Soups, ceviche, birria, fajitas, nopales salad, etc. Look at side dishes and just do beans, not refried ones.
Gardening 2024
- Thread starter Michi
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And tacos! Onion, cilantro, some radish and salsa. You know, like @Lars makes.
Point taken, there’s lots of recipes that are very heavy.
I do a similar thing, cook for the week on the weekends, but what that ends up being is a central protein around which we vary stuff day by day. Which is probably not remotely traditional, so maybe I should describe it more as Mexican “inspired” recipes.
My first Mexican cookbook was Pati’s Mexican Table, which was the first time I had learnt about some of the different techniques / methods that were used (compared to my experience with more European recipes).
So we would do something like a Carnitas / Chicken Tinga / mole / slow cooked beef / etc, and around that we’d have a salad, always some black beans of some variety, a couple of salsas, a pico, and some tortillas, always a guacamole, maybe some cheese on the side, and the family can choose what they want of that each night. My wife likes the spice but not the heat, so the meals typically don’t have too much chilli (I add mine through sauces or a mango pico later). A lot of the (bad) heavy Mexican food I’ve had out here in Australia (which I strongly doubt is traditional) has been heavy on cheese / chilli and low on fresh vegetables. We’ve found a balance that works for us by just changing the balance to more fresh vegetables (just a quick chop up each night), and letting the spices complement the ingredients (like proteins or beans, etc) rather than just be about the spice / chilli.
Things I can’t live without now: Mexican dried oregano, dried chillis of different varieties for different applications, fresh cilantro / coriander, a pinch of cumin, smoked paprika (or smoked salt).
I will confess though that my one indulgence is occasionally making this heavy mashed potato recipe (alarmingly addictive): https://patijinich.com/chunky-chipotle-mashed-potatoes/
Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
I haven't been able to find a good Mexican restaurant in Brisbane in, like, forever. There used to be a really good one in Toowoomba, which I used to go to regularly. Sadly, that's 120 km away, and the restaurant closed almost 40 years ago…
Mate, next time you’re in Melbourne I’ll shoot you some recommendations.I haven't been able to find a good Mexican restaurant in Brisbane in, like, forever. There used to be a really good one in Toowoomba, which I used to go to regularly. Sadly, that's 120 km away, and the restaurant closed almost 40 years ago…
Mamasita and Bodega Underground are my staples. There’s other decent Mexican in the inner northern Suburbs too if you’re in the neighbourhood.
jjlotti
Well-Known Member
You know it's on when you walk out to the herbs and 89 dishes pop into your gourd!
Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
Tillandsia ionantha 'Fuego' in flower.
Michi
I dislike attempts to rewrite history
Nepenthes St Gaya.
MowgFace
Senior Member
Early in the season here in California, but have a good bit in the ground. Currently have ~10 ish pepper and Tomato varieties each, Eggplant, Snap peas, Green Beans, Edamame, Strawberries, Marion Berry, Watermelon a few varieties of Radish and a bunch of herbs. We also got another Calamansi tree (represent the homeland) to bolster one we got a few years back that hasn't really grown too much.
My Wife also recently got the itch to start growing a cut flower garden, so were dabbling in that as well. Trying to improve my game on non-edible/smokable plants.
My Wife also recently got the itch to start growing a cut flower garden, so were dabbling in that as well. Trying to improve my game on non-edible/smokable plants.
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Wild small cherry tomatoes, ping-pong ball size have to cover with bags or birds will get the ripe ones. Thai Basil & Arugula in quantity.
Of coarse avocado tree update, I've been taking care of it after flowering had 14 avocados 10 fell off, 4 of larger ones still hanging on. The tree is still young been fertilizing it from compost spin bin. Seemed to like it new leaf growth. Figure in another couple years it will produce avocados it is about 2.5 years old from cutting in small pot.
Hopefully it will dominate back yard in years to come.
Of coarse avocado tree update, I've been taking care of it after flowering had 14 avocados 10 fell off, 4 of larger ones still hanging on. The tree is still young been fertilizing it from compost spin bin. Seemed to like it new leaf growth. Figure in another couple years it will produce avocados it is about 2.5 years old from cutting in small pot.
Hopefully it will dominate back yard in years to come.
I grew one for eight years on my balcony in Hong Kong. It was Little Shop of Horrors when I finally gave it away.
jjlotti
Well-Known Member
Just got my first coco planter and already can tell these are great!
jjlotti
Well-Known Member
Last week's sore back already paying off!
Nice are those boxwoods behind the planters?
When we moved back to NYC in 2018, we bought a place with a decent sized back porch that the previous owners had squandered: a few dying evergreens and lots of mosquitoes. Built a raised bed to soak up the standing water and control the mosquitoes, then planted out year by year. For edibles, this is my most ambitious year to date:
1) Full herb garden: everything from chocolate mint (great ice cream garnish) to spicy oregano (must for salsa). Almost all perennials.
2) Four varieties of small tomatoes;
3) Serranos, habaneros and tabascos for hot sauce;
4) Green and yellow pole beans;
5) Arugula, collards, nasturtium and mustard greens;
6) wild strawberry mini-field
7) pink and blue oyster and wine cap mushrooms for fermenting garum in the fall
Urban gardening is a blast. Blows guests away when we host outdoor dinner parties.
1) Full herb garden: everything from chocolate mint (great ice cream garnish) to spicy oregano (must for salsa). Almost all perennials.
2) Four varieties of small tomatoes;
3) Serranos, habaneros and tabascos for hot sauce;
4) Green and yellow pole beans;
5) Arugula, collards, nasturtium and mustard greens;
6) wild strawberry mini-field
7) pink and blue oyster and wine cap mushrooms for fermenting garum in the fall
Urban gardening is a blast. Blows guests away when we host outdoor dinner parties.
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jjlotti
Well-Known Member
Keith, those are some variety of creeping juniper behind the "lizard motel".... Sidenote: if you ever want to trade houses with someone for a couple of weeks, I'm your man!!!! Aloha
