Piñatas for Chickens

Malucho has invented the piñata for chickens. All the chickens are cooped up right now, because the young chickens are living in the tractor in the garage/barn and the grown hens are awaiting their chicken run, towards which Kate has done some amazing work. The little coop has been inside the garage/barn since February when we brought the little chicks home.

When we first brought the Anarquist home, we figured she needed a little quite isolation time before springing her on the recently bereaved Sister Xikn. For one thing, she'd never been handled and was a Wild Thing. For another, she's less than half the size of Sister Xikn, so we worried a bit about bullying. So we moved the tractor into the barn and spread some bedding. 

Chicken Drama, Part One

We’ve had two Rhode Island reds that we raised from little chicks, born around August 1, 2008. We named them Pío and Pío and referred to them as The Sisters and occasionally Big Sister and Little Sister. Both JJE and Ktrion sang sister songs to the chickens "Hey Sister" from The Color Purple and "Sisters" from White Christmas. The Sisters have been producing large beautiful brown eggs since around February 2009.

We lost Little Sister three weeks ago to a predator and this loss has had a depressing effect on the whole compound. Big Sister escaped with only a few broken feathers, but she had lost her closest friend and nest mate. She's gone through a rough period of shell-less eggs. She's laid only one solid egg in the time since The Incident.

Fava Beans and Pasta

from Luz's DeColonial Cooking Club

I used fava beans from my garden! Fresh favas are in season now in CA. Find them at your farmer's market. (The Mexican markets in Oakland have them too!)


Pasta with Fresh Fava Beans, Ricotta, and Shredded Mint

2 pounds unshelled fava beans (about 1 cup shelled)
1 pound uncooked whole wheat pasta (penne or shells work well)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese [vegans, whip up some tofu]
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
Zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Easy Black Bean Tostadas

from Luz's DeColonial Cooking Club

OK! Let's build on the success of the chili beans and do another bean dish.

Black Bean Tostadas

2 cups dried black beans
1 onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic, diced

Spices
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. dark chocolate powder (I used dagoba brand, it is fancy and organic, you can use another kind if you can't find dagoba...they sell it at upscale markets and some fancy health food stores like whole foods)

Tostada shells (Guerrero or Los Pericos some other legit. Mexican brand, not taco bell!)

Toppings
2 cups finely sliced romaine lettuce (more nutritious than iceberg)
1 cup grated queso cotija (or other cheese)
1 tomato diced
2 avocados, sliced
Salsa (buy a good pre-made salsa from the store)
Organic sour cream (optional)

Luz's Healthy Three-Bean Chili

from Luz's DeColonial Cooking Club

1 onion
3 cloves garlic

Spice Mix (make it yourself)
1 TBSP Paprika
1 TSP Ground Cumin
1 TSP Dried Oregano
1 TSP Ground Coriander
2 whole chipotle peppers (dried)
1/2 TSP Cinnamon

1 cup dried pinto beans
1 cup dried small red beans
1 cup dried black beans

Organic Vegetable Broth (or just water)
I large can chopped tomatoes

Toppings: Cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado

Luz's DeColonial Cooking Club

My students want to learn how to cook easy, healthy meals for themselves and their friends. To help them out, I will post at least one recipe a week.