Sunday, January 1, 2012

A Bit of New Year's Luck


In the South, we eat collards and black-eyed peas as we ring in each new year. The foods will supposedly bring health and wealth and all things good throughout the year. My best friend's grandmother would even give us collards for New Year's Day.

Now that I'm in the Pacific Northwest, those dishes aren't as readily available. To welcome 2012, I decided to experiment with kale and pinto beans instead.

Israeli Couscous with Beans and Kale
Serves two.

0. Soak and cook pinto beans the day before.
1. Steam a handful or so of kale.
2. In a saucepan, saute a quarter of an onion in oil. Season with cumin and coriander.
3. When the onions are translucent, add a heaping 1/2 cup of Israeli couscous and toast lightly.
4. When the couscous is light brown, add 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
5. Once the couscous is done. Turn off the heat and stir in the kale and beans.
6. Enjoy, and have good fortune this year!

Seasoning Disclaimer: I currently have a cold, and with my head this congested, don't trust my sense of smell or taste. So definitely experiment more with seasonings, or use broth instead of water to cook the couscous. I thought that it would be better with a bit of acid and couldn't really taste the cumin, but then again, that could just be the cold talking.

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