Sunday Supper - Cuban Black Beans with Red Rice

To make the Cuban Black Beans:
1. In a heavy pot heat 1 diced yellow onion, 2 diced carrots, 2 diced garlic cloves and 2 diced celery stalks. Add 1 1/4 cumin and cook in 1 tbs oil until fragrant.

2. Add 1 lb dried black beans - soaked according to package instructions and drained. Add 8 cups of water, and bay leaf and a small bunch of cilantro stems tied together with kitchen twine. Reserve the leaves.

3. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender and liquid has thickened - about an 11/2 hours.

To make the Red Rice:
1. Heat 2 tbs oil in large sauce pan. Add 6 scallion whites and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Cook, stirring until softened.

2. Add 2 cups rice and stir until grains are opaque. Add 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, 1 8 oz can tomato sauce, 1 tsp chili powder, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

3. Bring to simmer and cooked covered for about 30 minutes.

Serve together.

Helpful Hint: This recipe makes about 7 cups of beans so you can use as a dip or spread for sandwiches, filling for a quick tortilla, or freeze for later use.

Adventures in Banking - Blueberry-Orange Cornmeal Muffins

I'm noticing a pattern in my continuing baking quest - The product is tastier but looks increasingly ugly. Oh well! So I decided to make some muffins for breakfast this week. They tasted really good but looked less than perfect - see above.

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line muffin tray with paper liners. Whisk together dry ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1 cup cornmeal , 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

2. Mix together wet ingredients: 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt, 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp orange zest and juice from one orange. Combine wet ingredients with dry - make sure to not over mix.

3. Toss 7 oz of blueberries with 1 tbs flour. Fold into batter and divide among muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.

To make them last longer I freeze them individually and take one out each night to thaw for the next morning's breakfast.

Where to Eat - Twenty Five Lusk

I am super behind on my blogging but the good news is I have an awesome backlog of great dinners I've had in the past month or so. The first spot is Twenty Five Lusk in Soma. This place is huge. The dining room's upstairs with a cool open kitchen and the lower level is a very modern bar scene. The service is great with an equally large and attentive staff.

The kitchen sent the above amuse, which was super refreshing and yummy. It consisted of grilled pineapple with red bell pepper and micro basil. Also worth mentioning - and perhaps my favorite part of the meal - was the amazing goat's milk butter they served with their bread. Simply awesome.

We had the oysters for our first course and they were first rate. They were coupled with crayfish and an avocado sorbet. The creaminess of the sorbet was the perfect compliment to the salty oyster liquor and pepper of the mignonette. My brother was worried the crayfish would overpower the oysters but we were pleasantly surprised it just added another dimension of sweetness without overshadowing.

For my entree I had the soft shell crab with lobster tabbouleh topped with fennel and stewed tomato. The portion was huge. It was a bit excessive but I was able to save one of the crabs and some tabbouleh for a sandwich for lunch the next day. The soft shell crabs were cooked perfectly with a great snap on the outside and juicy inner meat. The crayfish sauce was tasty and a sweet compliment. The tabbouleh was a bit under seasoned but the lobster was tender and delicious.

I love a place that sends you out a little something sweet to munch on with your bill. These cream puffs - yes I had eaten two before snapping the picture - were no exception. Tiny bites of deliciousness. Next time I'm leaving room for dessert.