Black Bean Recipe Roundup

I have talked before about Meat Free Mondays

and about substituting vegetarian meals into your weekly diet.

Not only are beans a healthy choice but they are packed with proteins and vitamins.

Did I also mention, canned or dried, beans are SUPER CHEAP!!!

(PS.  They even sell the Mr Goudas brand at  the Dollartree now...WIN!)

Just to help you out...

I have a black bean roundup for you!

I usually make a fried black bean dish that totally reminds Ches and I of being in Costa Rica.

Original black bean recipe,

Burritos and Southwest Soup:

Here

My newest recipe was adding the black bean recipe and serving it quesadilla-style.

Plain Greek yoghurt for the sour cream.

Chopped fresh tomatoes, grated local cheese, our home made salsa and some of last year's pickled jalapenos between two flour tortillas.  Place on side down in a frying pan with a bit of oil.

Fry one side and then flip to grill the other side.

Slice and serve while piping hot.

****************

Below is the roundup of more recipes I've already posted on the blog:

Burritos and Vegetarian Nachos

Here

A Creamy Black Bean Dip:

Here

Other Bean Recipes:

Here

A couple of Mean Bean Soup Recipes:

Here

2 Mexi Options for a Meat Free Monday

Every now and again I like to offer up options for people who are trying to curb their meat intake.

I have previously done posts about Meatfree Mondays, 

an initiative spearheaded by Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters.

If you are looking for the nutritional info on beans (or beans and rice together) - check out this link to my previous post.

Here is another in that series of posts:

Meat Free Burritos

I have posted this recipe before - but its so good, I'm posting it again.

I make a bean and rice dish that was inspired by something husband and I loved in Costa Rica.

Basically its black beans cooked in a little oil with lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, coriander, onions and S&P to taste.

Add in rice (I use a mixture of wild and brown rices) and simmer a bit more.

I add the beans and rice mixture to the wraps and top with spinach, tomatoes, 

sweet bell peppers, shredded cheese and plain Greek yogurt.

(Previously I have shown eating these with ranch dressing - but the Greek yogurt is awesome too)

What you get is a delicious, healthy and filling meal!

Pretty cheap too, if you happen to grow yer own veggies!
Beans and rice keep forever (in the proper conditions) so they really are a great investment for your grocery dollar, whether they be canned or dried.


I use the same bean and rice mixture in another dish...

Vegetarian Nachos

I take the same beans and rice mixture and scoop them into the center of a dinner plate.

Surround the scoops with nachos chips (shown here is Tostitos Cantina chips)

I sprinkled the last of my Roma tomatoes, chopped, and some sweet bell peppers, chopped.

Homemade salsa gets spooned around too.

Grated cheese (marble cheddar and hot pepper brick cheeses) on top of the whole mess and bake at 400 degrees C until cheese is melty!

I've been able to find these chips for quite a good deal, so the overall price on these nachos is still way below pub or restaurant rates.

ENJOY!

What have you been making meat-free these days?

Cooking for the End of the World...AKA a million soup recipes...

I love books...especially reference books...

It's gotten so bad I actually have to limit my exposure to Amazon.com...

I could literally spend a small country's national debt on that site alone!!!

One of these books from Amazon was all about storing food for emergency purposes.

A large part of this book was about reconstituting dried foods for cooking.
I was intrigued.  We do store a lot of food, but drying isn't one of the ways we usually do it.
(It's one of my resolutions for 2013...to become more comfortable with drying food)
Mostly we just freeze or jar our food.  In the fall, I aim to make a bunch of soup when the fall veggies are ripe and freeze them in Becel containers.

We have bags of dried beans, but I prefer to work with canned.
The big problem I have with canned beans is that they are packed in salt or preservatives.

So I decided to try reconstituting for the first time!

I soaked 4 cups of mixed beans over night....kind of anti-climactic...

Those above are the beans after I had soaked and rinsed them.

I looked up several recipes online in places like cooks.com seaching under the tag "mixed bean soups".

I found LOADS of recipes to choose from...but many of them called for a pork shank.

I didn't want to rely on having a shank laying around...that and the beans themselves are full of proteins already....why add more?

I found a few recipes that didn't call for a pork shank...just to mix thing up a little.

I had both varieties of soup going at the same time....one in a slow cooker and one of the stove in a pot.

MOM'S BEAN SOUP
2 cups beans  4 cups water 1 chopped onion 1  1/2 tsp. chili powder 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. garlic salt Soak beans overnight - or - boil for one hour. See Soaking Dry Beans. Rinse beans. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with chips, cheese, sour cream if desired.

TEN BEAN SOUP

1 1/2 c. Ten Bean Soup Mix
4 c. water
2 (10 oz.) cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 lb. smoked sausage, thinly sliced (i used mild italian spiced turkey sausages)
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes, chopped

-Sort and wash beans, place in large Dutch oven and cover with water 2 inches above beans.

-Soak beans overnight.

-Drain beans, add 4 cups water, chicken broth, garlic and pepper.

-Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.

-Add remaining ingredients and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Yield: 2 1/2 quarts.

Of the two bean recipes, the sausage one turned out to be more of a crowd pleaser.

You can't always see what everyone will like until you try it.

My only advise for that is don't make 16 servings of anything until you've tried a portion of the recipe to start.

It feels like a waste of ingredients and a lot of space in your freezer.

******************

Here are some other recipes I made this fall for the freezer...

They are great to make ahead and hearty for the whole family.

******************

Mean Green Broccoli Soup

1 large stalk of broccoli

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

1 sm onion chopped

2 tbsp sharp cheddar cubed

1/4 cup wild & brown rice cooked

6 cups chicken or veg broth

2 tbsp lemon juice

S & P to taste

pinch of hot pepper flakes for fun!

-cut broccoli stalks from tops, peel fibrous outer layer and chop coarsely.

-Cut off flowers and set aside

-In a pot, combine stalks, garlic, onions and broth.

-bring to a boil over high heat.

-reduce heat and boil gently for 10 mins, covered.

-add flowers, hot pepper flakes and cooked rice and simmer for 5 mins longer

-in a blender, puree a little at a time until smooth (or desired consistency) and return to pot

-stir in lemon juice, S & P (and milk if you like) and let simmer but not boil.

-dish out into bowls and add cubed cheddar just prior to serving

Another great recipe!

I got it from some grocery store handout for quick and easy lunches. 

 Make it while you have broccoli around...then freeze it for long term use. 

It works great for a winter warmer-upper!  Thick and healthy too! 

The heartiness comes from the rice instead of using heavy cream.

***************

Chunky Chicken Vegetable Chowder

4 packets vegetable bouillon

3 cups water

1 cm onion

2 tbsp butter

1 cup each diced potato(stored from garden), carrot(stored from garden), beans (frozen from garden), peas(frozen from garden), cooked chicken cubed

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup frozen corn (cut from cobs in the fall and frozen)

1 1/2 cups milk

3 tsbp corn starch

-dissolve bouillon in water as per directions, set aside.

-in large pot, cook onion in butter until softened.

-add bouillon, vegetables, chicken, and basil, bring mixture to a boil

-cover and simmer on med heat 20 mins or until tender.

-add corn, and simmer 5 mins longer

-in a cup, stir corn starch into milk until smooth

-add to pot stirring slowly, bring pot back up to a boil. 

-boil 1 min to thicken

-add S & P to taste and serve with biscuits or bread

This recipe is great to freeze if you save the milk until you reheat it.

It "sticks to the ribs" as they say.  Great for after a day outside ice fishing or sledding.

I originally got it from a box of Bovril packets but have made it many times with many different veggies.

See below where we served it with fresh homade bread from the bread machine and also our homemade white wine from the concord grapes in our backyard!

****************

A current favorite of mine is venison Guiness stew.

It is very hearty and full of vitamins and a lean source of meat.

Venison Guinness Stew

venison

1 cup of carrots peeled & chopped

1 sm onion chopped

2-3 garlic cloves pressed

1 sm potato chopped & peeled

1 cup beans & peas

4 cups of beef broth

4 cups of water

1 tsp steak spice

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

2 tbsp Guinness beer (or other dark lager)

S & P

-Brown Venison in a pan and set aside, discard juice.

-Fry in oil onions and potatoes in a pot until tender.

-Add carrots to pot and simmer for 5 mins.

-Simmer in beef broth and steak spice.

-Add meat, peas and beans.

-Add worchestershire sauce and beer.

-simmer all ingredients in a pot or slow cooker for 2 hrs.

******************

A new favorite I found this fall is the spicy pumpkin soup!

This one is a variation on traditional soups made with squashes, 

but freezes really well!

Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Ingredients

4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic pressed
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin
5 cups of chicken broth or veg broth
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices and stir for a minute more.
2 Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
3 Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan.
4 With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix.
(if you are going to freeze the soup, don't add the milk or heavy cream)
5 Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate. Add cream. Adjust seasonings to taste. If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down. You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.
Serve in individual bowls.
Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds for a nutty aftertaste.

Baked Flying Saucers - Mexican Style!

Its been a while since I did a recipe post...

In case you are wondering, I have been posting those all to my facebook page and group.

(It just seemed to happen like that this summer)

But I promise to stop that and even things out a bit!

We raided my mother in law's garden recently,

grabbing stuff that was just finishing up.

Like more flying saucer squash!

Ideally you want to pick those squashes when they are fist sized,

but like zucchinis, if you blink, they will grow to enormous proportions!

What you see above is ONE paddypan squash!

We halved it and scooped out the seeds and inner flesh.

What you get left over looks kinda like when you scoop out a pumpkin!

You can dry these seeds and roast them in butter and salt just like pumpkin seeds,

but we rinsed the seeds and dried them off for planting next year.

In a frying pan, we added cooked brown/wild rice, black beans drained and rinsed, roma tomatoes chopped and seeded, yellow tomatoes chopped and seeded, pressed garlic, 1 chopped white onion and spices.  The spices include cumin, cayenne powder, S & P to taste.

Cook off the mixture until the moisture is all but gone.

Fill the squashes, top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees C for 30-40 mins.

Each half served one.

AMAZING!

Super healthy and filling for these cool fall evenings.

This dish also qualifies for Meat-Free Monday!

This dish is easily a meal in itself but you can serve it with a small green salad or cucumber/tomato salad.

I was STUFFED with just the squash...(pun intended)

Anyway, check out my facebook group or page (link beside this post)

for more tips, tricks, recipes and photos from other readers and their garden creations!

Enjoy this wonderful fall!

2 Meat-free Recipes Just for You!

Although I don't grow black beans, they are something I really love to use in my cooking.  Especially since I've been trying to integrate vegetarian meals into my famil diet.  Luck for me, our home grown tomatoes and black beans are wonderful eating companions!

In light of the whole "Meat-free Mondays" thing I mentioned in a previous post, I thought I would add a few of my favorite dishes using both black beans and the tomatoes we grew last year and froze.

For the record, black beans are a great source of vitamins and nutrients.  The website called the world's healthiest foods (or whfoods.com) says "The amazing protein-plus-fiber content of black beans. From a single, one-cup serving of black beans you get nearly 15 grams of fiber (well over half of the Daily Value and the same amount consumed by the average U.S. adult in one entire day of eating) and 15 grams of protein (nearly one third of the Daily Value and equivalent to the amount in 2 ounces of a meat like chicken or a fish like salmon). You won't find this outstanding protein-fiber combination in fruit, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy products, nuts and seeds, or seafood. The almost magical protein-fiber combination in legumes--including black beans--explains important aspects of their health benefits for the digestive tract, the blood sugar regulatory system, and the cardiovascular system."

First we have a big feed of vegetarian burritos!

Burritos are an easy and quick way to feed your family healthy, nutritious food.

I fry up some onions and garlic in a frying pan.  I add black beans, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, chili powder and cumin.  S & P to taste.  Then I add some pre-cooked brown and wild rice.  (I always keep some cooked rice in the fridge in case)  FYI beans and rice served together make up a complete protein!  Livestrong.com says "Beans and rice combined provide all of the B vitamins except B12, including thiamine (41 percent DV), vitamin B6 and niacin (23 percent DV each) and 8 to 9 percent of thiamine and pantothenic acid. Beans supply 230 micrograms (mcg) of folate; rice has 128 mcg, for a huge total of 90 percent of the recommended daily value."Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/96675-nutrition-beans-rice/#ixzz1okGgEzC6

Then comes the fun part!  I lay out the ingredients in small bowls so it feels like a buffet!  (Plus i don't have to build everyone's burrito...)  I shred cheese, chop lettuce and spinach, chop tomatoes, chop orange peppers (thats just what I had on hand, you can use any flavour or colour).  I use white tortilla wraps (because I find the whole wheat kind breaks easily)  I also set out some home made salsa and ranch dressing for those who want it.

My husband Ches made home made salsa back in September when all of our veggies were ripening at the same time (or so it felt like it).  Everything went into the salsa and placed in jars. 

Next you fill the wrap and roll it.  Bibs may be required but at least you'll know its all good stuff.

----------------------------

Another recipe I made was Southwest soup.

Take a large pot and add onions and garlic with a bit of oil.  Simmer until translucent. 

Add a dozen or a dozen and a half of frozen tomates (we had both red and yellow tomatoes).

Add some water and simmer until the tomatoes are all thawed.  I always add a tsp of white sugar to lessen the bitterness of the tomatoes.  Then I add black beans (I use canned and then rinse thoroughly) and corn (frozen from last fall), as well as lemon or lime juice.  Next you add the yummy spices that give it its southwestern flavour.  Chili powder and cayenne...1/4 tsp each or more depending on your taste.  Or go the easy route and add taco seasoning...but you can't control the salt as easily with this method.

You can simmer this soup all day if you like and serve with corn bread (aka johnny cake) or sprinkle with bits of seasoned taco chips.

So now you can enjoy some meatless alternatives that really don't feel like alternatives.

Try something meat free today! (start planning for this Monday...)

And as always, check out my facebook page for Small Purse, Big Garden...it has loads more recipes, photos, links and helpful tips for growing and cooking your own food, living green and living a bit more gently on this earth.