Mexican Beans 

Ingredients for the beans: one bag of frozen beans, one white onion, two tablespoons of tomato paste, one tin of crushed tomatoes, four cloves of garlic, one red chilli pepper, one tablespoon of garlic powder, one tablespoon of smoked paprika, some chilli flakes, one tablespoon of maple syrup, one cup of water, and two tablespoons of olive oil.

Preparation:

Step 1: Dice the onion, the chilli, and the garlic and fry in a saucepan for about 5 minutes (the chilli may irritate your eyes and cause coughing, from personal experience).

Step 2: Add two tablespoons of tomato paste and the tin of crushed tomatoes, a tablespoon of maple syrup, and season to taste. I suggest starting with smoked paprika, chilli flakes, and garlic powder.

Step 3: Add in the bag of frozen beans and cup of water and stir.

Step 4: Let it cook for about an hour on a small flame with a slightly open lid. Let it simmer and reduce, stirring every few minutes so the bottom doesn’t burn.

Brown Rice

Ingredients: brown rice, an onion, garlic, one tablespoon of olive oil.

Preparation:

Step 1: Dice the garlic and onions and fry in a pot with olive oil for about 5 minutes, until the onions are golden.

Step 2: Add 2 cups of rice and fry for about a minute.

Step 3: Add 3 cups of water (for a ratio of 1.5 cups of water/1 cup of rice)

Step 4: Raise the heat until the water boils, then lower it and continue to cook with a slightly open lid until all the water has evaporated.

Roasted Corn

Ingredients: Corn, salt, BBQ sauce, one tablespoon of maple syrup, half a cup of water, one tablespoon of garlic powder, two tablespoons of smoked paprika, chilli flakes, and olive oil.

Preparation:

Step 1: Place the cobs of corn in a big pot, fill with water, add salt and let boil. Once boiled, lower the heat and let cook for about half an hour.

Step 2: Sauce – in a bowl go one cup of BBQ sauce, one tbsp of maple syrup, two tbsp of smoked paprika, one tbsp garlic powder, two tbsp olive oil, chilli flakes to taste and half a cup of water. Mix well and dip the cobs of corn in the sauce.

Step 3: Bake in the oven at 180C until lightly charred.

Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients: Vegetables of your choice – I went with portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, two heads of garlic, and one white onion. For the sauce – one tsp salt, one cup BBQ sauce, one tsp maple syrup, half a cup of water, one tbsp garlic powder, two tbsp smoked paprika, chilli flakes and olive oil.

Preparation:

Step 1: Wash all the vegetables. Cut the onions and tomatoes into quarters (but not quite all the way through), leave the peppers whole and make sure to empty them after they’re done.

Step 2: Sauce (same as the sauce used for the corn) – in a bowl go one cup of BBQ sauce, one tsp of maple syrup, two tbsp of smoked paprika, one tbsp garlic powder, two tbsp olive oil, chilli flakes to taste and half a cup of water. Mix well and slather the vegetables with the sauce.

Step 3: Bake in the oven for about an hour at 180C. The veggies will need longer than the corn, so you can put the corn in half an hour after you’ve started the veggies.

Step 4: Finally, cut open the peppers and empty them, and serve.

Salsa Dip

Guacamole Dip

Ingredients: Two avocados, chilli flakes, one chilli pepper, one tbsp smoked paprika, one tsp garlic powder, 5 cloves of garlic.

Preparation:

Step 1: Empty the avocados into a bowl and crush with a fork. Crush the garlic and add it to the crushed avocado.

Step 2: Dice the chilli pepper and add to the bowl along with the spices. Mix well and there you have it, guacamole!