Culinary Adventure: Black Beans & Rice, Dominican Style
What can be better than cooking with friends? Recently Rosenny and I took over the main kitchen at the Center and headed out on a culinary adventure, cooking lunch for the whole office. She brought the beans, rice, and spices, and I brought fresh veggies from the farm market. We got things going, and pretty soon colleagues were drifting in, curious. This is the smell of the Dominican Republic, friends, said Rosenny. When the whole thing gets together, it’s going to be something out of this world.
This was mindful cooking. We drank in the colors, smells and traditions, spicing everything with smiles and laughter. The magic ingredient that makes these beans like no other is sofrito, a pungent blend of Cubanelle pepper, garlic, onion, cilantro, fresh thyme and spices. Click here for the complete recipe as we made it. The results? A low cost, nutrition-packed menu that easily served us all, of Texmati brown rice, black beans Dominican style, and a gorgeous fresh salad that smelled like sunlight, with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing.
The slides show the step-by-step, and the happy faces of our friends. Mmmmmmmm….! Even the dishwashers were cheerful.
Bon voyage!
ps– what are some of your favorite big flavor, low cost, feed-a-crowd, nutritious meals?
Meet Our Faculty: Rebecca Katz & The Cancer Fighting Kitchen
Our Food As Medicine Executive Chef and core faculty member Rebecca Katz, MS, has just come out with her second book dedicated to helping cancer survivors and their families with tasty, healthy, science-based recipes and food information. Called The Cancer Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery, it’s full of practical and delicious information. And who knew a book about cancer could be cozy and funny? That’s Rebecca. Reading her books is like sitting and talking with an old friend, in this case one of our nation’s most astute experts on supporting health during cancer treatment, what she calls ‘culinary Rx’.
She’s also the Queen of Yum. If you’ve been to our Food As Medicine trainings, you know, because Rebecca designs all the lunches. That’s the experiential part of the training: healthy food CAN be gorgeous and delicious. My colleague Alex ran down the street to our local bookstore and bought a copy of CFK the minute it came out, and has been cooking from it ever since, reporting back on her boyfriend’s verdicts (‘Fabulous!’ ‘So delicious!’). We’re teasing Alex that it’s like Julie & Julia — Alex & Rebecca. Rebecca doesn’t know it yet, but she’s got us all mesmerized! Visit www.rebecccakatz.com for lots of recipes and great info.
