Beans, Beans The Magic Fruit, The More You Eat The More You ….

No matter what financial situation I am in, I always have beans on hand. Either canned or dry, red, black or great northern, beans are a staple in my kitchen. From a simple soup of beans and greens, to red beans and rice, black bean burritos, navy beans in my salad or chickpea hummus, beans have a long tradition of being a food that is inexpensive, impressive and in demand.

Many health gurus spout the wisdom of beans as being high in fiber, low in fat and a sustainable form of energy in your body. Want a protein boost, eat beans. It is all in how you cook them as to how healthy they are such as the lard-ridden refried beans you get at Taco Hell compared to the black beans I make (refried kind off) for my burritos. I probably eat beans at least twice a week, and have only found one problem with them – the after sound. But there is Beano for that and all is well.

One of the simplest bean recipes I know is one my sister, Cricket, taught me: beans and greens soup. This is a Latin classic and when I told a couple of my Latina friends, they just smiled like I was a child they were humoring. I thought it was a brilliant idea and they nodded being raised on this soup since they were wee. It’s really simple to, though I dress it up a little (I think my sister does too) with some hot sauce, garlic and maybe even bacon.

Beans and Greens Soup

1 can of Great Northern Beans
1 can of Glory brand collard greens
½ onion diced
1 clove of garlic diced
A couple slices of bacon
Maybe a can of diced tomatoes

1 cup veggie or chicken broth
Hot Sauce

Fry the bacon and when it is soft remove some of the fat and add in the onion and garlic. Cook them until they are translucent and if you are using tomatoes add them now. Then when it is all hot, go ahead and add the drained and rinsed beans and the can of greens – with the juice. Add the broth and some hot sauce to your liking and simmer until it is cooked through.

Spoon into bowls and enjoy. It is super simple and may seem a bit rural to some, but I love the taste and the Latinas agreed it is very authentic.

What is your favorite bean recipe??

Something old Something new

Sorry dear readers, but I have been lost recently. Not literally lost, though there is a literary twist, but I have been up to my deepest brain cells in LOST – Season 5. It was so long ago that it aired and I just had to catch up. Now that I have, I feel more at ease with watching the Season 6 premiere on Tuesday. I just hope Sayid doesn’t die.

To also take up my time, I have gotten lost in a book: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Just 3 months ago I was number 775 on the waiting list at the library and now I am already past page 200. I have been enveloped in this tome to the point of only taking the dogs for walks and the occasional shower. I even gave up a Saturday Date Night to read.

But this didn’t stop me from eating. I didn’t want to leave the house, so I recycled food in a way, making something new from something old (or almost old). Remember the beans I made last week?  I mixed them in with a couple cups of chicken broth and some orzo and Voila- Soup! Really good soup too. Perfect for the cold weather we are having. It was only about a cup and a half of beans, but perfect and now I have 3 meals (budget friendly too).

How have you transformed leftovers???

Something Different

Welcome to Friday – the beginning and the end of the week’s divides. I always look forward to Fridays since before Paul it meant time with Guy and my friends, and now avec Paul, it means we get to play house for a few days. It also gives me an opportunity to try a new recipe.

Everyone has their likes and dislikes, but Friday is when I get the thrill of making something to impress my sweetie. He has a particular palate and this challenge gives me an excuse to make something that both of us will love, and that will bring us closer together.

This week’s Something Different Friday is about a meal I cooked on Tuesday. For Paul’s birthday, we decided to stay in and spend time alone (with the pups of course.) I wanted to make something new for him and found an interesting recipe in my recently arrived Penzey’s catalogue. Money is tight and I needed to keep even this meal in budget so I challenged myself to make something from things in my pantry and freezer that would still be special for this day. The Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe was perfect. I had a turkey breast in the freezer, rice in the pantry and broccoli in the fridge.

Unfortunately it wasn’t one of my favorites. Paul liked it though, at least he said he did and even had seconds. The accoutrements were good. I finally made rice that didn’t stick (rinse it thoroughly first) and broccoli roasted with walnut oil and topped with roasted walnuts (he loved this.)

Since I wasn’t so happy with the recipe, I decided to make another new recipe this week Stewed White Beans with Tomatoes and Rosemary, this one from one of my favorite recipe blogs, Noble Pig.

I didn’t want to wait when I saw the luscious photo, so I altered her take on this a touch using canned beans and the Mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) to mix in with the tomatoes. You can check out her beautiful recipe at the link above, but here is my faster rendition. BTW – it was delicious.

Stewed White Beans with Tomatoes and Rosemary
Adapted from Martha Stewart and Noble Pig

2 cans Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
1 onion, 1 half finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 carrot, cut into discs
3 or 4 celery stalk tops chopped
1 dried bay leaf
1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes, with juice
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 sprig rosemary
2 or 3 sprigs of thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Pulse tomatoes, with juice, in a food processor until coarsely chopped.  Heat oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add chopped onion, celery, carrots, red-pepper flakes and bay leaf.  Cook until tender and add garlic the last 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add this mixture to the processor, discarding the bay leaf and pulse until chunky smooth. Put all the veggies into a pot and add rosemary and thyme.  Bring to a boil.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomato sauce thickens, about 15 minutes then add beans and go another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, I felt it needed a decent amount of salt for flavor.  (Beans can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)  Serve warm and drizzle with oil and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese just before serving.

If the stew is made in advance, be sure to remove the rosemary sprig and let the beans cool before refrigerating.  It should be reheated gently over medium-low heat.

I also want to try a recipe posted on Grumpy’s Honeybunch, Blueberry Pound Cake. A Cooking Light recipe that I missed, but Ms. Honeybunch found and now I am so excited about making it. This will be a Sunday effort to be served to Paul on Monday as his birthday cake (I love dragging out birthdays for a whole month.)

What’s a new recipe you tried this week? What was your inspiration? Check out these sites to find out more things to keep you busy in the kitchen.