If cooking has taught me anything, it’s how to cover up mistakes. That’s my favorite part of cooking as opposed to baking: It’s never too late to fix things. I wanted to make a black bean and tempeh taco filling until I realized the tempeh I bought had barley and rye in it which I’m severely allergic to, so that was a no-go.

The second mistake that day was the chickpea flour “grits” you see in the top left of that plate. That’s what you get when you mean to make a tortilla but the batter’s too thin and never comes together. It actually wasn’t bad with a little seasoning and would have been even better with some shredded cheese or Daiya. See? Never too late to fix things.

So even if this wasn’t what I intended to make at all when I started cooking that day, it still tasted incredible. And isn’t that what matters? Oh, that and looks. Looks always matter.

Spicy Cocoa Black Beans With Kale

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 cup kale, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine the black beans and kale in a pan over medium heat with the oil already heated. Cover the pan for 2 minutes until the kale has steamed and changed into a deeper green color.

Remove the cover and season with the taco seasoning, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.

Serve hot into a tortilla wrap, taco shell, with rice or all by itself. Use a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt to mellow the spice if necessary.

I really like this, mistake or not. And that grits I could eat again and again with enough cheese on top. So don’t be afraid to make mistakes because you just might knock one out of the park anyway.

Here’s to March being the best month of the year. Since my birthday’s at the end of March, I figure there will be a lot of cake and cupcake recipes around then so I might as well start the month with something healthy.

Matt has mentioned on his blog and in his e-book about the combination of a grain, a green, and a bean. Well, my favorite grain is quinoa, bean is chickpea, and green is kale, so I thought I’d make a recipe with those three ingredients. And a little butter and honey never hurt.

Chickpea, Quinoa, and Kale Medley

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 1/2 cups chopped kale
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cook the quinoa completely either in a rice cooker or over the stove. Make sure there’s no excess water in the pot with it.

Add in the chickpeas and kale.

Next add to the pot the butter, honey, salt, and vinegar.

Stir until the butter has melted and it’s all one dish. Serve hot or cold as leftovers.

I don’t know whether it was because I was getting over the flu and started getting my appetite back or because I just love honey + butter but I think I broke a world speed record eating this.

Yeah, I hated it.

They say you need to eat a food 12 times before you learn to like it. I’m not quite sure how true that is, because last time I checked people don’t need that much convincing to like chocolate or peanut butter. But tofu is something I’m still learning to like, even after years of eating it. It can either taste delicious or fake depending on how it’s cooked. This is a great recipe because it’s flavorful and can be made in about 10 minutes with no pressing involved. This is one recipe that has helped me learn to love tofu.

Sweet And Spicy Tofu With Steamed Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 block of firm or extra-firm tofu, cubed
• 2-3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 bunch of kale, washed

Start by making your sauce. Whisk together honey, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and chili powder until it has emulsified.

Heat a pan over medium heat with enough sesame oil to cover the bottom. Once the pan has become hot, add in your tofu and cook for about 5 minutes until the outside starts browning and the tofu is heated through.

Pour in your sauce and mix the pan to coat the tofu. Continue cooking while the sauce boils down and thickens. As it cooks, the tofu should absorb the liquid and become a golden brown color. It will be done when all the sauce is absorbed.

You can either steam your kale on the side, in the microwave, or(like I did), add it on top of the pan in the last few minutes of cooking. Steam it until it has reduced to about half its original volume.

Serve hot and season with salt and pepper.

What about you? Tofu lover or hater? Any way in particular you like it?