Black Beans and Lemon Cookies

Tonight we had black beans over rice. Nothing too exciting, but the cookies we had for dessert were certainly worth writing about! The recipe was found here on Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. I followed the recipe exactly but didn't bother making the glaze and they were still lemony and delicious. They really were the most perfect cookie, for me anyway. I'm a fruit and nut kinda gal, hold the chocolate and give me some lemon zest any day and I'll be one happy camper.


Here's my recipe for simple black beans and rice:

1 lb. black beans
enough water to cover beans

1 onion
1 red bell pepper
2 stalks celery
2 cloves of garlic
1 shredded zucchini

2 tablespoon each lime and orange juice
handful cilantro
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste

First soak the beans for at least eight hours. I like to use my pressure cooker to cook the beans to save on time but you can do it however you like. While the beans are cooking chop all veggies and shred zucchini. Saute onion and celery in olive oil until onion is translucent. Add pepper, garlic and zucchini and cook for a few more minutes. When beans are done add veggies and lime and orange juice, cilantro, salt, pepper and cumin. Cook altogether for about 15 more minutes or until you feel the flavors have combined enough.

A hearty helping of memories

Tonight we had shrimp stuffed mirliton with yummy crusty french bread and also curry cauliflower soup! I know, it's kind of an odd combination, but it worked. The stuffed squash was taught to me by my grandmother Too-Koo. I would go to visit her after I got married and just marvel at her domescticity. She always had a meal waiting for you when you would arrive, and could whip up a jelly roll too while you were there. I loved our visits together. I watched attentivly as she worked busily all around me. Giving me small jobs to do like chop the parsley or put ice in the glasses. It was an unspoken understanding that she was sharing somthing of infinate value and worth. She was subtly instilling a love of tradition and heritage, of simple details that often get overlooked but it's what makes what we do as mothers and grandmothers (and fathers too:)) so darn special. So here I share what I learned from her on one of my visits, although there was no written recipe to follow. You need your inner grandmother to whisper the exact amounts like I did tonight. Good Luck and enjoy!!!

Shrimp stuffed Mirliton:

1 onion

1/2 red pepper

1/2 bell pepper

1 stalk celery

1 clove of garlic

2 green onions

1/2 lbs. shrimp peeled and devieined

3/4 cup toasted bread crumbs

1 tsp. worceshire sauce

dash of tabasco

tony's or just plain salt and pepper to taste

4 Mirliton or chayote squash

Cut squash in half and place in large pot, cover with water and boil until tender (about 20 minutes) . While that is boiling chop veggies and saute in olive oil and/or butter until soft. Add shrimp and seasonings (tabasco, worc. sauce, tony's or salt and pepper) cook until shrimp turn pink then add 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. When the squash is tender using a soup spoon scoop out just the meat of the squash leaving a nice shell and add the squash meat to the shrimp. Fill the militon skin with the shrimp mixture and top with remaining bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees until bread crumbs are lightly browned on top.

**You could use this same filling to stuff zuchinni or eggplant if the choyote squash is not available.