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 →
A Taco In Each Hand
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 →
Beans On The Bayou
(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 →
Bargain Hummus
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?
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 →
Whipping Beans
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 →
Symbiotic Sweet Peas
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 →
Beans & Buns
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 →
Bean Debate
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 →