Monday, June 19, 2006

Nachos!

Tonight was nacho night! I'm still getting into the swing of my new schedule, so I've been trying to do some quick dinner ideas. These make a fancy looking meal, but are really simple to assemble.

I start with a layer of tortilla chips, then some canned balck beans that have been rinsed, drained and heated with some cumin, garlic and a splash of oil. I would have added cilantro as well, if I'd remembered to get some at the store. On top of that is a hearty scoop of seasoned TVP, some quick guac (mash an avocado with a splash of lime juice and a hint of salt), salsa and a few dollops of Tofutti sour cream and voila! Dinner is served. This is a meal you need to eat quickly though, or your bed of chips will get soggy.

The last member of my family to be featured is little Moussa the hamster. She has been living with us for about 7 months now. We found her living on our patio in Arizona. We assume that someone who didn't want to deal with the responsibility dumped her in the park behind our patio and she was drawn to our bird seed. She's super sweet and a great little friend. She loves fresh apple or pear (organic only, of course), sunflower seeds and chasing the cats in her plastic ball, who are rather scared of her. They like to watch, but they steer clear of her!

13 comments:

Kelli said...

She's so cute!!!! And you are so good to give her a home! I hate that so many people treat pets as disposable. . .

Milinda said...

Now that is a picture I would dearly love to see--a cat chasing hamster.

I love to use Soy-Rizo in my beans when I am making nachos. Yummy.

Eat Peace Please said...

Moussa is soooo cute! I can't believe you rescued her and took her all the way to Portland!

Those nachos look great.

Kris said...

Mmm, soyrizo in the beans... I'll have to try that.

In our family, once you come through the door you're a lifer! Our pets are our family and they are with us through thick and thin. I was raised in a disposable pet household and I won't stand for it.

It's funny, we really wish that we knew who left Moussa out in the park, we'd love to send them a postcard from her saying "hi, life's grand, living it up in Portland". Wouldn't that shock them?!

She was so funny when we were moving. Hamster's are nocturnal and we would be driving down the highway at 75 mph and she would just be cruising away in her wheel, going about her business. She's such a funny kid.

Freedom said...

Moussa is adorable! I'm from Austrlia and I've never seen a hamster before - at first I thought she was a rat! People have told me they're like guinea pigs but I have four of those and one rat and she is definately more rat-like. How could anyone abandon something so cute? How could anyone abandon any living creature, for that matter?

NightOwl said...

OMG, Moussa is so damn cute!! Thank you so much for taking care of her so well.
You remind me of a dear friend of mine here in Denver, who is just a wonderful baker/cook. We're lucky to have her here! As everyone in Portland is lucky to have you. :)

Kris said...

Thank you so much to everyone for your compliments and posts. I really truly adore my fur kids and would do anything for them, or for any other fur kid out there. I often dream about the kind of outreach that could be accomplished if we won the lottery... I just can't bear to see homeless or neglected animals of any kind. I have a serious mothering instinct and it's just intensified when I take in to consideration the level of helplessness many of these animals face at the hands of humans. All we want is a safe place to live, be warm and fed and loved. That transcends any species barrier that exists and that's the beauty of it. We are have the same basic desires and we can provide them for eachother. I enjoy the company of my cats and Moussa more than many people because we have such a great bond. Anyway, it's crazy late and I'm up way too late so I fear I'm rambling... Nite!

Anonymous said...

Adorable Moussa. I saw a small black mouse (rat?) fleeing in my garage the other day, and thanks to Lincoln Karim and other type web sites, I didn't turn a hair. Live and let live.

Jacki said...

lol, the cats are afraid of the hamster. Right now, my 7 month old kitten is trying her hardest to jump 8 feet in the air to get to the gerbil cage.

jenny said...

Yum! The chips look great! Moussa is so cute!

Shananigans said...

Awww, so cute! I actually won a hamster in a drawing as my first pet, she was great fun. I wish I could take in every animal in need, it really pisses me off that some people don’t look at pets as a serious long term commitment. It’s just so damned irresponsible and heartless.

I love Mexican food, nachos are so quick and easy. You can put beans and avocado on just about anything and I will be happy I just checked out all those baked goods a couple of posts down and am drooling. So hungry…

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

whata cute hamster! i hate it when my chips are soggy...must eat quickly ~ looks yummy.

Kris said...

Moussa and I appreciate all the love! :)