First, this looked better in person. Second, it would look nicer if I'd put nice, lady-like portions on my plate, took the picture, and then loaded my plate like a TRUCK DRIVER'S SPECIAL! Now you know the ugly truth. However, besides the (optional) copious amounts of butter that I added to EVERYTHING,( TAKE THAT, JILLIAN MICHAELS!), it was a very healthy, vegetarian meal. And calling all carnivores, feel free to add a big slab of cow or pig.
What to call it? How about...Quick Rice and Bean Recipe With Sides From the Garden...ok, I'll keep working on it. I agree, that's a lame name.
So here's how I did it. You have to understand a couple of things first. As my paranoia increases, growing in leaps and bounds and entangling itself in conspiracy theories about the dangerous state of the food supply, questionable, greedy farming techniques, and the desire for obscene profits possibly, reallybeing the root of all evil, I try to avoid using the microwave as much as possible. But, and this is a big but, BUT, when the temperature hits 100, or even 93, I find that I no longer care about chromosome damage, nuclearly altered food, free radicals or ANYTHING, except that we are NOT going to turn on that damned oven. I would, in fact, eat out every dinner, which would be to Sam's absolute delight, but you know, the economy and everything...This is just a very long-winded way of telling you, this is a microwave meal.
So, here we go:
Make a pot of brown rice--NOT instant. I have a rice cooker and could endlessly sing its praises, but you'd find that about as interesting or even less, than the preceding rant.
Make a pot of black beans ( oh, ok, then just open the can since that's what I did, lazy slattern).
Saute mushrooms and chopped red onion together and sprinkle with garlic and sea salt.
Steam spears of fresh asparagus.
Chop of some heirloom tomatoes--most stores carry them now and they are SO GOOD! No comparison.
OK. Plop a couple of scoops of brown rice in the center of your plate and then pile a couple of spoons of beans in the middle. Be bad and add a little butter, salt or season salt, a sprinkle of chili powder and then top with grated cheese of your choice--as much as you prefer or as much as you think wise. Toss it in the microwave and nuke it until your cheese melts. Top it with slices of fresh anaheim peppers, then add asparagus and tomatoes on the side.
You're done. Quite good. What would make this even better would be to put it all together as described ( minus asparagus and tomatoes until ready to serve) and put it in a casserole and bake. However, baking is often not an appealing prospect in the summer so that is why we nuked it. And because I put my comfort over the health of my family. I know there is no meat in it. I KNOW IT. I know not everyone is a vegetarian and many people actually get OFFENDED if anyone suggests a meatless meal. So just add some meat already! However, beans and cheese are good sources of protein and we don't always need to eat meat, especially during a heat wave. Once in awhile we need something besides daiquiris and chi-chis.
Am I desperate for a subject to write on? Yeah, maybe a little. I also started a category called "Recipes" which only had one recipe in it. Again this was starting to seem lame (apparently my new favorite word. Did I turn into a fifteen year-old from the eighties overnight?) We don't cook much anymore, with Mick gone and we just kind of pick and microwave (oh, yes, it's true) and with Miranda being a vegetarian, I haven't made some of my best stuff. So there is my excuse.
In other riveting news:
Not a lot of sleep last night. Mick used to make fun of me for not sleeping right before we'd travel somewhere--could be because we'd end up with a flight leaving at 5:00 a.m. and would have to get to the airport so early that we were setting the alarm for 2:00 a.m. Well, Mick tells me he hardly slept last night, basically for the same reasons I never could. I stayed up very late writing last night because I knew there wouldn't be time this morning. Then I stayed up too late and reached that crazy level of exhaustion where one wants nothing more than to fall asleep, but can't. I could have if I'd made it to bed an hour earlier, but for some reason the brain sometimes plays tricks and just says, "sorry buddy, you missed the train and are just going to have to wait for the next one." So I tossed and turned, decided to get up and use the bathroom yet again, noticed it was now 2:00 a.m., groaned and rolled over. Next thing I know it's not quite 5:30 a.m. and Sam is saying, "Mom, get off please", which is her way of kicking me out of my room and taking over my bed. I removed myself to my trusty couch and would have slept well at that point but for the dogs being dogs and needing a very attentive doorman. Not having one, they have to settle for me.
But I survived the night. Survived the trip up to Portland,too. Inexplicably I wasn't the nervous wreck that I normally am. Someone take my temperature. Mick's plane was late, but not too late. Just late enough by a few minutes to double the parking fee. If I'd just driven around the loop endlessly, as he'd suggested, we would have had to gas up the car again or Airport Security would have taken me out for suspicion of terrorist activity, so I parked. But Mick made it in safely, not nearly as fat as he'd claimed. That makes one of us.
So here we are, reunited again. And utterly exhausted.
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