Urban Simplicity

These are a variation of a few different vegetarian/bean burgers I've made and posted somewhat recently, and a play on the classic New Orleans red beans-and-rice recipe. While this recipe is equally delicious it is a bit more labor intensive than my other vegetarian burger recipes (but not really) in that you have to cook rice before you make the burgers. Now I know that if you are a native New Orleanian or have Creole/Cajun roots you will disagree with this recipe. But I mean no disrespect and it is--I believe--really delicious. I've been lucky enough to visit the Crescent City on more than a few occasions and had fallen in love with it at first glance. The first time I was there in the mid 19-80's I was traveling with a friend and pretty much survived on red-beans-and rice for a couple months (which was 99 cents at a local restaurant), and plenty of Dixie beer, too. Anyhow, I hope you try this recipe; it is easy to make and really delicious.


New Orleans Red Beans-and Bro…

Urban Simplicity.

A book bag, a camera bag, and a large box full of food on its way to a local food pantry.

Urban Simplicity.

A gym bag full of wet clothes and a case of red wine.

Urban Simplicity.

Howard Thurman  November 18, 1899 – April 10, 1981
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls." 
“During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism.”
"It is very easy to sit in judgement upon the behavior of others, but often difficult to realize that every judgement is a self-judgement."
“Often, to be free means the ability to deal with the realities of one's own situation so as not to be overcome by them.”
“And this is the strangest of all paradoxes of the human adventure; we live inside all experience, but we are permitted to bear …

Urban Simplicity.

A camera bag, a book bag, a professional cutlery set, a pint of pasta d'oro con fagioliand a few chicken fingers.

Urban Simplicity.

This is an easy and delicious variation on the classic pasta dish, pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans), which is often meatless but when it does contain meat it is usually pork. In this particular recipe I used smoked turkey which offers some of the smokiness of bacon or other pork products. I also added a healthy pinch of saffron, which gives it its lovely golden hue (hence the d'oro title). As usual, this recipe is not carved in stone and is just a suggestion; use whichever flavor combinations you like. And while this recipe is scaled to serve a crowd it can be halved (or quartered) and freezes well also. But something tells me that after a taste there will be no need to freeze it...


Golden Pasta with Beans and Smoked Turkey (pasta d'oro con fagioli) Makes about 6 quarts
1 pound dried white beans 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound smoked turkey, diced 1 small onion, diced 4 ribs celery, diced 2 carrots, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon basil leaves 1 tea…

Six cardboard boxes (boxes within boxes), a book bag, a camera bag, and two loaves of freshly baked yogurt-tahini bread (recipe soon to come).

Urban Simplicity.

One of the many things I like about digital photography is that unlike film photography you can shoot as many photos you want and choose only a few that you really like. This was the case this evening. I shot about 25 photos of Hoyt Lake and Marcy Casino at Delaware Park and these two are my favorites. What I like about these two are the color contrasts. This was achieved by not only long exposure but also the light around me. The blue in the sky was the result of the time that I was there-- l'heure bleue, which is one of my favorite times of the day--and the red foreground is from a series of lampposts, which are just out of view but shone on the water directly in front of me.


 Urban Simplicity.

All I have to do is listen. But that, to me, is sometimes the most difficult thing...

More fortune cookie philosophies
Urban Simplicity

Okay. So if you have a garden--or even if you don't--now is the time to seize summer's bounty. Whether you grow it yourself or purchase it at the store, the time is ripe for summer vegetables. And when the vegetables are as perfectly ripe as they are right now, eating them raw (or some lightly cooked) with the simplest preparation is the way to go. The below recipe is just a guide. Use whatever vegetables and herbs that your garden or local market has. But here's how I made mine.
Raw Summer Salad Dice a perfectly ripe tomato--or two if you're eating with someone else--and as much cucumber as you think you'll eat. Combine it in a bowl with a few slices of raw onion, a minced garlic clove, a sliced hot pepper, a handful of chopped parsley, and also basil. Sprinkle the salad with sea salt, then drizzle it with a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil and good quality wine vinegar. Gently toss together and taste summer.
Urban Simplicity.