A new year

Sorry I was MIA. The holidays and work took over at the end of 2008. But enough excuses already, its 2009.

2009 started with pinto beans, mexican cornbread & braised chard. A contemporary vegetarian new year's meal versus the traditional ham, collards & pinto beans I grew up on. It was delicious.

2009 will bring a new focus to this blog too. As you can tell I love cooking. I'm not a chef, but I'm passionate about food. It also excites me to teach people about the benefits of eating a particular food(s). I want to do that more this year. So look for more posts that explain why I'm cooking this for dinner instead of that.

I spent the weekend making soups, in hopes of having leftovers for lunch and dinner this week. Saturday I made a curry-coconut-sweet potato soup and Sunday, I made a simple split pea soup.

Coconut milk is a great alternative for cooking, baking or anyone following a vegan or dairy-free diet. Its high in fat, but its full of lauric acid which has antiviral effects. It helps lower cholesterol and prevents heart disease.

I have some coconut milk leftover, and I'm thinking a lentil dal with spicy cauliflower later this week (one of my favorites). Mmmmmm...