Shaun-ta's White Chicken Chili

Shaun-ta's White Chicken Chili

Okay, we all know by now that I am not a photographer and to make matters worse, I have a really dumpy camera! So trust me when I say it is soooo much better than it looks. This is my own version of chicken chili, I am quite proud of it. So if you are looking for something yummy for dinner, look no further.


Shaun-ta's White Chicken Chili

6 Chicken Thighs
1 Large Green or Red Pepper
1 Medium Sweet Onion
2 tsp. Cumin
1 Tb. Oregano
2 Cups Home Canned Chicken Stock
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
4 Cloves Garlic
1 lb. Cooked White Beans
Salt and Pepper to taste

This is how I did it. Place chicken thighs in the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. At the end of the cook time remove the thighs from the pot and take the meat from the bone and add it back in. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Top with sour cream, jalapeno slices, and shredded pepper jack cheese. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cook's Notes:
1. I chose to use chicken thighs, bone-in, because they are very flavorful and delicious, and they are very inexpensive. I rarely use boneless skinless chicken anymore. http://ourprovidentlife.blogspot.com/2012/03/meat-me-in-middle.html

2. I used green pepper, so this is a very mild chili. I was thinking of my children. But if you want some heat, use whatever kind of pepper you want, jalapeno, green chili, etc. I loved the bit of heat that the canned jalapeno slices brought.

3. Because I used bone in chicken I used part water, part stock for my liquid, because I knew the chicken bones would bring lots of yummy flavor to my soup. If you opt to use boneless chicken you will want to use all stock.

4. I added 1 Cup of my homemade Roasted Tomatillo Salsa, this made it sooo yummy. Any green salsa would work, but you can find my recipe here:
http://ourprovidentlife.blogspot.com/2012/10/roasted-tomatillo-salsa.html
or the canned version here:
http://ourprovidentlife.blogspot.com/2013/08/green-tomatillo-salsa-canned.html

5. Because I came up with this recipe on the fly, I didn't have time to let my beans slow cook, so I cooked them separate in my pressure cooker and then added them into my chili when they were done about midway through the cooking time. You could choose to soak your beans overnight and them let them cook right in the chili, but you will need to increase the amount of liquid you use. I will probably try this the next time I make this. Yes I will be making it again and soon. Yummy! For more info on cooking beans check out this post:
http://www.ourprovidentlife.blogspot.com/2012/02/bean-cookin-101.html

6. As always, after I removed the chicken from my bones, I put my bones in a separate pot, covered them with water and let them simmer away for several hours. It only made about a cup of stock, but well worth it. I used the cup of stock later in the week for something else. You can of course always stick it in the freezer. I use up every bit of chicken every time. I never buy stock.

We all loved this chili! and it is on our to make again and again list. I hope you enjoy it too!

A Winter Favorite: Italian Farmhouse Soup

Italian Farmhouse Soup: Winter Vegetarian Favorite

A few weeks ago we had some friends for dinner and I made this wonderful winter favorite. We absolutely love this soup. It is hearty, warm, and delicious. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.  I am sure it will become one of your favorites too.

Italian Farmhouse Soup

2 Tb. Olive Oil
1 Onion, Chopped
2 to 3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 to 4 Carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
6 oz. Rutabaga, peeled and cut into large chunks
7 oz. Turnips, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 Quarts, canned diced tomatoes
2 tsp. Oregano
2 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Salt
6 & 1/2 Cups Vegetable Stock
1/2 Cup Dried Small Macaroni
1 - 14 oz. Can Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tb. Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and garlic, cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the carrot, turnip, rutabaga, tomatoes, herbs, and salt. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the pasta and kidney beans to the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes until pasta is tender. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

After we discovered this amazing soup we started growing Rutabaga in our garden. It is so delicious! We also usually have turnips growing too, but if you don't have either of these just use whatever root or winter vegetables you have available.

I didn't have any turnips when I made this batch. So I threw in a small butternut squash and a large sweet potato, along with my rutabaga and carrots. It turned out awesome! So yummy! Served with homemade French Bread, it makes the perfect winter time meal.

Shaun-ta's Two Bean Soup

Yum! This is what I am having for lunch today. It is leftovers from last night's dinner and it is was really good last night, but better today!

My 6 year old had a Christmas concert last night so I just had to whip up something quick and easy for dinner and this is what I came up with.

Two Bean Soup - Delicious Vegan Recipe

1/2 lb. Black Beans                          
1/4 lb. Pinto Beans                           
1 Quart Diced Tomatoes                   
1 Can Corn (undrained)               
1/2 Jar Salsa     
2 tsp. Cumin                           
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Mexican Oregano
1 Med. Onion, Chopped
2-3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

Rinse beans and cook them in your Pressure cooker (don't drain the juice after cooking). In a skillet saute the onions and garlic in a bit of oil. In a stock pot combine the cooked beans with their juice, the sauteed veggies, tomatoes, corn, salsa, and spices. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Add more salt if needed to taste.  I also added about 3/4 Cup of refried black beans that I had in the fridge to thicken it.  But you can also take out about 1 Cup of the soup mixture and put in a blender and puree. Then add this back into the soup to thicken it. You can also use canned beans put don't drain them, make sure to include the juice, it has great flavor. I served this up with some tortilla chips for dipping. It would also be great topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Pumpkin 'n' Black Bean Chili

Pumpkin 'N' Black Bean Chili

1 Medium Onion, chopped
1 Sweet Pepper, any color, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tb. Olive Oil
3 to 4 Cups Chicken Stock
1 lb. Black Beans, cooked
2 & 1/2 Cups Cooked Turkey, Cubed
(canned turkey also works great)
2 Cups Pureed Pumpkin
2 tsp. Dried Parsley
1 Tb. Chili Powder
1 & 1/2 tsp. Oregano
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
2 tsp. Salt

In a skillet, saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in the oil until tender and translucent. Combine sauteed veggies with remaining ingredients in stock pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour until heated through and flavors have combined. 

You can also make this in the crock pot and let your beans cook along with everything else. I just soak my beans overnight and then drain them and toss everything else in and let it go on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the beans are tender.  Two things that I notice about doing it this way is 1. You have to increase the amount of chicken stock you use to 5 to 6 cups because the beans soak up a lot. 2. This makes a lot thicker chili, which Jacob loves, and I don't mind either, but I personally think it overpowers the pumpkin a bit to do it this way. You just don't get the same pumpkin flavor even if you increase the amount of pumpkin. You get more of a bean flavor. Both ways tasted really good, but I think I prefer to pre-cook my beans so that the pumpkin flavor really comes through. 

Moroccan White Beans: Recipe Review

Moroccan White Beans

 Last week we tried a delicious new recipe for white beans. It really was yummy! I don't use white beans a lot, so I was very happy with this new find. I thought I would share the link with you today so you can try them out for yourself. Check out the recipe here.
I made mine in my pressure cooker. I love cooking beans this way, it works great. The only thing I would do differently the next time I make them, and I will make them again, is cut out the 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. They seemed plenty oily to me and I don't think taking out the vegetable oil would compromise on the flavor. I loved the cumin and ginger. I also used smoked paprika in mine, which was amazing, but I think regular sweet paprika would also taste delicious.

Moroccan Bread

 I also decided to make the Moroccan Bread to go along with it. Find the recipe here. It was perfect with the beans. It is absolutely delicious when you scoop up the beans with pieces of this crusty bread.
So if you are wanting to try a new bean recipe give this one a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Vegan Sloppy Joes

So I stole this idea from my sister, who has been following a vegan diet. She made these for herself one afternoon while the rest of us were eating the original thing. Although I didn't taste them, they smelled and looked great and I knew that I wanted to give them a try when I got home. Thanks Sister!

Vegan Sloppy Joes

Here's my recipe:

1/2 lb. Cooked Black Beans
1 Tb. Oil
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
1 to 2 Cloves Minced Garlic
About 1 Cup Ketchup
About 3 Tb. Mustard
2 Tb. Brown Sugar

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add remaining ingredients and heat until bubbly. Serve with whole wheat buns. 

I thought these were really yummy and everyone gobbled them up, even my sweet little 6 year old, who doesn't always go crazy for beans. We will definitely be making them again, so give them a try.

Shaun-ta's Southwest Black Beans and Rice

I am sharing with you today another great Food Storage Recipe that my family really enjoys.  I actually adapted this recipe from another dish that we really like to make it vegan, as we been striving to eat less meat and add more beans and legumes into our diets. Another bonus is that it is a quick and easy one dish meal.  I hope you enjoy it too!

 Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1 & 1/2 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 (15oz.) Can Black Beans, drained  (or about 2 &1/2 Cups cooked black beans)
1 (14.5 oz.) Can Diced Tomatoes (Southwest Style)
1 Cup Frozen Corn or 1 Can Corn, drained
1 Cup Rice
1 & 1/2 Cup Water

Combine water, tomatoes, rice, and 1/2 tsp. each of chili powder and seasoned salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, or until rice is almost tender. Add beans, corn, and remaining seasoning. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until rice is completely tender and liquid is completely absorbed. Top with shredded cheddar cheese if you like.
I served this with cheese quesadillas. They would also be great served inside a tortilla or along side some corn chips.

Don't be afraid to change things up in recipes. If you want it a bit spicier add more chili powder. The recipe I adapted this from has chicken in it. This is a great addition. Simply cook some seasoned (with some of your chili powder and season salt) bite sized pieces of chicken breast in about a tablespoon of oil and add to your dish at the end. I used long grain white rice, but you can substitute brown rice or instant rice just adjust the amount of water used and your cooking time accordingly. If you don't have southwest style tomatoes just use a bit more seasoning and add some green bell pepper or a can of green chilies to it. There are tons of possibilities. 

12 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Several months ago I took a look in my pantry and made myself a list of several items that I would no longer buy at the grocery store.  Why am I feeding myself and my children this junk I thought? No matter how cheap it is, do I really want to put that into my body? The answer is no.  My list includes things like Pop tarts, sugary cereals, fruit snacks, granola bars, and cheese puffs. Is it really more expensive to eat healthy? Well, I think the answer is yes and no.  In terms of the cost of healthy food I think the answer is yes, but when we consider the value of our health, I think the answer is definitely no. So, how can I eat healthy on a budget? Here are 12 ways that I think can help:

1. Eat less meat- Eating meat for every meal can create quite a dent in out monthly food budget. Try substituting less expensive and more healthy options for proteins into your diet. When you do purchase meat buy discounted meat or buy in bulk and then break it up into usable portions to be frozen. When you do serve meat cut down on the portion sizes and serve more grains and veggies to go along with it.

2. Use more Grains and Legumes - They are inexpensive and packed with nutrition. Try mixing it up a bit by using grains like quinoa and barley.Experiment with new legumes; try something you never have before. You can also make some meat dishes stretch and become more nutritionally dense by incorporating beans.

3. Shop sales and clip coupons- Skip coupons for processed foods and focus on finding those for fruits, veggies, meats, and dairy; they do exist.

4. Buy in Bulk.

5. Grow your own Food - No matter how much space you have, you can plant something, even if you only have a window box herb garden.

6. Preserve foods when they are cheap or you have excess. Try various methods of preservation, canning, freezing, and drying.

7. Prepare a weekly or monthly menu - Make a shopping list from your menu and shop only from your list.  This works! This is also a great way to figure out how much food your family uses on a monthly basis so you can more accurately figure out what you need for a 3-month supply.

8. Prepare your own food - Eat out less and buy less prepackaged food. By preparing your own food you have more control over what goes into your body and it saves you money!

9. Buy fruits and veggies that are in season.  Everything is cheaper and tastes much better when it is in season.

10. Buy generic - For the majority of products there is no difference between brand and generic except the price.

11. Don't buy pre-cut veggies and fruits and skip "Organic" - Instead clean conventional fruits well and peel and cut your own veggies.

12. Make your own snacks and snack packs - Steer clear of 100 calorie packs and snack sized item.  You are only paying extra for the packaging.  Instead buy zipper bags and make your own snack bags filled with pretzels, raisins, nuts, etc. You can also make your own granola bars or cereal bars for more nutritionally dense snack options. For a really healthy crunchy snack check out our recipe for Chick a Dee's.

Canning 101: Green Beans

 We eat a lot of green beans at our house and we have been eating loads of fresh ones for several weeks now, I have been picking them every other day. I thought I had better can a few pickings. In addition to our large pressure canner,  I have a small pressure cooker that only fits three pints. I actually really like it, because that is about what I can harvest in one picking from our garden.

Canning green beans is actually very simple and it only took me a few minutes to prepare these 3 pints for processing. Here is the method I use:

1. Clean and Sterilize your jars.
2. Wash and trim your beans, removing strings. I snap larger ones in half.
3. Fill your jars with cleaned beans. Add salt if you like ( 1 tsp. per quart, 1/2 tsp. per pint). Cover beans with boiling water, leaving 1 inch of head space.
4. Wipe jar rims and put on your lids.
5. Process in pressure canner.
Processing time is 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts. If you are using a weighted gauge pressure canner use 10 lbs. pressure for altitudes 0-1,000 ft. and 15 lbs. pressure for altitudes over 1,000 ft.  If you are using a dial gauge canner please refer to this table for pressure weights. Be sure to follow the instructions for your pressure canner. 

It is that simple and you now have your own home canned garden beans.

Black Bean Pizza

This is so delicious- a healthy alternative to traditional pizza.

1 Pizza Shell precooked - click here for our recipe

1 Medium chopped Onion

1 Clove Garlic Minced

1 Tb. Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Zucchini or Summer Squash 

2 Cups Cooked Black Beans, drained

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

2 tsp. Basil

2 tsp. Oregano

1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

In a skillet saute the onions and garlic in oil, when translucent add zucchini and cook for only a minute or so.  Add the tomatoes, herbs, and beans and bring to a boil. Boil uncovered for about 2 minutes, reduce heat and simmer until mixture is saucy. Lay down a layer of cheese on the baked pizza shell. Top the pizza shell with the bean mixture. Add the rest of the cheese and cook in a 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble.

Don't limit yourself to only using zucchini in this dish. Look for vegetables that are in season or use veggies from your garden. Eggplant, corn, or bell pepper would be delicious additions or substitutions.

Check here for our post on how to cook dried black beans.

Turkey and White Bean Chili

So, I really had a hard time getting a picture of this that actually looked good. Please don't judge this recipe by it's picture. It is actually really good! We enjoyed it very much and it helped me to utilize a bean that I don't use very much - White Beans.


1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1 (14.5oz.) Diced Tomatoes, undrained
2 Cans (15oz.) Great Northern Beans, drained, and rinsed
2 Cans ( 11.5oz.) Tomato Vegetable Juice
1 Tb. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin

In a skillet brown ground turkey, onion, and bell pepper. In a large saucepan, combine turkey mixture, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This recipe comes from www.hunts.com.

As with all bean recipes that call for canned beans you can always use dried beans. Also, check out my post on how to make ground turkey taste really delicious. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Best 3-Bean Chili

In our quest to incorporate more beans into our diets we have branched out and looked for some different recipes for chili. This is one of our favorites. Our little four year old says, "Mom, this is lishous." I think that definitely describes it. We especially love the addition of Cinnamon.

1 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 (16 oz.) cans Dark Red Kidney Beans
2 (16 oz.) cans Pinto Beans
2 (16 oz.) cans Black Beans
1 (14.5 oz.) can Diced Tomatoes
1 & 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Pepper
1/2 tsp. Cumin
Cinnamon, to taste - I usually put in 1 tsp.
Sour Cream

Brown ground beef in a heavy dutch oven or soup pot. Add chili powder and mix well. Add onion and pepper to meat and cook for 2 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in remaining ingredients except for sour cream. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Top with sour cream.  This recipe comes from  www.recipes.bushbeans.com.

Of course, it is always cheaper to use dry beans over canned beans. If you use canned beans, don't drain them. If you use dry beans that you cook in a pressure cooker or stock pot make sure and use some or all of your cooking liquid in your chili. The liquid in the beans makes a nice thick and rich gravy in your chili.  For an even thicker chili you can add 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste. This recipe would also be a great vegan recipe, just leave out the ground beef.  For tips on cooking dry beans: http://www.ourprovidentlife.blogspot.com/2012/02/bean-cookin-101.html

Basic Pot of Beans

Below is a recipe that can be used as the base for a lot of bean dishes.  It is just the basics, by adding some simple additional elements you can turn this into a lot of things see below.  This recipe works with any bean, the pictures below are using pinto beans.


Basic Pot of Beans
Pressure Cook Beans for 30 Minutes at 12lbs

1 lb    -  dry beans (any type) rinsed and sorted for small stones.
2 Qt.  -  of water (it tastes far better if you use stock or even add some bullion cubes)
2 Tbs.-  Bacon oil (bacon drippings) or Olive oil
1       -  Med.Onion chopped
2       -  Cloves Garlic (I like a lot of garlic I used 4-5)
1       -  Bay Leaf  
2 tsp  -  Salt
Taste -  Black pepper

Everything is in the pot ready to go.

Rinse and sort for stones and twigs

I made this in a 4 Quart pressure cooker.  Rinse your beans, sort for any small stones.  Place in pressure cooker,  pour 1/2 of water over beans.  Add Bacon Oil, onion, garlic and spices.  Top with remaining water, be sure not to fill above the "Max Fill" Line.  Lock down lid and put on high heat.  When the steam starts to escape from the pressure relief valve, turn your stove down to about medium and start your timer.  For safety always follow the manufacturers instructions for you pressure cooker.  After timer goes off, remove from heat an let sit till pressure had come down. 

How to serve:
Serve hot over rice
As a side dish.
Drain and add any recipe canned beans are called for (about 2 cups per can).
Refried, Mash and cook in hot skillet
I tend to add more salt to taste after cooking. 

Alterations
Add about any spice you like, making it Italian, or Mexican etc.
"Mexican" Add Cumin, maybe some Mexican oregano and top with fresh cilantro
You can reduce the water by 1/2 for a less soupy consistency (rice soaks up allot)
Add meat to the cooking process ie: bacon, ham hocks, or sausage...
Use as the base for a soup or stew

Use stock to replace some or all of the water

The finished product.

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Kidney Bean & Turkey Meat Loaf

 I have been incorporating beans into some of our meals lately by adding them to whatever meat I am serving. This stretches the meat further, saving us money and it gives us a health boost. Below is one of my creations: Kidney Bean and Turkey Meatloaf. It turned out pretty good and the leftovers were even better.

 I started by smashing 1 can of Red Kidney Beans. Next time I might try Pinto Beans.

Then I combined my beans with 1 lb. of Ground Turkey, 1 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread crumbs, 1 Egg, 1 Tb. Worcestersire sauce, and 1 tsp. Season Salt.

Then I shaped the meat mixture into a loaf and placed it in a glass casserole dish. It was baked, covered, at 350 degrees for about and hour. The last 10 minutes of baking I uncovered the meatloaf and glazed it with BBQ sauce.

The finished product.

The kids and I ate it sliced just out of the oven and it was pretty good.

Kidney Bean & Turkey Meatloaf

Jacob got home late from work that evening so he browned his up on the stove top. It looked really yummy. Later in the week I browned up some of the leftover and ate it on a bun with hamburger fixin's. It was delicious!




Let us know what creative ways you come up with to get beans into your meals. . .

Meat Me in the Middle

Meat is the most expensive portion of our monthly food budget. I have really had to find ways to stretch our money in this area. Here are the ways I use to make my money stretch in the meat isle:

1. Only buy meat when it is on sale or when it has been reduced for quick sale, ( I visit the store early every morning to see what meat has been put on reduced sale.)

2. Buy bone in or whole fryer chicken and utilize every part of the bird, (I can usually get three meals out of one chicken, plus depending on how I use my chicken I will make a stock that I either can or freeze, from the bones.)

3. Use less expensive protein options, like beans, in your meals, (You don’t have to become vegan, just eat one or two meatless meals every week.)

4. Don’t buy deli meat or lunch meats. Instead buy a roast (beef, turkey, pork, etc.) cook and slice it thin yourself. (It is much easier to slice the meat thin when it is cold, so refrigerate it first.)

I grew up in a meat and potatoes kind of family. We always had meat for dinner. Beans were completely foreign to me when I got married. The only time I ever remember my mom cooking beans was when she made chili. Jacob on the other hand really liked beans and wished that I would use them more.  Another thing that was foreign to me was bone- in or whole chicken. It was boneless, skinless all the way baby.  My mom is a great cook. I attribute my love for cooking and baking to her and my Grandma. There are some things that I have changed and learned throughout the years, however, and now you will rarely see boneless, skinless chicken in my home and vegan meals using various types of beans are becoming more frequent and popular with my family. Most of these changes have come about to help trim our monthly food expenses, but as a result we have found that we actually find beans and bone-in chicken very enjoyable and most often preferred over the alternative. It has taken some time and I am still learning how to utilize these things to their fullest. I am slowly learning how to use beans in everyday cooking and in our meals as both a main dish and a side dish. It really is helping reduce our monthly food costs and it is a much healthier alternative.

Black Bean Taco Filling (Vegan)- It's REALLY Good

Don't let the Vegan part turn you a way from this recipe, its really good.  It is very flavorful and you used it just like taco meat.  Our 4year old little boy first tried this and he ate 4 full tacos, he loved it.  He probably could have eaten more but his hollow leg couldn't hold any more. You could always go 50/50 with pinto beans.

 

1    Tbls Olive Oil

1    Medium Onion diced

2    Clove Garlic Minced

1    Bell Pepper Chopped

2    (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed, drained and mashed (or about 4 cups of cookedbeans)

2    Tbls cornmeal

1 ½ Tbls Cumin

1    tsp Paprika

1    tsp Cayenne Pepper

1    tsp Chili Powder

1    Cup Salsa

In a skillet heat oil over medium heat, add and sauté the onions, garlic and bell pepper until tender.  Add the mashed beans, cornmeal, the spices and salsa.  Cover and cook about 5 minutes.

Use just like taco meat.  It really tastes good and is worth a try.  It is now in our permanent recipe book.

Recipe found on allrecipes.com

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed      
1/2 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Egg
1 tsp. Chili powder
1tsp. Cumin
1/2 Cup bread crumbs



In a medium bowl mash the black beans until thick and pasty. In a food processor, finely chop the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into the mashed beans.

Stir in the egg, spices, and bread crumbs and mix until the mixture is sticky and holds together. If you like it a little spicier just add a bit more chili powder and cumin, and maybe some hot sauce. My kids don't like spicy so I toned it down some.

Divide the mixture into four patties Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375degrees for about 10 minutes on each side. When I made these I also added about 1/2 cup pinto beans, because I had a few leftover in the fridge. I also think some finely shredded carrot would be really delicious.

We topped them off with the traditional burger fixin's: mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickles, tomato, garden spinach, and lettuce. They were really yummy and even my kids devoured them.  I was very happy about this, because I have a hard time getting my little girl to eat beans and she definitely won't eat onions, but she didn't even know they were there. She ate the entire thing and said, "this is really good, Mom!" Success!

Chick A' Dee's

Chick Pea (Garbanzo Bean) Snack

My kids call these crunchy snacks "Chick A' Dee's", I guess that is what they hear when I say "Chick Peas". No matter what you call them they are a healthy and delicious snack that are very similar to corn nuts but a lot healthier.

Ingredients:
Cooked Chick Peas  AKA Garbanzo Beans -You can use canned if you want or cook up a bag of dried beans to make this snack very inexpensive.
1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
Desired Seasoning

I cooked my beans in the pressure cooker. Then I drained them and let them sit in the strainer for an hour or so to dry. You could also spread them out onto a towel to dry them. Once they are pretty well dry place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Coat them with olive oil. I used about 1 Tb. of olive oil for 1/2 lb. of beans (about 2 Cups of cooked beans). I just drizzle the oil over the beans and then use my hands to toss them until they are all thoroughly coated. Then season your chick peas as desired. My kids just like theirs salted. I use kosher salt.  My husband likes me to use a curry seasoning and I like Season Salt!  Be creative! Bake the Chick peas in a 425 degree oven for about an hour or two.  Just continue to watch them and toss them occasionally to keep them from burning. Cook them until they are crispy.  The ones on the outside get crispier faster than the ones on the inside so keep tossing them especially near the end of cooking time.  Do the 3 bean test to make sure they are all done to your desired crispiness. These are tasty! Enjoy!

Bean Cookin' 101

Most often the thought of cooking dried beans brings thoughts of dread to our minds. It seems like such a time consuming process and something you always have to plan ahead for.  There are several methods to cooking dried beans, some do take more time than others. But as you get into the practice of cooking and utilizing dried beans in your meals you will find them to be a very economical, nutritious, and delicious addition.  Below are some of the most common methods for cooking dried beans:

Before you begin cooking your beans you should first rinse and sort them, checking for any bad beans or small stones.
There are two methods for soaking beans:
1.Overnight Soak- For 1 lb. of beans cover with 6 to 8 cups of cold water and let sit overnight or for at least 6 to 8 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.

2. Quick Soak - For 1 lb. of beans add 6 to 8 cups of Hot water in a large pot. Bring to a rapid boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Then remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse before cooking.

After your beans have been soaked you can cook them. To cook them on the stove top, add 6 cups of hot water to drained and rinsed beans. Bring to a slow boil and allow them to simmer with the lid tilted for about 1&1/2 to 2 hours or until desired tenderness is reached. You can also cook your beans in a slow cooker but this can take anywhere from 3 to 10 hours depending on the type of bean. I usually do chili this way.

 The simplest and fastest way to cook dried beans is to use a pressure cooker. We have a small 4 quart pressure cooker that is perfect for this. In some cases, there is no need to soak the beans you can just throw them in the cooker with the recommended amount of water and you have cooked beans in as little as 3 minutes for some beans and as much as 45 minutes for others. This method is by far the quickest way to cook dried beans. I have been using our pressure cooker a lot the past few months experimenting with different beans. A word of caution: Be sure to follow the manufacturers instruction for using your pressure cooker.  A few days ago I had a big mess on my stove top and kitchen when the safety valve on my cooker released all the steam at once because I had failed to clean the vent pipe properly.  It scared me to death it sounded like the whole thing exploded, lesson learned. As long as you follow the instructions a pressure cooker is the way to go.  Until you become experienced cooking beans in the pressure cooker it helps to follow a time chart to know how long to cook each type of bean. As you become more familiar with your pressure cooker and the different types of beans it will be easier to judge the time more accurately.  This is something I am learning as I have overcooked more than one pot of beans. I need to check the chart more often than I do. Good luck with your Beans! I hope you have as much fun as I have.

Bean there done that ;-)

Black Beans are one of our Favorites

Legumes are a main portion of our long term food storage.  "5lbs per person per month" is the direction from our Church Leaders.  Beans are packed full of life sustaining nutrition.  We especially love black beans, but often use red kidney, garbanzo navy, pinto and lentils.  We try to incorporate beans into many meals.  We often will use beans in place of meat or to reduce the amount of meat included in a recipe.  If properly packed and stored legumes have a shelf life of over 30 Years! There many great benefits from using legumes in our diet.      

 

Nutrition - Beans can provide a large portion of the required protein, fiber, iron, calcium and minerals our bodies need.  They are low in fat and take on the flavors of spices and dishes well.  Each type of legume has it's own nutritional profile.  1 Cup of Black beans for example has 15 grams of Fiber and Protein and also provide Iron (20%), Vitamin C (5%) and other vitamins and minerals. If you eat beans with rice or corn you will have the right combination for proper protein synthesis.

Cost - Beans are a very low cost item with a lot of nutrition.  They can either take the place of meat in dishes or just a good addition to them.    A great way to help make your grocery budget stretch is to incorporate dry bean to your diet.  You can buy canned beans for convenience but using dry beans is even more economical, one pound bags are typically under one dollar but will yield 5-6 cups of cooked beans (or about  2.5-3.5 cans of beans).  6 Cups of beans for less than 1 dollar!     

Cooking  - We will post a lot of bean recipes in the future, watch for them.  We try to incorporate beans in meals, but also try out various side dishes rather than the usual sides.  We often will reduce the amount of meat in a recipe in favor of more beans, Chili for example.  Beans can be added to any rice dish, stew or soup.  We often will add several types of beans to recipes making 3-4 bean chili, soup etc.    

Varieties - There are around 1000 types of Legumes worldwide.  We suggest trying our some new verities with your family, try out various recipes for each type.     

Clover root; Nitrogen nodules (clover is a legume)

Beans in the Garden -  Many beans grown in the garden can be picked early(green beans) and if left on the plant will dry to be harvested as dry beans.  It is fun to look through seed catalogs at all the various varieties. Legumes are nitrogen fixers or they accumulate nitrogen from the air into nodules on the roots.  These nodules then make the nitrogen bio-available in the soil and for surrounding plants.  Many gardeners will "inoculate" their legume seeds to jump start the process. Beans plants either grow as a bush or climbing vines.  We have a permanent trellis on the south-side of our house for climbing beans.