Beer Bread with Extras

This recipe is based on the beer bread recipe over at Honest Fare.  That place is one of my all time favorite food blogs.  It literally makes my day better when a new recipe gets posted.  Whatever, don't judge me.

I use this bread recipe all the time.  It takes approximately 3 seconds to prepare and is always good.  Really, it always comes out great.

Today I was hoping to combine some of the sweetness of dried fruit with the herb-y/earthy flavor of dried spices.  I used the basic recipe as posted (so I wont re-post it here) but I added in a scoopful of my favorite dried fruit muesli and a dash of oregano and sesame seeds and prepared it with Dogfish Head's Sah'tea beer.  I'm relatively local to this brewery and this is one of my very favorite beers they offer.  It fits right in with my love of rice and lentils like you wouldn't believe.

Later tonight I'm going to find out if I can use this bread to compliment a curried lentil salad and get that sort of sweet and savory flavor you get in the spiced curries that incorporate fruit into the mix.  Hooray!

Black Bean and Rice Cakes

I eat a lot of rice.
I'll add vegetables, beans, lentils, just about anything really.
So its not out of the ordinary that a couple of nights ago I made a big pot of rice and beans and hadn't gotten around to finishing them up yet.   Eyes bigger than belly and all that.
These bean cakes were made because I wanted breakfast and not lunch so I decided to try to make a savory sort of pancake.  And because I wanted to use my brand new skillet (thanks mom!). 

Recipe
*Keep in mind that I didn't measure anything, and you probably don't need to
-3 cups of leftover beans and rice
-a dash of water to loosen them up
-1 or 2 tablespoons of oil
-1/2 cup corn meal
-1 egg

In a big bowl mix together the rice, beans, oil and water.  The whole point here is to get the beans and rice evenly mixed up with no clumps of just plain old rice.

Get out a pastry cutter or potato masher and go to town.  Mash as much as you can but don't expect to get a uniform mixture.  Rice, apparently, hates being mashed.

Add in corn meal and mix until you have a stiff batter then add the egg and do it again.
*if your batter is too loose the cakes will fall apart in the skillet so don't be shy with the corn meal.

Generously spoon the batter into a hot skillet.  If its nonstick you will not need extra oil in the pan, but adding some will give the edges of your cakes that crispy-fried texture. 

Pan fry the cakes until browned and crisp on each side (about 1-2 minutes per side on my stove). 

Top the cakes with green onions, salsa, cheese, or whatever else you have kicking around in the fridge.  Mmmmmm.

Welcome!

Let's be honest.  A lot of people are broke these days, but everybody eats. 
In an effort to honestly cut down the amount of extra money I spend each month I am trying to waste less and creatively use more when it comes to my pantry. 

So here's the deal:
Each week I get a 1/2 share of a local CSA full of produce, a little bread, and usually some eggs.  In addition to this I will supplement with pantry staples and all the odds and ends I've picked up over time. 
I will not buy extra produce when I already have something similar at home.
I will not buy bread when I can make pitas or flatbreads at home.

You are all welcome to come along for the ride, the delicious discoveries and the not so great combos. 

Wish me luck!