Contributing money to assist disaster victims is a good thing, of course, but contributions often dry up in short order, long before the devastation is healed. I've been wondering: what can we do that might have a more long-term effect? One of the ideas at the core of the Original Green initiative is that we do what we OUGHT to do only for a short time, but we do what we WANT to do for years.
So how might you WANT to help the disaster recovery from, for example, the Tuscaloosa tornado, or from Hurricane Katrina? What if you developed a taste for products that would bolster the local economies? Like the barbecue sauce from Dreamland in Tuscaloosa? Or Tabasco Sauce from Louisiana? Here's a delicious recipe that includes both:
Slice up a panful of mushrooms of your choosing plus one bulb of garlic cloves and one medium onion. Pour just enough olive oil into a sauté pan to thinly cover the bottom. Heat on high until a garlic slice crackles when dropped into the pan. Now, pour the rest of the ingredients into the pan.
Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté until mushrooms have begun to caramelize and onions have just begun to become transparent.
Pour balsamic vinegar into pan so that it's standing about 1/8" deep around the other ingredients.
Stir until the vinegar has entirely caramelized. Reduce heat to medium.
Pour one can of black beans into pan. Pour a healthy dollop of Dreamland Barbecue Sauce over the beans. Don't be shy... This is supposed to be a savory dish. Next, shake Tabasco Sauce liberally into the pan as well... use a bit of caution because it's hotter than the Dreamland sauce. Top with your favorite meat spices as this dish, while completely made of vegetables, can nonetheless be as zesty as many a meat dish.
Cook on medium until the bean juice has cooked up, stirring continuously the last 90 seconds to make sure you don't overcook. Serve... and enjoy! And Tuscaloosa and Louisiana will thank you for it.
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