It is almost October. The mornings are cold (and dark) when I get up to run, and even though the temperature still rises to the mid-to-high seventies during the afternoons, it is time to face the facts: summer is coming to an end.
This is difficult for me to come to terms with. There is not a whole lot in this world that I dislike more than winter. So while the sun still shines, I figured I might as well write a post about adzuki beans, the main ingredient of one of our favorite summer meals.
Adzukis are small red beans, originating in East Asia, and often used in both sweet and savory dishes. They are pretty easy to cook; that is, they seem to require less soaking and cooking time than do other beans I prepare. Still, the creation of our summer adzuki bean dish requires a fair amount of planning ahead.
I start by soaking the beans, usually overnight, even though most websites say you don't actually need to soak them that long. Then I rinse and boil them. I use my patented foam skimming technique to make them digestive-system friendly, but that is probably not really necessary. These beans rarely have much in the way of foam on top.
I cook them until they are tender, which probably takes 45 minutes give or take. After rinsing them and letting them cool a bit, it is time to add the stuff that makes it delicious.
I add a ton of chili powder and some sea salt. I stir that up and then go for the vegetables: chopped tomatoes, peppers, green onions, cilantro, and avocado. Avocado is key.
This is probably one of my all-time favorite meals, though unfortunately, William will not eat it.
I guess it doesn't look all that pretty, but it tastes really good. As you can see, it makes a gigantic quantity, so we usually eat it for 2-3 nights in a row (and there's enough for me to take for lunch as well). I douse mine with hot sauce. I try to remember to take out some of the beans before I add all the vegetables and set them aside for William. He will eat adzuki beans if I mix them up with rice or quinoa, just not once I've added all the chopped vegetables to them.
I did not invent this recipe on my own. The inspiration for this dish comes from Healthy Green Kitchen. The original recipe has a lot of other suggestions for how to prepare adzuki beans, but I've never tried anything other than the chili powder, avocado, peppers/tomatoes/onions creation. Just about the perfect thing to eat on a hot day.
Thanks for reading!
3 comments:
YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!! what time do you serve??? i'll be down!! luv you, mama nan
This looks delicious. Totally made me hungry in the middle of the night (was reading your blog while feeding Anna)! Now a few days later I still think of making it. :)
Alena-- wish I could send you some :) Hope all is going well with Anna xoxo
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