#bean

Mexican Beans A Little Extra Cheese Never Hurts

Simple Beans, Simply Delicious

Posted on Jan 17, 2022

You should all know my obsession with beans by now so I’ll not to bore you yet again. Soak from dry, five times cheaper, etc. etc. Here’s how I make a batch of particularly creamy pinto beans suitable for parking next to Mexican red rice. If you’ve ever been to a family-style Mexican restaurant, you’ll … Read More →

Street Tacos Best not to count how many you eat in one sitting

A Taco In Each Hand

Posted on Jun 26, 2021

Prime grilling season has arrived again and around my kitchen that means “street” tacos cooked over charcoal. The fire is the easy part particularly once you have all the ‘extras’ sorted out. In my case those include a vat of garden-fresh salsa, some well seasoned beans, a little lime and coriander enhanced crema, and a … Read More →

red beans and rice This One Night In New Orleans...

Beans On The Bayou

Posted on Mar 16, 2018

(ed. note: this is complete tinkering of the original posting on 6 December, 2016 to better address vegetarians and the finer points of roux making as well as a new video of my last batch) After reading about my bean obsession and gallo pinto theories, a viewer from the Googlytubes asked for more specifics on … Read More →

Hummus From Scratch Homemade & Fluffy, Not Expensive & Dense

Bargain Hummus

Posted on Mar 2, 2018

You can find my original hummus recipe in this post but it was the array of hummus permutations at the grocery yesterday that prompted me to make a video of the process. How many times can I say it? Cook. Beans. From. Dry. The selection yesterday had a range of prices (and flavours which you … Read More →

Succotash Meets Biryani Colonial Ingredients Meet Indian Technique

Succotash meets… Biryani?

Posted on Sep 18, 2017

If you’ve heard the term succotash but never knew what it was beyond Warner Brother’s favourite expletive, let me enlighten you. Native people of North America have long benefited from corn in their diet and likewise discovered both the gardening and culinary benefits of matching it with beans. Sure you could talk about complete essential … Read More →

hummus This week's permutation with coriander leaf & roast red pepper

Whipping Beans

Posted on Aug 28, 2017

There are reasons I like hummus so much and have done for years before it became the hipster fad found in a zillion permutations at the ready-made counters of Whole Foods. First, it’s beans and you know my obsession there. Second, beyond infinitely pleasurable dipping, It can add a layer of protein and base flavour … Read More →

peas & mint in a pot One Pot Wonders

Symbiotic Sweet Peas

Posted on Aug 5, 2017

If you swear you can’t grow anything, have no space, no time, or any of the other gardening-averse excuses, just go plant some peas already. While a giant trellised row with automatic irrigation would be my preference, any neglected pot on a modestly sunny stoop will work and yield a perfect handful for stir-fry every … Read More →

veg burger on bun If it's not well-charred and burger-like naked, it'll never get past the critics with extras on top

Beans & Buns

Posted on Jul 1, 2017

Happy Canada Day grill warriors! Bringing you the best in beavers and maple syrup for 150 years. Making a vegetarian “burger” can be an exercise in frustration and disappointment. The first problem is right there in the name. It sets false expectations rarely met which is a real shame because if they were called “traditional … Read More →

cranberry beans soaking Cranberry beans - also known as cattle beans for some odd reason.

Bean Debate

Posted on Jul 18, 2015

Imagine my shock. Shock I tell you! When a well known cookery show recently proclaimed to all the world that “canned beans are just as good as dry” one of my culinary foundations was shaken to the core. I had heard this from ‘shortcut chefs’ in the media far too often but having done my … Read More →