Black and Gold Steelers Rice Pudding

Only three more days until the big game! Are you pumped?!

Well, just in case you need something to get you extra excited, today I’ve got a black and gold Steelers dessert for yinz guys, the last in my series of Steelers-themed recipes: Steelers Rice Pudding! Not only is it probably the most vividly black and gold recipe I’ve made this week, it also happens to be one of my favorite desserts. Ever. And I’m not even than into rice pudding. But seriously, this recipe is in a league of its own, and the Superbowl is the perfect excuse for you to make it. So make it!

So what is this amazing dessert exactly? It’s Coconut Black Rice Pudding topped with Fresh Mango, the recipe for which can be found here on the excellent Fat Free Vegan blog. It’s fairly easy to execute, but does require some more exotic ingredients, such as cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and cheesecloth (N.B.: You do not need a pressure cooker to make this; regular pot instructions are at the bottom, and that’s the only way I’ve made it.). But seriously, the price you may pay to stock up on some of these new pantry items is well worth it, as you’ll know as soon as you take your first bite, and you’ll be quickly using them up as you’ll be wanting make this recipe again and again. It’s just that good.

Here’s hoping that I’ll be enjoying some of this pudding Sunday night as a sweet, sweet victory snack. And in case you missed them, don’t forget about the other Steelers recipes I’ve posted this week, which should provide you with plenty of options for your own Superbowl party. To review:

Appetizer: Black and Gold Steelers Hummus

Main: Black and Gold Steelers Noodles

Main: Black and Gold Steelers Soup

Side: Black and Gold Steelers Cornbread

I can’t wait for the game!

Until we eat again,

Willie

Black and Gold Steelers Cornbread

The big game is only a few days away! Are you excited?!

Today I’m here to share with you all my Steelers Superbowl side dish: Black and Gold Steelers Cornbread! Like my black and gold Steelers hummus recipe from a few days ago, this is another simple variation on a classic (although I can’t take credit for this idea—it was my father who suggested it to me). All I had to do was get out my favorite cornbread recipe (which happens to be this one, with the baking powder halved and the sugar doubled, but feel free to use whatever recipe you prefer), and then mix some poppyseeds into the batter (I’d suggest about 2 tbsp of poppyseeds for a normal, 8×8 dish batch). Just to keep things simple, I whipped up a half batch myself and baked this cute little loaf:

I really liked how this came out visually, and I really love cornbread, so this was great all around. Plus, it’d make the perfect side to some of my black and gold Steelers soup, if you’re looking for some more food to fill your Superbowl table. Here are a few more photos…

I hope this finds its way onto your table Sunday night (or any night, really—this variation is good enough to repeat even without the special occasion). I’ll be back tomorrow with one more Steelers recipe! Hold tight until then!

Until we eat again,

Willie

Black and Gold Steelers Soup

Another day, another Steelers recipe!

Today I’m here to share with you my recipe for Steelers Soup, my main course offering in my Steelers Superbowl series. (If you missed by last two Steelers-themed dishes, simply scroll down to check them out.) This soup is an adaptation of a black bean soup recipe I got from my mom, which she clipped out of a New York Times Magazine from before I was born. I ‘Steelerized’ it by adding a variety of yellow vegetables to the mix: corn, yellow peppers, and yellow carrots! (A lot of people have been surprised to hear about these yellow carrots, but they’re perfectly natural, if less common. Carrots are also found in purple, red, and white varieties, in case you’re curious.) I really liked how the colors of this one came out: the black bean puree was a wonderfully dark black, and the vegetables provided the perfect gold contrast. But more importantly, this soup is tasty! It’s good enough to make even when the Steelers aren’t playing (and, as it occurs to me just now, if made with orange carrots and orange peppers, this would make a nice Hallowe’en soup!). But enough talk—here’s the recipe.

Black and Gold Steelers Soup

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups dried black beans (or 2 cans black beans—you want about 3 cups cooked beans in the end)
• 2 large yellow carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds (other yellow vegetables are also okay! be inventive!)
• 1/2 onion, chopped finely
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small roma tomato, seeded and chopped (for optional step #5)
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (for optional step #5)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• salt and pepper, to taste
• between 1 and 1.5 cups corn, fresh or frozen

Instructions

1. The night before, soak dried beans in a big bowl of water. The next day, drain beans, reserving the liquid in case it’s needed for step 3. Place beans in a large pot, add a generous amount of water, bring to a boil, and then simmer between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, until beans are very soft. (If using canned beans, skip this step.)
2. While the beans are cooking, roast your carrots. Lay out the rounds on a baking sheet, sprinkle with some salt, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top. Cook for about thirty minutes, until carrots can easily be pierced with a fork, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool until needed in step 6.
3. Drain cooked beans, again reserving the liquid (very important). You want to have about three cups of liquid. If you have less than this, add some of the soaking liquid from step one. Place cooked beans in a blender and puree until smooth, adding some the reserved liquid as necessary. Once done, add pureed mixture to the reserved liquid and mix together. (If using canned beans, save whatever you can from the liquid in the cans and then mix that with water to get three cups. I’m afraid this may diminish the soup’s black color some, but it should still work okay.)
4. Heat some oil in a large pot. Add onions, yellow peppers, garlic, and cumin, and saute for several minutes.
5. Optional Step! In the recipe I adapted this from, it next called for you to add the tomato and red wine vinegar to the pot and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. I’m really not sure how much these things really added to the recipe, and I think you’d be fine omitting them if you want to.
6. Add the black bean mixture and bring to a low simmer. Add the coriander, salt and pepper to taste (I used a generous amount), and finally, the carrots and corn. Once vegetables are heated through, it’s ready to serve!

Hope you guys like this one! It’s a nice and hearty soup, and I rather enjoyed it myself. There will be more Steelers treats in the days to come, so keep checking back. And goooooooo Steelers!

Until we eat again,

Willie