Black Bean Waffle With Poached Eggs

When I think of waffles I imagine something light and sweet, embellished with berries and syrup. So you can imagine my surprise when I was reading "Red Sage - Contemporary American Cuisine" and saw a recipe for waffles that included beans (white and black), kernel corn, and green onions. I had to give it a try, see how it would taste with a few poached eggs.

To make a gravy for the eggs, I fried up some hot Mexican sausage, then used the pan-drippings with coconut milk, nutmeg and salt to make the gravy. I sprinkled a few finely chopped blossoms on top - calendula, broccolini, and oregano - and breakfast was served. It was a hit. Substantial, flavorful, and fun. There were a few left-over waffles, so I dried them in the oven, and they turned out similar to Rye-Crisp wafers, perfect for a snack on the trail during a hike.

It is innovation that makes "Red Sage" a remarkable cookbook. Mark Miller, the author, has been in the vanguard of American chefs, revolutionizing the way food is prepared, perceived, and enjoyed. He has several restaurants, one called the 'Coyote Cafe' in Santa Fe, and 'Red Sage' is in Washington D.C. He uses all the practical food of the Native American, European, and Latin American traditions. The result is a delightful surprise, with recipes like 'Cider-Glazed Rabbit Loin with a Wild Mushroom Quesadilla', 'Roasted Stuffed Pheasant with Fresh Corn Sauce', and 'Campfire-Baked Pineapple Upside-Down Cake', which can be done in a Dutch oven over the grill.

I've been reading "Red Sage - Contemporary Western Cuisine" out on my patio during the afternoons when the sun is at it's zenith, and it is too hot to do anything but relax. In addition to over 100 recipes, there are essays featuring western history, the birth of the cattle culture in Texas, and the migration west from Independence, Missouri, by thousands of people looking to improve their lives. This resonates with our family's history out on the homestead in Montana where my grandparents raised five children. GrandDad embarked on that journey, leaving St. Joseph, Missouri behind, hoping to carve out a new life in eastern Montana.

I also barbecued some chicken breasts over the weekend, marinated in a hot southwestern brine and brushed on while the chicken was grilling. Brown sugar, chiles, garlic and onion, soy sauce - it all imparts a wonderful flavor to the meat.

Ciabatta Rolls are sliced and grilled, slathered with a bit of mayonaise, then the chicken is placed on top. A layer of Mozzarella cheese is often placed first on the roll, then the chicken, but I used only shredded cheeses here. Then, I poured a Tomato-Relish Sauce over the chicken. It had chopped black and green olives, hot peppers, parsley, basil and oregano in an olive oil base.
Once the sandwiches were built, I laid them on a plate of garden greens, and put out a few tomato slices, a long dill pickle slice, and some red-onion rings. It was some good eatin'!

Oh, and for dessert: Fresh strawberries and apricots for dessert, topped with Greek God Honey Yogurt. It is so rich it is like ice cream, so I drizzled chocolate syrup over the top and shaved a few layers of chocolate off a truffle.

The thin drizzle here is super sweet Hershey's, and the other a rich semi-sweet ephermere sauce by Dana Taylor Davenport. This is an excellent chocolate sauce for a Caffe Mocha as it is super rich! It even goes great spread on a graham cracker. But watch out - two ounces are 199 calories. Now, really, when chocolate is concerned, who thinks about that!