In case you were wondering...

...I'm still pregnant!  No, I didn't have the baby and forget to post about it. ;)

Everyone keeps hoping I will get "the burst of energy"/nesting instinct that means I'll have the kid soon.  Not really happening, I've just been feeling enormous and lazy.  But I have been cooking!  If you were to come to my house right this second, there's a nice garlicly smell throughout.  There are black beans in the slow cooker.  Here's the  recipe:


Frijoles Negros (Black Beans) in the Slow Cooker

Use this as the base for a pot of soup, or eat the beans with rice,
use them in a black bean dip or refried black beans.

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed, drained and picked over to remove debris
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
8 cups low-sodium  vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tabasco or other hot sauce

Place beans, cilantro, onion, garlic and broth in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 12-14 hours, or until the beans are soft.
(The range in cooking time is because it is difficult to overcook
these, so you are safe leaving them longer.)  Taste and add salt and
pepper, and a squirt of Tabasco, if you like.


The recipe is from Dorothy Reinhold, who has a great blog called Shockingly Delicious.  She has not posted the recipe there, though, it was on an email list.

Here is my vegetable broth recipe from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery).

Vegetable Stock:

4 small/medium unpeeled potatoes, quartered
4 small/med carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 apple, seeded and chopped
2 T apple juice
2 bay leaves
18 peppercorns
15 cups water

Put all in large pot and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, then run through strainer/colander to get the stock. Freeze what you don't need for recipe. It's not an exact science. If you have extra of some vegetable or not enough of another, throw it in.

Because I'm weird, I like to eat the mushy potatoes & carrots leftover from the stock.  Mmmm, yum!