traumatic eating

As mentioned, Vance is on his trauma surgery rotation (for a lucky 6 weeks instead of the standard 5 - okay there. I have complained). In an effort to make up for A.) his lack of sleep and proper diet this month B.) my absence due to a great deal of travel and C.) my neurotic need to make sure he is well-fed, I cooked (a lot) this weekend. It was traumatic eating, and quite good.

Saturday night kicked off with cocktails and an copy-cat attempt of Trader Joe's Spicy Black Bean dip. Black bean dip doesn't photograph well, but here is the run down.

1 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons water

3 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon honey

1 clove garlic

1 small jalapeno, roughly chopped (from our garden!)

S&P to taste

3-4 dashes of Chipotle Tabasco 

Enjoy with tortillas, pita chips or crudite. So tasty!

For dinner...Salmon Pesto Pasta

Bow tie pasta, pesto mixed with some heavy cream, roasted cherry tomatoes and small fillet of salmon, roasted and flaked. Toss with S&P and enjoy!

Sunday brunch at home...12 South Benny.

Whole grain English muffins, toasted with sauteed yellow and red bell peppers with green onions. Top with fried egg over easy and hollandaise (via blender). A bit of parsley and done. 

I don't want this post to make anyone think I take Hollandaise sauce lightly. Assembling any eggs Benedict can be stressful, but I must be slightly improving because I only snapped at Vance once while preparing brunch this morning. 

Lastly, comforting Sunday dinner, Jamaican Pumpkin Soup and grilled cheese, brie and honey panini.

This soup is adapted from Breads 'n Cheese of Hershey's famous recipe. Nothing beats consuming a bowl of this spicy soup, while I sit in Breads 'n Cheese and get caught up on life in Hershey. This soup reminds me of home, and of course when I made it, it didn't taste the same as it does at 

B'n C. I tried to tweak it a bit!

2 cans packed pumpkin

1 and a half boxes of vegetable or chicken stock

1 bunch of green onions, diced

4 yams, peeled, quartered and boiled

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon thyme

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (depending on how much spice you like)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Generous S&P (according to your taste)

Combine all and simmer for about an hour or more. Test a few times to ensure it's seasoned as you like.

Our paninis were on rosemary and olive oil bread with a triple cream (brie-like) cheese, thinly sliced pear and a drizzle of honey. Butter outside of bread, assemble sandwich and grill in a pan until golden. Oh jeez is this good. Happy eating all - how is the weekend over? All we did is eat.