Chipotle Black Bean Soup

Alright...

So I had an 8 pack of black beans ( a la Costco of course) taking up wayyyy too much space in my small cupboard and they were just screaming to be used! I noticed I had some onions, veggie bouillon and an ancient can on chipotle chilies in the pantry as well. So I thought to myself, "Piece of cake.....I can do this. No need for a drive up to Napili Market for a box of frozen Perogies! I have the base for a perfect dinner right here!"

( I think??? I've never made black bean soup before but how hard can it be? )

Well, It wasn't. In fact, it was super easy! I didn't even follow a recipe! I just went on my instincts and made it up as I went and it was seriously FABU!

Just a word of caution though....It is HOT and SPICY! Perfect for a chilly night somewhere in the frozen tundra ( like the Mainland right now I'd guess?? ). Not so much for a balmy evening mid Pacific ( IPhone is claiming 81 degrees at 7:34pm HST )
 I'm still sweating.....but it was well worth it and the Argentine is smitten ( as always )

Enjoy!

Chipotle Black Bean Soup

vegan

4 cans of organic black beans

32 oz veggie broth

1 large onion ( diced )

2 cloves of garlic ( crushed )

1 Tb coriander

1 Tb cumin

1/2 tsp salt

juice of 1 lime

2 Tb olive oil

2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

2 extra tsp of adobo sauce

1 can (drained) organic tomatoes

First, in a blender blend tomatoes, chili, and extra sauce until just combined. Next, ( on med/high in a large heavy stock pot ) saute diced onion in oil until translucent ( about 5-7 minutes ). Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add cumin and coriander and saute another 2-3 minutes until very fragrent. Then, add veggie broth and bring to boil. Add beans, tomato/chili puree, lime juice and salt. Bring back to boil and then reduce to a simmer on med heat. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the soup thickens up a bit. Taste and see if you need any more salt? ( I did not but you never know....)

I served this with a dollop of Fage Greek Yogurt. Sour Cream would work too.... I wanted to add cilantro on top but there's a recall on that right now ( boo ).....Maybe diced green onions? Tortilla chips? Feta?  Anyway, have fun with it!

Until next time....

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Asian Summer Rolls

I know I've made these before but some things are just worth repeating!

I just love these...

Asian Summer Rolls

vegan

They are light, colorful and so easy to make. All you need are some dried tapioca spring roll wrappers, some fresh herbs, any veggie and some sort of delicious dipping sauce!

{ today I went with a homemade spicy Thai peanut dressing }

{ spring rolls wrappers }

{ shaved organic carrots }

{ local mint }

{ Thai basil from the garden }

{ organic baby spinach, local cilantro, shredded cucumbers and some un-pictured tofu }

To assemble these just heat up a large skillet with water. Then, place 2 tapioca wrappers at a time in the hot water for about 15 seconds or until soft. ( I like using 2 at a time for a firmer roll. )

Next...Lay wet and softened wrappers on a cutting board and place the herbs, veggies, and tofu in the center of the circle. Top with about 1 Tb of dipping sauce and roll wrapper up like a burrito.

Slice in half and serve with extra sauce!

 Mmmmmmmm......

Off to the beach now! Happy Aloha Friday!

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I love

{ miniature flower vases }

{ warm-up ballet shorts }

{ gift certificates for Louis Vuitton }

{ faux diamond earrings from Forever 21- only $2.80! }

{ the cute little pineapple I scored from Pier 1 }

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I had about 2 cups of pasta left over from dinner last night. Just plain pasta of course....we managed to finish off the delicious red sauce as ususal. This always happens.... random cups of left over pasta, rice, and couscous occupy most of my refrigerator space these days. We don't own a microwave so I'm always thinking of colorful healthy things to make with these leftover cold carbs....

Here's a good one!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

vegetarian

2 cups cooked cold pasta ( penne would be good )

1 large Hot House cubed tomato

1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives
1/2 cup drained chick peas
1/4 cup minced chives
2 Tbs chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 lemon juiced
2 Tb good olive oil
1 Tb white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp hot chili flakes
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Just toss all of this together and top with shaved Pecorino Romano or Feta.

How easy is that!

Enjoy

DIY~A little Touch of Glam

I've been feeling a bit cash-poor these days and it's making me restless....

So....I decided to try another cheap DYI project for the hale.

It's amazing what a $6 can of gold spray paint can do to revive some old rusty items laying around a house!

{  shells I found on a Kapalua beach }

{ an old salsa jar and other nic naks from "Ross" }

{ Carlos's old crusty mirror )

{ reviving the bathroom baskets }

{ and some new orchids of course.... }

Aloha!



I Love

{ hibiscus sorbet made with coconut water }

{ being stuck inside with these two on a very rainy day }

{ Donna Hay-Australia's version of Martha Stewart }

{ German Tilsit Cheese }

{ Napili Point }

Vegan Mixed Berry Smoothie

Nothing against Kale Lemonaid but sometimes I crave something a little bit more colorful in the morning....

This was a treat.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

vegan

1 cup sliced frozen bananas

1 cup frozen berries

1 cup vanilla almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla paste

1 packet of Stevia

1 tsp of lecithin granules

Mix in a high speed blender until very smooth. This tastes like it contains yogurt or ice cream thanks to the addition of lecithin and almond milk. Yum!

It was a long wet week out here in Hawaii.....Lots of days filled with flood inducing rain and nights filled with thunder claps and lighting flashes. It was cool. I think Taj would disagree though. Poor kitty.

I'm off work today and tomorrow and the sun has returned so I'm off to the beach....

Aloha!



New Year Noodle Soup

Wow!

Let me just start by saying this.....

Heidi Swanson from 101 Cookbooks found another great one! Oh my!

 I really couldn't resist this interesting recipe much longer.... Who would ever think to combine flavors like turmeric, walnuts, lime juice, dill, caramelized onions, and sour cream??? Sounds so different right? Well, I figured what the hell and gave it a go and I'm so glad I did because it was delicious!!

Perfect for cold rainy/snowy weather I would think? I heard that it's still winter out there somewhere north of me. So give it a try!!

Anyway,

Click for recipe

Also,

Sorry for my laziness lately with posting. It seems my days have just been work, work, work with a short surf here and there so not too many exciting Maui related things to talk about....

So far I've been really sticking to my New Years goals. Wine was easy to give up. However my allergy meds and Excedrin....not so much. The good news is my PH levels are more alkaline than they were 2 weeks ago so it looks like I'm making some progress. That's all that really matters right?

Oh! And one more random thing.....

Want to know the quickest way to dirty a fresh load of white laundry?

Invite this guy over.

Why why why does he always have to do this to me!?

Aloha!

I Love

{ our new cast iron and ceramic tea pot }

{ local "Ice Cream" bananas }

{ Maui at dawn }

{ Kris Carr's new anti-cancer diet book }

{ sleeping in on weekends }

Aloha....

Vegan Spicy Mushroom and Tofu Wontons

I noticed it's been awhile since I've posted a good pot sticker recipe so here you go!

These were delish! Meaty ( without the meat ), savory and light.

Enjoy!

Spicy Mushroom and Tofu Pot Stickers

vegan

package of 24 won ton wrappers

1/2 cup of extra firm sprouted organic tofu

5 shittaki mushrooms

1 clove garlic

2 green onion stalks

1" fresh ginger

3 Tbs tamari or soy sauce

1 Tb rice wine vinegar

1.5 tsp agave ( or honey )

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp ( or more ) hot chili pepper flakes

In a food processor, mince together tofu, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and green onions. Saute with an oiled pan over med-high heat for about 5 min.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, agave, oil, and chili pepper. Add to tofu/mushroom mix and saute until all liquid is absorbed. Cool.

Place about 1.5 tsp of cooled mixture onto won tons, fold and seal with water. You can freeze these for later or steam, fry or in my case a little bit of both.

I like to take these little guys and throw them on a hot oiled frying pan until their bottoms turn brown. Then I pour about a 1/4 cup of water into the pan, bring to a simmer and cover until all liquid is absorbed. Done!

These go best with a dipping sauce from equal parts rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, a little agave and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Sweet Thai Chili Sauce works too! 

Mix

Saute

Prepare

Pinch

Steam

Yum!



2011 New Years Resolutions

Carlos and I were pretty lazy last night! So lazy we didn't even leave the house to head to the beach like usual on NYE...

 Here's the truth.

 Carlos decided to take a nap at 5pm and it lasted about 5 hours ( we surfed all day and we were sunburned and pretty tired ). In the meantime I decided to roll out and hook up the T.V. so I could watch the ball drop in NYC at 7pm Hawaiian time.

However......

 Somehow during the channel flippin' I stumbled upon a "Jersey Shore" marathon on MTV (I've never seen this show before.....obviously.)

I can't believe I'm actually admitting this but I watched the whole thing. I just couldn't stop. Are these people for real? Is this really whats on T.V. these days? Sorry, I can't believe the things that MTV gets away with now. Wow, I know I'm really dating myself but seriously?
( Yet I watched it. Every minute of it. Ohhh, yes I did.)
Anyway, I ended up making the same Tortilla Soup that I made on Christmas Eve ( amazing!! ) and we ended 2010 watching "The Snooki Ball Drop" while I had a glass of California Red Zin.

Not proud, not proud at all.....

Alrighty then....

Here's my list for 2011. I'm going to admit these are going to be a bit more challenging than last years so we'll see how it goes.

1. Alkaline my body. Okay what's that? Well, I've been testing my PH levels for sometime now and despite all the green juice I down everyday I'm still very acidic. So, Why is this bad? Acid = Disease....Ya know, fun stuff like cancer. And since cancer runs rampant in my family it's time I take charge to stop my own from forming.

So how do I make my body more alkaline? Well, eliminating crap like Excedrin and tons of allergies meds will help. Eliminating wine ( sniff...) cutting back on animal products ( like my dairy intake ) and cutting back on sugar ( not my biggest vice but still....).

Anyway, I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. I eat really balanced and healthy so this is just going to the next level....This will be hard. Especially the wine part. Blah!

2. Get out of debt. Okay getting rid of the house last year was huge but I still have one credit card to go. It's nothing major but I want it gone. Period.

3. STOP EATING THOSE PASTRIES AT WORK! Ahhhhh! Those things are like crack! O.M.G. they are good! And sooooooooo addicting. No more! Acid forming for sure!

4. Get Carlos to the dentist and the doctors for a check up. Okay, I'm making this MY resolution because it's the only way it's ever going to happen. Friggin' men.

5. Go visit my mom....This one is sad. I have not been back to Danville, California in 4 years. This is the year. Promise. I'm due for a Carmel/Napa fix anyway.

6. Try to get to Tahiti or Australia. It will completely depend on our finances this time but I think a equator crossing is in order this year. Good thing it looks like our plane tickets will at least be covered this time thanks to our many "Hawaiian Miles."

7. Graduate to a sub 6'0" surfboard. Most of you probably have no idea what this is but basically I'm ready to graduate from my 6'4" shortboard. I'm tired of fighting white water all the time duck diving my larger board under waves. Going sub 6' should help. However it will make catching waves much more challenging.

8. Stop pulling out my gray hair. Do I really need to explain why? I mean, I'll be bald soon if I don't.

9. Embrace Yoga. Okay I'll admit it... I'm just not the biggest fan. But, Carlos and I agreed that we both need to start doing it. We feel amazing afterwards so we should really give it a serious go.

10. Okay.....I'm turning 35 this year and I'm pretty bummed but I need to just except it. It's happening and I can't stop time. Without getting too personal there are lots of reasons behind my anxiety and it has nothing to do with wrinkles and grays. So, here's to acceptance in '11 and making it a good one regardless.

Alright

Off to put the T.V. away, wake Carlos up and go surf on this beautiful, sunny New Years Day on Maui.

Aloha!