I posted an earlier version of white bean dip, but I this one is my current favorite.
I love bean dips in the summer when it's hot outside. They are quick to make, healthy, and require very little clean up.
1 can cannellini beans (or similar)
1 clove garlic
tahini
water
sea salt
Crystal hot sauce
lemon juice (optional)
Drain & rinse your beans, then throw them in the blender or VitaMix. Throw in the peeled garlic clove, and add a few pinches of salt. Now get 2 heaping tablespoons of tahini and add those. Add a few glugs of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of water. Turn on the blender, and add more water as needed to loosen up the mixure and get it to a "dip" consistancy. Stores in the fridge for a week, and you can serve it with pita, pretzels, rice crackers, etc.
PS--Of course you could use some other brand of hot sauce if you like. In my opinion, there is no brand finer than the blue and white labeled Louisiana Crystal Hot Sauce. It's not too hot, and it tastes great on everything.
Showing posts with label beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beans. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Spinach & Bean Pockets
Who doesn't love portable food? I don't have a regular routine for lunch. Sometimes I eat at my desk, other times I am in the middle of teaching, and sometimes I am in my car on a trip. I've been thinking about portable food, and trying to figure out what I can bring that will be healthy. For inspiration, check out veganlunchbox.com. It's an amazing blog that has been turned into a cookbook! I appreciate the author's love of lunchboxes, and this has inspired me to really put some thought into what I am bringing for lunch, and how I am packing it.
Here is my recipe for spinach & white bean pockets. These are so much fun to eat, and they freeze really well. I make a big batch, cool them, and freeze them in foil. Then I take one out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge overnight, and toss it into my lunchbag in the morning. You can heat them up in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Drizzle with tahini and hot sauce (of course) and you are good to go. Eating in the car? Just eat straight out of the foil!
Spinach & Bean Pockets
1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (in earlier post)
1/2 lb frozen baby spinach
1 can white beans, drained (your choice of bean variety!)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
paprika
about 1 cup veggie broth
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Toss the garlic and onion in the pan, stirring continuously so it browns, but doesn't burn. (You could use olive oil here if you want, but I am trying to go low-fat.) Cook till the onions are soft and fairly translucent. Add about 1/4 cup of the broth and stir, scraping any browned bits off the pan.
Add the white beans and a few pinches paprika, and stir to incorporate flavors. Add the spinach, straight out of the freezer. Now, at this point, you want to stir and stir, preventing any of the food from sticking or burning. Add broth as needed to steam the spinach a bit, but you want to make sure you cook away all the liquid. Add a few pinches of salt. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Take your pizza dough and divide into about 4 equal parts. Kneed each part, and roll out to about a 7" circle. When the spinach/bean filling is totally cool, spoon some into the center of the dough circle, leaving about 1/2 diameter from the edge. Fold over the circle to make a little pocket, and press the edges to make a seal. Sometimes I turn the edges to make a cool "braid" like look.
Heat in a 400* oven for about 18-20 minutes.
Yay!!!
Here is my recipe for spinach & white bean pockets. These are so much fun to eat, and they freeze really well. I make a big batch, cool them, and freeze them in foil. Then I take one out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge overnight, and toss it into my lunchbag in the morning. You can heat them up in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Drizzle with tahini and hot sauce (of course) and you are good to go. Eating in the car? Just eat straight out of the foil!
Spinach & Bean Pockets
1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (in earlier post)
1/2 lb frozen baby spinach
1 can white beans, drained (your choice of bean variety!)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
paprika
about 1 cup veggie broth
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Toss the garlic and onion in the pan, stirring continuously so it browns, but doesn't burn. (You could use olive oil here if you want, but I am trying to go low-fat.) Cook till the onions are soft and fairly translucent. Add about 1/4 cup of the broth and stir, scraping any browned bits off the pan.
Add the white beans and a few pinches paprika, and stir to incorporate flavors. Add the spinach, straight out of the freezer. Now, at this point, you want to stir and stir, preventing any of the food from sticking or burning. Add broth as needed to steam the spinach a bit, but you want to make sure you cook away all the liquid. Add a few pinches of salt. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Take your pizza dough and divide into about 4 equal parts. Kneed each part, and roll out to about a 7" circle. When the spinach/bean filling is totally cool, spoon some into the center of the dough circle, leaving about 1/2 diameter from the edge. Fold over the circle to make a little pocket, and press the edges to make a seal. Sometimes I turn the edges to make a cool "braid" like look.
Heat in a 400* oven for about 18-20 minutes.
Yay!!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Red Beans & Rice
I am famous for my red beans & rice. People ask me for the recipe all the time, and it is the #1 request when we have folks over for dinner. This dish is very special to me, which is probably why it tastes so good. I love making it, and I think you can taste that in the food. I grew up eating RB & R frequently. My grandmother was from Louisiana, and my mom spent every summer there till she was 21. I didn't realize till I moved away from home how much of the food I grew up with was cajun or influenced by that cuisine.
RB & R is one of those recipes that everyone makes slightly different. My recipe is a combination of my mother's and my grandmother's. There are 2 important secrets to making the perfect pot of red beans, and I learned 1 from mom, the other from Maw Maw (grandmother). Secrets will be noted in the body of the recipe...
Red Beans and Rice, My way:
1 lb. small red chili beans. Do NOT use kidney beans. You can usually find small red beans in the mexican, latin, or spanish section of your grocery store. GOYA brand is good to use.
Soak the beans overnight. Drain & rinse.
These days I make my beans in the crock pot, but you can use the stove if you start the heat at medium, then keep the heat on very low for several hours, and you are around to manage the beans all day.
Take 4 thick slices of bacon and layer them across the bottom of the crockpot. If you can't get your hands on thick bacon, use 6 slices of thin. Try to get uncured smoked bacon if you can. If you've got a leftover ham bone with meat on it, you can use that instead. Do not use salt pork or smoked ham shanks sold at the grocery store/butcher. Both will add fat but no flavor.
Pour the soaked, drained, & rinsed beans on top of the bacon. Add enough warm water to cover the beans + 1 1/2 inches. Do not stir. Cover the crockpot.
NOTE: If you are going to be gone for more than 8 hours, turn your crockpot on LOW. It is best to have the beans on HIGH, check the beans after 6 hours, then turn down to LOW. Every crockpot is different, so you might want to try this recipe out on a weekend first, when you are home and can check the beans after 6 hours or so. Basically you are cooking the beans till they are tender. This can take anywhere from 6-8 hours. If you are gone for 8-10 hours, it's ok, just keep the crockpot on LOW the whole time. You never want your water to be less than 1/2 inch above the beans. But not too much either...
When beans are tender, stir, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to move the bacon. Season with Tobasco, Louisiana Crystal Hot Sauce (Red Devil is similar), and Tony Chachere's Seasoning. I suppose you can use any ol' cajun seasoning mix if you can't get your hands on Tony Chachere's. Tony's has salt, plus you've got salt from the bacon, so I find no need to add more salt. After you season, wait 5 minutes to taste. These seasoning taste better the longer they are in the beans, which is why RB & R is so good leftover the next day.
Now, here is secret #1 (Maw Maw): Using a large spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. This will thicken the sauce. I mash about 1/4 of the beans. Don't be tempted to take them out and whizz them in the food processor, that will overdo it. Keep it simple.
Make your rice--white or brown, it's your choice. I like medium-grained. Especially "Texmati" brand (of course). Sometimes I just make a loaf of cornbread and dump my beans on a slice of it in a bowl instead of making rice.
Please serve your beans and rice (or cornbread) in nice deep bowls. Rice or cornbread first, then ladle the beans on top.
Secret #2 (Mom): Add one capful of white distilled vinegar to each bowl of beans and rice, and stir. Aaron adds 3, which is fine because he is vinegar crazy. I'm telling you, this is the key!!
And there you have it. Freezes beautifully.
RB & R is one of those recipes that everyone makes slightly different. My recipe is a combination of my mother's and my grandmother's. There are 2 important secrets to making the perfect pot of red beans, and I learned 1 from mom, the other from Maw Maw (grandmother). Secrets will be noted in the body of the recipe...
Red Beans and Rice, My way:
1 lb. small red chili beans. Do NOT use kidney beans. You can usually find small red beans in the mexican, latin, or spanish section of your grocery store. GOYA brand is good to use.
Soak the beans overnight. Drain & rinse.
These days I make my beans in the crock pot, but you can use the stove if you start the heat at medium, then keep the heat on very low for several hours, and you are around to manage the beans all day.
Take 4 thick slices of bacon and layer them across the bottom of the crockpot. If you can't get your hands on thick bacon, use 6 slices of thin. Try to get uncured smoked bacon if you can. If you've got a leftover ham bone with meat on it, you can use that instead. Do not use salt pork or smoked ham shanks sold at the grocery store/butcher. Both will add fat but no flavor.
Pour the soaked, drained, & rinsed beans on top of the bacon. Add enough warm water to cover the beans + 1 1/2 inches. Do not stir. Cover the crockpot.
NOTE: If you are going to be gone for more than 8 hours, turn your crockpot on LOW. It is best to have the beans on HIGH, check the beans after 6 hours, then turn down to LOW. Every crockpot is different, so you might want to try this recipe out on a weekend first, when you are home and can check the beans after 6 hours or so. Basically you are cooking the beans till they are tender. This can take anywhere from 6-8 hours. If you are gone for 8-10 hours, it's ok, just keep the crockpot on LOW the whole time. You never want your water to be less than 1/2 inch above the beans. But not too much either...
When beans are tender, stir, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to move the bacon. Season with Tobasco, Louisiana Crystal Hot Sauce (Red Devil is similar), and Tony Chachere's Seasoning. I suppose you can use any ol' cajun seasoning mix if you can't get your hands on Tony Chachere's. Tony's has salt, plus you've got salt from the bacon, so I find no need to add more salt. After you season, wait 5 minutes to taste. These seasoning taste better the longer they are in the beans, which is why RB & R is so good leftover the next day.
Now, here is secret #1 (Maw Maw): Using a large spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. This will thicken the sauce. I mash about 1/4 of the beans. Don't be tempted to take them out and whizz them in the food processor, that will overdo it. Keep it simple.
Make your rice--white or brown, it's your choice. I like medium-grained. Especially "Texmati" brand (of course). Sometimes I just make a loaf of cornbread and dump my beans on a slice of it in a bowl instead of making rice.
Please serve your beans and rice (or cornbread) in nice deep bowls. Rice or cornbread first, then ladle the beans on top.
Secret #2 (Mom): Add one capful of white distilled vinegar to each bowl of beans and rice, and stir. Aaron adds 3, which is fine because he is vinegar crazy. I'm telling you, this is the key!!
And there you have it. Freezes beautifully.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Salads
I read Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live book. He makes some great points about the American Diet, disease, weight, etc. The book is really detailed, but the bottom line of it is he recommends people eat 90% of their diet from unrefined plants. This includes veggies, fruit, and beans. Only 1 serving of complex carbs daily. 10% of your diet (calories) can be from animal protein. And most importantly, you should eat 1 pound of raw leafy greens a day. ONE POUND!!! And work up to also eating 1 pound of cooked green veg a day. Wow.
Well, I've been doing it for 3 weeks now. And you know what? I feel better than I have felt in a long time. I never thought that 1 pound of lettuce/spinach/kale would keep me so full. I know, all of this sounds crazy, but just read the book if you want to understand the madness.
The point of all of this is that I am coming up with some creative (but simple) salads these days. Ol' Dr Furhman is against oil--even olive oil--for 6 weeks, so this is requiring some thought. I've had some good salad, and some really bad salad. As I eat a delicious salad I will post the components, mostly so I can remember them for later.
Kale/Carrot/Raisin:
Blanch 1 bunch of kale. I use the red kind for color. Disgard tough stems, and chop the leaves into 1/2 inch strips. Grate 1-2 carrots, and throw 1 box of raisins on the kale. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon on the whole thing and toss. It's better if you keep it in the fridge overnight before eating. I think the lemon juice breaks down the kale, and the sugars from the raisins sweetens everything. Drizzle with tahini before serving. And yep, I eat the whole thing in a day. BTW--I HATED kale before discovering this recipe, which is an adaptation from a recipe a girl at work gave me.
Romaine/Pea/Tofu:
Chop 1 head/heart romaine (I use the heart only, because I can buy a 6 pack for $4 at the store), and toss in 1/2 lb. of frozen (thawed) green peas. Pour 1 T. apple cider vinegar over, and toss. Quickly sautee 1/3 lb firm tofu, cubed. I press the tofu while it's cooking to get some of the water out of it. Nope, no oil, just straight tofu in a frying pan. After about 4 minutes, splash some Bragg's Liquid Amino's on the tofu, stir 1 minute, then turn off heat. The Bragg's taste just like soy sauce, but without the sodium. Throw the tofu on top of the lettuce/peas. Drizzle with tahini (yes, I do alot of tahini drizzling) and serve. Fantastic.
Red Lentils:
I love red lentils, especially when they are mixed with a tomato broth. The 2 were just made for each other! Red lentils are great because they cook much faster than most beans, and do not require a pre-soak. So here we go:
Take 1 cup dried red lentils and put into a pot. Add 2 cups low sodium veggie broth, 1 cup Imagine creamy (vegan) tomato soup, and 1 cup water. Turn on high heat till boil. When it boils, turn down the heat to a low simmer, and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes. If you want this more "soupy" increase liquid by 1 cup. This is great served next to steamed brocolli drizzled with (you guessed it) tahini and hot sauce.
Well, I've been doing it for 3 weeks now. And you know what? I feel better than I have felt in a long time. I never thought that 1 pound of lettuce/spinach/kale would keep me so full. I know, all of this sounds crazy, but just read the book if you want to understand the madness.
The point of all of this is that I am coming up with some creative (but simple) salads these days. Ol' Dr Furhman is against oil--even olive oil--for 6 weeks, so this is requiring some thought. I've had some good salad, and some really bad salad. As I eat a delicious salad I will post the components, mostly so I can remember them for later.
Kale/Carrot/Raisin:
Blanch 1 bunch of kale. I use the red kind for color. Disgard tough stems, and chop the leaves into 1/2 inch strips. Grate 1-2 carrots, and throw 1 box of raisins on the kale. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon on the whole thing and toss. It's better if you keep it in the fridge overnight before eating. I think the lemon juice breaks down the kale, and the sugars from the raisins sweetens everything. Drizzle with tahini before serving. And yep, I eat the whole thing in a day. BTW--I HATED kale before discovering this recipe, which is an adaptation from a recipe a girl at work gave me.
Romaine/Pea/Tofu:
Chop 1 head/heart romaine (I use the heart only, because I can buy a 6 pack for $4 at the store), and toss in 1/2 lb. of frozen (thawed) green peas. Pour 1 T. apple cider vinegar over, and toss. Quickly sautee 1/3 lb firm tofu, cubed. I press the tofu while it's cooking to get some of the water out of it. Nope, no oil, just straight tofu in a frying pan. After about 4 minutes, splash some Bragg's Liquid Amino's on the tofu, stir 1 minute, then turn off heat. The Bragg's taste just like soy sauce, but without the sodium. Throw the tofu on top of the lettuce/peas. Drizzle with tahini (yes, I do alot of tahini drizzling) and serve. Fantastic.
Red Lentils:
I love red lentils, especially when they are mixed with a tomato broth. The 2 were just made for each other! Red lentils are great because they cook much faster than most beans, and do not require a pre-soak. So here we go:
Take 1 cup dried red lentils and put into a pot. Add 2 cups low sodium veggie broth, 1 cup Imagine creamy (vegan) tomato soup, and 1 cup water. Turn on high heat till boil. When it boils, turn down the heat to a low simmer, and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes. If you want this more "soupy" increase liquid by 1 cup. This is great served next to steamed brocolli drizzled with (you guessed it) tahini and hot sauce.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Potato salad, white bean dip, pita & eggs
2 New Recipes
I just made these up one day--and they are great!
Potato Salad
I get sick of super heavy mayo deli salads. This one still has mayo, but is lighter and more flavorful. This is fantastic when you can get hold of those tiny little red new potatoes when they come into season in the spring. I didn't measure anything, so y0u will just have to taste as you go along.
Basically I just make a dressing first: a few spoonfuls of lite mayo, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder. Mix, then add your herbs. Now, I used dried parsley and dill, but if you have fresh it would be so much better. If you only have dried, try to make your dressing about 30 min ahead of time and let it sit. That way the herbs can kinda reconstitute. Anyway, after adding your herbs, carefully measure out and add 4 T. olive oil. Whisk together and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
After boiling the potatoes, let them hang out in the collander for about 10 minutes or so. Chop up 1-2 stalks of celery, and toss into the dressing. Then add your potatoes and toss & mix really well. Serve at room temp--that's the secret! You think potato salad should be served cold because that is what we are all use to, but room temp really brings out all the flavors.
White bean dip
This is basically a bastard hummus, because I was out of chickpeas. Aaron went crazy for it and has asked for it again.
1 can white beans (cannelli, great northern, or navy will all work fine), rinsed and drained.
3 cloves of garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. dried parsley (or fresh, if you've got it)
olive oil
Throw everything into a food processor, and add maybe 4 T. of olive oil. Whiz it up, adding more olive oil if it gets too chunky and needs to be loosened up. That's it. Will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
I love love love this with homemade pita. There are many homemade pita recipes on the internet, but here's my favorite:
http://momgrind.com/2009/02/26/pita-bread-recipe-homemade-soft-and-fabulous/
This is from a blog called momgrind. I haven't tried any of their other recipes, but this one is amazing.
Besides the above, we are still cooking pizzas like crazy. I've also been making devilled eggs because they are so yummy.
Easy recipe there: take the boiled egg yolks, mash with a fork, and add mayo, mustard, celery, pickle or relish, salt & pepper. Mix and scoop back into halves of the boiled egg whites. Serve with a sliced green olive and sprinkled paprika on top.
I think I'll go make some now...
I just made these up one day--and they are great!
Potato Salad
I get sick of super heavy mayo deli salads. This one still has mayo, but is lighter and more flavorful. This is fantastic when you can get hold of those tiny little red new potatoes when they come into season in the spring. I didn't measure anything, so y0u will just have to taste as you go along.
Basically I just make a dressing first: a few spoonfuls of lite mayo, a teaspoon of dijon mustard, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper, garlic powder & onion powder. Mix, then add your herbs. Now, I used dried parsley and dill, but if you have fresh it would be so much better. If you only have dried, try to make your dressing about 30 min ahead of time and let it sit. That way the herbs can kinda reconstitute. Anyway, after adding your herbs, carefully measure out and add 4 T. olive oil. Whisk together and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
After boiling the potatoes, let them hang out in the collander for about 10 minutes or so. Chop up 1-2 stalks of celery, and toss into the dressing. Then add your potatoes and toss & mix really well. Serve at room temp--that's the secret! You think potato salad should be served cold because that is what we are all use to, but room temp really brings out all the flavors.
White bean dip
This is basically a bastard hummus, because I was out of chickpeas. Aaron went crazy for it and has asked for it again.
1 can white beans (cannelli, great northern, or navy will all work fine), rinsed and drained.
3 cloves of garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. dried parsley (or fresh, if you've got it)
olive oil
Throw everything into a food processor, and add maybe 4 T. of olive oil. Whiz it up, adding more olive oil if it gets too chunky and needs to be loosened up. That's it. Will keep in the fridge for up to 7 days.
I love love love this with homemade pita. There are many homemade pita recipes on the internet, but here's my favorite:
http://momgrind.com/2009/02/26/pita-bread-recipe-homemade-soft-and-fabulous/
This is from a blog called momgrind. I haven't tried any of their other recipes, but this one is amazing.
Besides the above, we are still cooking pizzas like crazy. I've also been making devilled eggs because they are so yummy.
Easy recipe there: take the boiled egg yolks, mash with a fork, and add mayo, mustard, celery, pickle or relish, salt & pepper. Mix and scoop back into halves of the boiled egg whites. Serve with a sliced green olive and sprinkled paprika on top.
I think I'll go make some now...
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