Winter Cooking with Coconut Milk

There hasn't been an update on this blog in a bit, because I haven't been doing much.  Unless you count writing a 47-page user manual and other similar "fun" stuff as worth hearing about.  :)

That is has been mostly cold should come as no surprise.  Temperatures have generally ranged from just above 0C down to -16C or so.  But mostly in the -4C to -9C range.  So given that, I haven't been doing much on the weekends that would be worth showing, unless you like lots of pictures of snow.  And if you do, there are bunch of those from last winter on this blog.

So I have been doing a bit of experimental cooking in order to find new hot dishes that I might like, and that would be easy to make.  And honestly, I'm getting tired of the same places for my take-out lunch, so some left-overs would be welcome.  So with that in mind, I present two of my recipe experiments below for your consideration.


Coconut Beans and Rice Recipe

2 Cups Red or Black Rice (I had red)
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Pineapple Chunks
1/2 tsp (or less) Sambal Olek (Indonesian Chili Paste)
2 Bananas (sliced into small pieces)
Coconut Milk (I had a 1 liter box)
Curry Powder

Wash and rinse the rice and add to a small pot.  Open can of pineapple chunks, drain juice into rice pot.  Add additional water as necessary, then cook.  When rice is cooked, place in a medium pot.  Drain can of beans, rinse off separately, then add to pot with rice.  Add the small amount of chili paste and curry powder to the mixture, then add coconut milk until pot is filled to a level just below the combined rice and beans.  Stir, put over medium heat, and let simmer.

Heat until the coconut milk is about half absorbed / dissipated.  Add pineapple chunks from can and 2 sliced bananas and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.  Once the coconut milk is nearly absorbed, the meal is done.  Set aside for a bit, stirring occasionally, to let the remaining coconut milk absorb or solidify a bit.

While still hot / warm, serve in a bowl.  It's a combination of sweet and spicy that is very good.  If you don't want the spicy bit, you can leave the Sambal Olek out entirely and it should still be good.

Coconut Oatmeal 

This is just regular oatmeal (not the instant or Quaker Oats stuff) cooked in coconut milk instead of water.  I had some coconut milk left over from the recipe above and tried this.  It was fantastic.  If you have some fresh fruit like blueberries or strawberries, it would probably be even better.  I didn't have those, so I went with banana and a very small amount of brown sugar. 


So that is what I have been up to this winter so far.  Nothing exciting.  I'll add a new post when something actually happens or if I get another random idea that I feel like inflicting you with.  :)

Have fun!
 

Revisiting a prior post + Florence and the Machine

In June of 2012 I had a post about Poznan's attempt to set a Guinness record for the number of paper lanterns launched.  I had a few pictures, but no video.  However, I recently stumbled across an video on YouTube where someone took video footage from the launching of the lanterns and overlaid the song Cosmic Love from Florence and the Machine.  I thought the video footage was very cool, so I thought I would add this post with a pointer to the video.

If you aren't familiar with the band Florence and the Machine, you should give them a listen.  I'll post a few more videos from YouTube below from the band.  The lead singer, Florence Welch, is this generation's Annie Lennox in my opinion, in that she just has an incredible voice.

Happy New Year! (7 pictures)

As I found out last year, New Year's Eve (known locally as Sylwester because it is Saint Silvester's Day) ends with a bang in Poland.  The fireworks that you can legally buy here as a civilian is shocking compared to what we are used to in most (if not all) of the United States.

I managed to grab some pictures this year that came out (unlike last year).  Unfortunately they all have the power lines for the tram running across the picture because the pictures that came out were of fireworks on the other side other side of the bridge I was standing on.  I also have a video, but I need to figure out how to reduce the size because it's around 275MB and I can't upload it here when it's that big.  If I figure out how I will update this post.

Remember, these are all personal fireworks.  And there are so many of them that people have bought that they get set off for hours.  I was able to see some going off not long after it got dark around 5pm.


Anyway, enjoy the pictures.  I hope you had a safe and happy New Year.