Efo Riro

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!

I have finally found a beans and rice recipe that is divine, heavenly, and out of this world! Three huge helpings for my young son certainly attests to the fantastic nature of this dish.

And... we found a use for collard greens that everyone loves!

The beautiful thing about collard greens is that they contain a remarkably higher calcium content than that of some other leafy greens.

One serving (1 cup) of cooked collard greens contains twice as much calcium as kale, equaling more than one third the recommended daily value for women (1000 mg). This is great news for those of us refraining from dairy in our diets.

Efo Riro (Nigerian Vegetable Stew)


You'll Need:
1 medium red bell pepper
1-4 hot peppers, depending on your heat preference
4 garlic cloves
fresh ginger, equal amount to the garlic
1 medium tomato
1 small red onion
1/2 cup water
12 oz chopped frozen collard greens (defrosted and water squeezed out)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 TBS curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

2 cups brown rice, uncooked and rinsed
black eyed peas, 2 cups dried or 3 cans

The Preparation Method:

Prepare dried beans according to package directions. Usually takes 5 hours from start to finish, so get this going around lunch time. Or take the easy road and use canned beans. In this case, simply put them on low heat just after you get the rice going.

Start the brown rice a-cookin'. Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add 2 cups uncooked brown rice. Add salt to your taste. Stir. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, simmer for 50 minutes or until rice is tender.

Chop bell pepper, tomato, onion, hot pepper, ginger and garlic.

Place in blender or food processor with 1/2 cup water.

Puree until smooth.

Add oils to the saucepan on medium heat.

Add curry powder and chicken bullion to hot oil.

Stir it in.

Now add blended mixture to hot oil. Taste the blend so you have a frame of reference for determining when the sauce is done. Stir to combine. Boil for 30 minutes over medium heat. It is fully cooked when the flavors are rich and complex.

Add defrosted collard greens. No worries if they're still a little frozen. The Efo Riro can handle it.

Stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes more.

Serve over brown rice and black eyed peas. Salt as needed.

Watch this video to know how I was feeling after tasting my first bite of Efo Riro. Continue watching to know how I was feeling after finishing my third plate!

New Beginning FGBC JHM Chorale - Glory Glory Hallelujah

Movie Theater Popcorn

Next time you and I are at the movie theater together, and you ask yourself, "Where did Judith go?"

No need to worry - you can find me over at the popcorn butter station. I'll be pouring as much synthetic "butter" over the top of my popped corn as I can before the person behind me kicks me off. 

I have a slight compulsion to get as much of that funky oil on those kernels as possible. So much so that when I get to my seat I ask myself, "What was I thinking. Soggy popcorn is gross." 

On the plus side, at least I get the whole bucket to myself! 

But last night, friends. Ohhhh, last night. You and I were not at the movie theater together. 

Rather, Dr. B came over to hang out with my husband. Sometime around 10pm a craving for popcorn rushed over me. 

Possibly it was due to the mad house cleaning I was doing so late on a Friday night in preparation for a baby shower I was hosting in the morning. 

Or perhaps the cravings struck because last time Dr. B was over he told us that he could make "the best" popcorn we've ever tasted. I needed to know. 

So the men took off for the store to secure the materials. They talked about riding Razor scooters. But I think they walked.

(Better Than) Movie Theater Popcorn

You'll Need:

5 TBS coconut oil, divided

1/2 C popcorn kernels

sea salt

The Preparation Method:

Melt 3 TBS coconut oil in your popcorn popping pot. Place three kernels in the pot. The oil is at the right temperature when all three have popped.

Add the rest of the popcorn kernels and close the lid for fear of sustaining a coconut oil injury. That stuff gets HOT! Stir it, shake it, allow those kernels to jump around. Once the rate of popping has slowed significantly, it's time to open it up.

In the meantime, you've melted 2 TBS coconut oil in another pan. Now is the time to drizzle that over the popcorn.

Add as much salt as you like. Shake it about.

Serve. And watch the progression. 10:52pm

11:01pm

11:04pm

11:26pm

And the chocolate chips make an appearance. It was a good night!

This song sounds like popcorn popping on the stovetop...

Far East Movement - Like a G6

Bulk Herbs & Spices

I was once again reminded today about the key to flavorful cooking on a budget... Bulk Herbs & Spices. I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my face when my dear husband walked in the door from his grocery trip yielding four herb refills for my spice rack.

Normally, I would be filled with a slight sense of dread as I add spice after spice to my weekly grocery list. This is the kind of purchasing that breaks the budget. In the past I was under the (false) impression that it was necessary to purchase herbs and spices in cute little jars for obscene amounts of cashola. It was only recently in my adult life that a good and trustworthy friend clued me in to buying my herbs and spices in bulk.

Knowing that I'm a thrifty woman, she told me that the experience will knock my socks off. She also warned me at how surprised I will be each and every time I come home with the bulk spices to fill up my cute jars paying only pennies for the contents.

Well dog gone it, she was right. It's been over a year now that I've been heeding her advice. Those spices come into my kitchen, I start filling the cute jars, my smile goes ear to ear, and I get so excited that I nearly jump for joy. My husband gets his ear talked off. "Can you believe these prices?" "How is it that I spent that much money on this stuff for so many years?" "How come I never knew about this?"

These two cute little jars prove the point. Marjoram = $0.32. Thyme = $0.76.