Beans | Not Your Mother's® Cookbook

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

There is chili and there is chili. Chili used to mean Texas style with meat and beans. Enter the vegetarians and the use of dried black beans, as called turtle beans, an integral part of Central American and Cuban cookery. They are easily found in the dried bean and rice section of the supermarket. Black bean chili was born and it has become probably the most beloved of all vegetarian dishes.

Chipotle Hummus from The Prado in Balboa Park

Hummus is a mashed purÈe of chickpeas, olive oil, and lemon that is immensely popular in the Middle East. And America so it seems.

The traditional way to serve hummus is to spread it on a plate and drizzle it with flavorful olive oil. That’s fine for spreading, but if you are going to dip veggies into the hummus, it’s more practical to pile it into a bowl.

Mediterranean Greek Salad

A well-made combination salad is an irresistible delight. Especially on a hot night. It is healthy eating at it’s best and appeals to all types of eaters, fitting all palates (those on special diets appreciate lusty main dish salads they can dig into with abandon as well).

Frito Pie

Frito Pie, one of the great fun foods of the Southwest, consists of chile con carne (beef in red chile sauce) ladled over Fritos corn chips, and topped with shredded cheddar cheese and, if desired, raw onions and, if you’re feeling flush, pickled jalapenos and sour cream.

The Culinary Traveler: September in the Languedoc

On my first visit to France so long ago in 1977, I was invited to dine in a 200 year old country house of hand-cut stone in a truffle-oak orchard south of Albi. I had just left Paris in August, the month Paris is virtually empty with the natives all abroad or in the country to escape the heat.

Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a dish that typlifies French home and bistro cooking and has somewhat of a legendary status among gourmands. As for most French cooking, it is a regional dish originally from the South West that has become popular all over the country and is standard bistro fare, or even bought canned.