Bean-a-licious

Today I am completely exhausted. I have no idea why, and I brewed the very last batch of Cuba coffee (from our trip this time last year) today. I want to go back to Cuba, who is with me?!

So I taught this morning, the lab is extracting trimyristin from nutmeg. It is a pretty decent lab, it just involves refluxing for 20 mintues and then recrystallizing the product. One of my kids asked me if they could get high off of their product--

this reminded me of Andre. I looked it up: we were not extracting the good stuff. The best part is that it smelled like nutmeg, which made me want to drink rum and egg nog. Also I looked up recipes for egg nog this christmas...it was bad! I don't want to make it, I just want to be in ignorant bliss when it comes to what I am drinking in this particular case.

Okay so this post has nothing to do with egg nog, or cuba, or teaching, or coffee... it is about Beans! Bean cookies to be exact.

We made these cookies this weekend, the recipe is from Carolyn, one of the Calgary peps. It is a super nice pick-me-up mid day, and pretty much

guilt free (if you sub the flour with more oats). Very healthy! And, if you get the right oats, they could be gluten free, great for those poor kids who can't have gluten.

White Kidney Bean Cookies

Ingredients:

-2 cups of oatmeal

-1 cup of all purpose flour

-1 can of white kidney beans

-1 egg

-1 Tbsp butter

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 cup brown sugar

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 Tbsp ground flax

-1/2 Tbsp hemp protein powder (optional)

-1/2 cup white chocolate chips

-1/2 cup walnuts (or any other nuts)

-1/2 cup Crasins

Directions:

-Process oats in food processor until it become a flour consistency. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (oats, flour, sugar, baking soda)

-Put beans into food processor & process until liquid, now add ground flax, vanilla and process

-Mix the wet and dry ingredients and stir in the chocolate chip, crushed walnuts and crasins

-Place on cooking sheet in desired size and shape (these do not melt down when cooked)

-Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Et Voyla!

Cheers,

Kirsten

Montreal Madness

Hello all,

In an effort to avoid further grocery shopping, I went off to Montreal last weekend. I took the train in Canada for the first time which was a pretty interesting, the train ride up was pretty uneventful. Upon arrival I found the nearest diner and picked up a Montreal smoked meat sandwich. Now as we all know, pastrami is beef that has been smoked to make a tender meat, and Corned beef is beef that has been pickled, and Montreal smoked meat has had both and is delicious.

I met up with my friend Caitlin who lives there and we had a good wander and skate around town, and had a couple bowls of Chocolate Chaud (yes you can get it bowl sized with a spoon) and a dessert crepe. After our mid-afternoon snack we headed home to make some delicious Turkey chili. See recipe:

Turkey Chili

Ingredients:
1lb ground turkey
1 can white kidney beans
1 can red kidney beans
2 cooking onions
1 large red pepper
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 handful of carrots (chopped)
Chili powder
red pepper flakes
Cheese to garnish

Directions:
In LARGE pot, brown turkey in a little oil. Add onions cook until translucent. Drain bean juice from cans, Add everything else to pot. Let simmer 20-30 minutes. Taste. Add more chili powder or S&P to taste. Put cheese on top. add more cheese. Enjoy.

So after feasting on delicious chili we decided to bake some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I used my moms secret recipe unfortunately I can't post it here because I signed an NDA. (maybe later if you are lucky).

The next morning we grabbed a quick bite to eat from the local marche/boulangerie which was quite tasty and I headed down town to catch my train home. The train home was a little more interesting as I sat beside an Art history prof who specialized in Chinese art. I shared my cookies and we had some good conversations on the way home.

Until next time.... Groceries