Making refried beans from scratch is simple — no cans necessary! This is loosely based on Mark Bittman's recipe found in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. If you must use canned beans, try Eden brand. They now makes cans without BPA lining, which has been shown to cause all sorts of problems. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be adjusted to accommodate any season. Right now, peppers are overflowing at the farmers markets as well as in our own garden. But in the winter, you can simply use onions instead. If you are lucky enough to live in a place where avocados are local and in season, they make a great addition to this meal. The recipe below is the bare bones version. Feel free to pep it up with some peppers, greens, zucchini or whatever else you can think of.
Read MoreThis is my go-to when it's basil season. Add that to the pine nuts, olive oil, parmesan cheese and vegetable broth that I already had at home and I made two cups of pesto sauce. That was enough to have two big bowls at dinner and then freeze the rest for another meal.
Read MoreThis is a really delicous granola recipe that I adapted from Berkeley's famous Cheese Board. Their recipe is called Killer Granola and it calls for quite a bit of brown sugar. I substituted with a combination of honey and maple syrup. You could vary the type of nuts and seeds you use to your own taste, but I think pecans make this recipe extra decadent, especially in combination with the maple syrup. If you're making this for more than one person, I would recommend doubling the recipe — it's a little bit addictive and it goes fast. I've been having it for breakfast with some plain yogurt and fruit. Because of the honey, maple syrup and butter, the granola clumps nicely and is good to munch on straight for a snack — it tastes like a cross between a cookie and granola bar in the best way.
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