"What I've got left in the cupboard" Burritos

I've had a can of re-fried beans, a can of corn and a can of sliced black olives sitting in my cupboard for a while, so I decided that it was time for some burritos to spice things up.

I sauteed some onion, added in some leftover rice from the fridge, and then the can of refried beans and half a can of corn and about a quarter of a can of olives. I fried it up and added a dash of hot sauce. It made the perfect vegetarian burrito filling! I even had cheese, fresh tomatoes, fresh limes and sour cream that needed to be used up so I had all the fixings. I complimented it with some homemade guacamole too.

I love this recipe for guacamole:

1 large ripe avocado
1 clove garlic
1 tsp of fresh lime juice
1 tbsp of sour cream
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 dash of salt to taste
cilantro for garnish (optional of course)

Mince or chop one clove of garlic. Chop lime in half and squeeze to make at least 1 tsp of lime juice. Mash the avocado until creamy, then add sour cream and lime juice and mix thoroughly. Blend in garlic, Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste. Throw a bit of cilantro on top and you're set. You can always add more lime juice too! (The great thing about the lime juice is that it prevents the avocado from going brown too!)

Don't forget to make some margaritas to drink along with your Mexican meal; it's always a good way to round out any dinner!

The September Experiment

In need of a challenge, I've deemed September to be the month that I use up as many of my canned/packaged goods as possible. All of those cans of beans, the jar of artichoke hearts, and the slender jar of capers that have been sitting in the darkness of the cupboard must work their way into whatever concoctions I cook up over the next four weeks. The only things I'm allowed to buy at the grocery store are produce and dairy products to supplement my fare. So far, things have started off well.

On Thursday night I used up the cherry tomatoes, garlic and onion I had in my fridge. I sauteed them and added them to some spicy organic spaghetti sauce I had in the cupboard, then added some Italian seasoning and a bit of Parmesan cheese. Next I boiled up half a box of macaroni until al dente and then tossed it in the sauce until thoroughly mixed. Then I transferred it all to a lasagna dish and sprinkled grated mozzarella cheese over the top and baked it in the oven on broil. After less than 10mins in the oven dinner was served, and it left me enough leftovers for another five meals. Perfect.

Vancouver in Bloom

Photo credit: Pixel Works

Tomorrow I'm torn between taking the Bike the Blossoms tour of Vancouver or listening to the final showdown of Canada Writes on "Go!" with Brent Bambury to cheer on my favourite contender, Laurie Schwartz.

However, I must admit that the Cherry Blossom tour is winning out because it involves both physical activity and food, and well, I'm a sucker for both. I'm going to leave it up to whichever way the wind blows...

A Toast to Italy

I just cracked a bottle of 2007 Trentacinquesimo Parallelo Primaitivo del Salento from Italy in an effort to expand my repertoire of wine from my usual picks from the regions of B.C., Chile, Argentina or Australia. The heady scent of cherries and plums with a hint of spice make a nice smooth bloom on the palate. The relatively opaque hue reminds me of rubies in a glass and is a nice change from the thinner Chiantis that I've tried. For approximately $15 a bottle it's a good deal for a relatively full bodied wine. I'll have to add some more European wines to the list of wines to sample. Stay tuned for more.