Another weekend, and more heat

Day by day the sun is increasing in strength as summer approaches. Day by day the sweat factor increases although the heat doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

I went to a (rare for me) party Saturday night and ran into an old buddy I had worked with. What a surprise.

I met a delightful group of folks and had a great time. All work, no play makes this Mac a dull sort. A friend picked me up, now this was totally so not planned or in my Saturday night schedule which is usually an at home movie and early to bed. I hoped on the back of the motorbike with a shrug and ended who knows where for a couple of hours. I quite enjoyed the new conversation and was totally impressed with the friendly group. I taxied home and my poor friend, the one with the motorbike, well sufficient to say the bike is parked somewhere in the city and the owner doesn't remember where. Hey, stuff happens.

So not convenient when you've misplaced your wheels.

I am still quite a "foodie", did a lot of posts long time passing in praise of the mung bean which has become and remains a staple in my very tiny household. Mung bean soup, hummus, salad, fried mung beans. Truly a perfect bean without the usual problems associated with beans. High protein/mineral/vitamin content, the mung bean is a wonder food that is not well known. It should be. Perfect meat replacement leaving the diner without craving for something of substance.

Here's a quick mung bean soup recipe:

wash then soak the beans

when soaked for a few hours or an hour if you have a pressure cooker, start them off with at least three times as much water as beans

after pressure cooking for half an hour or so, give or take, depending on how long the beans soaked add what you love

lots of onion, two or three, carrot, garlic if you imbibe, tomato, any green veg, broccoli, collard greens, spinach, peas, green beans cabbage if you like it,  potato, squash/pumpkin, celery, add the seasoning you like. I am salt free but do enjoy ground pepper. If you like heat add some hot chili peppers. You can put anything in it.

Let it chug and bubble back on the burner away for another 20 minutes to half an hour, depending on how fast the veg cooks. If the beans have soaked for a shorter period of time you may need to add more water.

Hot and delicious, I like it with a hard seven grain bread. If you are a meat eater, the meat can go in anytime depending on the cut and the "tough" factor if it's beef. Chicken or just the chicken bones can add a wonderful taste if you're a carnivore.

Add any spice you like, I don't use bullion cubes (can't find any here without msg). Although I'm not completely vegetarian I make this without meat. I do add chicken bones if I'm sick with a cold/flu. It tastes excellent when fresh, even better day two or three. Sprinkle grated cheese on top if you like or croutons or even some sour cream.

Don't take my word for it, try it if you want a cheap nutritious meal in a bowl. It travels well for lunches. I eat it hot, cold, put it on bread (it kind of gets thicker by day two) and it is low cal high fiber and why didn't I discover this little green miracle food years ago?

I make a stone ground wheat pan bread that is a good companion. That's fast and easy. I put a lot of oregano and pepper in it and finely chopped onion in it. Good to go. The bread takes about two minutes prep and about ten minutes pan time using a hot fry pan. It's crumbly, I might try mixing a little regular flour in it to give it a more "bread like" texture, but it's fine if you like different bread.

Mac

The case of the missing plane gets more strange with each passing day. Heart goes out to the families and loved ones. The Nation, one of the English papers here, has an interesting editorial on six possible scenarios. A little clinical but very informative.