Playing catch up/Heirloom beans/Chanterelles

Woooo! Lots of stuff to talk about.  Oh and Happy New Year!  

I hope you all had a great holiday season.

Dave and I got a new mattress set from his parents for Christmas.  Huge surprise to us!  I can't thank them enough!  I guess we had been complaining alot about the sink hole in the middle of our bed.  Ha!  So our new mattress is a memory foam one with an organic cover.  Nice. To tell you the truth I was never a huge fan of the foam when we would go out and test mattresses at the store.  Being that this was the type they bought us I decided to have an open mind.  It didn't really take too long to get used to sleeping on it.  I guess it may be because our old mattress was so old and uncomfortable.  If I hop on the bed I don't spring back, at all, I just kind of clunk down on it.   It's actually pretty funny.  Do any of you have this kind of mattress?  I heard it can get kind of warm due to the foam but so far it's been nice and cozy because we don't sleep with our heater on.  We are planning on purchasing a cushy layer to set on top and hopefully that will help with any heat issue that may come up during the summer months.

A couple of my girlfriends came up during the holidays for the day and we exchanged gifts. 

Cute black/white lunch tote with a lunch container included, bpa free!  Then a homemade scarf and 4 bags of heirloom beans!

These beans are Ayocote Morado Beans (Purple Runners)

The place where they were ordered from is called Rancho Gordo.  The beans they carry are heirloom beans and the owners are part of the seed saving movement.  Not only are many of the beans grown up in the Napa area but they started a project with bean growers in Mexico that grow heirloom beans. By purchasing directly from the farmers in Mexico, Rancho Gordo can offer some beans we would never have been able to try out here in the U.S. and also helping those farmers continue to grow beans that have been around for generations.  It's a win win! Check out their story and order some tasty beans!

Rancho Gordo's site says that these beans cook alot quicker because they are fresher.  I totally agree on this.  I didn't even soak these beans overnight.  They plumped right up with a quick soak.  Dave, Keaton and I couldn't stop eating them straight out of the pot they were cooked in. 

In a pot I sauteed up some onion, garlic, red chili pepper, one tomato and a bit of cumin.  I then added water to cover and cooked for about 1 1/2hrs.  The juice from these beans came out so flavorful along with the beans.

Chanterelle Tacos

Sauteed Chanterelles

My first Chanterelle was had last winter on top of a pizza at Full of Life Flatbread.  

They were so tasty I couldn't wait to buy my own Chanterelles and use them.  These have a very earthy flavor to them. We did some reading up on where you can find Chanterelles and now we want to go Chanterelle hunting. lol!  If you know anything about these golden earthy gems you know that they are a bit pricey.  I usually see them for sale at about $12-$13 per pound.  Dave and I hit up the Farmers Market the other night right before they were packing up and we were offered 1 lb for $10!  She said they weren't too pretty and many weren't whole but I didn't care.  I cleaned these up and used them the next night as a filling for taco's.  I had a recipe from last year found in Whole Living Magazine.  The recipe is from Heidi Swanson over at 101 Cookbooks.  As a note Chanterelles are very moist so you don't need the addition of much oil or Earth Balance. I served these taco's along with the beans I mentioned above.  Awesome dinner.

Chanterelle Tacos

by Heidi Swanson

Whole Living, May 2011

adapted by JoLynn(dreaminitvegan)

Serves 4 Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 white onion, finely chopped

1 red chile, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Fine-grain sea salt

12 ounces chanterelles 

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

8 corn tortillas

Optional-chopped cilantro, taco sauce, or anything else you may want to add.

My advice with these tacos, less is more because of the flavor from the mushrooms.

Directions

1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion, chile, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until onions are translucent, 2 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, over high heat, until mushrooms turn deep golden brown and release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with oregano. Adjust salt if necessary.

2.Toast tortillas over the flame of a gas burner, turning with tongs, until crisp and blackened in spots. (You can also char them in the broiler.) Divide mushroom mixture among tortillas and sprinkle with cilantro.

Hope you enjoy and if you have used Chanterelles, how have you made them?  I can't wait to buy more I have some other recipes that I found that look fabulous!

My son Keaton actually got to go Chanterelle hunting with some fellow students from school on their hike club.  Mark, the adult who spear heads hike club, takes the kids out once a year mushroom hunting and then his wife cooks them up to enjoy,  He said it was alot of fun and the mushrooms were delicious!  I wish I could've gone. 

One more thing before I go.  I won a bottle of Ovega 3 from Urban Vegan over the holidays.  This came at a perfect time due to Dave and Keaton needing to take more DHA.  Each gel cap has 320mg DHA and a total of 500mg. Omega 3's!  Awesome.

Enjoy your weekend!