Simplified Haitian Rice 'n Beans

Growing up with a parent who had spent a good part of her early adult life in Haiti I of course grew up eating pumpkin soup around New Year's Day and Haitian-style rice and beans. Both are fantastic meals, but rice and beans in particular I've rarely made because of how long they take, especially since moving to the PRC and being reduced to using one hot plate. (Overnight - or over-flight rather! - meals requiring more than one burner to make became time-consuming pains in the butt.) So I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize that I could probably make a modified rice and beans in my rice cooker! I finally had a light bulb moment today though, and what follows is how I went about bringing this great meal back into my life!

Firfir

Firfir isn't terribly popular with non-Ethiopians/Eritreans, but it has been an all-time breakfast favorite of mine since living in the Horn of Africa. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! This recipe comes compliments of my family longest-serving and much-loved የቤት ሰራተኛ, Imawaiyesh.

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

This is a blend of this recipe and this recipe with an addition or two of my own. It's combines some of my favorite things and is a new staple for me I think! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Vegetable Paprika Stew

I tried out this lovely vegetable paprika stew this week as part of my efforts to make my Lenten eating a bit healthier and reduce how much takeaway I eat. (It's one thing to get food delivered when my workday is hectic, but when it's my day off I really have no excuse!) I was working off of this recipe, but as I discovered at the last minute that I was missing key ingredients and in possession of others (namely a bottle of red wine from the weekend) I had to tweak it a bit. I hope you enjoy the results as much as I did! This recipe made eight good-sized portions, so if you're not wanting lots of leftovers you might considering halving the recipe.

Chinese-style Tomato Scrambled Eggs

Although I live in China, I don't cook much Chinese food because of how easy it is to get great takeout here. I do make a couple of simple dishes, however, when I'm not feeling like agonizing through a Mandarin-language phone call to one of the nearby restaurants for delivery or going out to pick up takeout from one of those same restaurants. (Laziness is sometimes a good thing!)

Tomato Basil Quiche

I'm not sure why I made this quiche to be honest, when I started making it I was singularly unexcited about it! But the end result was lovely, and I would definitely make it again! (Otherwise it wouldn't be getting posted here, that's for sure!)

Easy Pumpkin Pie

This is a quick and easy pumpkin pie recipe based on this recipe. (I added a couple of things based on my own preferences!) This does not include directions for the pie crust - I've got a family recipe I'm not allowed to share for that! (And to be entirely honest, when I'm in North America I go the easy route and just buy pre-made crusts! Quick 'n easy!)

Fried Cabbage and Sausage

An old-time favorite I haven't made in far too long! Enjoy!

Chicken Peanut Stew

This is inspired by West African peanut stew, which I first encountered in university thanks to a lovely Ghanaian friend. Since then I've only made it on occasion, but I've always been delighted when I have! The following is an adaptation of this recipe.

Syrnaya Paskha

This is my favorite Paschal recipe! As much as I enjoy kulich, kulich without syrnaya paskha ("cheesy pascha" in Russian) is just not that exciting. Like my kulich recipe, I've been making this so long that I've forgotten who I inherited this recipe from. (If it was you, dear reader, then remind me!) This makes plenty of syrnaya paskha - if you're not gifting any you might consider halving the recipe. This is an unabashedly americanized recipe and makes a sweet, creamy spread. Traditional Eastern European syrnaya paskha is made with творог or farmer's cheese and isn't quite as creamy or sweet (although I have cut the sugar if I'm remembering correctly).