Surprisingly satisfying

I woke up this morning exhausted.  I fried a plantain for breakfast then went to my son's class to help dry food for the winter as the Lenapes would have to prevent bacteria from causing the food to rot.  There were three stations - corn meal (removing corn from the cob and grinding), beans (stringing green beans to hang), and something to do with squash.  It's really something else when you think about how hard they had to work for food.  I was able to string quite a few green beans because I used to do my daughter's hair in two-strand (aka Senegalese) twists, but in the 45 minutes we worked, we hardly had enough for one meal, let alone an entire winter. We do not have to contend with picking surplus food for preservation. Instead, industrial agriculture allows us access to "fresh" produce all-year-round with no regard for seasonality.

When I returned home I got started with the grading...the story of my life from now until December...I do have stuff to read for my own research - this is why teaching is a major distraction from the pursuit of a doctoral degree.  I was feeling weak, so I decided to make lunch.  My plan was to make a hearty soup but I think I have something more akin to a gumbo.

I began with my famous - onions, garlic, tomatoes - added jalapeños (the kid's dentist grows peppers and the last time we were in, I brought home a pound of assorted hots), cilantro, cumin, seasoning.  I pureed that mixture with my stick blender and added broth.  The soup looked and tasted flavorful, along the lines of a tortilla soup.  Then I added pinto beans and basmati rice to complete the protein.  I hesitated with the rice because I was afraid it would expand (rightly so because indeed it did).  Then I knew I needed a corn product if I was going to keep with the Mesoamerican theme (how is it that corn was such an intricate part of their balanced diet but we have managed to degrade corn into a feared filler?) so I went with cornbread.

It just so happened that I had avocados for my smoothies (a Lebanese drink, kinda like a milkshake), so I decided to venture into the realm of guacamole for a topping.  It actually didn't turn out bad - cilantro, red onion, chili pepper, lemon juice (it would have been a bit more authentic to have lime juice, but I don't have any limes) and of course avocado.

Together, the soup, the guac, and the cornbread were surprisingly satisfying.