Taste Test Today

At Winco today I was ready to by some La Victoria Salsa (Medium) for $1.78 when I noticed an new brand: Spikes...which was $1.03. They were both 16 oz. And in glass jars. So I bought both of them and took them home to try.
I already had some Mission tortilla chips and it was time for "second breakfast"so I dug in.
The winner was Spike. Why? It was chunkier (well I did bring home the bean and corn style instead of their regular style), and sweeter. I still will eat La Victoria, though, when I want a more tomato-y and "hotter" taste.

Black Bean Brownies

Thanks to Kelsy for sharing these recipes with me. I put off making these for the longest time, thinking they would not taste very good. Finally I made them and took the pictures you see here. I got 16 brownies form one 8 x 8 pan. They are light and chocolate-y...very good! I look forward to making the variations.

Flourless Black Bean Brownies

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (can substitue agave nectar)
3 Tbsp. oil
3 or 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. peanut butter (optional, but I always go for this one!)

Blend everything up in a blender or food processor. Pour into a greased 8 by 8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (mine were done in my superhot oven at around 25 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick). Cut in pieces and enjoy!

Here are some Canellini (white bean) variations I'm excited to try:

Lemon Ginger: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 tsp. lemon extract, 2 tsp. ground ginger and zest of one lemon to bean mixture. Top with sliced almonds.

Cranberry orange: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 tsp. orange extract, 2 tsp. ground ginger and zest of one orange to bean mixture. Top with minced dried cranberries.

Cherry almond: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 tsp. almond to bean mixture. Top with minced dried cherries and sliced almonds.

Pumpkin: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt to bean mixture. Top with chopped pecans.

Apple spice: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt to bean mixture. Top with chopped walnuts.


This recipe I copied exactly from what Kelsy sent me via email. I have not made them yet, but when I do, I will not use espresso flavor...just cocoa.

Amazing Black Bean Brownie Recipe

For those of you who have a hard time tracking down agave nectar (which is becoming much more readily available) substitute honey 1:1 for the agave nectar. Ania's head notes encourage you to keep these brownies in the refrigerator, they will slice much better if refrigerated several hours or preferably overnight. I used instant coffee this time around, but you can find natural coffee substitute at many natural food stores.

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (hs: canned is fine)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (granulated) natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1½ cups light agave nectar
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan (hs note: or jellyroll pan) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)
Makes 45 (2-inch) brownies

Joan's version of Philly Cheesesteak

I got some sirloin steaks for 2.98 per pound...2.68 lbs. I cooked them on low overnight in the crockpot with pickle juice to cover. (Pickle juice leftover form Betty's pickle jar. All it needed on low was about 6-7 hours in my particular crockpot.

Then using my big comal, I toasted the buns and piled the meat in ...
The I thought it needed some cheese so I spread a spoonful of this wonderful product on one side of the bun on the inside...the heat of the meat further melted the creamy sauce.
John and I agreed these were heavenly. The toasted bun and the spicy cheese sauce made them outrageously yummy!
And now I will reveal this most special ingredient...which will now be a staple at our house. I bought it originally to put over cooked broccoli...

Keep scrolling down..

This is it! So good...comes in glass jars even!
I imagine using it in other dishes..with cauliflower, with noodles, with potatoes...

This is also, I realize, a great pantry item for those of us who liked to be prepared for emergencies. I can't wait to experiment some more with this sauce!

A Most Beautiful Plate

Thursday night for supper, we had potstickers. On the side we had steamed broccoli with some slivers of steamed carrot slices. We also had a salad consisting of chopped romaine letuce, yellow tiny pear shaped tomatoes and blue berries.

The best thing about this meal was, to me, the cherry tomatoes.

You see, they are slightly cooked...and oh so very yummy!

So after I finished cooking the pot stickers according to package instructions in my iron skillet, I turned off the flame, tossed in some cherry tomatoes from the garden and put a lid on the skillet for a few minutes. The heat in the pan cooked the tomatoes to perfection: they still kept their shape. They were not over cooked, just cooked...or warmed enough to change the taste from 100% raw to something incredibly delicious.

WARNING: you must pop one whole cherry tomato at a time into your mouth. Make sure it has cooled off a bit. Do not bite into it with lips slightly parted . It will squirt hot tomato-y juice all over. Keep your lips closed as you bite into this delcious round red globe.

Better than Dibs

Want a bite of something cold and creamy and yummy? And that is beter than "Dibs"?
Freeze ripe banana slices on wax paper or parchment on a cookie sheet. When frozen, remove them and serve or store in ziploc bag in freezer for instant creamy and fiber filled, vitamin mineral filled natural frozen bananas.

Eat them in a bowl with a spoon, or with your fingers from a plate. And you can, of course, blend them in a blender with milk or soy milk or almond milk and make a thick creamy shake. The Hulihan household has been doing frozen banana shakes for over 20 years now. I like the sliced frozen ones even better than a shake. I don't have to clean out a blender...and each cold creamy slice in my mouth is heavenly and cools me off!
Eat me!

What David Taught Us

Progressive International Jumbo Potato Cutter from amazon.com! I paid 15.99 last week but now it is 21.99. Hmm...Anyway, after you peel a half pound of carrots and cut them in half, it takes just seconds to make a plate full of bright crunchy carrot sticks! Mmmm.


The dip he taught me is..get some good refrigerated ranch dressing and some Srirachi Sauce and blend them together.
This is such a great healthy snack! Thanks, David!

Produced in our backyard

Green grapes are ripe about first week of August. This is about all we got..the birds ate the rest. These are kind of sour. Have to do research on how to get the grapes to be sweeter.

Apricots are ready early July. We got maybe a dozen...its a small tree. But we need to prune it better.

Cherry tomatoes! We picked a cup every other day starting in early July. MMMmmm.