Family Reunions

We gathered in GA this weekend for Shane's dad's family reunion. They are really great people and we don't get to see them nearly often enough. We had lots to celebrate -- several new babies in the family, Shane's mom's retirement, and healthy journeys for some of us. We made a plethora of food -- BBQ chicken on the grill, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, baked beans, mac and cheese, 2 potato salads, 2 slaws, an amazing black bean salad, fresh fruits, fresh veggies. . . . .it was awesome. Of course, my mother-in-law (bless her heart :~) felt the need to tell everyone there, "That's Tonnye's weird food. . .it's okay if you don't like it. . ." She really meant nothing by it -- just her way of informing everyone that it wasn't "normal" food (at least in her estimation...) I did try to explain that just because it's something I can eat, that doesn't automatically make it weird. Many of the recipes I make and the food I try is stuff that "normal" people eat every day. And indeed, several people really did enjoy my "weird" food. Isn't it funny how we get locked into our own definition of "normal"? I was guilty (and still am on a multitude of levels. . .) Whatever WE don't eat is "weird" or "not normal". But in reality, our human tastebuds prefer a wide variety of food. I am thankful for the journey that I've been on and the fact that I have learned to eat food that, I, too, would have considered "weird" or "not normal" a couple of years ago. And, honestly, there is still a lot of food that, would be okay for me to eat, but I simply prefer not to. WE make decisions about our food on many different levels. As Rachel Ray and other Food Network gurus will tell you, "We eat first with our eyes." We don't want to eat things that don't LOOK good. We also don't want to eat things that don't TASTE good -- and that differs from person to person. I, personally, don't eat things for emotional reasons -- like deer, rabbit, etc. -- it just hurts my feelings to do that -- lamb. . . .no. . . .if I had pet cows or chickens, I guess I would have to become a vegetarian for real. We all have emotional ties to food that make us want or not want to eat certain things. Then there are budgetary considerations and dietary considerations. . . .time of day issues. . . .growing up, I often ate leftovers for breakfast -- vegetable beef soup for breakfast? yes; spaghetti sauce on toast for breakfast? yes, did that, too. . . .cultures, family, geography, and many other factors determine what we eat. Of course, the most important thing is that we eat healthy. But it is also great fun to try out new foods and new recipes. . . .Today, I'll share the black bean salad recipe that I made for the reunion, and you can decide for yourself whether it's "weird" or not :~).

Black bean and Cilantro Salad with Corn


4 Tb white vinegar
4 Tb olive oil
1 t salt
1 pkt of stevia or 1 tsp honey
1 t black pepper
1 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small bag frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
1 lb bag of black beans, cooked, cooled, rinsed, and drained
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup red ripe tomatoes
4 spring onions (scallions) chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (for more heat, leave in white ribs and seeds; for less heat, remove ribs and seeds)

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix vinegar, oil, salt, sweetener, black pepper, ground cumin, and chili powder. Set aside.

Drain and rinse corn and black beans. In large bowl, combine black beans, corn, peppers, tomato, cilantro and onion. Toss with dressing. Garnish with additional cilantro and/or tomatoes, if desired. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

This recipe makes approx 24 servings. You can half it by doing half a bag of corn, half a bag of beans or using cans of corn and cans of beans. You can switch out the sweetener for whatever kind you use, leave out the jalapeno, leave out cilantro if you don't like it. . . .etc. Don't be afraid to play with your food. I'll tell you this recipe is a keeper at my house -- we love it! I hope you do, too! And maybe you won't think it's too "weird".