http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sBff/~3/cfG9BJdqjPs/next-up-chicken-satay-burger.html

That's right, it's going to be a three video week! Stay tuned for this thrilling experiment in turning a fabulous Thai appetizer into a mediocre chicken burger.

Pea and Bean Stew

With the cooler weather coming in, it's great to have a hearty dish that can be whipped up in under 1/2 hour.  A few weeks ago I was given a jar of Feisty Mama Medium Salsa.  I had never tried the salsa before, because I don't eat raw onions and garlic, but the owner of Feisty Mama is a collegue of mine, and I use salsa sometimes to save time in cooking, so I was thrilled to receive a jar from her.  Before I put anything in my cooking, though, I always taste it straight out of the jar.  Let me say, that I was bowled over by the fresh taste of this jarred salsa, that tasted like someone had just made it.  Kudos to you, Debra, for coming up with a recipe and technique to make this salsa so refreshing and fresh-tasting.  If I ate salsa and chips, I would get on that website and order a case! 



http://www.feistymamasalsa.com/

You can see from the label that the salsa is all natural, and fat free.

If you plan on cooking with salsa, you need to use at least the medium hot kind, and even the hot, if you want the spice to shine through when you are done cooking.  I prefer, not spicy, so the medium worked fine for me. 

In this 'chili' type stew, I used frozen baby peas, frozen baby lima beans and canned kidney beans.  I loved this mix because the canned kidney beans are soft and velvety, while the lima beans are firm and a little grainy, and the peas, which were barely cooked, sort of pop in your mouth.  The mix was terrific.   To make the stew spicier, you can add more salsa, use the hot salsa, or you can add the salsa just before serving to preserve the spicy taste.  These are all variations you can use to make the stew the way you like it, and after all, that's part of the point of cooking something yourself!

Here are all of my ingredients: 
For 6 servings
2 jars of tomato sauce
1/2 cup Feisty Mama Medium Salsa
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
1/2 - 1 cup of canned pumpkin ( in the baking aisle, but make sure it isn't filling that contains brown sugar, etc)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
1 cup frozen baby peas
1/4 raisins
water, as needed

In a medium saucepan, combine the tomato sauce, salsa, kidney beans, pumpkin (adding the larger amount makes it thicker and sweeter) and spices. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the lima beans, cover and cook for 6 minutes.  Add the baby peas and raisins, and cook for 3 minutes.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve within 5 days. If you want the stew to be thicker, you can always boil it uncovered until it is thick enough.  If you want it thinner, add some water.  The stew gets thicker as it sits, and up to 1/2 cup water may need to be added.  It also gets milder as it sits, so take that into consideration.  I like it best the day after I make it.

We like the stew served over brown rice, with cheese and sour cream, or in tortillas.  I thin it a little for the rice variation, and leave it thick when using for tortillas.

Alaska Diary Day Two

What a difference a day makes! I've never been as happy to see the sun as I was on day two of my Alaskan adventure. If it had stayed grey, I would have missed on some truly spectacular scenery.


Even on sunny days, it's not a bad idea to wear the de rigueur Alaska footwear, Xtratuf boots.


In Cordova there are just three processing facilities (plus a 4th very small one) where the salmon is cleaned, cut and prepared to be shipped out. In the Summer kids from places like Slovenia, the Czech Republic and the Ukraine come to live and do the work American kids don't want to do. Even the roe is harvested and graded and prepared for export. Sport fisherman can bring their freshly caught fish in to be smoked or canned.


You know you're in Alaska when a garage has a seaplane and moose hanging in it.


Speaking of planes, I thought we would heading straight into grey, but that wasn't the case at all.


A flight is the best way to see the varied terrain including mountains, marshes, inlets and glaciers.


Especially the breathtakingly beautiful Sheridan glacier where locals go ice skating in the Winter.


The next moment wilderness.


And a close up look at the waterways.


The harbor, our hotel and town, all visible at once.


On route to the airport, foraging for delectable wild cranberries just means pulling off the road.


A drive through a deeper-than-expected puddle led to a stall and subsequent rescue from some locals who quickly got under the hood. Literally.

I was already a fan of Copper River salmon before this trip, but my appreciation for the people and the way of life in Alaska increased exponentially over the course of 48 hours there. Alaska gets under your skin. But if you can't come for a visit, enjoy Copper River wild salmon and know you are supporting a sustainable fishery and way of life for a special community of Alaskans who live in harmony with nature.

A huge thanks to Copper River/Prince William Sound Marketing Association for hosting me in Cordova. Please see Alaska Day One if you missed it...


MORE!
Post from Missy Trainer about our foraging for wild cranberries.

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