Green Beans & Guacamole Book Signing

Sorrel Urban Bistro hosted the Green Beans and Guacamole cookbook signing recently, featuring many of Houston’s finest chefs. The cookbook’s sole purpose is to generate funds for the ARC, which is a nonprofit organization helping children & adults with cognitive or developmental disabilities.

Friends for Good, based out of Houston, is the nonprofit group responsible for bringing Green Beans and Guacamole to life. Austin Hanson, son of FFG co-founder Belinda Hillhouse, became diagnosed with down syndrome at birth.

Inspiration for the cookbook began after Austin hosted a surprise party for his mother’s birthday. Having planned the event using money earned bagging groceries, Austin made sure the menu included his mother’s favorite’s… green beans and guacamole.

Austin Hanson & Belinda Hillhouse
Photo by Kimberly Park

“The recipes contributed to the Green Beans and Guacamole cookbook are, as my son Austin would say, ‘outstandable,’” said Belinda Hillhouse. “Throughout the process of putting the cookbook together we worked with the Houston-area chefs to ensure a wide variety of signature dishes were included.”

Green Beans and Guacamole is composed of almost 100 recipes having been selected by such notable chefs as Richard Knight of Feast, Mark Cox of Mark’s, Soren Pedersen of Sorrel, and John Sheely of Mockingbird Bistro.

Photography throughout this cookbook is breathtaking, as with all work from the ever so talented food photographers Julie Soefer, Debora Smail, and Shannon O’Hara.

Executive Chef Mark Cox
Photo by Kimberly Park

A mini chat with Mark Cox ultimately lead to a tasting, interview, and tour of his restaurant in Montrose this past week. His story is an interesting one, even having a sassy past with Brennan’s.

Grilled Corn Chowder
Photo via Green Beans and Guacamole

His first dish listed in the cookbook is a Chilean sea bass in a mushroom broth with Thai shrimp & crab cake, garnished with fried shallots.

Mark’s next recipe is grilled corn chowder with red potatoes & thyme. Pretend, if only for a moment, that one cup of apple-smoked bacon, having been diced… medium, is only a very scary figment of an impossible imagination.

Photo by Kimberly Park

Restaurants included in Green Beans and Guacamole are…

America’s, Armando’s, Ava, Backstreet Cafe, Benjy’s, Bistro Alex, Brennan’s, Cafe at Brookwood, Canopy, Carrabba’s, Ciao Bello, Coppa, Crapitto’s, Cullen’s Grille, Damian’s, Feast, Frank’s Chop House, Gigi’s, Haven, Hugo’s, Ibiza, Indika, Kiran’s, Le Mistral, Mandola’s, Mark’s, Masraff’s, Max’s Wine Dive, Mockingbird Bistro, Olivette at The Houstonian, Ouisie’s, Pappa’s Restaurants, Phillipe, Piatto’s, Quattro, Rainbow Lodge, Ray’s Gourmet Country, RDG, Reef, Ristorante Cavour, Shade, Slow Dough, Sorrel’s, Sorrento’s, T’afia, The Grove, Tony’s, and Zelko Bistro.

Chef John Sheely
Photo via Green Beans and Guacamole

Grilled Wild Salmon
Photo via Green Beans and Guacamole

Chef John Sheely’s presence stops the press every time. Mockingbird Bistro is a classic sorda hoity toity River Oaks restaurant that simply doesn’t leave that kind of impression.

His grilled wild salmon recipe joins tomato ragout with tomato basil vinaigrette. You have no clue how to prepare this gift without forking over the dough for a good cause. Move it, people.

Chef Philippe Schmit sashayed across the room as if he were on a mission to begin some sort of massive five minute long French sentence explosion. He even spent almost 2 minutes sharing vegetarian food pictures from his very own… phone.

The picture in which you witness is that of the exact moment the French Cowboy signed my cookbook, ultimately forcing me to gasp as he did the unthinkable, spelling my name… wrong.

Thoughts of forgiveness shot toward my brain like a cowboy’s gun during a western movie draw. His demeanor spoke volumes of sorrow, thus forcing us all to continue living life once again.

Crispy Rice Paper Salmon
Photo via Green Beans and Guacamole

Philippe’s crispy rice paper salmon dish looks delish! His combination of brunoise vegetables & spaghetti squash, along with super secret ingredients you will never know about until buying this cookbook. Joy potential is a given.

Tis the season to buy this cookbook! Green Beans & Guacamole can be purchased at HEB or Central Market for $49.95. It’s worth every copper penny. Delivered having a hardcover with jacket, it can also be purchased online at greensbeansandguacamole.com. Love it. Become one with it. Quickly cookbook BFF it.