Refried beans for my breakfast huevos rancheros, my taco lunch, and my enchilada dinner, please! I add these on to anything when making Mexican food and they are such an amazing flavor booster. This recipe will not disappoint! Note that the recipe is similar to the Nopalito braised bean one, but there are a few differences such as the addition of oregano and the food processing. Ingredients – 2 cups dried pinto beans 8 cups water 1 tbsp salt 1 dried guajillo chile 1/4 of white onion 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano Cookbook – Nopalito Tools – Large deep dish pan, pot, or dutch oven Food processor Step 1 –…

This is a tasty appetizer or lunch with interesting flavor combinations. One of the recipe uses three different cheeses, so what could go wrong! The other uses fresh basil, parsley, and lemon which you potentially can grab from your garden. Both galettes came out beautifully and were eaten very quickly when they came out of the oven and cooled. A note on the recipe- the below quantities for the galette dough is for one galette. If you plan on making both, double the dough recipe! Ingredients – Galette Dough 2 cups of all purpose flour pinch of salt 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter 4 tbsp water 1 egg yolk Cheese,…

Corn tortillas are a great staple food to have on hand. They can go in a variety of dishes, like tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, taquitos, flautas, chips, or quesadillas, to name a few. This recipe is delicious and you do not need a tortilla press, we are going to improvise! Once you make them, you will never buy corn tortillas from the store again. Cookbook – Nopalito Ingredients – 2 cups of maseca flour (this is what I used and is most commonly available for instant corn tortillas) 1 1/2 cups of water Salt Tools – Tortilla press or large pan or large pot Mixing bowl Parchment paper Frying pan Step…

If you have a lot of ripe lemons from your lemon tree, this is a perfect recipe for you! If you don’t have a lemon tree, this recipe is still perfect for you! These bars are crisp and buttery; guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. I will warn these are big, but that is ok because they are delicious and refreshing. The addition of pine nuts in the crust makes these unique, and I love it! Their earthiness contrasts well with the lemon and they add a nice texture to the bars. Ingredients – Crust 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup unsalted butter at…

Braised beans are a nice staple to always have on hand. This is a great, fresh recipe that is so much better than anything canned. It is also fairly straightforward and makes a lot of braised beans! These would be great to go with tacos, rice, carne asada, enchiladas, and so much more. Feel free to top them with cilantro and cotija cheese as well. Ingredients – 2 cups dried pinto beans 8 cups water 1 tbsp salt 1 dried guajillo chile 1/4 of white onion Cookbook – Nopalito Tools – Large deep dish pan, pot, or dutch oven Step 1 – Prepare the beans Add the pinto beans, water,…

Biscuits are one of those treats that can go with just about anything. Sweet or savory, breakfast or dinner, spicy or syrupy, take your choice! These biscuits are light, fluffy, and simple to make. In addition to being a great side, some ideas for things to put on them are: butter and syrup, jam, honey, eggs and bacon, gravy, fried chicken, pimento cheese, peanut butter and jelly, or anything else you can get creative with! Ingredients – 3 cups of all purpose flour (and more for rolling the dough) 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup…

Who knew that farro and kale would make such an amazing flavor combination! Especially with the red wine sherry vinaigrette and parmesan cheese, this is a perfect side dish or vegetarian lunch. I did not use a grill for this recipe, just a deep pan, but it still came out great. If you are already grilling something, don’t forget to add this recipe into your meal, you won’t be disappointed! Ingredients – 1/2 cup farro 2 1/4 tsp salt 3 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 lbs of kale (about 3 bunches) 1/4 cup red wine sherry vinaigrette Parmesan cheese Cookbook – Foreign Cinema Tools Needed – Pot Deep pan or…

I recently learned the differences between ceviche, poke, and tartare. Ceviche uses an acid juice, like from limes or lemons, and is Latin American. Poke is Hawaiian and has simple seasonings with soy sauce or sesame oil. Tartare has evolved over time from being just beef, an egg yolk, and Tartar sauce. It can also be fish and has unexpected flavors, like shallots and cucumbers in this recipe. This recipe is very refreshing and pleasant to eat. It is perfect for a hot summer night and is great for seafood lovers. The little bit of spice from the Sriracha is crisp and delightful, too. I will caveat that the sushi…

A fruit galette is a wonderful year round treat (try apples in the fall and pears in the winter). I love how customizable this is, as no two are going to come out the same! I chose strawberries and plums because they looked so amazing at the local farmers market. Feel free to choose any fruit you like. You can also mix the fruits together in the galettes, which is what I ended up doing for some of them. Feel free to add a topper of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream at the end too! The dough here can be a little challenging. It took me some time to…