An ode to Winfrey...

Winfrey is a good good friend from Pittsburgh. She's a complete individual. She's lived in Montana, Africa and China, embraces new experiences and talks so straight, that sometimes it can be mistaken for criticism. But I know she has every one's best interests at heart and is just trying to make her way in the world and create a life that is interesting and satisfying to herself. Winfrey is 31 years old and has a young daughter and teacher husband. She lives in a hip little business district of point breeze, in Pittsburgh, and is a stay-at-home mom. She taught her daughter Isa how to sign before she could talk and is a big proponent of elimination communication (pottying from infancy), baby wearing (no strollers!) and vegetarianism (if not vegan or raw). Like I said, she's an individual. And Winfrey's my girl, she knows how to have a good time.

Plus, she's an avid cook. She's one of the first people I knew who really experimented with her cooking. She shops at the East End Food Co-op and really tries to buy what's best for her family.

These two dishes are Winfrey specials. I'm not sure that she will even remember the exact recipes, but I did, and now they are documented. The first is her mexican mix over rice and the second is peanut butter sauce over rice with kale and feta. Soooooo good.

So the first is her mexican mix over rice. Basically, it involves a bit of olive oil in a frying pan, and one large onion, diced, pan fried until soft. At the same time, start 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and boil. Then add a cup of brown rice, and then simmer on low for 40 minutes. Meanwhile add 1 - 2 cloves of chopped garlic to the fry pan. After another minute or so, I add about a 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a few dashes of red pepper flakes and a hint of hot sauce. Stir that up and then add a can of your favorite beans, drained. I usually use either chick peas, black beans or kidney beans. Add a can of diced tomatoes to the mixture, then salt and pepper. Not long before getting ready to serve, add a generous portion of fresh cilantro. Once the sauce has had time to combine and the rice is done, place some rice in a bowl and add the mixture over top. Grate a healthy portion of cheddar cheese and sprinkle over the top of the sauce. Add 1/2 an avocado and some sour cream and you are good to go. Again, soooo good. And look at the color!

Another favorite of mine from Winfrey is her peanut butter sauce over rice, with kale and feta.

Peanut Butter Sauce with kale and feta over brown rice.

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 medium sized onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp fresh lemon
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup H2O

Again, bring to a boil 2 cups of water for 1 cup of brown rice. When boiling, add rice, then bring to a simmer on low, about 40 minutes.

Saute' onions and then garlic in sesame oil. Add cumin, cayenne and hot sauce (I even add a dash or two of red pepper flakes). Then add soy sauce, peanut butter, maple syrup, lemon juice and water. Keep over medium heat until the mixture begins to combine and become smooth. Lower heat and stir until the mixture thickens.

Separately, take a generous handful of kale (a couple of cups at least) and add the juice of a 1/4 - 1/2 a lemon and some olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix with hands. Add cilantro to PB sauce right before serving. Place rice in a bowls and then spoon generous portions of the PB sauce overtop. Add a handful of kale and then throw some diced feta on top. The flavors are amazing!