Lovelorn Unicorn

butternut, black bean and silverbeet chili

Kate — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:45:14 +0000

I made you a recipe. Eat it on a crisp, autumn weeknight and eat the leftovers for lunch all week.

butternut, black bean and silverbeet chili with chipotle
adapted from Bon Appétit

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced
2 chipotle chilis, from a can, minced*
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chili
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 bunch silverbeet** (approx), stalks chopped small, and greens ribboned, keep separately
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cans blackbeans (I substituted 1 can of kidney beans, chickpeas would also work)
2 stock cubes
2 cups water
optional trimmings: avocado, yoghurt or sour cream, cheddar, coriander, jalapeno

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot at a medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for five minutes, then add silverbeet stalks and continue to cook for a further five minutes. Add chipotle, cumin, chilli and butternut, and cook while stirring for 2-3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, 2 cups of boiling water and two vegetable stock cubes, stir and simmer for about 8 minutes. Add 3 cans drained beans and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the silverbeet leaves, and add extra water if it seems too dry. Cook for a further 5 minutes, until greens are softened and bright. Season with salt and pepper if required, and ladle into bowls. Top with your choice of trimmings like avocado, yoghurt or sour cream, cheddar, coriander, jalapeno. Serve with rice if you like, I didn’t bother.

Makes about 8 servings.

* For me, 2 chipotle chillis and 1/2 tsp ground chilli was the perfect amount for a good light burn, but feel free to use only 1 chipotle or leave out the ground chilli if you can’t handle too much spice, or add more chipotles if you want more heat. As long as you have lots of cooling agents like yoghurt, avocado and cheese, you can always cool it down later.

** Also known as swiss chard

dark times (Kowtow)

Kate — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:56:35 +0000

I can’t believe I didn’t know about Kowtow until recently. For ages I’ve been whinging about how in Wellington there’s a lack of quality, affordable basics, and Kowtow was here all along, practically in my backyard. I tried on the lucky dress a few days ago, it has a crazy bat-lady thing going on, and is super great. I hearby declare that I would like All The Things.

what I’ve been up to

Kate — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:07:02 +0000

Reading books
1Q84, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Claudine At School, Hunger Games (x 3), A Sense of an Ending, Bossypants, and now Bonjour Tristesse.

Planning and scheming
About Europe, and a few other exciting things that are a long way off.

Moving
Walking up small mountains (this trail leads up there), and also getting 3/4 of the way through couch to 5k (and I’m going to finish). I’m shocked and appalled to find myself actually enjoying it.

Drawing
I tried a 30 day drawing challenge on instagram and gave up after about a week, but have continued drawing bits and pieces. My friends and I had a couple ‘drawing clubs’ and they were basically heaven.

Zoo sleepover
I slept over at a zoo with about 27 other people. The sleep was horrible, but the early morning time we spent wandering before the zoo opened made it more than worth it. Above: important sleepover paraphernalia.

People (and pet) time
Easter days were gloriously spent with several groups of amazing gals (and a few lads) eating, drinking, dancing, playing games, decorating easter eggs and cookies, and toasting to Blumphrey. The first of those days was at my lovely friend Amie’s place and she just has the most amazing pets. So jealous.

Eating
Always eating.

Wanda Woodward Fan Club

Kate — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:27:59 +0000

Cry Baby is a really good movie. Wanda Woodward (below) is a glorious specimen of true babeliness. Isn’t she the most? To say the least?

in and out of doors

Kate — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:06:10 +0000

Pictures from Odessa in the Ukraine by Klaus Pichler, via beautiful tumblr officinamacedonia.

nature

Kate — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:11:35 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post, we recently had an amazing time in the Nelson-Tasman area. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in Mapua and nature was all around. Plant and animal life is so different just a few short hours (and a ferry ride) away from Wellington, and it was awesome hanging out with tui, quails, fantails, geese, and many baby pukeko. So fluffy, so cute. Jason took these photos, most with his macro lens on digital and the first and last on his minolta.

Summerdaze

Kate — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:47:45 +0000

Hello strangers! Been a long time, shouldn’t've left you without a dope beat to step to. I’m so sorry I have been MIA, partly it’s because I’ve been thinking about starting a new blog, something that’s a bit more me now and little less twee. Don’t worry, I shan’t be forsaking all the twee, ya’ll know I still love kittens, I’m just not quite happy with the name of this one.

I have been having a marvelous summer, I’ve ticked off so many things on my Summer Goals list without even meaning to, only about five things left to go! I thought I’d start my return to blogging by sharing my summer instagrams with you.

Wellington: Eating, drinking, Christmas parties, and more recently, gigs. This weekend I went to Fleet Foxes and Beirut – too much fun.

Auckland: Awesome Christmas family time, shopping and strolling in Cornwall Park. All the food.

Raumati: Holidaying in a spacious bach with lots of good people. Rain, sunshine, barbeques, fancy NYE dinner complete with cat’s ears, fluffy neighbour kittens, and I Have Never in the best fort ever.

Nelson: The ferry, a bed and breakfast with a glorious garden full of tuis and friendly cats, beer tasting, magical treehouses. Not pictured: Emma’s amazing wedding! I was too busy helping Jason take the official photos to grab any snaps.

Sorry for such photo-heaviness, I only put up about half of what I wanted to! If you’d like to follow me on instagram, search for kate_mcleod.

Summer Goals

Kate — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:21:33 +0000

Props to my friend Willow for making me want to make my own Summer Goals.

Help cook Christmas dinner.
Picnic.
Read a billion books.
Eat fish and chips (sans fish) by the sea.
Take film photos.
Drink smoothies galore.
Find delightful dresses in small-town op shops.
Write in parks and cafes.
Discover new music.
Make tomato pie.
Wear flowers in my hair.
Have a fancy dinner on NYE.
Go to weddings in Nelson and Whakatane.
Drink at a winery.
Tell ghost stories or play truth or dare in a blanket fort.
Make new animal friends.
Cook halloumi, asparagus and portobello mushrooms on a barbeque.
Plan overseas adventures.
Share homemade brunch with friends.
Turn somersaults (FLIPS) in the ocean.
Eat blueberries on chocolate cereal.

Cats ‘n’ things

Kate — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:45:26 +0000

Meet the cat phone! I am now finally able to instagram your faces off.

The Gentlewoman is basically the best thing ever. Except maybe for my new Nathalie Lete designed hankerchief that my dear friend Lizzie brought me from Paris. Ooh la la!

Charlotte Taylor

Kate — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:29:58 +0000

Charlotte Taylor, cutest! via calivintage.