Black bean-pineapple sauce

This was the day were I had to relay on my fantasy. I knew that there was an open can of black beans and that we had 3 pork chops in the fridge. That was all. What to do with that?
A look in my pantry showed some other cans and, I am determined to get rid of them before we leave. With the motorhome gone, there is not  much space in a van.....

So - do black beans go together with pineapple?
A quick glance onto the www.  Search words:  black beans, pineapple Go!
Yup! There was another lady online talking about a stew with these ingredients.

So, the possibilities were here, but not the ingredients. No bell pepper, no jalapeno chiles or squash.
It would have to do with what WAS there. And it did!

Very good indeed. There were no complaints from the "hubby front" either. :))

Ingredients for my version:

3 small pork chops, cut in stripes
vegetable oil
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small pumpkin, cut in slivers ( was too small to dice)
1/2 can of black beans
1 small onion, minced
1/2 glove of garlic (optional)
1/2 can pineapple, diced
beef broth
salt
black pepper
paprika powder
ground cumin
corn starch to thicken the sauce

Fry the meat stripes with some vegetable oil until they are browned nicely. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In different pan sauté the onions and garlic for a minute in a spoon full of oil. Add tomatoes and beans and sauté for another minute.

Fill up with a cup of beef broth and simmer for some more minutes.
Add pumpkin and pineapple pieces and wait until they are nearly soft. Season with herbs and thicken with starch (optional).
Served over fried pork on boiled rice.

Fresh baked banana bread

Leafs everywhere, I picked these the other day because of their nice colours.

This was the right day again to bake "the caretaker's banana bread" aga. (Look for the recipe at the very bottom of the input.)
What is nicer then sitting cosy warm inside and having a steaming hot coffee and a freshly baked slice of banana bread.

On the supper front: Noodles with tomato-meat sauce. Unfortunately the camera battery was empty when I turned to take a photo of my plate. :((

Salmon "Alfredo" Sauce

This dish is a real "fast-food". Done while the noodles boil.

When I served this noodle dish my dear husband started wailing: " I thought we would have salmon for dinner? Didn't you see the salmon in the fridge?"
I kept mum and we started eating.
After the first bite he looked at me and asked incredulous: "Noodles with salmon?"
"Well, you wanted salmon - this is "Gourmet Rotini Noodles with Salmon Alfredo Sauce!"
It is to say that NOTHING was left.

 

The sauce is basically the same as yesterdays, just add black pepper, tomato and parmesan.

Make a thick sauce and add the salmon pieces just about 5 minutes before serving.

Ingredients for 2

1 tblsp butter
2 tblsp flour
1 cup of milk
2 tblsp sour cream
1 tomato, diced ( i added one of my oven-dried tomatoes as well)
1 tblsp grated parmesan
1/2 pound salmon, cubed
salt
pepper
parsley
garlic? (optional)

Cook noodles as described on the package.

Done.

Creamed Cabbage

Cabbage in white sauce was on the menu today. Both of us grew up on this tasty winter food. Serving the cabbage covered in a creamy white sauce makes it very mild and not so "cabbagy".
How to:
For the interested reader:
Finely chop the cabbage and steam it in an inch of water and a pinch of caraway seeds until soft but not mushy.

While the cabbage cooking I prepare a simple white sauce from scratch.
Melt a tablespoon of butter and add flour into the sizzling fat. There should be enough fat to cover the entire amount of flour.

Turn down to medium heat and stir for a minute.

Fill up with milk. Continue to stir while the sauce is simmering and thickening. Season generously with salt and nutmeg. J.P. likes a spoon of sour cream added, but that is optional.

Meanwhile the cabbage is done. Drain the water and pour the white sauce over the cabbage and stir until all is well blended.

Serves with beef stew and boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes. J.P. loves it so much, he could eat it every day. (says he)
The red bits is bacon, by the way. My husband likes bacon a lot.

Ingredients for 2

1/2 head of white cabbage, finely chopped
water
1 tsp caraway seed

For the sauce:


1 1/2 tblsp butter
1 tblsp bacon bits (optional)
2 tblsp all purpose flour
salt
nutmeg
1 tblsp sour cream (optional)