Soak dry black beans (jack rabbit brand is my mother’s favorite) over night then drain them and cook for about an hour (try them) in boiling water. Reserve that batch of liquid, and maybe strain it to get the really dark colored water.

Sautee chopped onions garlic pepper (including hot and bell peppers to taste), garlic goes in last. Add spices: cumin, oregano, bay leaf, tumeric (little), salt, pepper. If you buy the goya sazon envelopes these will give a very authentic flavor easily. Get the ones without achiote or safron. Add two of these. Add a splash of white vinegar. Add a splash of red hot or similar sauce to taste.

Next add in the cooked beans and incorporate. Finally add in rice and water from the bean water in reserve in proportion to the quantity of rice, and simmer on low covered until rice is cooked.

Bacon optional. Can be topped with a little more vinegar.

Here are a few summer vegetarian recipes. I am looking forward to trying harpy cuisine and love recipe exchanges;-)

Sauteed corn and cherry tomatoes

3 ears of corn
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
garlic (1 clove)
balsamic vinegar (1-2 tbsp)

Remove corn kernals from cob. Saute until corn gets slightly brown. Add garlic and tomatoes. Sautee a minute or two more, then add balsamic vinegar. Cook until vinegar is mostly evaporated. Serve hot or cold.

Balsamic pickled beets

Peel and slice beets very thinly. Add balsamic vinegar and let beets pickle for at least a day. The will soften up a bit. Eat and enjoy. I like them in salads, and the leftover vinegar makes a good salad dressing.

Other rituals are supply shopping (check), ordering books (check), and getting the student planner from the school bookstore with the academic calendar and MAP before the bookstore is swamped with undergrads (check).

I’ve never been a fan of clothes shopping, I’ve always had a hard time finding clothes that FIT that I like. My mother, in her awesomeness, saw that both my sister and I did NOT like clothes shopping so we got new bookbags every year – it was something we could look forward to doing to prepare for school. I don’t by a new bag every year anymore, but I still look every August.

As a Jew, the start of school falls serendipitously close to the High Holy Days. For me, the excitement of returning to school was always mixed with the pleasure/boredom/contemplation of the holidays. And, of course, checking out what everyone was wearing was part of the temple ritual for my mom and me. My dad was too busy schmoozing to pay attention and my brothers were generally indifferent.

Here is my recipe contribution, although it’s of no use to beet haters. I also don’t have precise measurements cause this is just something I throw together.

Peel and chop about three good-sized beets into small cubes.

Season the beets with salt and pepper to taste and saute them in olive oil over medium-high heat for a bit. Lower heat, add a splash of water to the pan, cover and cook about 20-30 minutes until the beets are tender. Stir them every now and again, and add more water to the pan if it’s looking dry.

In the meantime, cook some orzo pasta, cous cous, or quinoa depending on your preference. I usually do about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of cooked grains/pasta to three big beets

Once the beets are tender, add a few tbs of balsamic vinegar to the pan, along with some finely chopped green onions (I usually do an entire bunch b/c I like green onions, but you can add less or even omit if they’re not your favorite). Heat through.

Mix the beets into the cooked grain/pasta along with some crumbled feta or goat cheese, and a few handfuls of coarsely chopped arugula or spinach. Taste, and add more balsamic, olive oil, salt, and/or pepper until it tastes yummy to you.

Super easy Veggie Recipe for tired people who have work to do all day and don’t need to think about fancy cooking

White Bean Polpettine

400g cannellini or other white beans
parmesan cheese, freshly grated about 40g or to taste
2 tbsp of chopped Italian parsley
nutmeg, grated to taste
salt and pepper
I egg beaten
1 tbsp of olive oil
dried breadcrumbs

drain the bean, rinse them and mash roughly
mix them in a bowl with parsley, parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg
beat in the egg
mix in the breadcrumbs gradually until the mixture is firm enough to mold
shape into patties
coat patties with more breadcrumbs on each side
heat olive oil in non-stick fry pan
cook patties for about four-five minutes on each side (or until golden on each side)
Serve with a nice salad – I like a greek one with feta, tomato, olives, cucumber, arugula and a lemon dressing.

Kirstin, I love that Bento site, and make my long-suffering husband cute Bento lunches to tide me over until my kids start school (Um, Dear? Why is my rice shaped like a bunny?).

I was never a shopper, so my memories of back-to-school shopping with my mom aren’t happy ones. But the school supplies and lunches still make me smile.

And Claire, your recipe looks super yummy and I want to make it right now.

A very summery recipe that’s surprisingly delicious, and a different way to prepare zucchini when you’re already sick of it.

Sautéed Shredded Zucchini

Ingredients:
5 medium zucchini (about 8 oz. each), ends trimmed
1½ tsp. table salt
2 shallots, finely minced
1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1-2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Shred the zucchini with the shredding disk of a food processor or a large box grater. Toss the zucchini with the salt in a colander set over a medium bowl; let drain for 5-10 minutes. Wrap the shredded zucchini in a kitchen towel, in batches if necessary, and wring out the excess moisture.

Add the zucchini to a medium bowl and toss to break up any clumps. Add the minced shallots and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and toss to thoroughly combine.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the zucchini mixture to the pan and distribute in an even layer. Cook without stirring until the bottom layer browns, about 2 minutes. Stir well, breaking up the clumps, and cook once more until the “new” bottom layer browns, about 2 minutes more. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles, who adapted it from Cook’s Illustrated

Instead, I will spend the weekend before classes cleaning, organizing, grocery shopping, cooking, drinking too much wine, shaving my legs and painting my toenails (not necessarily in that order) since it will probably be the last time until fall break that any of that gets done! This will be one busy semester.

I found a great web site chock full of vegan Bento Box ideas
http://justbento.com/