The belly rules the mind

That's an old Spanish proverb. It's real old. Like all proverbs. I mean who's got time to write new ones?

Anyway, I've said it before but I'll say it again - I am really only ever concerned with my next meal. I make weekly meal plans. A new recipe finds itself pinned under my fork 2 or 3 times a week. Cooking is how I relax after work and how I most enjoy spending time with the raddest people I know. I care about where it comes from and how it came to be before it began it's journey to my stomach. Hooray for food!

I read a lot about food and the agriculture industry. I watch way too many documentaries and spend too long in the grocery store making decisions, but it pleases me. I hope some of my recent findings please you too! Some exciting stuff, some scary stuff & eye candy too.

I found out yesterday that the first zero-packaging grocery store in the US might be opening right here in Austin, TX! Sometimes when I get excited I will stammer and then say 'there are no words!' but thats a lie. I always have words. If I don't have something to say please lean in and check for a pulse, okay? So, here are my words - this is fucking amazing. Pardon my french, but that is how I feel. They need donations to make this happen though. I am going to toss $50 their way because imagining a store with out brand names and logos and goofy mascots competing for my attention and my pay check just makes me giddy. To think my pantry could be free of these things as well - eek! It means a world with a little less marketing, which don't get me wrong, great marketing really turns me on, but these days we do not get a free moment. Something is almost always blatantly or subconciously trying to get our wallets out of our pockets. It's exhausting and wether we realize it or not it fills our heads with crap that ultimately does not serve us. It forces us to make decisions about things we may never even purchase, causing stress and anxiety in small yet affecting doses. I'd rather just get to the point. Filling my belly with the good stuff while I stop contributing to the landfills that will not always be out of sight and out of mind. And now fine readers In.gredients

Now, on a less thrilling tip.. Here are some terrifying maps! One showing the locations of Americas top 8 burger franchises, the other of places where bars out number grocery stores. I feel that there are some errors on this map because Austin, TX does not show up as a hot spot. If I tried to name every bar in this town it would not only be boring, but exhausting to boot.

Okay, it's gross but... Feast your eyes on this (for a larger view just click on it).

The only thing I like more than food is good illustration. When I found They Draw and Cook my heart skipped a beat! Then I thought 'Damn it! why didn't I come up with this?' but that's a bull shit thing to think (pardon my french again! I have potty mouth today). Seriously though who cares who came up with it, just that it exists! There plans to illustrate some of my favorite recipes and I will surely let you know when I submit them. Until then, here are a few of my favorites! (again, if you want to get up close and personal just click on the images)

Well, I'm stupid hungry now and I turn into a betch when I'm hungry and I don't want to subject you lovely people to that.

xo,

Bonnie Rue

p.s. Remember, you can eat off my plate if I can eat off of yours.

Crush Alert!

Allow me to introduce Hilah Johnson - the lead singer of one of Austin's most bad ass local bands, The Hot As Shits & the host of Hilah Cooking! Bust out your bar wear, slip into your favorite apron and get ready to learn and laugh your ass off! She's Hilah-rious!
...I know. So very cheesy.. I couldn't help myself.

Here is a little teaser video where Hilah will teach you how to make one of my favorite adult beverages of all time ~ The Michelada!



xo!
Bonnie Rue

p.s. This is not becoming a food blog. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a spork in my eye.

Soup, Beautiful Soup

Last night I found myself at Emo's watching PJ & The Bear. I was happy to see my dear friend Pat there too. Like it happens with friends as you get older you see less and less of eachother. People get busy, move further away, blah blah. Pat is generally on tour which is pretty exciting. At least I don't see him because he is doing something interesting.
So, we get to visiting, catching up & what not. Pat informs me that he's been cooking a lot! This is very exciting because he once was a typical bachelor, consuming only things made out of potatoes, or worse - coffee, beer & cigarettes. He tells me that he's into soups. Says he's makes a killer tortilla soup. I don't think he knew this, but I am a "Soupie" & as such I challenged him to a "Soup Off". Heck Yes!
Today I was thinking about it & I dug through my recipes to see which soup I was going to put in the ring & I decided on this awesome Indian bean soup.
It's really tasty & pretty unique I think. So I wanted to share the recipe with you.
For a split second I thought that I should not post the recipe until after the soup off, I don't want show my cards ya know? But I'm pretty sure Pat doesn't read my blog, so here we go.

Indian Bean Soup
serves 6

Ingredients:
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups potatoes cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips
1 1/2 cups chopped turnips aka rutabaga
2 sticks celery chopped
2 medium zucchini sliced
1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp mild curry paste
5 cups veggie stock
1 14 oz can black eyed peas (drain and rinsed of course)
handful chopped cilantro to garnish

here's what you gotta do:
Heat up the oil add all the prepped veggies except for the zucchini & the bell pepper.
Stir it up for 5 or so minutes then add the garlic, coriander, paprika, & curry paste
cook & stir for another minute

then ya gotta:
Stir in the stock, season w/ salt & pepper to your liking. Bring to a boil
cover & simmer over low heat for 25 minutes

after that:
ya gotta stir in your pea's, zucchini & green bell peppers. Cover & cook for
another 15 minutes.

this next step I feel is optional, but it does make for a thicker texture (if you are into that sort of thing):
transfer a little over a cup of the soup to a blender, puree that shit &
then put it back in the pot with the rest of your delish soup.

now you are done. Grab a ladle - serve it up, top it off with some
cilantro & TAH DAH!
Dinner :)

if you decide to make this soup please let me know what ya think.
I made it a week ago & Austin ate it all up so fast that I didn't get a chance to take pictures... there will be Soup Off pictures though. You can be sure of that!