AUGUST ROUNDUP

Immediately after I sent out my post about cooking with a walker, Jeff Abell, a longtime cooking class student at Chicago’s Alliance Française sent a ingenious vegetarian recipe for Mexican Street Corn, Rice and Beans. Not only does this tasty trio contain all nine essential amino acids, they are inexpensive and shelf stable either packaged, canned or frozen. The recipe’s mayo-based dressing includes tasty chili, citrus and cheese flavors. (If you substitute a non-dairy mayo and cheese, the dish is vegan.)

This dish is delicious warm or at room temperature and keeps well which makes it the perfect contribution to a picnic or potluck. My daughter visiting from Los Angeles reminded me that this dish is called Cowboy Caviar on the West Coast. The name has stuck, So has the pleasure of customizing the dressing to the taste preferences of one’s audience.

The salad’s numerous dressing ingredients will challenge the cook traversing the kitchen with a walker. Luckily, an excellent solution arrived from Kathy Oswald soon after Jeff's recipe. Kathy sent a link to a tray that is easily attached to a walker. She gifts this item to friends who have recently undergone hip or knee surgery.

I am happy to report that the walker I used, courtesy of Lemont’s lending closet of medical equipment, was returned some time ago. I am embracing physical therapy inspired by thoughts of my culinary trip to Morocco in October. I’m setting aside my sturdy walking shoes and gathering layers of light, comfortable clothing for temperatures that will be warm enough for a swim and cool enough for sightseeing. A decision on a hat for sunny days is pending.

This tour is exclusively for a dozen women. An opening for single is still available for anyone who loves to discover a country’s culture by eating and preparing its foods, tasting its wines and visiting its historic sites. To learn more, visit Morocco: A Culinary Crossroads.