Refried Black Beans in the Crock Pot

Remember the lunch post where I mentioned the easy refried black beans I'd made in the crock pot? This is the recipe, and man, you won't find an easier recipe out there. Again, this is the brilliant Lisa Leake from 100 Days of Real Food (LOVE her recipes and her general philosophy on food). Just pop all the ingredients into your slow cooker before you go to bed, crank it to high, and when you wake up to the LOVELY smell of slow-cooked beans, you'll be in heaven. I use these beans for tacos, quesadillas, plain with tortillas, with eggs for breakfast (or dinner), or just as a delicious side dish. I use black beans, but you could use pinto as well...that's my next go round. I just happened to have a HUGE bag of dried black beans in my pantry, and Andy prefers black beans to pinto (I know, what???). If you're concerned about heat, I would encourage you NOT to leave out the jalapeno. It doesn't add heat here...it just adds flavor, and without it, these beans can be a little bland. In fact, I use a whole jalapeno in my batch. Without further ado, refried black beans.

Refried Black Beans in the Crock Pot
Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 cups dry black beans, rinsed
1 fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
One big pinch of cumin
6 cups water

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.

3. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save excess liquid until the final product is desired consistency.

4. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher. Serve.

Tunisian Vegetable Stew

At the farmers' market today, I saw a gorgeous organic purple cabbage I couldn't afford to pass up. It was right next to the beautiful organic green, purple, and yellow cauliflowers that sat behind a sign that said, "Color made by nature!" I couldn't afford to pass up one of those green cauliflowers either. When I got home, I found out that I already had a lovely green head of cabbage in the fridge! Uh oh! I try to prepare a lot of meals for the week on the weekend anyway, so I decided to make a stew with the green cabbage and leave the purple for later in the week. I pulled out my new Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook, which is entirely vegetarian. I ran across this recipe for a Tunisian Vegetable Stew and thought it sounded interesting.

It pulled together really quickly. I've made similar dishes before and haven't been entirely crazy about them. I don't know if it's the combination of spices, or the tomatoes and chickpeas, but I actually went into this one prepared NOT to like it. Weird, I know. But oh my goodness, this is a delicious stew! The balance of flavors are spot on!!! The lemon juice added at the end provides the perfect hit of acid, the currants in the stew provide a lovely sweet component, the feta adds a note of creaminess, and the toasted almonds give a crunch. I'm bowled over by this stew, and I'm so glad I found it. I hope you'll like it, too! If you're not a fan of feta, you could add goat cheese or any other creamy, crumbly mild cheese.

Tunisian Vegetable Stew (via the Moosewood Restaurant)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
salt
1 large green bell pepper, julienned
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 (28 ounce) can Tomatoes, chopped and undrained
1 (16 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup currants or 1/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
feta cheese (garnish)
toasted slivered almonds (garnish)

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onions for 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Add the cabbage and salt to taste; saute at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add in the bell pepper, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne; stir and saute for 1 minute or so.

4. Add in the tomatoes, chick peas, and currants/raisins; stir to combine and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.

5. Add lemon juice and salt to taste; stir.

6. Ladle hot soup into individual soup bowls; sprinkle feta cheese and toasted almonds on top.

Mini Falafels

We are trying to introduce more vegetarian dishes into our diet for a couple of reasons:
1. Veggies are so good for you.
2. We're cutting back on our meat intake just a bit.
3. Veggies are yummy.

So, I got this awesome cookbook from Fine Cooking called Cook Fresh, and it is PACKED with 150 recipes that all look amazing. The first one that just really caught my eye was for falafel pitas with a tomato cucumber salad. I've tried making falafels before, but I've never had a lot of success with it. They are either too loose, I burn or overcook them, or they are too dry. Ick. But this recipe was simple (minimal ingredients), used a pan sear in olive oil, and finished the falafels in the oven. I made a batch and was shocked at how quickly and easily they came together. But I was bowled over by the taste. These are really delicious. I knew I would like them, but I wasn't sure about Andy. But he loved them. In fact, he kept telling me to stop eating them because he wanted them all. Rude, I know! :) So, I made another batch today. I've been taking two of these with a large salad for lunch and some fruit. It is filling, delicious and good for you. But you could put these in whole wheat pitas, or eat them, as I did on the first night, with the tomato cucumber salad. The best thing about that salad was the cherry tomatoes from my garden. There is nothing in this recipe that isn't all natural and heart healthy. The recipe is from Fine Cooking.

Mini Falafels
Ingredients:
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
7 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup plain fine dry breadcrumbs; more as needed
1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 medium pickling cucumber or 1/3 English cucumber, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
4 pitas, warmed

1. Heat the oven to 425°F.

2. In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, 2 Tbs. of the oil, the cumin, coriander, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper into a chunky paste. Add the onion and breadcrumbs and pulse until the mixture tightens up. You should be able to easily form it into a patty—add more breadcrumbs as needed. Gently form the chickpea mixture into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties.

3. Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add 6 of the patties and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other sides until browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer the patties to a baking sheet. Repeat with 2 Tbs. more oil and the remaining six patties. Bake the patties until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes and cucumber with the lemon juice, the remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and salt to taste.

5. Split the pitas and stuff them with the falafel and tomato-cucumber salad.

Serve over the tomato and cucumber salad, over a green salad, in a pita or plain. I heat mine up for a bit before eating, but Andy loves them cold as well. Versatile little guys and only roughly 100 calories a piece.* (My batch makes between 14-15 falafels while Fine Cooking said it made only 12.)

Avocado Hummus

Andy had to go down to San Diego for a conference a couple weeks ago. At one of his meals, the hotel served avocado hummus. And he just couldn't believe that we hadn't tried this before. We adore avocados in this house, and we like hummus. Let's marry the two together and whoo boy! What a treat! We used this on Easter Sunday for a dip for veggies and chips, but it could be used for basically anything...pita, sandwich spread, corn chips, etc. I'm thinking this is our new favorite dip. We really like avocados, so I add 1.5 large avocados. If you don't want that much avocado taste, just add 1/2 an avocado or a whole one.

And feel free to use fresh chickpeas, once you've soaked and cooked them. I used canned for the sake of ease and convenience. Also...if you don't have tahini, use a little extra olive oil. But if you want your hummus to be a little creamier, use tahini. You can find it in the grocery store next to the peanut butter.

Avocado Hummus
Ingredients:
1 15oz-can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 large avocados
1 clove garlic, chopped finely or grated
1-2 tbsp. lemon or lime juice or apple cider vinegar
1-2 tbsp. tahini
1/8 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

1. Combine everything, except the olive oil, in a food processor and blend until well mixed.

2. Drizzle in the olive oil until you get the desired consistency.

3. ENJOY!!!!

Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas Revisited

Remember these little guys? I haven't made them in a long time, primarily because most tortillas have some form of hydrogenated oil in them, unless you make your own, or are loaded with soybean oil, which, of course, Andy is allergic to. But I found some great whole wheat ones with flax seed (OMEGA 3s!!!) in them at Trader Joes, with no soy and no hydrogenated oils, so I've been remaking these little beauties over the last week.

They don't last long. My boys are addicted to them, and they are GREAT for school lunches, because they are good cold, or you can warm them up. I make 8 tortillas worth, which is actually 16 quesadillas, as I cut them in half once they are cooked. Each little triangle is around 170 calories a piece, and they are loaded with protein, fiber and very little fat. Good deal!

I highly recommend these! I slice them up with a piece cutter, put them in a container and store them in the fridge.

Click HERE for the recipe.

Sweet Potato Chili

Happy New Year! I've been absent lately due to foot surgery I had done in mid-December. It took a couple of weeks to get me mobile again, and the holidays sort of knocked me off my feet metaphorically. But it is January 1, and I'm ready to tackle the year! Yesterday, I wrote out my goals for 2013 in six different categories (spiritual, financial, physical, nutritional, adventure and personal), and then broke out my weight loss goals into a more in-depth mini-goal type of system. While 2012 was monumental in the fact that I completed my first marathon, it wasn't so great for losing weight. Ultimately, I lost, then gained, then lost, gained and so on, up and down for roughly 10 lbs. The end result is that I still have 61 lbs. to go until I reach my final goal (or thereabouts) and 2013 is the year to do it. I'm very excited!

It will be challenging as I plan on having a major surgery on my right foot mid-year, but I LOVE a challenge, and it just motivates me to prove I can do it! To start the year off right, I made a sweet potato chili that my sister, Kylla, passed along to me. This chili is vegetarian, although I used chicken stock (you could use vegetable stock to make yours vegetarian), but you do not miss the meat! It's quite tasty, and is heavy on the spices. If you're not a big spicy chili eater, you might want to cut down on the chili powder and cayenne. This chili is chocked full of fiber, protein and flavor, but very little fat! Yum!

Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients:
1 large red onion
2 cups veggie broth or water
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups chopped (1/2”) sweet potato
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans (I used cannelini beans, as I was out of pintos)
1 can black beans
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 lime
1 tbs olive oil

1. Saute chopped onion and chopped garlic in olive oil until clear/soft. Then add broth, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder and sweet potatoes and bring to boil. Simmer about 20 minutes until tender.

2. Add tomatoes, beans, cilantro and lime juice. Cook for another 20 minutes. You can top with your favorite chili toppings.

Black Bean Soup with Bananas

Yes, you read that title right. It's weird, I know, but let me just tell you something...when you watch Jacques Pepin cook, even if it sounds a little weird, you try it. Why? Because the man knows flavors and how they work together. He knows how to take basic ingredients like black beans, onions, tomatoes and bananas (among other things) and blend it into a luscious, mouth-watering soup that will have you clamoring back to the pot for another bowl, just like my bean-hating son, Micah, did. I can hear you now...bananas? With black beans? I asked the same question, but put it out of your mind and try it. You won't regret it!!

Black Bean Soup with Bananas (via Jacques Pepin)
Ingredients:
1 pound dried black or turtle beans
3 quarts water
1/2 cup brown rice
8 ounces pancetta or very lean unsmoked or lightly smoked bacon
2 medium onions (12 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
8 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon salt (less if the pancetta or bacon is salty)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

GARNISHES
2 bananas
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Remove and discard any damaged beans or debris, and wash the remaining beans well in cool water. Drain the beans, place them in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for 3 hours.

2. Drain the beans, put them in a stainless steel pot with the 3 quarts water, and add the rice. Cut the pancetta or bacon into 1/4-inch cubes and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered (this will take about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

3. Add the onions, garlic, herbes de Provence, chili powder, tomatoes, and salt to the pot, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Using a hand blender, emulsify the mixture in the pot for 5 to 10 seconds. (Alternatively, remove 2 cups of the mixture, puree it in a food processor, and return it to the pot.) You want to thicken the mixture slightly while still maintaining its overall chunkiness.

5. Mix together the oil, vinegar, and Tabasco in a small bowl, and add to the soup.

JUST BEFORE SERVING, PREPARE THE GARNISHES: Peel the bananas and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss them in a small bowl with the lemon juice and pepper.

Divide the hot soup among four bowls. Top with the banana slices, sprinkle on the cilantro, and serve.

Copyright © 2011 by Jacques Pépin.

Vegetable and Bulgur Soup

Summer is the perfect time to make vegetable soup because all those gorgeous veggies are fresh and readily accessible! I make a big batch of this soup (about 15 cups), freeze about half of it for later, and keep the rest in the fridge for lunches during the week. Bulgur gives this soup a little toothy bite, but my very favorite pearly barley would work really well here, too! Don't feel like you have to stick to the veggies I used; use what you have!

Vegetable & Bulgur Soup
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
4 small Idaho potatoes, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
2 cups corn (I had fresh frozen corn I'd blanched and taken from the cob a couple weeks ago)
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes (you could certainly use fresh here)
3/4 cup dry bulgur
2 heaping tbs of Creole Seasoning
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs A-1 steak sauce
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Water: 10-12 cups
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: when I'm not using bulgur or pearl barley, I use 1-2 cans of beans (cannelini and black beans, usually, but pinto would work well here, also)

1. In a large saucepot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, bulgur and zucchini. Pour in enough water to just cover the veggies. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the corn, tomatoes (beans, if using) and the A-1, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole seasoning.* Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with chopped parsley. Serve.

**Creole seasoning is a mixture used by Emeril Lagasse. I used it in our Petit Filet Mignon steaks with blue cheese sauce a couple weeks ago. If you don't want to make this mix, you could use whatever spices you'd like to flavor your soup.

I served this soup with whole wheat toast and a mixture of strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. Yum!

Spicy Pinto Beans

Spicy Pinto Beans
Ingredients:
2 cans organic pinto beans, one drained, the other left in liquid
4 slices thin bacon, chopped into lardons, or 2 slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardons (strips)
1/2 half large white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped finely
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tbs olive oil
cotija cheese for topping (optional)

1. In a large pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and bacon and cook until the onion starts to appear translucent. You don't want the bacon to crisp up here - you're going for flavor.

2. Add the beans and their liquid. Stir until combined. Add the jalapeno, tomato and 1/2 cup water. Stir together and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes while the beans absorb some of the liquid. You don't want it all to be absorbed. Remove from heat - add salt and pepper to taste. Top with cotija cheese, if desired.

These also disappeared before the picture could be snapped!

Ribollita Soup

Recipe #4 from Eating Well magazine. This soup is traditionally a Tuscan soup that uses day old bread to thicken the soup. This recipe uses cannellini beans, some of them mushed up, to thicken the soup. It also uses a lot of veggies, and I added chorizo to give it a nice spicy kick. This soup makes a lot and the serving size is a whopping 1.75 cups!

Ribollita Soup
Ingredients:

1 - 14oz. can whole peeled plum tomatoes
2 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium leek, halved lengthwise and sliced, white and light green parts only
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced zucchini
1 tsp salt
1 bunch kale or Swiss chard, trimmed and cut into 2-inch-wide slices
1/4 head Savoy or green cabbage, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups diced russet potatoes
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups water
12 oz. chorizo (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. celery seed
Crushed red pepper

1. Drain canned tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Dice the tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash half the beans into a paste (add a bit of broth, if desired, to make mashing the beans easier). Set the tomatoes and beans aside.

2. Heat 2 tbs oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek and garlic; cook, stirring, until translucent and tender, 2-3 minutes. Do not brown. Season with pepper. Stir in carrots, celery and zucchini and the remaining 1 tbs oil; cook, stirring, until nearly tender, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. When the carrots and celery are nearly tender, stir in the kale (or chard) and cabbage. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 4-6 minutes. Add potatoes, broth, water, the diced tomatoes and juice, the bean puree and whole beans, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with celery seed, crushed red pepper and the remaining pepper and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until all the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the chorizo until fully cooked. Add to the soup with only 5 minutes remaining in the final simmer. Serve immediately.

Green Salsa Beef

Andy defrosted some ground beef for me today, so I needed to come up with a quick dinner I could prepare for the boys and I after picking Micah up from drama practice. I was in the mood for a little Mexican-themed meal, so I whipped up this Green Salsa Beef, and it was pretty yummy. Case in point - it's the first time Nathan has asked for seconds on a dish that had green bell pepper and pinto beans in it! Nice! The best part about this recipe is that you can modify it based on what veggies you have in the house. Don't have bell pepper? Add corn. No corn? Add peas. You like black beans better than pinto beans? Go ahead. And so on. The possibilities are endless. I cook a large quantity of beans in the crock pot on the weekends and freeze them in 1.5 cup batches in Ziploc bags. When I want cooked pinto beans (with no added salt or liquid), I just defrost a bag of these and add them to any recipe. I do this with pinto beans and black beans. It's very convenient and WAY cheaper than canned beans (which I do use, but I prefer the dried beans).

Green Salsa Beef
Ingredients:
1 lb lean or extra lean ground beef
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 large ribs of celery, chopped
1 medium to large green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)
1 cup green salsa
1 cup pinto beans
Lawry's seasoning
Minced onion
Shredded colby jack cheese for garnish


1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the celery, onion and green peppers. Saute until soft and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add Lawry's seasoning to taste, and some minced onion.

2. When the meat is cooked, add the rice and beans. Stir to combine. Add the salsa and mix thoroughly. You can add more salsa if you want a wetter consistency. When heated through, serve topped with shredded cheese.

This meal is fast, tasty and very filling. This one is going in the recipe box.

Navy Bean Soup

I wanted to make a soup over the weekend that would last for the whole week. I found this recipe in my Grandma's Kitchen Recipe box and knew it would fit the bill. I'd made it once before a long time ago, but I have to say, I don't remember it being this tasty. This was wonderful! I enjoyed it today for lunch!

Navy Bean Soup
Ingredients:
16 oz dried navy beans
4 cups chicken broth
4 – 8 cups water
1.5 lb ham
1 cup finely chopped onion
1.5 lbs chopped potatoes
1/3 cup ketchup
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup chopped carrot

1. Sort and rinse the navy beans.

2. Combine beans with enough water to cover by 2 inches in a stockpot.

3. Bring beans to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for an hour; drain well.

4. Add chicken broth and 4 cups of water to beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

5. Chop the ham coarsely. Stir ham, chopped onion, potatoes, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper into beans. Add the chopped carrot and mix well. Add up to 4 more cups water or chicken broth, if needed. (I needed to add 4 more cups.)

6. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls. Serve with cornbread.

**Only after making the soup did I realize that the recipe called for only 1.5 CUPS of potatoes, while I had used 1.5 LBS of potatoes. Oh well! I like it better with more potatoes!

Poached Eggs over Beans

I know what your thinking...what? It does sound gross to the ear, but let me tell you something...poached eggs over beans has got to be one of my most favorite meals ever. Talk about comfort food...bear with me and read this out. If you're brave, you'll even try this one day, and trust me on this one, you WILL NOT regret it. Delightful.

Poached Eggs over Beans
Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans (white beans) with liquid
1 half purple onion, chopped finely
Salt and pepper
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
1 tbs vinegar
1 English muffin
Grapeseed oil (or Olive oil)

1. In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add about 1 tbs oil. When warm, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the beans and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mash some of the beans and stir. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a pot of water (about 3-4 inches of water) over medium heat. Add 1 tbs vinegar (any kind will do) to the water. Crack the eggs into separate dishes (one egg for each dish.) When the water starts to bubble, gently lower the eggs into the water. The vinegar will cause the egg to basically coagulate and you'll see the white spread out and then sort of gather around the yolk. Cook until the whites are set and the yolk is still soft (a couple of minutes). Gently remove the eggs with a slotted spoon or a spider, and put into a warmed pot of water (off the stove). Put the lid on and let sit for up to 15 minutes.

3. Toast your English muffin. When it is toasted, scoop 1/4 cup of the bean mixture onto each side of the muffin and top with a poached egg. Repeat with the other side of the muffin. Dig in by breaking the yolk in half over the English muffin and beans (see picture above). The richness of the yolk will break apart over the beans and the muffin, and they will soak up the decadent liquid.

I'm telling you, this is filling and fabulous, and the PERFECT after-run lunch, which is why I made it today. Yum.

Wieners and Beans

In keeping with the theme of pork and beans, tonight I made a family favorite: wieners and beans!!! My grandmother made this for my mother, my mother made it for me and my three sisters, and now I make it for my boys. This is the definitive comfort food in my house. Seriously. It was very rainy, windy and cold tonight. I was supposed to make soup, but by the time I got home from picking up Micah from track (he ran in the rain just like me!) and Nathan from Scrabble club, it was already 5:30...and the soup I wanted to make takes 2 hours...poor planning anyone?

I want something warm and rich. Something that makes you feel wrapped in a fuzzy blanket in front of the fire reading a book...wieners and beans the way my grandma makes it!

Wieners and Beans
Ingredients:

1 pkg hot dogs, sliced into coins
1/2 onion, diced
2 cans Van de Camps Pork and Beans
Olive oil (my addition)

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil. When heated, add the onions and cook until just starting to caramelize. Add the hot dogs and cook until they are brown and golden on both sides.

2. Add the beans. Stir. Turn the heat down to low-medium and let cook for 20 minutes. This gives the beans, onions and hot dogs time to meld and make BEAUTIFUL music together!!

3. Serve, usually with some kind of bread for wiping up the remaining sauce. Can you say YUM???!!!!

Country Style Pork and Beans

So, we've started receiving weekly deliveries from Full Circle Farms (www.fullcircle.com)...all fresh, organic produce, mostly from the WA area, though they do partner with other organic farmers when their produce isn't in season. They also provide a weekly newsletter and some wonderful looking recipes. This is one of them and it uses country style pork ribs, something that we buy a lot of (they are pretty cheap), but something that I have always been at a loss as how to cook, unless we BBQ it. So, I was super excited to see this recipe and give it a try.

It was wonderfully rich, comforting and hearty. I served mine over brown jasmine rice.

Country Style Pork and Beans
Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs
1 tbs kosher salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tbs fresh sage leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced celery
2 tbs minced garlic
1/4 AP flour
1/2 lb dried navy beans
1 can diced tomatoes
8 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 tbs dry rub, recipe below

1. Place the ribs on a large sheet pan and pat dry. Rub lightly with olive oil and apply dry rub liberally. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the remainder of the olive oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, about 1 minute, add the rubs, in batches, to the pan leaving about 1/2 inch between ribs. Sear until golden brown in color, about 4 minutes per side. When the ribs are brown on all sides, set on a sheet pan to rest and continue with remaining ribs.




You can see that I used more than the 1 TBS dry rub suggested...it helps to read the quantities the recipe suggests BEFORE applying to the meat...oh well!!

2. Add the mirepoix of onions, bell peppers and celery to the pan and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the celery and peppers are lightly caramelized (about 6-7 minutes). Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Add beans and stock to the pan and stir briskly to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the diced tomatoes, the seared ribs, sage, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.

3. After 1.5 hours, check the ribs and beans for tenderness. Season with additional rub if desired and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes (getting to the full 2 hours). When the ribs are done, they should fall off the bone. Add the chopped parsley and serve hot.



Dry Rub
Ingredients:

1/4 paprika
1/8 cup black pepper
1-2 tbs garlic powder
1-2 tbs onion powder
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine and stir well.

One pot pork chops

I'm always looking for easy clean up in the kitchen. One pot meals make cooking so very easy. Dump everything in pot, put on the lid, and go to town! Well, sometimes it's not that easy, but pretty close. I got a One Pot cookbook that has plenty of recipes for delicious one pot meals. These pork chops turned out well, although next time, I'll let them braise a little longer to soften the meat a bit more.

One Pot Pork Chops (from One Pot cookbook)
Ingredients:
1 tbs corn oil
4 pork chops, trimmed of visible fat
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
11 oz. corn (either in the can with the juices, or frozen)
1/4 chicken stock (only if using frozen corn)
1 tbs chopped parsley
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a large flameproof casserole. (I used a dutch oven.) Add the pork chops in batches and cook over medium-high head for 5 minutes, or until browned. Transfer the chops to a plate with a slotted spoon.



Get them good and browned, like this!

2. Add the onion to the casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and their juices (if using canned corn) and chicken stock (if using frozen corn). Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.



Brown and yummy!




3. Return the chops to the casserole, spooning the vegetable mixture over them.



Nestle them down in there...

Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Serve immediately.



I served mine with a salad and a sort of bean ragu I made with cannelini beans, onions, red bell pepper, a little half and half and bacon. YUM!

Black bean and chicken quesadillas

I love quesadillas, but they are usually full of fat and calories, so I wanted to make a lower fat/lower calorie version that still tastes fantastic. These have become a staple in my house. They are easy to cook up, cut up and then store in airtight containers. They reheat quickly in the microwave, and my boys can even take them in their lunches.

Karin's Black Bean and Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients:
8 Life Balance Tortillas (I use the whole wheat ones)
Shredded cheese (about a cup)
Chicken (about 1 1/2 breasts, cooked and cut up)
Cilantro
1 can black beans
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 small onion, diced
Olive oil
Pinch salt
Cumin

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken, black beans and corn. Add cumin and salt. Cook until warmed through. Mash some of the black beans in the pan. Remove from heat.



4. Lay out the 8 tortillas on two sheet pans. Fill each tortilla (only on one half of the tortilla) with the black bean, corn and chicken mixture.
5. Sprinkle cheese over the black bean mixture. Top with cilantro.
6. Fold each tortilla in half so it is a half moon shape. Press down so they remain closed.



7. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cut each tortilla half moon into two pieces. Top with more cilantro, sour cream and salsa (if desired).



The oven does a nice job of crisping these up without overcrisping them. The black beans add a nice hearty touch and if you aren't feeling like meat that night, skip the chicken - you won't miss it.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Tonight I worked out for the first time with my brand new kettleball. If you haven't seen them before, here's what it looks like.



CUTE, HUH?

Mine came with a DVD workout and man alive...I worked muscles I didn't know I had. Whew!!! When I was done, I wanted a hearty but healthy meal, so I whipped up a batch of this Chipotle Turkey Chili. I found the recipe on a calendar, but I modified it a wee bit. This is a great version of turkey chili and one I will most definitely make again...and you can customize it to make it as spicy (or not) as you like!

Chipotle Turkey Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can cannellini beans, undrained
3/4 cup chicken broth/stock
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
1-2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (the more you use, the spicier it will be)
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but you could use Jack or a combo)



These are what chipotles look like in the can. You can find them in the Hispanic foods aisle (or the International Foods aisle).



Here's what they look like chopped up - kinda ugly, but they sure are TASTY!!!

1. In a 4-qt. saucepan, cook the onions until they are soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.



2. Stir in corn, beans, broth, salt and chile(s). Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 10-15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in 1/4 cup of the sour cream and 1/4 cup of the cilantro. Serve with remaining 1/4 sour cream, 1/4 cup cilantro and the cheese.

You can add whatever toppings you'd like (onions, chips, cornbread, cheese, etc...); we used sour cream, cilantro, cheese and a few crumpled tortilla chips.



Our toppings!

Look out - this recipe is tasty and filling! It might become a new favorite!