To accompany our cuban black beans (which have sea salt, lime, and cilantro, I believe), I made a coconut rice in the rice cooker. It was one can of coconut milk plus one and a half cups of water (for a total of 3 cups of liquid) added to a cup and a half of rice, plus 1/3 cup of sugar (optional). I kept a close eye on it, because it can scorch at the bottom with the sugar added - but there's just something weird about having coconut and it NOT being sweet.
On the side, we were supposed to have a ripe mango, but when I cut into it, it was brown. We were all very disappointed. However, a huge victory in the avocado department. I always buy three when I need two, because it's virtually guaranteed that one will be brown inside. I go for a slightly hard avocado and let it ripen on the counter for two to three days, which works well for us. Last night - aha! All three were fantastic!! My third daughter was gleeful and ate a whole avocado by herself (a favorite since infancy).
Always making an effort to try new produce, we decided to use a recipe in my new cookbook and have plantains. One ripened faster than the other, so we got a good mix of some that were sweet and some that were more savory. Everyone liked them except #3, who would much rather have another avocado. Dad was surprised at the taste, which we expected to be more banana-y, but was deliciously squash-like, slightly sweet, slightly savory. I squirted some fresh lime juice and a bit of sea salt on them out of the pan and it really heightened the sweetness inside. We'll do this more often!
For this photo, we have #4's plate - she's just 3, so she doesn't get a whole lot. The contrast of spicy beans, creamy avocado, and sweet rice made for a perfect meal!
Now, I don't normally make dessert. Growing up, my Grandma made it every night. I lived with her for several years and I am still in awe of her abilities as a cook. After a great, balance dinner, we would always have a freshly-baked dessert. Many nights it was pie, and it ran the gamut - everything from coconut custard to lemon chiffon (my personal favorite). She made cakes with the staple Dream Whip frosting and many recipes seemed to favor Jell-O products heavily. Since my girls can't have artificial coloring, I have to really do it from scratch, which means more kitchen time. Now, don't get me wrong. I love food, I love cooking. But, sometimes - with a toddler and preschooler underfoot - I don't love it as much.
Baking something like cake, which isn't something we should have every day anyway, is something I reserve for birthdays and special occasions. But, today, since Daddy was home, I indulged them a little and made coconut cupcakes. The frosting is non-hydrogenated shortening by Spectrum, which was accidentally purchased in mass quantity last winter, topped with some of the remaining shaved coconut in the pantry. I love using my Pampered Chef icing gun for cupcakes. We had a cup of Peet's decaf as well, which cut the sweetness perfectly.
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