recipe at Fork Fingers Chopsticks

About Andrea
Andrea Juarez is an award winning writer. She writes on a variety of topics, however, her food blog ForkFingersChopsticks.com is the nexus of her love for food, research and culture. There you’ll find recipes for cooking an ingredient several ways. She makes cooking both fun and interesting.

Link: http://forkfingerschopsticks.com/

Stewed Black Eyed Peas
from Fork Fingers Chopsticks

Get ready for the hoopla – banging pots and pans, fireworks, and even firearms shooting off. Yikes! These are just a few of the ways people around the world welcome in the New Year. Originally, these loud rituals were believed to frighten away bad spirits and ensure a good year to come. Me, I’ll be doing something a bit more tame – cooking up a pot of black eyed peas.

Eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a longtime custom among African Americans and Southerners who believe the legumes will bring prosperity and good luck, especially when paired with greens, which symbolize money. Some folks say you just need to eat a spoonful and others say at least 365 (one for each day of the year). Regardless, this year, in this economy, the superstitious dare not skip this tradition.

Some prefer to get their good fortune via a rice and black eyed pea dish called Hoppin’ John. I, however, prefer my peas simmered for several hours until they become creamy. That’s how my in-laws cook them up and how I’ve been eating them for almost two decades. They make a delicious meal served with a dash of Louisiana style hot sauce and maybe some vinegar, along with a generous portion of greens and big ‘ole slice of corn bread.

Black eyed peas can be found in most markets, either dried (found with other legumes), frozen or canned. If you have the time, make them from scratch with this recipe. There really is no substitute. But, if you cannot, opt for the frozen over the canned.

Happy New Year! Below are a few more New Year’s traditions that might pique your interest. Let me know if you have any to share.

Other New Year’s Rituals:

* Good luck will follow to couples who feed each other grapes during the last 12 seconds of the year. Feed your love interest 12 grapes, representing 12 months in the year; one with each stroke of the countdown and make a wish (Spain and Latin American countries).

* In you want to travel in the New Year, take your luggage outside and walk around at midnight (Mexico).

* Eat round-shaped foods such as grapes and prepared desserts for luck; eat noodles for a long life (Philippines).

* Wear red underwear at midnight for luck with love in the upcoming year or yellow underwear for luck with money (Mexico).

* For those who are thrill seekers, plunge into icy waters for a polar bear swim on New Year’s Day (Canada).

View recipe for Black Eyed Peas at http://forkfingerschopsticks.com

About Andrea
After growing up in a tiny, rural town in Nebraska, Andrea Juarez left for college and was exposed to people from different cultures and far-away places. After graduation, she moved to Austin, Texas and later lived in Mexico and Italy.

Link: http://forkfingerschopsticks.com/rum-swizzle-–bermudian-holiday-drink/

Rum Recipe: Swizzle - Bermudian Holiday Drink

According to several sources, swizzle is the National drink of
Bermuda. If you’ve had it, you know why – it’s divine. The rum, citrus
and ginger make for a refreshing libation.

My friend Ernest whose family hails from Bermuda says
swizzle is a favorite at Christmas and New Year’s festivities (as well
as the Cricket World Cup in the summer months). Frankly, after making
this drink, it has already become a staple for me and for entertaining.

Click for more & for recipe. [link: http://forkfingerschopsticks.com/rum-swizzle-–bermudian-holiday-drink/

ForkFingersChopsticks.com

Cooking and eating, one ingredient at a time

Link: http://www.ForkFingersChopsticks.com

Rum Recipe: Coquito - Puerto Rican Holiday Drink

For the holidays we’re mixing things up around here. Literally! We’re not “cooking” so much as we’re getting our holiday groove on, imbibing on one of the top selling spirits in the world .. . . rum. First up is coquito. A deliciously creamy coconut elixir steeped in spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla. Coquito is standard during the Christmas season in Puerto Rican households, along with pasteles (savory pastries stuffed with meat), pernil (roasted pork shoulder), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and tostones (fried plantains).

Much like eggnog, coquito is a rich holiday drink meant for sipping and savoring. A little goes a long way, especially because it’s loaded with several tasty ingredients like coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk.. And, it contains a good dose of rum. Click for more & for recipe. [link: http://forkfingerschopsticks.com/rum-coquito-puerto-rican-holiday-drink/ ]

ForkFingersChopsticks.com
Cooking and eating, one ingredient at a time

Sweet Potato Recipe: Jamaican Sweet Potato Curry

What kind of sweet potato person are you? A. Eat sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving meal and don’t eat them otherwise; B. Eat sweet potatoes year round; C. Don’t eat sweet potatoes. I predict most folks fall into the holiday eater group and these lovely tubers get ignored the rest of the year. What a shame because they are nutritionally loaded with Vitamins A and C. And, the better part (for some), they taste great even under the simplest of cooking methods (boiled or baked) and without added fats and spices.

Here, however, we’re using the spice rack . . . Jamaican style! Sweet potatoes are simmered in a warm spice mixture common to Carribbean cuisine: ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, cloves and allspice. Then, it’s made luscious with coconut milk. Click for more & for recipe at ForkFingersChopsticks.com.

ForkFingersChopsticks.com
Cooking and eating, one ingredient at a time