Step Into My Kitchen We Will Cook Away Your Fears

Yesterday Britt tweeted this recipe for beans and rice and then I thought of nothing else for 24 hours.

I didn't go into the office today. I worked from home because I've managed to come down with the throat rabies of doom again (I blame it on Grady's teeth. There is no sleep. I am a zombie.) I still worked, though, and in an effort to acclimatize Grady to Shawn being his primary caregiver (oh I am so clenchy writing that) I made myself as unavailable as possible. Which means that I had both the need for some cooking therapy and the time (and arms!) to carry it out.

I strayed far from the recipe but the result was fantastic. First I cooked up a small red onion (small dice) in a little olive oil. Then I threw in two chorizo sausages (chopped into small pieces) and let that cook up while I chopped the other vegetables. Two medium carrots, one large green bell pepper, two large jalapeno peppers (small dice) and two large garlic cloves (minced) all went into the pot. I let that cook away for about five minutes and then added two heaping tablespoons of tomato paste and two tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Next I added a cup of (dry) quinoa, four cups of vegetable stock, and one can of well-rinsed black beans. I didn't add any salt but it could have used a little because my stock wasn't very salty. I brought the mixture to a boil and then put a lid on the pot and turned the heat down to a simmer. Twenty-five minutes later it was ready for a simple topping of spring onions.

Very yummy! I know it's not exactly diet food because of the chorizo but I'm still calling it healthy because of the vegetables, quinoa, and beans.