eating

Mumble

/ Karina Pinella / 5 Comments

“Ya got a big mouth on ya is yer problem, Eddie. How many people ya ate? Ya gotta pace yerself or we’ll get caught. I gotta do somethin’.” Royal, Eddie’s best friend glares at his shack mate, who is moaning at every chew.

Eyelids half closed, Eddie is too preoccupied savoring the last of his ill-gotten meat. There’s nothing like a good summer barbecued shoulder. Granted, it took him a few hours to wrestle it out of his prey who outweighed him by 65 pounds, but he triumphed, making him especially proud of his latest kill.

“I just looove tourist season,” Eddie mumbles, trying to keep in food from spilling out of his mouth.

With pressed lips, Royal saunters off to get his leather sewing kit. As he approaches his friend from behind, he says, “Sorry, buddy; this is fer yer own good.” Royal takes a swing at the back of Eddie’s head with a big sock filled with heavy rubber balls.

With Eddie stunned, he quickly proceeds to sew his friend’s mouth. As he almost finishes, Eddie’s lids flutter open. Eyes looking panicked, Eddie grunts, “Mmmph . . .”

“Oops, I forgot to ask if ya had any last words,” Royal mumbles, feeling a little guilty as he locks the stitches.

Mung Beans with Quinoa Stew Topped with Pork Rinds

/ Karina Pinella / 11 Comments

stew

Here’s a fairly quick and easy stew, which you can eat as a vegetarian one-dish meal, or non-vegetarian if you wish to have a taste of pork rinds blended in.

Start by mincing 4 cloves of garlic, chopping 1 onion, and slicing 6 Roma tomatoes. Set them aside. Rinse in a mesh colander 1 ¼ lb. dry mung beans. Set aside. Rinse ¼ cup quinoa in a fine mesh colander and set aside.

Put 3 tbsp of coconut oil in a stock pot, and then place it on a stove burner over medium heat. Sauté the minced garlic, follow up with the chopped onion. After a minute, add in the sliced tomatoes.

After the tomatoes look tender, put in the mung beans and pour in one 32-oz. low sodium vegetable broth. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat. After about 15 minutes, put in the quinoa and cover. After another 10 minutes, pour in one 32-oz coconut milk and 2-3 cups water. Stir. Cover and time for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, stir and time again for 20 minutes. While that continues to cook, chop a bunch of Swiss chard, which you will add when the timer goes off.

Add a few drops of fish sauce; you can always add more later when it’s cooked and you’ve tasted it. Continue cooking for 6 more minutes. When the timer goes off, turn the stove off and let the food settle for 5 minutes.

Serve in big bowls and drop a handful of pork rinds into each one, if you are so inclined. Just press them down into the stew with a spoon so they soften. Garnish with one sliced garden tomato.

Happy  dining!

Salad Bar Biopsy

/ Karina Pinella / 6 Comments
food

Image: Pixabay

Popular option
For weight, taste, and health reasons.
Carrots, berries, squash,
A plethora of choices
With a film of spit and slime.

Chicken Chop Soupy

/ Karina Pinella / 24 Comments

chicken chop soupy
This recipe is similar to the Americanized concept of Chop Suey; its name based on a province in China where it originated. The dish is simply whatever you have on hand or leftovers assembled in one dish. What I had in the kitchen were white and sweet potatoes and 1 ½ cups of cooked chopped chicken. And so, Chicken Chop Soupy was borne, or made (but not in China). Continue reading →

Yellow Split Pea Soup w/Black Beans & Vegetables

/ Karina Pinella / 10 Comments

pea soup
Here’s a hearty soup for when you want something filling. For this delicious blend of legumes and vegetables, you can soak the black beans overnight. Then boil them the next day according to the instructions on the bag, or you can speed up the process considerably by using a pressure cooker. As a last resort, you can always use a can or two of black beans.
Continue reading →

Ground Beef with Kale and Carrots

/ Karina Pinella / 3 Comments

Summer meals tend to be grill heavy, but after burgers and steaks almost every day, one can get weary of the same preparation. How about a change of pace?

Using fresh or frozen kale, take a bunch and chop (if fresh) and set aside; you can also use pre-cut bagged kale too. Peel and chop 5 carrots, 1 onion, and if you happen to have 2 yellow squashes or zucchinis, chop those also, but they’re optional. Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Chop 1 or 2 plum tomatoes. If you don’t like tomatoes, replace this part with a sprinkle of lemon juice or zest. If you go the lemon route, just add this ingredient after everything is cooked. Continue reading →

Please Pass the Sheep Butt

/ Karina Pinella / Leave a comment

Ages ago I drove more than 10 miles just to look at a free-range chicken. It wasn’t even a live one; it was frozen. Those were the times when antibiotic-free meat or chicken was a rarity. It would cost an arm and a leg to buy a lean, but clean chicken that wasn’t an antibiotic addict. As a student with no cash flow at the time, I could only stare at the chicken and weighed the costs in my head. Do I spend the rest of the day panhandling for a healthy meal, or do I go back home and eat whatever there is and do my homework? Continue reading →