It’s a good question. As an artist, I’ve become accustomed to the idea that I can express whatever idea I’d like in whatever forum I choose. That freedom is one of the perks of a difficult profession.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with the fact that I’ve utilized food as a subject matter in several of my recent art projects. The choice was not arbitrary…I love food, have been a serious cook for 15 years, and worked in restaurants on and off for more than a decade. Food is a passion.

I’ve had many discussions with my father-in-law, (who is a politically active doctor) about how difficult it is to engage and educate people about how to eat in ways that are healthy, cost-efficient, and delicious. As Mass American Foodculture is Fast Food culture to a large degree, most folks don’t know how to use healthy ingredients in a way that “tastes” as good as MickeyD’s, even though that food uses chemical taste additives. How can we expect people to combat diabetes and obesity if they don’t know how to take raw ingredients and turn them into something good and affordable?

So I decided that while anyone reading this might well have food knowledge already, I could use this forum to pass along some of the recipes/ cooking ideas that I’ve developed over the years. Every little bit helps…

Speaking of which…

Breakfast burritos should not cost $12. I know brunch in a restaurant is fun, but $12 can make burritos for a family, with some scratch left over.

I had a friend in town this weekend, so I made some easy breakfast burritos yesterday morning. With a little help from Trader Joe’s.

Burrito Components can be set up like a buffet, to add what you like:

Scrambled Eggs (with salt, pepper, green chile and cheddar cheese)—cook them until the curds separate, stirring moderately…basically, the eggs should break down into pieces that you cook on each side. Do not stir constantly, do not serve raw or burnt…

Black Beans (Trader Joes Cuban Style, in this case)

Feta Cheese (I get cow’s milk feta from Tucumcari)

Frisee or some other raw green

Home made or store-bought salsa

All you have to do is cook the eggs as you like, microwave the tortilla, roll the burrito and garnish. Total cost per burrito can not possibly exceed $2.