while many parts of america may be stepping into summer, we here in california have been "blessed" with unseasonably cool & wet weather. thunderstorms. downpours. a general deluge. great for the reservoirs, kinda crappy for outdoor playdates, lounging on the deck, running on the grass. instead we run around the house making massive messes, all the while wearing swimsuits on our heads. no really, we do. see?
anyhow, we needed a summer-inspired dinner in order to boost our sodden spirits. and all i had to do was poke around a couple of favorite blogs in order to find it.
so i give to you gorditas with easy beans... the dinner of the past two nights here at the valley girl home, with enough leftovers to get us through lunch tomorrow. i followed the recipes pretty exactly (doubling both), though i used dried beans instead of canned for the easy beans. kicking the canned bean habit is a recent (6 month?) development around here. i always feel proud when i cook something with dried beans, since it does require a bit of advance planning. it's the whole domestic goddess thing--to actually know what's for dinner before 5 o'clock rolls around = success in my book. additional bonus points for reducing packaging waste and not serving my family a side of bpa with their food.
in the ever-evolving, spirited attempt toward a can-free kitchen, i also made my own creamed corn for the gordita batter. um, wow. not so good for my diet but super, super tasty. i haven't had creamed corn in at least 10 years but i sure don't remember it tasting so fatty & rich & generally delicious. yum.
the spinach and cilantro atop the gorditas were from our garden. this has been our first time growing any type of salad green and i must say i am 100% hooked! pretty & easy & healthy (to combat all of that creamed corn)--what's not to love? we've got to plant another few rows soon.
thankfully a bit of sun is in the forecast soon. i hope so--someone veeeeery close to me has a thirtieth birthday coming up next week. gulp.
3 comments:
those sound delicious! thanks for sharing the recipe...i've been in a bit of a meal rut lately.
I've been following your blog for a couple days now...and I'm very interested, I must say. You even inspired me to make my own yogurt, and my husband fell in love with it.
His Mom and Dad have an organic farm, and his mother makes her own yogurt from their goat milk. He was in Heaven when I made him some yogurt.
My mother never really let us eat canned veggies...or anything out of a can, for that matter. She always canned her own veggies and sauces. I'm the same way. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I open a jar of my own tomatoes from my own garden and make my own sauce for pasta...or mash my own potatoes or use my own garlic.
Kudos for you for taking the long route. It feels great when your family appreciates your cooking and your hard work.
Wow, that meal looks divine! I've been following your blog for a while, and I have to say I'm a little envious of how capable you are. I've just started out transitioning my family into a greener, more organic lifestyle, and I feel like I'm doing a puzzle blindfolded! It's a bit more challenging than I anticipated. So I have to give you kudos for things like using dried beans, and making creamed corn from scratch.
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