these are some tastes I experience from home

Chili Oil 🌶

1 cup canola oil

3 tbsp chili flakes

pinch of salt

Heat 1 cup of canola oil in a small sauce pan at medium heat. Add in the chili flakes and salt. Once you see bubbles from the chilis cooking,  turn the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. 

Let the oil cool and store it in a glass container.  

Quinoa Salad 🥗

1 cup quinoa

1/2 cup dried beans (such as black or red)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 onion

4 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1tsp salt

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder (or black garlic )

...

1/2 tsp black pepper

5 roma tomatoes (about 1.5 cups diced)

1 green pepper diced

handful of cilantro chopped (add any herbs here)

Prepare the quinoa and beans

If you are like me, then you often cook dried beans, lentils, quinoa, and similar staples. I cook 1 cup of quinoa with 1.25 cups of water (a sprinkle of salt, too) in my pressure cooker for 1 minute and let it naturally release. I cook dried black beans and red beans covered in water in my pressure cooker for 30 minutes and let it naturally release. Make sure you rinse your quinoa and beans before you cook them! Of course, you can use canned beans or cook the quinoa and beans on your stove.

Prepare the flavor

Chop 1/2 an onion into small pieces that you wouldn't mind eating. I chop the onion pretty well because I don't like eating chunks of onion. Add in the ingredients from the list which begins with "1/2 onion" and ends with "1/2 tsp black pepper". Mix it well. Let this sit on the counter until everything is ready to be put together.

Assemble the salad

After the quinoa and beans have been cooked and cooled, mix them together in a large bowl. Add in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Mix in the diced tomatoes and green pepper. Mix in the onion and spices. Add the cilantro and any other herbs you like. I like to put this in the refrigerator to cool before eating. 

Coffee ☕️

Roast and grind the beans

You can roast the beans until you reach the darkness you prefer. You can bake them in the oven at 475 degrees Fahrenheight for about 18 minutes. Mix them every 3 minutes so that they roast evenly. You will hear the beans pop! This results in a medium-dark roasting color. For a dark roast, you might need to roast closer to 22 minutes to reach a dark roast. You should hear the beans pop for a second time (after some resst time from the first popping session) and see oils coating the beans. This is a sign that they are done!

After roasting, shake the beans around in a metal strainer or colander until cool and the skins have mostly come off.

Once they are completey cool (I wait about 30 minutes.), you can grind the beans. I have a manual burr grinder that I use to grind them to a medium grind. You can use an electric grinder or look up other methods (such as using a mortar and pestle).

Brew the coffee

15 grams of ground coffee

275 grams boiling water

You can use a french press to bew the coffee. I use a mason jar. Rinse the bottom of a mason jar with boiling water. Add the 15 grams of ground coffee to the mason jar. Add in the 275 grams of boiling water. Swirl the jar to mix everything and then cover it. Let it brew for 5 minutes. Pour the brewed coffee through a sieve or filter. Enjoy! ☕️

Sourdough Bread 🥖

200 g bubbly starter 

300 g water

250 g flour 

200 g flour

6 g salt

Add 300 g water to a medium-large bowl. Add in the 230 g of bubbly starter. Mix the water and starter with a whisk until the mixture is consistent. Add in 250 g of flour and mix it with a whisk until smooth. Cover this bowl with a towel you've rinsed with hot water and rest for 30 minutes.

Uncover the bowl and add in 200 g of flour and 6 g of salt. Fold this mixture from the outside in with a silicon spatula until you reach a smooth dough texture. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a hook attachment. This might take up to 10 -15 minutes or longer to reach the proper texture. Cover the bowl with a towel you've rinse with hot water. Let it rest for 3 hours. Fold the dough with the spatula every hour and cover it again.

After 3 hours, prepare an area to work with your dough on a floured surface. I like to use a a mini-sifter to flour my counter. Plop the dough onto the surface and knead it into a tight ball. Then, plop it onto parchment paper. I like to let this rest for another hour or so in a covered bowl. The bowl helps it keep the ball shape. Alternatively, you can skip this step and cook with wihout parchment paper. You might want to let it rest an hour longer in this case.

When there are 30 minutes left of resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the dutch oven with the lid on in there, too. The dough should have risen a bit after two hours. Pull the parchment paper out of the bowl and place it on the counter. Use a mini-sifter (or your fingers) to dust the top of the dough with flour. Cut 2 perpendicular lines in the center of the dough ball and then cut 4 more lines between each of the crossing lines. 

Take the dutch oven out of the oven. Place the dough in the dutch oven, put the lid on, and then bake it for 16 minutes. Take the lid off after 16 minutes, and then bake for another 16 minutes. You can bake it longer for a darker crust.

I recommend placing your bread on a cooling rack to cool. Do not open the bread until it has cooled. Cutting it too soon will affect the quality of the bread after it has completely cooled.

Remember to turn off the oven. Enjoy!