Like Tex Mex For Hippies

With temperatures just starting to settle back in the 80's it is cool enough for me to consider cooking something for dinner that doesn't need to be served cold but still grumbly enough, much to Jen's dismay, that I will occupy much of the evening complaining about the heat. Curses to the Tour de France for chaining us to our heat-emitting plasma screen television for three or more hours a night. I wish that we could TiVo the Tour de France and watch it during a more hospitable season, say the Fall. Unfortunately it is hard enough to get through a single day without having the results spoiled for us let alone several months.

Besides, I don't think I could put off seeing another hard-hitting exposé on gear-shifter technology hosted by Frankie Andreu.



To use up the remaining southwest themed ingredients I cooked up some quinoa, served it on some toasted tortilla, and topped it with salsa, black beans, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. I also drizzled it with fresh lime juice. It's like the type of thing that they would serve at Chili's if a bunch of juice-hippies got lost on their way to their food co-ops and wandered in, demanding to be served at gunpoint. The cooks would pronounce the ancient grain KWIN-OH-AH and the hippies would condescendingly correct them between sips from their hemp milk mojitos.

Other menu options may include: Chia Crusted Jalapeno Poppers, Tequila Lime Texturized Vegetable Protein, Baked Chili Millet Cakes with Jicama Slaw, and Kamut Burgers with Spicy Black Beans and Saffron-Roasted Tomatillo.



As an accompaniment for this meal we had the two beers we purchased on the day of our seven mile hike through Portland at Shipyard Brewery. We purchased matching beer glasses and this may be the only time they are used as vessels for the beers they advertise. Part of me wishes that like one of those trendy Belgian beer bars we had a wall full of glasses to match every beer we served. It would be yet another layer on top of the excessive ceremony we already incorporate into our nightly meals.

As is my custom I made way too much quinoa. So much, in fact, that I may turn it into a mash, distill it, and see if I can make some sort quinoa-based vodka. I can market it exclusively to hippies who like to make mixed drinks. I think I could even knit a tiny drug rug for it as a cool marketing gimmick.



Who's with me on this one?