Mommie Cooks!

Sometimes Simple, Sometimes Grand, Always Declicious

Subscribe by Email

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • FOOD
  • Health
  • At Home
  • Family
  • Contact

Shake and Coconut Bake Pork Chops with Rice

December 5, 2011 By Julie 15 Comments

Dudes, like you have to check out this bodacious pork chop!  It’s been “Shake and Baked!”

What do you think?  Did I do the 80’s justice?  Ok fine, I’ll give it to you that we probably didn’t use the word “bodacious” on a regular basis, but I definitely knew a few girlfriends that had close ties with the word “like” and I also knew a lot of moms that pulled out the Shake and Bake for a fast and fab weeknight dinner.  I know you remember the good ol’ meat in a bag meal.  You simply shook it up and cooked it up.  Voila, dinner is served.

…

Read More »

Filed Under: Food, Main Course, Other, Pork, Sponored Posts Tagged With: Coconut, National Pork Board, pork chops, rice, shake and bake, side dish

Cheddary Cheesy Grits

July 19, 2011 By Julie 20 Comments

Remember the banana’s foster french toast recipe from a few months back?  If you recall, I ended the post with a challenge to recreate the most delightful cheese grits I’d ever put my fork to.  Here we are four months later and I’m finally ready to put my grits where my mouth is.

And you thought I forgot.

Aside from the months old challenge, the other inspiration pushing this recipe to the front page is my brother Matt.  This guy has some mad talent in the kitchen.  He doesn’t visit often enough, but when does, man do we whip up some seriously fabulous fodder.  Long before the french toast was even a bite of inspiration in my brain, my brother and I set to work attempting to create an award winning cheese grit for one culinary inspired Christmas morning breakfast.  While our results were good, they weren’t “knock out” “drag out” “you two really should start your own restaurant” fabulous.  We enjoyed our spoils but knew there was further work to be done.

Matt holding my youngest, Andrew

Fast forward to today and I believe that I may have finally conquered the almighty grit.  Loosen your belts and grab your whisk cuz I’m about to take you on a creamy cheesy ride you won’t soon forget.  This one’s for you Matt.

…

Read More »

Filed Under: Breakfast, Food, Sides Tagged With: 30 minute meal, cheese, side dish, Vegetarian

Stewed Tomato and Okra

June 21, 2011 By Julie 20 Comments

Being the native Northern girl that I am, living in the south can sometimes be, well, a little different.  The weather’s a whole bunch hotter, there’s a certain “twang” from the natives and the dishes lend themselves to a completely unique world of flavors from what I grew up with.  My Northern roots are a strong part of who I am, but having now resided in North Carolina for an extended period along with ample time spent in Hilton Head, SC where my parents live, the Southern influences that are such an integral part of the culture here are beginning to waggle their way into my life.  I have recently channeled my inner Southern “Sista” and let me tell ya, I’m liking her a whole lot.   Between this dish today and the upcoming Fried Green tomatoes recipe, I could easily welcome my newly discovered Southern side to the table on a regular basis.

…

Read More »

Filed Under: Food, Sides, Veggies Tagged With: Bacon, okra, side dish, southern, tomato

Asian Veggie Pasta

June 7, 2011 By Julie 27 Comments

Asian veggie pasta is one of those rare dishes that I consider to have “the trifecta effecta” going for it.  And just what do I mean by the trifecta effecta?  Allow me to explain.  It covers the three big aspirations for any fare you put together.
…

Read More »

Filed Under: Food, Main Course, Pasta, Sides, Vegetarian Tagged With: 30 minute meal, Asian, Pasta, salad, side dish

Sweet and Spicy Black Beans

May 12, 2010 By Julie 20 Comments

Today I’m going to share a recipe for sweet and spicy black beans although I can’t claim ownership for creating it.  It was taken from a cookbook given to me by my Aunt Ann entitled Recipes from Baja.  It was put together by the East Cape Guild of Baja California Sur, Mexico where my aunt and uncle now spend about about half their time during the year.

Before I share the recipe, I have to share a little bit about my Aunt Ann (or AA; double A as she is referred to by family and friends), because she’s a pretty amazing woman by all standards.  One of the many reasons I say this is because my aunt is an oarsman on the Colorado River.  She guides people down the Grand Canyon and has been doing so with her husband for almost 35 years now.

I have always been in awe of her ability to just get out there and do what she loves.  She was one of the first women to professionally guide people down the Grand Canyon.  She does her job really well and she is extremely respected within the rafting community.  She has taken all levels of people down the river including politicians, movie stars, sports stars and, of course, little ‘ol me.  Here is a picture of her on the river with Tom Cruise (this was before he married Nicole Kidman and went a bit off the edge of reality).

I was fortunate enough to be able to take a river trip with my aunt and uncle when I was a junior in high school.  It was an eighteen day trip, completely paid for.  All I needed to do was help out around camp and assist the research group that was taking the trip with us.  They were studying the humpback chub (a fish for all you non-biologist types out there) and it was right up my alley as I was planning to go to college for a degree in Wildlife Biology. I’ll never forget how amazing that trip was.  Many people only dream of having the opportunity to take such a trip and I was fortunate enough to get the chance.

My aunt and uncle have since “semi” retired from the rafting business although they still take the occasional trip down the river and run their own company selling custom whitewater rafting gear.  If you’re ever in the market, you can check out her company, The Summit.

A big portion of their time is now spent down in Baja California where they own their own piece of land on the ocean.  No home on it, just a trailer and a boat for marlin fishing.  And they relish every minute of it.  They love Baja and I love that they want to share a piece of the culture with us.

The cookbook they passed on to us has so many amazing recipes in it, including the bean recipe I’m going to share with you today.  I hope to share more recipes from this cook book in the future and when I do, I’m sure I will think of my aunt and what an amazing woman she is.  Here’s a picture of them taken in 2006 with my middle son, Alex.

And now, without further ado, the Sweet and Spicy Black Bean recipe.  Here’s what you’ll need to put them together.  Keep in mind when you’re looking at this recipe, that it puts together a really large batch so if you’re cooking for a smaller group you might want to cut the recipe in half.

Another thing to note is that I was trying to whip these up quickly while simultaneously putting all three kids to bed before all the guests arrived for the Cinco de Mayo cooking club, so I ran out of time to take my step by step pictures for these.  I apologize for dropping the ball today (or the camera as the case may be!)

Ingredients Needed:

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Finely Chopped
1-2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, Seeded and finely Chopped
4 15oz. Cans of Black Beans
1 28 Oz. Can of Diced Tomatoes with Basil Garlic and Oregano, Undrained
1/3 Cup of Honey
1/3 Cup of Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 Tsp of Gnger
1 Tsp of Salt

Grab a large frying pan and heat your olive oil on medium high heat.  To the heated oil add your onions and stir.  Cook the onions for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently so they don’t burn.  Your onions should cook down to about half of what you started with and they should be a nice golden brown color.

While your onions are cooking, chop up the jalapeno’s and garlic and set to the side.  Drain and rinse your black beans and add them all to a large pot on medium heat.  Along with the beans add your tomatoes, honey, brown sugar, ginger and salt.

After your onions have cooked for an additional 15-20 minutes, add in the jalapeno and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Then add the onion mixture in with the beans and heat through until hot.

There is also a note from the cookbook that says you don’t necessarily have to cook your onions for 20 minutes but this will make the dish if you do.  Those golden browned onions will impart a wonderful sweet flavor you won’t want to miss.

Here’s my finished pot hot on the stove and ready to be served up:

And here’s a picture of a serving about to be given to Andrew.  The kid tore these up.  It looked like a bean massacre when he was done.   The final product:

Print

Sweet and Spicy Black Beans

Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Onions, Finely Chopped
1-2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Jalapeno Peppers, Seeded and Chopped
4 15 Oz.Cans Black Beans
1 28 Oz. Can Diced Tomatoes with Basil Garlic and Oregano, Undrained
1/3 Cup Honey
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Salt

Directions:

Grab a large frying pan and heat your olive oil on medium high heat.

To the heated oil add your onions and stir.

Cook the onions for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes stirring frequently so they don't burn. Your onions should cook down to about half of what you started with and they should be a nice golden brown color.

While your onions are cooking, chop up the jalapeno's and garlic and set to the side.

Drain and rinse your black beans and add them all to a large pot on medium heat.

Along with the beans add your tomatoes, honey, brown sugar, ginger and salt.

After your onions have cooked for an additional 15-20 minutes, add in the jalapeno and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the onion mixture in with the beans and heat through until hot.

Filed Under: Beans, Food, Sides Tagged With: 30 minute meal, black beans, Mexican, side dish, southwest, Vegetarian


Meet Julie


  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe by Email

Search This Blog

Pinterest @MommieCooks

Visit Mommie Cooks's profile on Pinterest.

POPULAR POSTS

  • Morning Time Breakfast Granola Cups 25 views
  • Chicken, Sausage & Seafood Loaded Jambalaya 4 views
  • Mexicali Rice 3 views
  • Lick the Bowl Clean Southwest Salad Dressing 3 views
  • Homemade, Eat it by the Handful Granola 3 views
  • Beyond the Basics: The Science of Sponge Cake 3 views
  • Work with Me
  • TERMS & CONDITIONS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
Copyright © 2022 Mommie Cooks · Custom Design by Anchored Design · Built on Genesis Framework