Barely American Learns to Cook!

Above: Our dinner on Sunday night... Recipe Below!

First of all, I already know my way around a kitchen (but I'm always learning new things), but this blog has never served as a food blog before, hence the title. However, the only blogs I ever read before I started my own were vegan blogs, and they are still my favorite blogs to read and my writing inspiration.

Sidenote: I decided to post these recipes for a few reasons. 1) To show what we eat here. 2) I like to write and think about food. 3) If anyone is living in Colombia or South America, I think it can be hard to find ways to cook "American" food, especially for vegans/vegetarians. In case anyone ever stumbles onto my blog because they are vegan in South America, maybe this will help.

Background: I was incredibly lucky to find 3 packages of fresh, full basil at Exito on Sunday. In keeping with my desire to save money (each package cost 650 pesos, roughly 32 cents), I used only half of one package on Sunday making our favorite dish: bruschetta. Warren and I usually eat bruschetta at least once a week. It's very home-y and satisfying, and the flavors are definitely not Colombian, so it's a good variation from school lunches. Along with our bruschetta I threw together a quick dish of Italian-style beans. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, but I knew I needed protein and I had already soaked and cooked the beans. As a future warning for these and all other recipes to ever appear on this blog: I don't follow recipes or cookbooks, except sometimes when I'm baking. All recipes to appear are created by me, and I don't measure, I just eye-ball it. (I learned from my mother.) That said, make sure you taste things as you cook them if you follow my recipes.



Melody's Bruschetta

Ingredients
1 large French or Italian style baguette (in Colombia, the best ones are at Exito and Carrefour)
4-6 medium red tomatoes(I remove the hard white part directly underneath the stem, too.)
baby tomatoes if you have them (we had some leftovers)--any amount from 1/4 a cup to 2 cups will work in this recipe
4 cloves (not bulbs) of garlic
Tomato paste (Found near the ketchup and called pasta de tomate in squeezable packages)
salt
pepper
fresh basil or dried oregano (basil is better!)
olive oil

Directions:
Before you begin, rinse the tomatoes and fresh basil in cool water.

1. Smash and chop the garlic cloves finely. Sauté over low heat in 1 tablespoon olive oil until the garlic just starts to brown.
2. While the garlic is cooking, dice the medium-sized tomatoes. Add the tomatoes. If you are using any baby tomatoes, you can add them whole). If the garlic begins to turn brown before you are finished with the tomatoes, remove the pan from heat. (Don't let the garlic actually turn brown--you just want it to start to turn brown.)
3. After you add the tomatoes, turn the heat to medium heat. Stir frequently so that the tomatoes do not stick to the pan. Let the water cook out of them so that they are mushy. If you used baby tomatoes, you want them to "pop"--there should be a place where the skin on them breaks, but they should disintegrate.
4. When the tomatoes are finished cooking, remove from heat and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste. How much is up to you--at least 2 to 3 tablespoons, but if you add more you'll have more tomato-y goodness for your bread. It should look just a little bit thicker and chunkier than a chunky spaghetti sauce. Return to heat, simmer on low heat.
5. Slice the bread into 1 inch (or smaller) slices. If you have a toaster oven or toaster, you can toast the bread that way. If you don't, simply heat a frying pan over medium heat. You can add olive oil to it, but it's not necessary (and adds calories). Toast the bread on each side in the pan for about 1 minute--just watch it, don't let it burn.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper), stir quickly.
7. If you are using fresh basil (and you should), chop up between 1/4 of a cup to 1/2 of a cup and add it to the tomato mixture. Stir quickly and then turn off heat. Stir tomato mixture for another minute.
8. Finally, spoon tomato mixture over the toasted bread. If you aren't watching your weight, you can dip the toasted baguette slices in olive oil first.
ENJOY!

Italian-Style Beans

Ingredients
1 cup of pre-soaked and pre-cooked speckled beans (white beans would work too)
2 cloves of garlic (1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (basil is better!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Chop garlic finely if you are using fresh garlic.
2. Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan over low heat. Add garlic (if you are using fresh) and sauté for about 1 minute.
3. Add beans. Turn up the heat just a bit. Stir them around so they are coated with olive oil.
4. If you are using garlic powder, add it now. Also add the salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch or two of pepper.)
5. Add the basil (or thyme) and stir.
6. Cook about 5 minutes total (the beans should brown just a bit but not burn or get very dry).

Serve with something yummy--but they are addicting on their own!