on thinking, then acting

After plenty of prodding from plenty of people, I ordered the Desert Island Sampler from Rancho Gordo. My heirloom beans arrived in all their glory this week, and even I was shocked at my level of excitement for cooking dry beans when I got home Tuesday night.

First up? The Rio Zape beans, which (according to their package) had hints of coffee and chocolate. While mulling over what to cook them with, I perused Rancho Gordo's bean-cooking instructions. "Cover with water, broth, or beer..." Wait—notes of coffee in the beans? Wouldn't you know, I had two Real Ale Coffee Porters in the fridge! (Best. Beer. Ever.) Dare I use our most precious beer to stew beans? Since I've seen it bottled and on tap at many of our favorite spots lately, I opted to use half a beer for the beans. The other half? For the cook, of course.

So the other revelation (beer + beans being the first) I had that night was to roast my two favorite vegetables together. After my cousins cooked dinner for us (Amy made awesome butternut squash risotto and Callie brought this incredible salad, complete with roasted broccoli and lemon-poppyseed dressing), it dawned on me that maybe, just maybe, I could combine the two.

Without so much as an effort to Google whether it had been done before, I immediately chopped up the squash and threw it in a baking dish. The broccoli followed, and 40 minutes later I was mmm-ing my way through dinner. The beans turned out great; they weren't as different from pinto beans as I was expecting, but they were indeed quite tasty. I thought the real easy weeknight show-stopper was the vegetable side. I'm biased, since these are my favorite veggies, but.... It's still darn delicious. And it's gorgeous. The greens and the golds and the flakes of bright red—just lovely.

Spicy Roasted Butternut and Broccoli

1 pound broccoli florets, fresh or frozen

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons EVOO

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425. Chop up the veggies and toss in a baking dish. Mix evenly with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 teaspoon (or more, or less) crushed red pepper flakes. Give it all one more good stir and plop that baby in the oven.

Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until broccoli is slightly crisped and browned on the tips and butternut is fork-tender (or even softer).

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a new lease on life

January started with so much promise. We began the year with a joyful evening spent with close friends; we made promises to ourselves and to each other to start fresh, eat right, exercise, and do the Earth a favor or two.

And I'm pleased to say that January is delivering.

My husband came home with great news yesterday, news that means his unbelievably strong willpower and unwavering efforts in all aspects of health are paying off. I couldn't be prouder of him! I have found a new passion—one that makes me feel alive and vibrant and want to share it with the world—in yoga. Together, we're making choices that make us look and feel and act better. Healthy minds, healthy bodies, healthy spirits.

We have joined a new CSA and got a box of lovely winter veggies from Johnson Backyard Garden. I haven't turned to butter once for these perfect vegetables, and not a thing has gone to waste! We ate kohlrabi for the first time. We've been cooking beans in the pressure cooker (more on that when I get my first shipment of Rancho Gordo heirloom beans) and have been cooking more whole grains than ever before.

Did I mention that, at the moment, there are no dirty dishes in the sink? I'm on a roll, folks!

So! There you have it. A January success story. And with it, the success of our hyper-local dinner from last night. We've got sprouts growing in our raised bed, but they had to be thinned out. I harvested some of the rejects and dubbed them "micro-greens;" we pretended to be in a five-star restaurant and downed a beautiful salad with red and green baby romaine (from JBG), micro-greens from our own garden (turnip, radish, parsley, lettuce, and cilantro thinnings to be exact), a greenhouse tomato grown in Marfa, and homemade balsalmic vinaigrette.

Yes, it was amazing, but the tomato? Definitely a summer crop, not a winter one.

For the main course, we had a surprisingly satisfying soup, adapted from this white bean soup from Whole Living. In that same CSA box we got the most beautiful head of green cauliflower. I was quite resourceful and even used the leaves for this recipe! It's delectable, creamy, high in protein and nutrients, and low in fat. The leftovers are just as good if not better, and the tiny bit of parmesan? It's divine. You must not skip the parmesan.

Cauliflower, Broccoli, and White Bean Soup

1 small head green cauliflower (including leaves), chopped into bite-size pieces

1 cup broccoli florets (I used frozen)

2 1/2 cups water

1 15-ounce can canneli beans, drained

1 cup onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons EVOO

salt and pepper to taste

shaved parmesan (for garnish)

In a 3.5-quart pot or saucepan, bring the water to boil. With a steamer basket, steam the cauliflower and broccoli just until bright and lively. Drain—reserve the water—and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic and stir. Saute until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the beans and the reserved 2 1/2 cups steaming water, and bring to a simmer. Taste and season accordingly. Carefully add the cauliflower and broccoli. Remove from heat.

Using a blender, carefully puree the soup in batches. Return to pot, bring to a low simmer, and season to taste.

Just before serving, shave a few bits of parmesan on top of each bowl. Enjoy!

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and in this new decade....

Like most of the rest of the world, we sat with our friends just before the clock struck midnight to ring in the new year, and talked about what a year it had been.

What a year, indeed.

We started it engaged. We bought a house. We painted a wall for the first time in our lives. We planned a wedding. Then we had a wedding. We went to Mexico and swam in the ocean. I stuck with the vegetarian thing (it's been a whole year, can anyone believe it?!). We built a vegetable garden and planted our first seeds. We tried some new things, we had successes and failures. We shared our first holidays together as husband and wife. And in between all those huge things we did, we shared many adventures. There were bicycle rides and jogs and laughter and tears, and so much more.

It was a pretty wonderful year.

So, here comes 2011, and I have to be honest. I just put up the Christmas decorations today and I'm feeling a little empty, as is the living room. We don't have any huge things to check off our to-do list this year; last year was so full of huge life changes, it's hard to imagine what this year may hold. This year I think we want to travel; we want to be more healthy than ever (it's working this time, I promise); we want to learn new skills.

As for food, I want to continue what we've been doing, with a few small changes. We're starting to branch out a little and it's exciting. I hope that since I won't be so distracted, I'll have more to share here.

I'm learning how to cook with a pressure cooker, and soon I'm betting every one of you readers out there will order one. Pretty amazing stuff.

And, in about 60 days, we'll (hopefully) be harvesting the first veggies from our little garden. Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, and turnips await!

So, here's to wishing you the happiest year in 2011.

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