Chocolate isn't always what you want.

Seems like a strange statement to come from Chefty's fingers (particularly given yesterday's post).

Perhaps I should amend that to: chocolate isn't always what you want...when you're making soup.

I thought that the recipe for Black Bean Cocoa Soup with Lime sounded pretty choice. Hey, it's like a mole thing, right? I like Mexican. Cool.

So I sweated my veggies, rinsed the beans, measured out all my spices, seasoned dutifully as I went along. Looks interesting! Once everything is added, stirred, and simmering, I give it a taste.


Hmm. More salt?


How about some chili paste?


OK, I'll just drop a whole half-lime in there, that will do the trick.

But no. This soup is thick, chalky, and tastes like dirt. Dirt with salt on it. I'm blaming it partially on the cumin, which I never cook with because it tastes so musty and dusty. I was willing to give it another chance, and again, I was disappointed. Cumin no more!

And chocolate too was disappointing, for the first time ever. The cocoa didn't really bring out the flavor of the beans like I thought it would. I should have known it would taste anything like mole. Wishful thinking!

The worst part is I have like a quart of soup leftover. I brought it for lunch today and will attempt to choke some down with a heaping spoon of guacamole. Of course, some shredded cheese and sour cream wouldn't hurt either...

The dairy demon roars within.

Summer, in edible form

Right now I am enjoying dainty, bright red strawberries. They are delish. I urge everyone to find their local farmer's market and go get some. There are a couple of different foods that capture summer in just one taste, and certainly strawberries lead that pack. Other contenders? I'd say peaches, corn, tomatoes, blueberry pie, lobster...and frozen Milky Way bars. Post your favorites, inquiring Chefty wants to know.

Mighty tasty

That's the tagline for the gluten-free cereal I ended up getting. (No amaranth, anywhere! I'm ashamed and appalled at you so-called earthy-crunchy, soy-eating, gluten-hating Seattleites. Where is the amaranth?) Truth be told, it is...mighty tasty. Bob, of Bob's Red Mill, says it contains all the health-giving nutrients of the grain from which it is ground. Um, great. Just help wean me off wheat, for the love of God.

Yesterday, while contemplating dinner, I started making a mental catalogue of some of my very favorite foods. See if you can find the pattern here...

Pizza
Macaroni and cheese
Burritos
Beer
Toast
Poached eggs

I like me some wheat and dairy. Disagree with me if you want, but it is a subversion of the natural order to expect one to abstain from eating both.

Feh. That's just the cravings talking. Once I turn the corner on Day 3 things will start looking up.

Speaking of Day 3, here's what looks to be on the menu

Mighty Tasty with apples and walnuts: done (smacks lips)
Pink grapefruit
Baby greens with hazelnuts and pears
Spinach with tahini sauce (thank you, Produce Issue of Gourmet)
Some yet-to-be-determined protein
A white peach if it's ripe
Almonds

And tonight...probably Black Bean Cocoa Soup. If I'm not slayed by low blood sugar by the time I get home.

Chow.
CL

Ready, set, metabolize!

I am embarking on a 21-day detox plan, designed to activate my inner fat-burning demon. Go gadget go.

I'm feeling confident. I get to eat a lot of foods that I like (fruit, sweet potatoes, fish, etc) and I get to find out what will happen when I don't eat wheat or dairy. I'm curious how I will feel without them. I'm guessing that my body will rage against this deprivation for a few days and then get over it. Let's hope it's that easy.

So, Day 1. I should have had amaranth with walnuts and apples. But...there was no amaranth to be had at my QFC so...I'm having tomorrow's breakfast today. It's kind of gross. Soy & berry smoothie. The consistency is making me gag, but the taste is OK. I am eating it with a spoon. With certain things on this detox, I am going to take a math-homework approach: do it first and get it over with.

I'll tell you the good thing about this smoothie, though. It's yucky enough that it has completely distracted me from my mild but present hangover.

:)

One cannot detox properly without going on a bender the night before.

On the menu tonight: salmon, sweet potatoes, asparagus!

If you were my lamb...

...I might have to name you Wobbly. Or Cuddly. Or...Sweetness. In any case, it would be a totally undignified, shamelessly bowled-over-by-your-cuteness kind of name.

And I wouldn't let anyone eat you.

A trip down food memory lane.

Answer me this: who can resist the sweet siren song of...

Shake 'n Bake?

I enjoy panko and standard breading and all that jazz as much as the next cook. But Shake 'n Bake is good. Growing up I think we had it most often on pork chops instead of chicken, and in that case it was particularly tasty when drenched with Motts.

Anyway, last night I brought home my swiss chard and all my other goodies from Pike Place. Since I was being all chefty with the veg (thank you, Deborah Madison), I figured a quick fix for the chicken was in order. It's funny, I hadn't noticed before that S'nB has a strange orange hue to it. I'll have to take a closer look at the ingredients tonight. It's not something I'd ever try to recreate -- you cannot copy a classic!-- but what, is there dehydrated tomato paste in there or something?

Now that I'm dwelling on foods from days past, I have a hankering for tapioca with Cool Whip. Or, maybe just Cool Whip.

CL

On the menu tonight: snap peas with some kind of mint sauce? I have a lot of mint to use.

Goodbye, blog cherry.

I just created this blog on the fly so I could respond to a post about Hell's Kitchen on someone else's blog. It is the worst kind of bad TV, I know, but goddammit, I am compelled to watch it.

As a testament to how much Gordon Ramsay has infiltrated my psyche....Yesterday I was playing tennis. To say 'playing' is generous, because in truth I could barely volley. Frustration mounted, gave way to disappointment and shame and then I heard Gordon, yelling: 'You've given up, haven't you? You lazy twit! YOU'VE GIVEN UP!'

And indeed I had.

But I'm inclined to think I'd never give up behind the line if I were on HK. Threat of humiliation is a powerful motivator.

What will I be writing about in the future? As the title may suggest, much of it will be about food, cooking, and the general sensualist's approach to life. It will also surely become a repository for ideas, complaints, curiosities and the like. I will try to keep it light and funny, except when not.

Bon appetit!
CL

On the menu tonight: something to do with red chard.