Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

I tried sloppy joes for the first time at a church camp when I was in 6th grade. I didn't know what they were called or what they were but I knew I liked them because I asked for seconds! =) Fast forward 10+ years and I made a vegetarian version of sloppy joes, courtesy of Rachael Ray. In my honest opinion, although they were VERY good (even my meat-eating sister liked it!), they didn't hold up very well making it very messy and difficult to eat. But food is food right?

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
serves 4
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (21-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 (15-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lime
4 hamburger buns
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook until they are tender (7-8 minutes).
2. Fold in the black beans, cumin, coriander and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.
4. Serve on hamburger buns with a side of dill pickles.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day passed, so this post is late in coming, but May is Mother's Month anyway and technically we should be celebrating our mothers everyday! Am I right? So I was in the middle of finals, which means I had no time to shop for a gift or do other chores around the house, so my sister and I threw a little dinner party for her. And by "little" I mean just our immediate family.

Flower Arrangements by the lovely Ms. Ann

Our family dinner part was cozy and charming. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate our mom. Speaking of my mom, she is the strongest, most brave person I have ever met. Yet, she is so tender, beautiful, and loving. She truly is my hero. I am the person I am today, because of her.

To celebrate her, I made baked tilapia and saffron rice adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Baked Tilapia with Onion and Lemon
serves 4
2 lemons, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 medium onions, sliced into thin rounds
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 tsp chopped thyme
salt and pepper for tasting
4 4-5 ounce tilapia fillets

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange lemons and onions in a baking dish. Add everything, except the fillets, and bake for 40 minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the fillets and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Saffron Rice with Tomatoes and Oregano
serves 4
pinch of saffron
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced
pepper
6 sprigs of oregano

1. Fill a saucepan with cold water. Add saffron and salt and bring water to a boil. Stir in rice and cook until rice is tender. Cooking rice in this fashion is very similar to cooking pasta. Drain rice.
2. Place rice in a bowl. Add butter, tomatoes, oregano and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

I also served a side of greens with a lemon dressing. For dessert, we had strawberry and green tea mochi cakes!

A lovely Mother's Day celebration for my lovely mother.

I hope you all had a wonderful mother's day!