Introducing Quinoa!

 I cooked quinoa (a very healthy grain) earlier this week for the first time.  My husband has never had a good thing to say about quinoa, but liked this meal.  One big hint I learned is to cook it in broth.  This gives it so much more flavor.  Otherwise it is very bland.
I found this Mango Quinoa Salad recipe at ourbestbites.com.  I didn't think I'd make it any time soon, because quinoa is not cheap.  In fact it is expensive.  But when I saw that Lee's had red peppers and mangoes on sale, I couldn't resist.  More information on quinoa can be found here.

Chili

Chili is great for a number of reasons.  According to my husband, you can eat chili all year around, compared to soup that you can only have in the winter.  Another great thing about chili is that you can eat it in so many different ways.  You can eat it with rice, noodles, baked potatoes, oven fries, french fries, Doritos (according to my husband), fry bread, or hot dogs; you can serve it with all kinds of toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, chopped onions, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
Here is a very basic recipe.  You can add chopped celery and/or green peppers if you like.  The recipe calls for pinto beans, but I have also used kidney, black, and great northern beans.  I like using multiple kinds in the same recipe to add variety.  This recipe freezes well.

Chili

1 lb dry pinto beans OR 3 cans beans
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 cans (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2-2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2- 1 Tbs chili powder

Cook dry beans.  When beans are recipe-ready, cook ground beef and onions until meat is cooked, and onions are soft.  Drain excess fat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cover and simmer 1-2 hours.

Rice with Lentils

Another way I like to serve lentils is with rice.  I just cook rice in my rice cooker like usual, except I substitute a tablespoon or two of lentils for rice.  It is so easy, good, and adds nutrition to a quick and easy side dish.  I first learned this while living with foreign exchange students in college.  (I think the ones who did this were from Korea.  It's been a while, though, so I can't quite remember.)

Mexican Pizza

I really like lentils.  They are not a bean, but they are in the legume family, along with beans, so I just call them beans.  They only take about 25 minutes to cook, and do not need to be soaked first.  Most every recipe that I've tried them in, though, has been just okay.  Not terrific, but edible.  I've tried lentil loafs, soups, and chili.  This recipe, though, is a family favorite.  I always dream of making it healthier by using homemade corn tortillas in place of chips, but that just hasn't happened yet.
I don't really measure the ingredients.  I just throw it together.  The measurements below are estimates.  Just do what looks good.

Mexican Pizza

3 cups cooked lentils
1 can Spaghetti sauce OR tomato sauce seasoned to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder or beef flavored bouillon
1/2 pound Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 bag tortilla chips

Lay tortilla chips on cookie sheet. Can crush for easier eating. Spoon lentils over chips, followed by
spaghetti sauce. Or crush lentils and mix with sauce. Sprinkle cheese over top. Broil until cheese is
melted, about 3 minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream. You may also use olives, green onions, or peppers on top of the cheese, if desired.

Vegetable Soup

This recipe is adapted from "Cook's Country" magazine.

Very Yummy Vegetable Soup

Printable Version


2 Tab. vegetable oil
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 small onions, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups broth (I use water and bouillon-both chicken and vegetable work well)
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 tsp EACH thyme and rosemary
2 slices bread, lightly toasted (white is best, but wheat is okay; try not to use something with too much flavor)
Spinach (I usually use frozen-just cut off a hunk of a block; fresh chopped up works great, too)
1 can white beans (2 cups)
10 oz. frozen peas
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

1.  Heat oil in heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.  Add carrots and onions, and cook until browned and softened, 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until it smells wonderful, about 30 seconds.  Add broth (or water and bouillon), potatoes, thyme, and rosemary.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes.
2.  Transfer 3 cups solids (estimate), 1 cup broth, and bread to blender and puree until smooth.  Stir puree back into pot.  Add spinach, beans, and peas.  Cook over medium heat until spinach is tender, and peas are heated through, about 8 minutes.  Stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve, passing extra vinegar at table.

White Chili

White Chili

Printable Version

½ medium onion, chopped
½ cup green pepper
1 4 oz. can green chilies
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tab butter or margarine
2 Tab flour
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup milk
2 cups navy beans
2 cups corn
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp poultry seasoning (or combination of thyme and rosemary)
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
cilantro, if desired
cheese
tortilla chips

Sauté onion and green pepper 1 Tab oil until just tender, adding chilies and garlic for the last minute. Set aside. In soup pot, melt butter; blend in flour and cook briefly. Remove from heat, and stir in broth and milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until sauce thickens. Add remaining ingredients and vegetables. Heat through. Season to taste with cilantro, salt, and pepper. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

Salsa Variation:  Omit green chilies.  Add 1/2 cup salsa when putting all ingredients together at the end.

Cooking Dry Beans

Cooking Dry Beans

Note: Times may vary based on the type and size of the bean, as well as how old they are.

1. Sort the beans. In other words take out all foreign material, especially rocks.
2. Rinse the beans.
3. Long Method: Cover the beans in water, at least 2 inches above the level of the beans, and let
soak for 6-8 hours (or overnight). Short Method: Cover beans with water, boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour.
4. Drain the water, then rinse.
5. Cover the beans with water, at least 2 inches above the level of the beans, bring to a boil, and
then simmer for 1-3 hours. Add more water if necessary so that the beans stay covered in
water.
6. Drain the water, then rinse.
7. Now your beans are recipe ready.

Beans may also be cooked in a crockpot (I have never done this), or in a pressure cooker (I did this for the first time last week-more to come!)

I typically cook a pound of beans at a time, use however much I need in a recipe, then freeze the rest for
later use. Beans can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.  Also last week I canned beans in my new pressure canner (more to come!)

A recipe for how to restore very old beans may be found here.

Dry vs. Canned Beans

The biggest differences between cooking with dry and canned beans is the convenience factor and price.  You can buy a a pound of dry beans for anywhere from $.50-$2.  Each pound makes approximately 6 cups of beans, or the equivalent of 3 cans.  You can buy a can of beans usually for $.50-$1.50.  As you can see, it is a lot cheaper to buy dry beans than canned beans.  But dry beans require time (and generally speaking, a lot of it) to make recipe ready.  Dry beans also take a lot less space to store.
I like to have both canned and dry beans on hand.  Canned simply for the convenience factor.

Coming Up:  Cooking dry beans

Bean Basics

Beans are great! They are high in fiber and protein. They can be counted as either of vegetable or a protein in your daily intake of food. Nutritionists recommend eating beans at least three times per week.  They are inexpensive, have a long shelf life, and are easy to use in recipes. They are delicious. They can be bought dry, or in ready to use cans.

Yes, if dry beans are stored properly, they can be used 30 years after the purchase date. However, they become very hard, and difficult to make soft and recipe ready. Therefore, it is recommended that you use dry beans within a year or two of their purchase date. For this reason, in addition to the list above,you should use beans in your cooking regularly. 

I remember when I first started cooking with beans, I asked a friend what you can use beans in besides chili.  I clearly remember her saying "Lots of things!"  The only two things I remember her listing are in salads, and fed plain to small children.  Now, two and a half years later, I am far from an expert on beans, but I do cook with them at least 1-2 times per week, and have learned to love them.  My favorite way to use beans is in soups.

Tortilla soup recipe
Good and easy black bean uses
Boston baked beans (a little thick, but good)

More recipes to come!

Tortilla Soup

Here's what I had for dinner:

 Note:  The picture does not do it justice. 

Tortilla Soup
Printable version 

2 tsp oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground cumin
7 cups water
7 tsp chicken bouillon
2 cups corn
4 cups white beans (2 cans)
2 tsp chili powder
2 cups salsa
2 tab lemon juice
tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream

In a large pot, warm oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and onion.  Cook until chicken is cooked through and onion is tender.  Add garlic and cumin and mix well.  Add water, bouillon, corn, beans, chili powder, salsa, and lemon juice.  Cook until warm.  To serve, break chips into bowl.  Pour in soup.  Top with cheese and sour cream.

Easy and Good Uses for Black Beans

You can mix black beans into any Mexican-style meal you normally make. My favorites:

1. Mix hamburger, taco seasoning, and black beans for tacos.
2. Mix chicken, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and black beans together creamy tacos.
3. Mix chicken, salsa, and black beans together for salsa chicken.
4. Mix black beans in with your cream of chicken sour, sour cream, cheese, chicken, etc. for enchiladas.
5. Try black beans on your barbecue chicken pizza. Just place the beans between your barbecue sauce and cheese so that they don't dry out.
   

Experiment with what your family already likes!

Bean Salad

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  Yummy!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.  Mix well.
In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.  Pour dressing over the salad. Stir salad to coat vegetables and beans with dressing, and serve.

Salmon Enchiladas

I adapted this recipe from The Well-Fed Heart.  Yummy!  You will notice with both this recipe and my chicken enchilada recipe that I don't roll tortillas for my enchiladas.  I just layer the tortillas and filling.  This saves time; I have also found that rolling corn tortillas is quite tricky.  They tear a lot.

Salmon Enchiladas

1 15-oz. can salmon
1 4-oz. can diced green chilies
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used yellow, but green or sweet would be great)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2-1 cup black beans (depending on how much you like beans)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (monterey jack and cheddar are good)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
corn tortillas
cream cheese, softened, if desired
salsa

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook onion in a fry pan covered with cooking spray over medium heat, until soft.
3. Mix first eight ingredients in a large bowl, reserving ½ cup shredded cheese.
4. Cover bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish with salmon mixture.  Place tortillas on top.  Repeat layers until all of salmon mixture is used, preferably ending with tortillas on top (although this doesn't matter too much).
5. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.  
6. Remove from oven. Spread the cream cheese on top, followed by the salsa, and then reserved shredded cheese. 
7. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned, and salsa is warm.

Boston Baked Beans

This is currently my favorite summer bean recipe. It is perfect for barbecues. I like doubling this recipe, then freezing it in dinner-size portions.
Always add acidic ingredients (tomatoes, vinegar, etc.) after beans are soft. Otherwise the beans will not continue to soften.


Boston Baked Beans

1 lb. dry red beans
2 tab. molasses
3 tab. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
4 slices cooked bacon, 1 cup cooked diced ham, or cooked ham bone (optional)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

1. Sort beans to remove foreign material (like rocks). Rinse beans with water, and drain. Cover beans with water, and let soak 6-10 hours. Drain water. Rinse with water and drain.
2. Add molasses, brown sugar, salt, onion, bacon or ham, and dry mustard. Stir. Add enough water to cover about 2 inches over beans, or to mostly cover ham bone. Simmer for 2 hours, or until beans are soft, adding additional water as necessary.
3. If you are using a ham bone, take the meat off the bone, being careful to remove all bone and other non-food material from the beans. Add tomato sauce and ketchup, and simmer for another 30 minutes or so, adding water if necessary. Be sure to not add too much water at this point, because you want it to be a good consistency when done.
4. Season to taste with salt, pepper, prepared mustard, and/or molasses.