Sunday, January 3, 2016

Happy New Year! Taco Cleanse and Marvel actors in a Jane Austin Classic

Happy New Year!

While not exactly traditional blacked eyed peas, these Black Calypso beans from Rancho Gordo will do nicely in a taco.


Here's my New Year's taco inspired by the new Taco Cleanse book.  You can't beat a practical taco cookbook with a humorous take on fad cleanses.  Tacos everyday is a New Year's resolution I can stick to!

Today's bean and sweet potato taco

Tortilla
Mashed baked sweet potato
Cooked Beans 
Nutritional yeast
Salsa
Avocado
Vegan Sour Cream


Toaster oven style:   Place tortilla in the toaster oven on 350 for about 3min.  If it's a little stale run some water over it quickly and it will bake off when heating and soften the tortilla.  Check it often, and pop it out when warmed but still pliable.

For a no-frills quick queso, mix some nutritional yeast with a little water then add salsa.  

Layer the sweet potato, beans, salsa queso, avocado, and vegan sour cream on the warmed tortilla.  Enjoy!

Crockpot beans:  Not pre-soaked.  Cover with plenty of water.  Turn on.  After reasonable cooking time, when they're soft, taste several beans for doneness.  These took about 5 hours on high.  If you have lots of time, leave it on low, and test after about 8 hours.  This works well for overnight or while you're at work.  As long as there is plenty of water you can set it and forget it for a really long time (I've forgotten it and left about 24 hours before.) 


Baked Sweet Potato:  It is actually important to prick the skins on potatoes - says one who once didn't believe this was essential and learned the hard way when scraping exploded baked potato off the oven.  



No frills Queso:


Blurry tacos - too hungry to focus...


For a relaxing post new year's afternoon, and if you can't get enough Jane Austin on film or Marvel Universe connections, check out Mansfield Park with both Agent Carter and Mr. Jarvis.  It's streaming on Amazon and free with Prime.  For Dr. Who fans, Billie Piper is the lead.