Greens n beans: The wonderfully adaptable quesadilla
Our house is always filled with food, but unfortunately, it is not always in ready-to-eat form. Most of the time this does not matter; I like to cook. But there are days — OK, weeks — when ...
Greens & Beans: How old are those frozen blueberries?
Good intentions pave the way not only to very hot places, but also to very cold ones. Such as the freezer — home to all sorts of ice-encrusted, seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time containers. But ...
Greens & Beans: Discovering a smoothie sensation
I believe I swore, at some point, not to land on the smoothie bandwagon. Especially the green one. That most dire of fates hasn’t happened — kale should be sauteed with onions and olive oil, ...
Greens & Beans: Cultured in the kitchen
We’ve become a nation against bacteria, and with some reason — antibiotics have saved many lives, from some very unpleasant diseases. But bacteria are an integral part of life, and while they ...
Grain-free desserts that take the cake
Being related to people who no longer eat grain has sent me scrambling in search of grain-free cake recipes, because we are also people who like to eat cake. It turns out that this quest has had benefits ...
Greens & Beans: Foraging for fresh food as winter wanes
Technically, it’s still winter, but spring is in the air and in the hearts of local gardeners and farmers already dreaming of those first delectable harvests. Fat bunches of spinach, tender leaf ...
Greens & Beans: A tea for every season
If mint tea conjures up summer, apple cider crisp October days, and hot chocolate is perfect for late fall and winter, I’m not really sure what might constitute a hot beverage for early spring. Roasted ...
Greens & Beans: What's a snacker to do?
I’ve been obsessed with popcorn lately, partly because we make excellent popcorn, and partly because sugar has unpleasant enough effects on my system that I eat very little of it. But the urge to ...
Greens & Beans: Homemade cheese? Yes, please
Our family Christmas dinner tradition for some decades has been homemade lasagna. Once upon a long time ago, that involved plenty of work, but was fine for everyone. Now, some of us are gluten-free, some ...
Greens & Beans: Wise words for a new year
Recently, I read some of the best kitchen quotes ever. They’re by Alana Chernila, of the blog “Eating From the Ground Up” at www.eatingfromthegroundup.com. She wrote, “You do not ...
Greens & Beans: Homemade flavors in a bottle
I’m not sure how many types of flavoring it’s possible to make at home, but it’s been a lot of fun trying to come up with some of the basics. Vanilla is the classic, of course, and delightfully ...
Greens & Beans: Good food - fast
Convenience food is tempting, because it’s, well, convenient. And appealing, at least in concept. Take McMuffins for example: What doesn’t sound tasty about a hot, flaky biscuit or English ...
Greens & Beans: Ideas for a budget-friendly feast
It’s the season of the harvest feast, and time to celebrate foods like apples, pumpkins, potatoes and sage. Also brussels sprouts, cabbage, peppers and all the other good things our gardens and local ...
Greens & Beans: Green tomatoes for dessert? Sweet!
I have unexpectedly become a fan of mincemeat. This is, technically, a rediscovery; it was made last year, and I’ve just noticed it again. It all happened because of the green tomatoes. There are ...
Greens & Beans: Adventures in excess pumpkin abundance
It's October! Season of fall leaves turning, of baking pumpkins, roasting peppers, simmering soup, and finishing the year's harvest, which always seems to take much longer than expected. It's time to ...