The judging writeups are a little long this week, because one of the judges is actually 2 (3?) people. That being said, this is the first week in a looooong time that both judges, AND the voting has all been unanimous! Congrats!

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Judges

Sumo and Gecko from Om-Nom-Nomnivore

We would like to start by saying it’s really an honor to be here doing this. We know that perhaps we have been the most vocal when it comes to chastising poor judging but to be asked to do this is really great. With the less than ideal situations we’ve had in the past we tried our utmost to adhere to a the guidelines of “Did they use the ingredients? Does it look tasty?” and to a lesser degree “Is their blog well written and informative? and Do they have some good pictures?” Given those four basic criteria, here is our judging.

Sumo: Hey, Gecko, know what ‘coconuts’ is a euphemism for?

Gecko: It’s been played, Sumo.

Sumo: Huh? What?

Gecko: That joke wasn’t that funny two weeks ago, now stuff it and let’s do this. Our ingredients this week are black beans and coconuts. Did you bring either one?

Sumo: You’re kidding, right? Northwest Arkansas, remember? The closest thing I can come to coconuts is a 2 liter Mr and Mrs T’s Daiquiri Mix on sale 2-for-1 at Wal-Mart.

Gecko: Then how the hell are we going to make each one of these recipes?

Sumo: Damned if I know. Have Og make them up, he isn’t busy.

Gecko: Og? The pyro? Sigh. Fine, let’s do it. Have someone pre-dial 9 and 1 on their cell phones, just in case.

Wallflower Wonderland – Black Bean-Coconut Tortilla Chips with Black Bean Salsa

Sumo: I love the concept for this one, it sounds like you’re using the ingredients very well and using lots of them. Polish the imagery up a bit and you will be golden! I love the concept and I can’t even begin to think of how I would have handled home made chips, but they don’t look appetizing to me. Hey, chips are hard! Would I eat it? Absolutely. But I don’t think these would be my first choice.

Gecko: The only problem I have with this one is that the salsa looks thrown together and is more of a salad than a salsa. The outside photographs look great but the ones inside look very yellow. I love the chips! Homemade tortillas then made into chips is a very creative way to use the ingredients and honestly I think this would be a very meaty and filling chip. I’d probably go back for seconds or thirds on these guys!

Og: Og not have time for this one so friend read it and tell him. Friend say they make chunky drink in coconut shell, Drinks not good chunky, maybe smash it lots and it be better. Silly chunky drink. Friend also think photos blurry!

Tasty Snack Treats – Mexican Brownie Sundae

Gecko: This looks really good first off, great photo with lots of chocolate makes it appealing to my eyes. I think you did a great job of incorporating the ingredients as everything is used and not a garnish.The Coconut Ice cream looks just like ice cream … just like all the others! Ice Cream is no longer creative, people! However, I would definitely try these and I would more than likely find them good.

Sumo: Agreed, the main shot featured on FF’s site looked good. Use of ingredients is very well done, neither of them play second fiddle to the other. But ice creams pop up almost every week around here: Orange-coriander ice cream, watermelon sorbet, cantaloupe sorbet, basil cinnamon ice cream, pineapple basil sorbet, and the list goes on. Would I eat it? Yep, probably tasty as hell.

Og: Og ask Sumo what white blob is, Sumo say it I Scream, Og put brownies in fire try again, go open Coconut and Og Scream at it but it not look like picture BROWNIES ON FIRE!!! Og pour coconut milk on brownies, Og not eating that.

Acquired Taste – Pasties De Feijao

Sumo: I liked this entry’s use of a traditional dish. Rochelle definitely incorporated the ingredients well, I can imagine that when you bite into these the coconut and beans come through very smoothly. Would I try these? Yes, but like the tortillas above, I’m not sure they would be my first pick.

Gecko: I agree, going back to someones heritage and altering a recipe is a great place to start. Incorporation was … I dunno mixing everything together and putting it in a Shell. Mad Props for the home made crust as pie crust is a difficult thing to make.

Og: Og can make pies, but why it have coconut? Og hate word coconut! Og kicked in coconuts when kid, bad experience, not like coconut ever now. Og not make this pttthhhbbbttt!

SECOND PLACE: Food Goes in Mouth –Black Bean Thai Tacos(+100)

Sumo: I wonder if there’s a reason that Thai is the ONLY food group to successfully pair coconuts and beans? Well, major kudos to Caleb for being the only Thai entry here. Even if tacos are stretching it a bit, I like this one. A lot.

Gecko: They have Mexican Pizza and Italian Nachos Why not have Thai tacos! This is innovative and first glance this was the dish I wanted to eat.

Sumo: Two pix? Need moar!

Gecko: I see coconut and I see tacos … more pictures would have been nice but this isn’t a photography contest so not holding it against you.

Sumo: We at Nommy have always been fans of FGIM so I won’t gush more here. This is blogging done well, very well.

Gecko: Ditto!

Sumo: Use of ingredients? Well… there were beans in the tacos and the coconut was only used as a garnish. The secret ingredients weren’t really integral to this dish. The ingredients could easily have been replaced by pinto beans and mandarin oranges and the dish wouldn’t have noticed a bit.

Gecko: The ingredients are there but I feel others incorporated them a little bit better this time around. I felt that you used the coconut milk to just whet the veggies rather than a sort of sauce. Like Sumo said everything was there but maybe could have been incorporated more.

Sumo: Would I eat these? Hell, I would order thirds. Of all of today’s entries this is the one I would come back for again and again. If only Caleb had featured beans and coconut better, by setting them up to be the king of the dish somehow.

Gecko: I would so definitely eat these, In fact I will be using this recipe in the future to make my own with a curried chicken or beef tacos. This will be eaten in the Gecko Household soon.

Og: Og not see blackbeans in picture but he like this one best! Easy to make and not break tooth.

FIRST PLACE: Just Making Noise – Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies (+300)

Gecko: Where to start … it looks divine! I love your incorporation of the ingredients into one item. Your coconut crust sounds so good.

Sumo: Looks… yes, these look amazing, with one caveat that I’ll get to later. I like the crust, but crust is for pie, not brownies. Still… great use of ingredients.

Gecko: Photo’s and more photo’s. Your photography is excellent, your use of colors and contrasts certainly make things pop! Perhaps there were a few many photos to look at but each one was great.

Sumo: Love the images. I’ve done professional photography and this is great. Vibrant colors, good focus, the works. Well done!

Gecko: Your blog itself was well written, humorous, and informative. I was not confused or guessing what I had to do if I were going to make these.

Sumo: Marillyn, I’ve browsed around your site and really like it. It’s polished, entertaining and keeps me coming back. And this entry holds up to the same standards as the rest of the site. Great job.

Gecko: Would I eat these … yes I would. I was a little hesitant because I mean black bean brownies? After reading the blog and finding out how you incorporated everything and the coffee and vanilla flavor with the chocolate and coconut oil … very very appetizing! I love a good thick dense brownie, in my opinion if you want a cake like brownie make yourself a cake. All that air inside is just taking up room that could be filled with chocolate.

Sumo: So here’s my caveat that I mentioned above: I don’t like fudgy brownies. I much prefer cake brownies, super dark, rich cake. I happen to have the world’s most amazing fudge recipe and if I want that, I’ll go make it. Having said that, I won’t count off for my bias. Instead I’ll award Marillyn extra points for being so damned dogged in working these ingredients straight from the source. Great job!

Og: Sumo and Gecko too Wordy so Og keep it short. Og Like Brownies, crust taste good. Og try to make but it smoke too much and brownies end up black. Og try anyways and break tooth. Og not like this one.

Well, there we go folks. I hope everyone enjoyed the read and has a good time in the comments here. Thanks to all the wonderful contestants who did such a great job with some unusual ingredients. Thanks all!!

Tiffiny from Bake Off Flunkie

I’m so impressed that everyone went with fresh coconut, even Food Goes in Mouth, who was practically cooking with one hand tied behind his back. And I love how different the dishes are. So, so, so well done, everyone!

Winner: Just Making Noise—Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies (+300)

I’ve heard of black bean brownies, and the idea has always seemed like insanity to me. But I may be turned. I loved every aspect of JMN’s post. Her photography, writing style, and recipe really caught my attention. I’m amazed at the amount of work and time she put in to make these brownies. Really. Among other things, she’s the only competitor that used dry beans. And I had no idea that coconuts were inside such a furry casing; the step-by-step pictures of the coconut reveal were awesome. The coconut crust looks so light, and the black bean brownie impossibly fudgy. But I think the macadamia nut sauce closed the deal. I love macadamia nuts, and can just imagine the taste of the sauce chasing the chocolate and coconut. Bring on the insanity. I want these brownies.

Runner-Up: Tasty Snack Treats—Mexican Brownie Sundae (+100)

Yes, I know…black bean brownie insanity. Told you I thought I was turned. So much of this recipe called to me. I love a little spice (sometimes more than a little), and I’m absolutely intrigued by the idea of a spicy brownie. And a brownie is just a brownie until you add some ice cream. Then it’s elevated to brownie sundae, and I’m sure the heavens open somewhere. I usually have vanilla ice cream with my brownies, but the coconut ice cream sounds like it would be divine with the spicy brownie. The coffee-chocolate sauce sounds delicious, but I did wonder how it would go with the coconut and the spicy chocolate.

Acquired Taste—Pasteis De Feijao

I love little indivVidual tarts, and I really like how she combined the black beans and the coconut in the sweet filling. I also really like how she took a traditional dessert and tweeked it to use the competition ingredients. Acquired Taste’s photography is simple and crisp, and really does a beautiful job showcasing her creation.

Food Goes in Mouth—Black Bean Thai Tacos

When I’m in recipe-creation mode, especially when there are required ingredients involved, it takes me several times making the dish to get to where I’m happy with the results. Food Goes in Mouth took a very challenging situation—being away from his kitchen, and one shot at the prize—and came out with a great recipe. I love finger food and the little tacos are just so cute! (Can I say “cute”?) I would totally eat these. Beyond being awesomely cute, the ingredients in the sauce make my taste buds sing!

Wallflower Wonderland—Black Bean Coconut Tortilla Chips with Black Bean Salsa

I’m not a chip person, unless the chips are tortilla chips and there is salsa nearby. This recipe really took me by surprise. Make your own tortilla chips? With the black beans and coconut? Niiiiice… I love process pictures, and the process pictures of making the tortillas were really nice. And I’m intrigued by the basil and the cranberry juice concentrate in the black bean salsa. Mmmm…What does that taste like? Looks like I’m going to have to try it…

Thanks, everyone, for all of the work you put into this competition. Believe me, I know there is stress, sweat, and confidence-shaking mishaps. I look forward to seeing you all back again (and bring your friends). I know I’m going to be back. But maybe not to win; judging is much harder than competing!

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Public Vote

Results

Phew! That was a lot!  Here are the final tallys.

Winner – Just Making Noise – Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies – (300 +300 +45 = 645)

Runner Up – Food Goes In Mouth – Black Bean Thai Tacos – (100 +21 = 121)

Tasty Snack Treats – Mexican Brownie Sundae – (100 +9 = 109)

Wallflower Wonderland – Black Bean Coconut Tortilla Chips with Black Bean Salsa – (30)

Acquired Taste – Pastéis De Feijão – (16)

Congrats to everyone who participated! Check out the Hall of Fame to see the current rankings!  Think you could do better? Sign up!