Taco Tuesday On Board!

We’re settling into our favorite mode of cruising - get somewhere lovely, set the hook, and proceed to do a whole lot of nothing, really. Set up the foil board, the paddle board. Put the outboard on the dinghy. Go for lazy beach walks. Take lots of weird photos of things in the water. Bring home treasures like an intact bucket, an overwhelming number of pearl floats, and, by this current count, 3 FADs. Remove some plastic from the atoll AND get useful items? Win win!

*Jeremy takes apart a FAD, harvesting useful parts*

It’s also been blowing HARD, with some rain to accompany the wind. Had to roll up the awning so it wouldn’t self-destruct, which meant we lost the more-directed flow of water into the waiting bucket. Still, though, we caught over 5 gallons, enough for a load of laundry.

Of course, through all of this, we’ve been eating. With no freezer aboard, we’re largely enjoying a bean-based diet, spiced up with the occasional jar of home-canned meat. Dried beans are perfect for many reasons, not the least of which they’re incredibly space efficient. We’d heard that black beans are impossible to source in French Polynesia and so stocked up in Panama. We’ll see how long the current stock of 10 pounds lasts us . . .

What are some of our favorite meals?

There’s pasta with garlic and beans.
Indian-inspired (and Ann on Halekai inspired) extravaganza.
Bean chili.
Sloppy joes made with black or du puy or pardina lentils (ones that hold their shape).
Falafel.

*Indian-ish extravaganza, complete with fresh naan*

And then there are sweet potato black bean tacos. These never fail to elicit groans of appreciation.

Corn tortillas are the preferred delivery method. You can, if you’re in a place where it’s possible, buy those, or you can (if you’ve stocked up on the base ingredient of masa harina) make your own. Spoiler alert - the recipe is simple. The technique, not so much.

*I need a LOT of practice making these!*

Black beans: 2 cups of cooked black beans (1 can, or 1/2 c dried beans you’ve cooked to done-ness). Sauté chopped onion in a splash of olive oil. Maybe add some chopped green or colored peppers. Cook these until they’re soft, then stir in some chopped garlic. Let that cook until it smells amazing. Add in cumin, oregano, paprika. Stir that around. Splash in worcestershire sauce (optional) and a glug of cider or red wine vinegar, and let it cook down for 30 seconds or so. Stir in the beans and then maybe a cup of water. Simmer for a while, covered, stirring every now and then.

Sweet potatoes: If you have fresh ones, I’m envious. (We haven’t seen them since Panama, and are making do with dried ones from Harmony House. Better than nothing, but not quite the same.) Peel and cube sweet potatoes, 2-4 of them depending on size. You want the cubes to be pretty small, maybe close to the size of the beans. Toss these with chili powder and paprika, maybe some garlic powder if you have it. Heat some oil in a skillet or sauté pan and add in the sweet potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are done. (You can also roast them in the oven.)

Pumpkin seeds: THIS IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT. Don’t skip if you don’t have to! Toast some raw pumpkin seeds in a skillet until they’re beginning to smell good and are turning brown. Pay attention to these as they can, like any nuts, go from just-about-done to burned-to-a-crisp in about 5 seconds flat.

*Beans, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seeds. Queue the dancing taste buds!*

Shredded cabbage, grated sharp cheese, salsa, and sour cream (or yogurt) are the perfect toppings.

Gee, thanks. Now my mouth is watering.

Taco Tuesday for the win!