Vegetarians in Paradise
Ask Aunt Nettie

We're delighted to share our Aunt Nettie with you. She's agreed to answer any questions you might ask about vegetarian food, its preparation, and even clean-up tips. But we have to prepare you. She just might want to come right over to your house and help you fix dinner.

To send any questions to Ask Aunt Nettie, .

Dear Aunt Nettie,

I just got married to a man who absolutely adores spicy dishes. I need some ideas since my cooking tends to be sort of not too exciting. Any ideas would be a big help.

Friend in Need
Fran


Howdy there, Fran,

Well, darlin' you don't have ta turn yerself inside out ta come up with no fancy cookin' ta git yer sweetheart feedin' on fixin's that's all spiced up. I'm gonna give y'all one o' my easiest recipes that's sure ta set the innards a-fire. If all it takes ta make him happy is one l'il ole chile, why, darlin', you jes git yerself ta the market an buy 'em up by the dozen an start a-cookin'.

Yer ever lovin' Aunt Nettie


This recipe relies on chipotle chiles. These are dried, medium spiced chiles that have been smoked to create a unique flavor to any dish. If you cannot find dried chipotle chiles, use a fresh, diced jalapeno and add 1/4 teaspoon of Wrights Hickory Smoke Seasoning (liquid smoke).

CHIPOTLE BEANS Jalapeno

    2 medium onions, chopped
    3 cloves garlic, chopped
    1 14.5-oz. (410 g) can whole tomatoes
    1 medium dried chipotle chile, seeded and diced

    1 15-oz. (425 g) can kidney beans
    2 tablespoon lemon juice
    Salt and pepper to taste

  1. Combine the onions and garlic in a 3-quart (3 liter) saucepan. Cut or break apart the whole tomatoes, and add them and their juice to the saucepan along with the chipotle chile pieces.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down to medium and simmer about 7 or 8 minutes.
  3. Add the kidney beans including the juice and the lemon juice. Cook 2 or 3 minutes to combine flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve over brown rice or other whole grain. Serves 3 to 4.


If You Haven't Met Aunt Nettie. . .


Our Aunt Nettie has a head like a hard disk. It's filled with gigabytes of information about food and cooking. And she's just itchin' to share her learnin' with city folk who live in mortal fear of the stovetop.

Aunt Nettie grew up on the farm. She did not eat out of a can or reach into the freezer. There was no microwave to pop her food into. Everything she made was from scratch. All the food she ate was natural, without pesticides. It was grown right there on the family farm, and she had to cook to survive. At eighty-three years young she still leaps and bounds around the kitchen and can shake, rattle, and roll those pots and pans with the best of them.

Nowadays, Aunt Nettie just shakes her head and complains, "Nobody cooks anymore. They have no idea about puttin' a meal together." She's on a mission. She wants to help those younguns eat better so they can grow up healthy like her own eight kids.



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Vegetarians in Paradise