Boiled Peanuts & Torta di Ceci (not together, though!)

Lots of varied & fun food activity today...

For lunch I made myself a salad with loads of goodies... baked tofu, kidney beans, red & green bell peppers, cucumbers, beets, carrots... Very tasty indeed!

Then, this afternoon I finally got around to cooking up some raw peanuts that I got at the farmers' market on Wednesday. I made BOILED PEANUTS! yum yum yum!! I hadn't ever had boiled peanuts until I went to North Carolina to visit family about 10 years ago or so. Now I am a real fanatic, and boiled peanuts are one of the things I most anticipate on trips to the South. If you have never had a boiled peanut, it's sort of like a peanut-flavored edamame.

To make your own boiled peanuts, it's best to have some fresh raw peanuts. Pop 'em in a big pot full of salty water and boil away for 1-2 hours. You'll have to add more water from time to time, and also start checking after an hour or so to see if they need more salt in the water or if the texture seems done to you. They should be soft & salty.

This batch turned out so perfect and delicious. I couldn't stop taking pictures.

For dinner tonight I made Quinoa Salad and Torta di Ceci. The Quinoa Salad recipe I used was from "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. There's red bell pepper, pine nuts, golden raisins, chopped dried apricots, cilantro, quinoa and lettuce, all with a Lime-Cumin-Cilantro dressing. It's REALLY good!

Torta di Ceci is an amazing and delicious number that all vegans should know about! I first learned about it from my friends in Livorno, Italy. It's a bit of regional specialty there... and you can go out at 2 in the morning and find places selling warm slices. It's a torte made with garbanzo bean flour, water, salt and olive oil... and sprinked with black pepper. It's so insanely delicious, and also quite easy. Here's the recipe:

Torta Di Ceci (also called Socca in France)

• 1 1/2 c garbanzo flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 1/2 t good olive oil (plus a little extra for the pan)
• 2 c water
• black pepper

Whisk together the flour & salt, then whisk in the water and olive oil. Let stand at least 2 hours, and as long as overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 12-inch tart pan (or pizza pan with 1 inch rim) with olive oil. Pour in batter and bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is crusty, lightly golden, and possibly cracked.

Sprinkle on generous amounts of black pepper and eat hot (or at least warm!)

Enjoy!!