The Diary of Mr. Samuel Marshmallow Pepys

‎Amy Reynaldo wants Tedra Osell and me to make Marshmallow Pepys happen. (It's a long story. Short version: Tedra loves Peeps. Despite this, I love Tedra.)

Well, I refuse to associate with those disgusting "marshmallow" confections, but the goal is a worthy one. Easter this year falls on Sunday, April 8; Lent begins February 22. Between those two dates, I will attempt to honor Ms. Reynaldo's wishes and will present a daily diary entry from one Mr. Samuel Marshmallow Pepys. You're welcome or I'm sorry, take your pick.

Dinner: Superlatash

So, my mom gave me this recipe twice, under two names and with two sets of slightly differing ingredients. I'm christening it with a new name, which is dorky but what did you expect? (It's sort of a succatash-like dish, but I hate succatash, so there you go.)

This version, I made with kidney beans (light or dark, your choice) and hominy; you can substitute black beans and regular corn if you like. I typically serve it with brown rice. If my kids were less picky, I'd mix in the rice at the start, but they follow a strict rule of food isolationism.

This meal is super easy, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, and packs in the protein. (I'll get a picture of it up here soon, but really--food is not easy to photograph well.)

Superlatash
1 lb. ground beef (I use organic grass-fed from the awesome Pettine Farm)
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt (might need more if you use Eden beans)
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
2 TB chopped parsley
16-oz can kidney beans (or substitute black beans)
16-oz can hominy (or use regular corn)
4 drops (give or take) SweetLeaf liquid stevia

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the beef, breaking it apart. Add onion and green pepper and saute just until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

So, a couple things:

• Beans. I try to use Eden beans, which (as of the moment) are the only brand that doesn't use BPA in their can liners. However, the beans are unsalted, so if you use Eden, you'll probably need to adjust the salt upward a bit.
• Stevia. I try to use SweetLeaf liquids when I can, as I think they have less of an aftertaste. But the key is to start on the low side, and adjust up SLOWLY. I start with four drops, mix it in, then see where I am. The original recipe calls for 1 TB of sugar, so go from there. I have made this with 1 TB of coconut sugar, and that works pretty well, too.

This makes 4 to 6 servings.

Happy Thanksgiving--and new post

My new post is up on "get born". In which I am neurotic, per usual.
xo
-L