Tasty Tuesday! Late Edition

Habanero Chili Sauce

     I know...I know...I'm a day late. I have a good excuse though. I was catching up on the latest episode of "Breaking Bad" last night and completely lost track of time. If you don't watch "Breaking Bad" then you don't have your priorities straight. Stop whatever lame nonsense you are doing in your life and wrap yourself in the warming glow of television perfection. "Breaking Bad" is what da Vinci would be crafting right now if he knew how to create interesting dialogue, cliff-hanger endings, and absolute mind blowing episodic brutality. Well, he'd being doing that if he wasn't dead of course.

     I seriously think that all television writers, producers, and actors should probably retire or find a new line of work. "Breaking Bad" is the pinnacle of television. It is almost sad really. We should all fall down and weep that "Breaking Bad" has destroyed television as we know it. There will never be a show greater. But, then again people probably said the same thing about "Gilligan's Island" or "Family Matters" (remember Urkel O's?).

     So, anyway, that has nothing to do with today's recipe. I decided to make this recipe when my garden started producing a ton of habanero peppers and I had no clue what to do with them. Habaneros were the hottest pepper in the world at one time but that title has since been usurped. I found this recipe for a habanero chili sauce with lots of garlic. I gave it a try and it is fantastic! It isn't as spicy as you may think. I've been using it on just about everything (as a Sriracha replacement) and I even started eating it with tortilla chips.

     Wait a second.....I suppose you could throw the habanero sauce into the eyes of a belligerent meth addict who was trying to steal your duffel bag of cash that you made cooking up a truck load of the purest and highest quality methamphetamines. You see...everything really does begin and end with "Breaking Bad". Their new tagline should be, "Breaking Bad", the alpha and omega. Enjoy!

• 4 habanero peppers, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or sea salt)

1. Roughly chop the habaneros (you may want to use gloves) and red bell pepper. Combine all the ingredients into a pot and bring to medium heat. Once the mixture starts to simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend thoroughly. Pour into jars (or some other storage container) and allow to cool uncovered. Cover the jars and keep in the refrigerator. The sauce should keep for at least a few months.

Make sure to wash your hands after...

While simmering in the pot this become an effective tear gas

Take care of yourself and each other...

Current Projections are Low but the Future Looks More Optimistic.

     I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I've been going through an unusual time in my life. Since then I've been debating what details of my life I wanted to share with you and everyone else here on the interwebs. I find myself mentally debating how much of my personal life I want to include in each blog post. The purpose of starting this thing was to share my personal experiences in hopes that others could somehow identify, learn a few things, create a discussion, and grow. And, in turn, I could grow as well. But, at what point does sharing my personal hardships go from an attempt at catharsis to plain whining. Of course I hope for the former and I absolutely hate the latter.

     The past couple of months have been hard. I'll tell you that at least. I've had to do a few things that I never thought I would have to do at my age. Things that made me feel a little bit like a failure. Things that made me feel that the path my life is on has been a mistake. Of course, those thoughts are fleeting. They last but for a moment and then I'm back to my old self. I hoped this blog would be a chance to leave all my past cynicism behind and always look on the bright side of life. Occasionally, it creeps back up on me but at least now I can identify the creeper before it starts.

     Besides personal hardships, world events are getting me down as well. I've always been heavily involved in politics since my late teens. I made it a rule that I wouldn't discuss any of my political beliefs on this blog and I will continue to abide by that rule (I use other outlets to gripe about politics anyway). With the 2012 election, current presidential debates, arguments about debt ceilings, government shut downs, and infinity, I find myself just feeling depressed and over burdened. Most people around me remain apathetic and uncaring and I find that to be even more infuriating! I guess I will just never understand most people and I will never understand why my mood is so affected by the current political climate.

     How does one write about personal hardships without revealing too many personal details? You already know I like to cook, I really want to be a farmer, I'm trying to better myself, and the color of my kitchen is the same color used to decorate French whore houses from the 1870's. Luckily for me, however, Mark Bittman, food blogger and occasional NY Times opinion piece writer summed things up perfectly in an article last week. If you have a moment, please read it. I think the article will make your day.

"Relax, we're doing pretty well; only a couple of things are going in the wrong direction."  

And remember, no matter what, try to look on the bright side of life.

Take care of yourself and each other...

I Get Visitors...

A Beer With Brad has been gaining quite the International Audience lately. The country with the most visits besides the United States is Russia. I don't know anyone from Russia and I don't really see why my site is so popular there. But, I would like to say:


Здравствуйте и добро пожаловать


This is from Google Translate. It is supposed to be a salutation but with my luck it is actually something very offensive about your grandmother. If it is the former, I really mean it. If it is the latter, I apologize. In the meantime, I have included a picture of one of your land's finest countrymen. Ivan Drago.






Take care of yourself and each other...
Берегите себя и друг друга

Tasty Tuesday!

Sweet Potato Chili

     This week's recipe is insanely easy. How easy you ask? So easy that I didn't even bother taking step by step photos. Instead, I just included a picture of me drinking beer in my kitchen which is what I was doing during the majority of the cooking process (not to mention eating process).

     I have a love of different chili recipes. I think it may be a guy thing, I don't know. But, I tend to collect chili recipes like most people collect stamps, coins, or sea shells. I started attending annual chili cookoffs many years ago and I've even hosted a few myself. I guess I just like the simplicity and the ability to take a few ingredients and feed a lot of people. This week, I give you sweet potato chili! This recipe is super easy because you just chop all the vegetables, add the spices, and set your slow cooker on low. It takes about 8 hours to cook however (I said it was easy, not fast!). But, I promise you that you will enjoy it. Oh, and by the way, this chili is.....dare I say it....gasp....vegan. Well, it's vegan unless you add a little sour cream, which is what I did. Start the slow cooker in the morning before you go to work and you'll have a nice dinner waiting for you. Or, do what I did and start the slow cooker before you go to sleep and you'll have the intoxicating aroma of chili to wake up to, not to mention an extremely nice meal to eat during your lunch break. So, enjoy this recipe. Let me know what you think.

• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, or however many you think is necessary, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 2  14 ounce cans of fire roasted tomatoes (including the liquid)
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• 1 can of kidney beans, drained
• 1 sweet potato, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup of water
• green onions to garnish

1. In a slow cooker, combine all the ingredients along with salt and pepper.
2. Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender and liquid has thickened. Typically this will be 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
3. Serve with green onions, radishes, sour cream, whatever you like.

This is my favorite part of cooking!

Take care of yourself and each other...

Tasty Tuesday!

Barbecue Tempeh Sandwiches

     When people hear that I am a vegetarian (I take every opportunity to tell everyone as soon as I meet them that I am one...just kidding) they often say to me, "I would miss burgers and sandwiches". I agree that sometimes you just want something on a bun or between two slices of bread and with a side of fries. There are thousands of vegetarian burger dishes out there and  the ever ubiquitous portobello mushroom burger can even be found on the menu at most chain restaurants nowadays. I still think the most unhealthy burger I have ever eaten was a veggie burger at the Dogwood Tavern in Fall's Church Virginia. I'm still trying to run that one off.

     A few days ago a friend of mine was telling me about barbecue tempeh and I decided to give it a try. I've only used tempeh once before and it was just ok. If I was a picky eater I may not have given it another try. But, it's super cheap and extremely versatile so I had to give it another shot. This week's recipe is super fast as well so it is a great meal to cook when you don't feel like spending time in the kitchen. A hamburger bun or kaiser roll would work much better but I only had pumpernickel bread on hand so deal with it. Also, I made broccoli and cheese as a side dish instead of fries so you can deal with that too, haters! Enjoy!    

1 cup barbecue sauce, your choice 1 (8 ounce) package tempeh, crumbled 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped. I used an orange and a green 1 medium onion, chopped Bread Pour barbecue sauce into a bowl, crumble the tempeh into the sauce and let it marinate for about 10-15 minutes. Heat oil in a pan, add the bell pepper and onions. Cook until tender. Stir in tempeh and barbecue sauce and heat through. Spoon the mixture onto the bread It's the flag of Ireland! This week's recipe is modified from Allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/barbeque-tempeh-sandwiches/detail.aspx Take care of yourself and each other...

Garden Update!

     As much as I don't want to think about it the gardening season is coming to a close. True, most vegetables will keep producing until the first frost but the days are getting a little cooler and a little shorter. Soon, winter will be upon us and so will a steady diet of root vegetables. Last year I experimented a little with hoop house gardening which allowed me to grow spinach during the coldest of weather and deep snow. I want to expand the variety of vegetables I grow this year of course. 

    

     But, all this talk of cold weather is a bit premature. Let's enjoy the last couple of weeks of summer while we can. Fall begins...September 23rd!!! Bring on the turnips!

Until then, enjoy these pictures I took in my garden yesterday. It isn't too late to talk about gardening. Feel free to ask questions!

Take care of yourself and each other...

Tasty Tuesday!

Black Bean and Patty Pan Squash Enchiladas

     Ah, the patty pan squash. You are so unusual. And, when I cut you in half you look like Boo from Mario. See...

I harvested quite a few recently and I didn't know any recipes I could use them for. I came home and found a recipe for enchiladas using summer squash (yellow squash and zucchini) so I said why not. If you haven't used patty pan squash before I definitely recommend them. They are really versatile. I harvested these when they were about the size of my hand but I later found out that patty pan squash are often harvested when they are very small and eaten whole.

 
     Anyway, here is this week's recipe. I'll be the first to admit that they don't really hold together that well but they taste great. Have homemade enchiladas ever stayed together? Let's get NASA on this. We have to create an enchilada that stays together people! If you want a vegan version of this recipe just subsitute the cheese with a little nutritional yeast. Enjoy!

• 1 onion, chopped
• garlic
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2-3 medium sized patty pan squash
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 can of black beans, drained
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 bag of shredded cheese (or couple ounces of nutritional yeast)
• 1 can of enchilada sauce (around 10 ounces should be enough)
• Corn tortillas

1. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan and saute the onions until soft. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and squash for another 2-3 minutes (until the squash is soft). Add the spices, black beans, and a little salt to taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so and add lime juice.
2. Preheat the oven to 350, oil a large baking dish, and pour a shallow layer of enchilada sauce of the bottom. Add a little of the squash mixture and shredded cheese to each tortilla and roll up (burrito style) placing each enchilada seam side down in the baking dish. You may need to heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make them pliable. 
3. Pour remainder of enchilada sauce over the top of enchiladas, sprinkle with a little more cheese, and bake for 20 minutes.

The onion, garlic, and bell pepper are no match for my Santoku knife

Close up!

And another...

Let that mess saute for a bit

Festive...

Cheesy

Take care of yourself and each other...

Today's Harvest

     It has been an unusual couple of weeks for me. I may write more about what has been going on recently in another post but today I'll just write a little about my garden. The garden made it through Hurricane Irene last weekend with no problems but unfortunately not everyone in our neighborhood was spared from damage.

There is a house under that tree

     The garden is still producing quite a few things. I'm doing my best to preserve the produce before it spoils. I want to write an entire post about preserving soon so look out for that. In the mean time, enjoy these pictures of today's harvest. The beans are still going strong and I just picked my first few habanero peppers. 

Take care of yourself and each other...