Planning for the bean...

In an effort to evaluate cost-saving measures, potentially avoid any BPA traces in canned foods and truly explore the nature of one our favorite foods I decided to try out homemade refried beans. I bought a huge bag of pinto beans from WholeFoods for ~$2.00. I soaked them in a bowl of water overnight, drained them, and then boiled them for 2 hours with some water, garlic, bay leaves and kosher salt. Once the beans were tender I drained them and kept the bean stock. In order to "re-fry" the beans I placed the beans in a pot and added some oil and heated them up while smashing them. I also added some bean stock back to the pot to smoothen them out. Concerning the preservation of bean stock -- I read recently about ways to multipurpose cooking elements like re-using cooking waters for various purposes -- including pasta water, water used for boiling veggies and the like -- and incorporating the water into recipes instead of plain water. The seasoned water is a natural thickener and flavor enhancer. So with no further ado I present my bean stock:


strained bean stock with hints of garlic and bay leaves in stock container from Penzey's

Betty was grossed out by the two unappealing jars of stock that were in the fridge but I was excited to use them in some future recipe.

The refried beans turned out pretty good. They were a little bland -- but i do have a bad habit of not adding too much salt to my food. What I noticed most was the texture of the beans. Definitely more substance and hence filling which was a good thing. So most our meals that week consisted of classic CK staples including...


bean burritos with trader joe's whole wheat wrappers, shredded ched, lazily chopped onions and the retun of the el yucateco paso doble


surprise remix. same burritos as before but with cilantro.


nachos. i know big surprise. diced jalapenos to boot.

So...Beans...and I used them for bean burritos and nachos which is a good portion of what we typically eat...but what about the yucky looking bean stock?

Well I decided to make jambalaya and utilized the remaining pinto beans and my bean stock along with the following:

• ground turkey from Trader Joes
  
• potatoes
• zuccini
• squash
• onions
• bay leaves
• chili con carne powder from Penzey's
• chipotle salsa from Trader Joes
• andouille sausage from Trader Joes
• corn
  

jambalaya. boom.

For plating I decided to cook up some grits that I purchased when Betty and I were down in Louisville earlier this year and added a fried egg on top for kicks.


CK's extreme jambalaya. boom.

The jambalaya was the jam. The grits absorbed and inherited the smoky flavor of the jambalaya and were surprisingly smooth and creamy. The sausage and veggies provided additional texture which made each bite very hearty. The tang of the egg yolk took each lucky bite to the moon. I've cooked jambalaya twice this year. That's twice more than I ever have before and am looking for ways to remix this dish.

So the bean has come full circle for CK. I am aware of the health concerns of purchasing canned foods as previously mentioned for BPA concerns and sodium concerns -- but I do have trouble resisting canned refried beans for the convenience factor since we eat them often. There are healthier brands that have less sodium and are organic but those also cost twice-to-three-times as much. This cooking experience has been fun and revealing. It definitely takes more time to make beans from scratch -- but you get more beans for your buck for sure and of course you get the bean stock as an added enhancer for other meals. In the end it's all about planning. Planning for the bean...and that is something this bear will just have to do...Plan for the bean. Be the Bean. Eat the bean.

bear-eakfast of champions vs. 2.0 and 3.0: remix my mornings

As you probably know by now Betty and I like to do up breakfast on the weekends. I've started a new breakfast series called the bear-eakfast of champions (BOC) for the excessively hearty and delicious concoctions that I whip up. It all started with version 1.0. With out further delay ladies, gentlemen and fellow bear-ethren BOC 2.0 and BOC 2.0:


BOC 2.0: two slices of toasted Brownberry Health Nut bread topped with 2 eggs over medium with a layer of shredded WholeFoods salsa jack in between, a tomato, red onion, jalapeno relish, 3 slices of crispy bacon and breakfast potatoes seasoned with cajun seasoning topped with previously mentioned salsa jack and onions



BOC 3.0: ck remix on huevos rancheros meets chilaquiles: seasoned black beans with corn topped with pan grilled zuccini, squash and red onions, topped with jalapeno jack cheese, 2 eggs over medium all then topped with a scoop of sour cream and said tomato relish from BOC 2.0, accompanied with fried tortillas for dipping and of course el yucateco pasa doble to boot.

Both meals were fantastically delicious -- and no I didn't eat them both in one day. The only question is what should the next breakfast of champions feature? Holla' at me with your favorite hearty breakfast recipes because you know I'm game. Word is bear-log.

Banana Bean Cafe vs. 4.0...

My sister and future brother-in-law were in town and they wanted to take Betty and me out for our birthdays. Betty and I decided to hit up Banana Bean Cafe which has very quietly become one of our local favorites. We opted for the Greenlawn Avenue location. We were seated promptly and chatted up a storm. In true CK fashion I started to get anxious when the wait staff took over 5 minutes to hook us up with a menu and take any sort of drink orders. One observation I've had about the Greenlawn location is that there always seem to be more wait staff than customers -- but even then -- service seems to be slow. When we finally got our menus I was further irked because they had an abbreviated menu with sandwiches but no dinner options. This was a bummer since we were really hoping to try out their dinner menu as opposed to their sandwich menu...oh well. As our slow service continued I looked around the restaurant which was pretty much deserted and got a little more irritated. No big deal because I suppose this blog is dedicated to my bear-itations about dining out in Columbus right? Eventually we got our drinks and food orders in and i could relax. I decided to try their black bean soup and their crab cake burger.


extremely delicious black bean soup


pretty good crab cake salad i mean burger...

The black bean soup was mighty tasty. I was surprised. I thought I was going to be underwhelmed. I really wanted to find some aspect of the soup to complain about and could fine none. Using black beans so often in my own cooking but never in a soup per se -- I was pretty oblivious that they could be so tasty in a soup. The soup was creamy and smooth almost like they blended black beans with broth to get the base going. Topping the soup off with cilantro, cheese, tomatoes & sour cream -- how could this taste anything but delicious. I'm getting this soup next time and it prolly wouldn't hurt to bust out the blender and freestyle some offering up at home as well.

The crab cake burger was pretty good. The crab cake was tasty and all but in the end I felt like i was eating a salad and left the bun behind.

All in all I continue to have a strong curiosity about Banana Bean Cafe. The first time we ate there version 1.0 was the best time -- perhaps because of our unsure expectations and surprise about their unique palette of flavors for sea food. Since then we find ourselves chasing that 1st time taste experience. We really want to have that experience again but I am not sure if it will be possible. At the end of the day I still like dining at Banana Bean Cafe and writing this makes me want to try something else off their menu.

P.S.


plaintains with ya ya sauce...yeah their good but I'm kinda over them.

the more you know...the more you potato...

Columbus Yogurt made the best potato salad I've ever had in my life. Unfortunately he freestyled his recipe and doesn't quite remember what was in it. No worries -- I recalled he used 3 different kinds of pickles and that was good enough for me to finally venture out on my own. Pictured below is my homemade potato salad, grilled chicken croissant sandwich, and left over black bean dip.

Crucial to my potato salad were:

1) diced pickles + pickle juice
2) heavy cream
3) real mayo
4) yellow mustard
5) smathering of seasonings.

Taste: off the charts.


tater salad, chicken croissant, black bean dip

Jon Spencer's Taste Explosion presents...Now I Got Quesadillas...

Remixed -- but i ask again how you gonna mess with this. Whole wheat tortillas with shredded extra sharp cheddar, diced chicken and black beans with homemade guac and salsa to boot. John Spencer's Taste Explosion...word



preppin' in the kitchen with diced chicken, shredded cheddar, diced red onions & black beans


extreme close-up before grillage


quesadillas proper plated with salsa, guac, sour cream and the el yucateco trifecta.

Now I got tasty is more like it.

pastafari...pastafari...pastafari preserve all taste...

Hibernating in the kitchen i freestyled some pasta salad for a cookout over at some friends -- using a vegetable radiatore pasta from Trader joes mixed with tomatoes, onions, orange peppers, black beans, bacon, red wine vinegar, cumin, brianna's santa fe dressing, and some shredded habanero cheddar cheese. Equal bites...just tasty.


pasta salad

let the indigestion begin...

This weekend Betty and I headed home to Dayton to celebrate my sister's engagement. The menu would feature a diversity of foods from your typical cook out to traditional Indian fare. I was up early assisting my sisters and my moms with the cooking and trying to pick up some new recipes and cooking tips.

Up first my middle sis was cooking up some of her delicious macaroni and cheese. She has remixed her recipe a number of times. Today we would be treated to a gruyere and white cheddar mac and cheese with chicken sausage and red onions. How you gonna hate on that?

Click on the thumbnail below to see me guide you through the mac and cheese creation process:


My moms and my older sis prepped turkey burgers Indian style. What makes it Indian you ask? Turmeric, garam masala, hot peppers, garlic and cilantro -- yeah that's what's up.

Click on the thumbnail below to see Betty tell you all about the secrets of the ITB...Indian Turkey burgers that is...:



We also had the usual black bean dip.




I was excited to learn that I would be responsible for making a special run to Shri G Grocers to pick up what I believe to be the best samosas hands down.



Now they don't make them there -- Shri G works with a mysterious someone who works out of his/her home and brings them to the store in a minivan. That was all the info I had. Oh yeah-- samosas are $.75 each.

The day was a blur between running around town, eating yummy food, meeting future fam and catching up with old friends that I fell behind in the picture taking department. There were a number of other items that I did not get a chance to snap photos of including: cholay, ras malai, gulab jamun, a tasty yellow cake from ELE bakery and who knows what else I'm forgetting -- but in the end -- a good time was had by all and bear oh bear...I really shouldn't have eaten those last 3 samosas and 4 pieces of cake...

jolly huevos rancheros...

I love eggs. I love refried beans.
Put them together. Jolly I will be.

I fried up a blue corn tortilla until it was crispy and brown. Layered it with the leftover refried black beans. Used the remaining chicken from the previous day. Threw on some shredded chipotle cheddar cheese. Added some chili spiked tomatoes. Then covered it all with a fried egg over medium garnished with mother amounts of onions and cilantro and yeah you guessed it. El Yucateco trifecta.


plated huevos rancheros CK style


closer look at the huevos rancheros...

aurora burrito-alis...

In case it wasn't apparent I have a tendency to remix leftovers into new culinary creations. Saturday night driven by a strange polar light from the skies in the north -- I took the leftover chicken and pepper tomato salad and flipped them into a mexican meal. I made 1 bean burrito with refried black beans, onions, and cilantro and another with diced chicken from the other night with refried black beans, onion, cilantro, and a pepper, tomato, onion, corn salsa. El Yucateco trifecto??? Of course. Muy Sabrosa! :)

refried black bean burrito and chicken burrito with tomato, corn, pepper salsa

bean burritos boring? most certainly not!

The last 2 nights we've been eating bean burritos -- by choice of course. I love them. I could probably eat them every day. I confess it. Is that a bad thing? People may associate bean burritos with Taco Bell -- and ask why would i make bean burritos at home when I can buy them for $.89. The answer -- because I can make them better. You can use vegetarian beans, mix it up with different cheeses, add exorbitant amounts of onions which are especially crucial to me, and of course top it off with El Yucateco. Normally we have 2 burritos -- and I do one with El Yucateco red and the other with El Yucateco green. I had left over cilantro in the fridge from last week so took this opportunity to add some to my bean burritos. Delicious and f-r-e-s-h. When all is said and done at the end of the day -- bean burritos are what i crave!

bean burritos with cilantro, habanero cheddar, onions, el yucateco red and green, bowl of don pablos hot salsa, larger bowl snyder of hanover yellow corn tortilla chips

mucho nacho bowl about sumpin'...

A classic cholesterolking meal is the nacho bowl. You can customize it depending on what you got in the house. Tonight we had the following:



Hidden below the toppings is seasoned ground turkey topped with shredded monterey jack cheese, chopped onion, then topped with seasoned black beans. I used coriander, cumin, and bay leaves with the black beans. All of the previously mentioned is then topped with sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, and then striped with the red and green el yucateco hot sauces. How you gonna hate on this meal?

signature black bean dip + white chocolate chip orange cookies

For a cookout with friends we decided to make some signature cholesterol king bean dip and orange white chocolate chip cookies inspired from the 52 weeks of baking blog that I've been following.


bean dip prep



finalized bean dip. looks like christmas

signature bean dip consists of a layer of black beans and salsa; a layer of sour cream with spices; shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese; shredded ice burg lettuce; green onions; and dice tomatoes


betty agreed to be in charge of the cookies which called for orange zest.


betty did a good job with the cookies




fresh outta the oven.

The cookies were delicious. They were a big hit at the cookout as the citrus flavor took our friends by surprise. Betty and I thought about adapting this recipe in the future including trying them with lemon zest and regular chocolate morsels. Folks loved the bean dip as always.

El Vaquero please forgive us for our indiscretion...

Instead of resuming a healthy diet of cooking at home -- Monday (April 1st) found us spontaneously trying Rancho Alegre. The relatively new restaurant that opened up down 33 from our favorite restaurant El Vaquero. It is located in the building that used to be Tee Jays. It seemed sacrilegious at first to go there considering El Vaquero is the truth -- but we got over it. The place is a more family friendly version of El Vaquero like if Bob Evans opened up a Mexican restaurant. There is plenty of natural light and booths by the windows and spacious tables and chairs in the middle. The bar area has a flat panel tv for those who want to hang there. When we pulled into the parking lot the place was empty which was slightly alarming but it was right after work. They had a pretty extensive menu and we were surprised to see that they had a meal with the same name as our all time favorite from El Vaquero -- The Pollo Ranchero. Betty ordered the Pollo Ranchero and I ordered the Nachos. Betty and I then began our food commentary. It was hard not to compare this restaurant to El Vaquero but here goes:

The chips and salsa were delicious. A smooth and sweeter salsa with cilantro...Can't complain. The chips were warm and tasted freshly made w/o too much grease on them. A good start.


Margaritas were lime on the rocks with salt of course. These were very tasty. I rated them higher then El Vaqueros. I asked for a hot salsa and it wasn't bad. Similar to El Vaquero's with a vinegary taste but not as many green chilis or cilantro in it.

The food.



Well my chicken nachos were okay except that i ordered the Super Nachos which were supposed to come with beef, chicken, and beans. I think they mistakenly gave me the grilled chicken nachos which had only chicken and onions and peppers. It was difficult to tell whether i had the right order until i had eaten quite a bit of nachos and at that point I didn't want to fuss. The nachos were not bad -- just not what i ordered.


Betty's Pollo Ranchero was a tangier version of our favorite El Vaquero Pollo Ranchero aka the 141. The usual description for such an offering is "chicken with our special red sauce". The sauce was not so special for me. The Ranchero sauce was lighter but almost tasted like chef boyardee. I didn't care for the rice and was disappointed that beans did not accompany the meal especially for $10.50. Refried beans are essential for me when we eat mexican. I was tempted to order them on the side but Betty and i were already getting stuffed.

Overall Betty and I thought Rancho Alegre was an "a'ight" place with average food. Though we might go back there for margaritas and chips we found our palettes craving the bold flavors of our timeless favorite El Vaquero just a jaunt down the road.

the salad days...

For the last 3 years my new years resolutions have included eating more veggies. With that goal i have had many great experiences making various kinds of salads. The one below was extremely delicious. Let's see if I can remember what was in it:

1) mixed greens
2) shredded brussel sprouts
3) carrots
4) 3 pepper blend
5) black beans
6) grilled chicken tenderloin marinated in a rosemary spice blend
7) tomatoes
8) onions
9) sliced boiled eggs
10) shredded cheddar cheese



With all the different flavors in the salad I did not really need a dressing but I did put a splash of balsamic vinegar on it.