THE FLOURING INFERNO

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Black Bean Salad Burrito (Makes 3 to 4 Burritos)

Cut any leftover corn off the cobs and save for this salad. Any not-too-hot garden peppers can be used.

1 fifteen-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 cup fresh corn, cooked (about 2 ears)
1 banana or Anaheim pepper; seeded and diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Dressing:

2 tablespoons each: lime juice, olive oil
1 small jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
1/4 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper
large flour tortillas (we use wholewheat or the colored sun-dried tomato tortillas)
grated Muenster or Chihuahua cheese
(optional) chopped tomatoes for garnish

If you don't have leftover corn, cut the corn off the cobs and saute in a few drops of oil, then cool. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet for a minute or so over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant. In a mixing bowl, toss the salad ingredients together. In another bowl, whisk the dressing together. You may want to start with half of a hot pepper and add more if you want the salad hotter. Serve, or chill for a few hours until needed. Spoon some salad into the middle of each tortilla, roll up, and garnish with cheese and tomato. If you prefer, you can warm the tortillas in the microwave or in the oven wrapped in foil. A fast way is to heat them one at a time in a large skillet over medium-high heat, flipping them over after about 30 seconds.

Chicken Curry (Spicy Hot, Serves 4)

The best part about this curry is all the garden vegetables that you can use for the toppings. It only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. (Go easy on the hot pepper at first; you can always add more later.)

3 cups long grain or basmati brown rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs (about 8 to 10 pieces)
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 one-inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
1 small jalapeño or cayenne pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons of a good quality curry powder (make sure it's fresh)
2 teaspoons garam marsala*
1 tablespoon white flour
1 can unsalted chicken broth (2 cups)
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used "Lite, " which is lower in fat)
salt to taste
Topping possibilities: cucumber, diced tomato, diced red onions, chopped green onions, red, yellow, or green sweet peppers, diced semi-hotpeppers, cilantro, parsley, or basil, chopped golden raisins or currants

Cook the rice while you're preparing the chicken. (Boil six cups of water, stir in the brown rice, cover, and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.) In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the chicken over medium heat until browned on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a container; save the oil in the pan. Saute the onions until limp, then add the garlic, ginger, and hot pepper. Saute a minute or so and then stir in the curry powder, garam marsala, and flour, stirring until fragrant. Stir in the chicken broth and coconut. Put the chicken back into the pan, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is done. Cut up the toppings and put into small bowls. The chicken can then be served over rice or cooled and refrigerated up to two days. Make sure to pass around the toppings.

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