The Celebration of Gratitude

Now that we are solidly into the New Year, it seems like the holiday sentiments have faded away. That’s why I wanted this week’s recipe to serve as a reminder of why I started this blog – to link women’s recipes of celebration and life with their stories. Stories of love and laughter and stories that bring challenges we must overcome. That brings me to my new friend Sera, who was introduced to me via email by a mutual friend.

Mamma at COHI birthing center getting to know her new baby

Although we’ve not yet met in person, as an indication of changing times, we’re already friends on Facebook and somehow the Facebook algorithm puts all of her updates on my feed (my husband’s updates, however, are not on my Facebook feed – not sure what this means). Sera, a midwife with a master’s degree in public health, is the founder and Executive Director of Circle of Health International (COHI) which works to provide women’s, reproductive and newborn health care in disaster and war-torn areas.

Sera was in Haiti last week and one of her posts broke my heart. “First mama we met at the birth center Sunday brought one of the saddest outcomes we will witness on this trip. She traveled here from 3 hours away in the middle of the night, from her village where she’d been in labor for 2 days. The sweet little baby boy didn’t survive the labor, and arrived into this world too late.”

From then on, I followed Sera’s updates on Facebook and found myself crying tears of joy or sadness at each time I read her posts. There were posts that gave insights to the general dangers that come with everyday life in Haiti all of which have to be considered even in the throes of a difficult labor. “At 3 am, the COHI midwives transported a mama delivering a challenging breech baby to Port Au Prince. ‘They won’t shoot at an ambulance,’ alluding to the other dangers facing women here, the midwives were saying to us as they called our collaborators trying to secure safe passage for this tired mama. None was found, and with heavy heart she was loaded into a family owned vehicle, not an ambulance, belonging to COHI’s partners and went into the darkness, arriving safely at the hospital one hour later.”

Colorful menstrual hygiene kits in pretty bags

Or, there was this post: “Menstrual hygiene is the #1 reason girls don’t finish their education. COHI’s team in Haiti just distributed hand-made menstrual hygiene kits that include soap, washcloths, panties and washable + reusable menstrual pads after a workshop on menstruation, hygiene and the value of education. The girls were all between ages of 11-15, and still in school.” To look at my daughter and think that as a teenage girl, the thing that could keep her from an education is lack of access to products I can pick up at the 3 different pharmacies and the 7-11 all within walking distance from my house, is mind boggling to me. 

So, in thinking about this week’s recipe and how COHI and itsteam work to make the communities in which they live a brighter place, I wondered, what sustains them (apart from mental and emotional strength)?

Sera shared that on most days, the midwives, whom COHI trains and supports, eat essentially a beans and rice dish made with a meatstock. I have a love/hate relationship with beans and rice thanks to my limited travels in Central America and 4 ½ years of being a broke college student. But this simple dish is the kind that gives comfort, is hearty, filling and surprisingly fragrant with spice and fresh hot peppers. It’s easily made into a vegan or vegetarian dish and even my kiddos enjoyed it.

More importantly, eating with my family was a practice in gratitude for my healthy children. As I ate, I couldn’t help but think of the juxtaposition between the mamas in Haiti and the friends and family who have recently delivered healthy babies in clean and bright hospitals with all of the benefits (and comforts) of modern medicine. For the mamas in Haiti – and in so many places around the world – giving birth is still one of the most dangerous things a woman will do in her lifetime.  And the birthing process is but the first step in the long, rocky and dangerous road, filled with so many obstacles to living a healthy life – one that allows for education and supporting future families.

COHI does incredible work to ensure that these new moms can welcome their babies into the world with the trusted help of trained and compassionate professionals in a in a safe environment. And all of this care is provided for so little financial cost – emergency transportation to Port Au Prince in anambulance is $25, a vaginal delivery at the COHI birth center is $65, and the salary for one of the COHI midwives at the birth center is $100. You can clickhere to donate to COHI. It’s worth forgoing a night on the town, eating beans and rice at home and donating the difference to make a difference.

The Recipe

Diri Cole Ak Pwa Rouj (Haitian Red Beans and Rice)

Adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz) package dry kidney beans
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bulb shallot, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice (recipe calls for uncooked long grain white rice)
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock (can use water instead)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (optional)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 sprigs fresh parsley
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 scotch bonnet chile pepper or habanero chile pepper

What to do:

1. Place beans in a large pot and cover with 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 ½ hours, or until tender. You should check the beans every 30 minutes to ensure there is enough water. If the water no longer covers the beans, add an additional cup. Don’t worry if the water is low and the beans look a little shriveled – adding more water solves this.
2. Drain the beans, reserving the liquid.
3. Heat oil in a dutch oven or similar pot over medium heat. Saute shallot and garlic until fragrant. Stir in cooked beans and cook for 2 minutes. Measure the reserved liquid and add chicken stock or water to equal 5 cups.
4. Stir in the uncooked rice. Season with bay leaves, adobo seasoning, salt, pepper and cloves.
5. Place sprigs of parsley and thyme and scotch bonnet pepper (or habernero) on top and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. I found that I needed to cook it for an additional 20-25 minutes with the lid off to evaporate some of the liquid (maybe this is because I used brown rice?).
7. Once cooked, remove from heat and let the dish sit for an additional 5 or so minutes. Remove thyme, parsley, and scotch bonnet (or habernero) pepper.
8. Serve with Tabasco sauce or similar. I also served it with light sour cream for my kiddos to mix in. 

Recipe in Photos:

Dry beans measured to one cup

Finely chopped shallot

Minced garlic

Finely chopped red and green pepper

Parsley and thyme

Sizzling garlic and shallots in olive oil.
I should have added the green and red peppers at this point but
I totally forgot. So, I sauteed them separately and then added them. 

Draining the beans and reserving the liquid

Beans sauteing with the shallots and garlic. Notice no green/red peppers?
I added them later since I forgot to do so when I was sauteing the garlic and shallot.

With all ingredients added and coming to a boil.
After it came to a boil, I covered the dish with a lid and let it simmer.

Letting the beans and rice cook with the lid off. 

Final dish - yummy!