Black Bean Dip

Bob likes chips and dip or salsa during football on the weekends. So I use Chef AJ's tip for making my own tortilla chips. After I cut the corn tortillas into 8ths and put them on the cookie sheet, I spritz them with water and barely sprinkle a little sea salt. Here's the link to the episode on her website. Chef AJ's Tortilla Chips  What we've bought in a bag in the supermarket can't even come close to the taste of these babies! We love the fresh salsa from Publix (in the produce section) and we have some, but I wanted some hummus. When I looked in the pantry I saw the black beans and just "knew" what I was going to do. Oh my goodness...so much deliciousness and so little pouch room! LOL!

Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
vegetable broth
bell pepper (any color or mix of colors - I used frozen mixed slices)
sea salt
black pepper
cumin
garlic powder *
onion powder *
1-2 tablespoons bbq sauce (Kraft Light Original is very low sugar)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Add just enough vegetable broth (any broth if you're not vegan) to help the beans get creamy. Put in fridge to chill. Top with a pinch of cilantro or parsley to serve.

* I used powders because I wanted to get back to the living room to watch the game. Use fresh for even better dip! ;)

Note: This dip does not taste like barbeque. The bbq sauce just gives the dip a little zip!

Vegan Super Bowl Party Chili

I found a delicious vegan chili recipe and had to share! I made it tonight and Bob and I love it! It doesn't take very long to prepare and is so delicious that even if you're not vegan or vegetarian, you're gonna love it!

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/01/healthy-super-bowl-party-chili.html

I made a couple of changes to the recipe when I made this the second time: (You know I had to tweak!)

1. I sauteed my vegetables in water instead of oil. Heat your pot a bit then add the onions and the same amount of water as the recipe calls for oil. Keep a little water handy and add more as needed. You won't need much; the onions will release their own moisture as they soften.
2. I doubled the chili powder. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon and I put 2. We like a little more chili flavor.
3. I didn't use salt at the end. I added the black pepper and the chili tasted great as it was so I left out the salt; we all need to cut down on salt anyway.
4. I'm not a hot sauce person since my wls, but I still enjoy using a little tabasco vinegar. Just a few drops in my bowl really livened up this chili.

 



Italian Bean and Tuna Salad

After one of our long walks, my new walking buddy, Marilyn, invited me to her house to try out a new dish. A friend of hers had emailed it to her and it looked so good she tried it right away and I was invited to be a co-guinea pig! I was kind of wondering how it would taste...after all, here in the South we smother tuna with mayonnaise and this tuna salad not only didn't have mayo, but it had beans in it! But I went and shared a lovely meal with Marilyn and the tuna salad was d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s! Perfect for a light lunch or dinner!

Italian Bean and Tuna Salad

1-15 ounce can navy beans, drained and rinsed
6 ounce can or packet water packed tuna, drained and flaked
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup fresh or frozen cut (1 inch) green beans, cooked, rinsed with cold water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
mixed greens or spinach

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients except the lettuce/spinach and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors blend. Line plates with the lettuce or spinach, spoon salad onto lettuce and enjoy.

Note: You can also add some black olives, grape tomatoes, or green onions to this salad to jazz it up any way you want to!

TIP: If you're like me and don't keep fresh herbs around but have the dried herbs that's fine, just use one-third the amount called for in the recipe.

Cuban Black Beans

I have been wanting some Cuban black beans. Love them! So I decided that I will make some for lunch one day this week. When I make this as a side dish, it's a regular bean dish. But when the cold weather starts I add extra broth so it's a little soupy! This makes a great lunch with a small salad.

Cuban Black Beans

15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Dash garlic powder
1 slice green bell pepper, cored, seeded, chopped (or a little frozen mixed peppers)
1/8 cup yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ham
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 bay leaf
1/3 cup chicken broth (when I want soup I put 1 cup broth)
1 pinch chili powder
1 splash red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Place the beans in a saucepan with the broth. Add the remaining ingredients except for the red wine vinegar and salt. Cover and simmer until beans are soft. Add the red wine vinegar and salt, simmer for a couple more minutes.

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

So you just got invited to a barbeque and you've been asked to bring a pasta side dish. Hmmm...you're supposed to cook something you don't get to eat? Ha! I don't think so!!! I've been making this salad for a while and was really surprised when I noticed that I haven't posted it yet. It's good when you first make it, but if you can, make it the day before or even that morning for dinner. The flavors blend so deliciously if it's allowed to sit in the fridge for a while!

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is actually a seed, but a lot of people think it's a grain, so who am I to tell them different? You can find it in just about any grocery store now. One brand is Red Mill, another is Ancient Harvest. It seems that every store puts quinoa in a different place, so if you don't find it in the health food sections with the grains, try the "gourmet" area. Or pretend you're me and have a clerk find it for you. That'll teach 'em for not putting a product where I think it should go! LOL!

FYI - This is another recipe that lets you decide how much of certain ingredients you want to use. For instance, if you don't care for corn, don't put much, or any. Substitute...play with your food!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa (red quinoa is great in this salad, but more difficult to find)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed
frozen corn (you can defrost if you want to, but not necessary)
frozen sliced sweet peppers (can use fresh)
Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing (or any other Italian dressing)

Follow the package directions for cooking the quinoa. The ratio is 2:1 water to quinoa, so you can make as much or as little as you like. When it's all cooked, the package usually says to fluff and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. I don't want any of my cheese to melt, so my quinoa sits in the freezer to get nice and chilled. When the quinoa is chilled, add the rest of the ingredients except the dressing, and stir. At this point the quinoa is still able to absorb a little liquid and you don't want dry quinoa salad, so pour in a little more dressing than you think you really need. By the time you're ready to serve, it will be all absorbed and just right. Stir, fluff, and serve!

Well, it's tomorrow and I glanced at this and realized that I didn't include a photo! I'll just have to make it again really really soon so I can take a picture! Darn!!! LOL!

Hummus

I really like hummus, but I don't like buying it at the store. One reason is that it is so expensive. Another reason is that it's got so many unnecessary ingredients. It's a lot better fresh. You can dip anything into hummus. Tonight I dipped boiled shrimp. Sometimes I dip sliced cucumbers, sometimes carrot sticks. Radishes would be good too. Hmmm...I just thought about pepperoni crisps...gotta try that soon!

Hummus

2 - 16 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dannon Plain Nonfat Yogurt
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 - 4.5 ounce can green chilies
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 - 4 ounce jar sliced pimientos, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional (or parsley)

Add chickpeas, water, yogurt, olive oil, chilies, garlic, and cumin to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add pimientos and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. Transfer hummus to a bowl and stir in the cilantro (or parsley). Season hummus with salt and pepper if desired. Cover and chill for a couple of hours for flavors to blend.

Great Northern Beans

Bob and I love beans. And being able to cook them quickly in the pressure cooker just adds to the appeal. Bob was raised eating pinto beans only, so that's what I cook most of the time. But every once in a while I throw in a ringer like great northerns, red beans, or black beans.

Great Northern Beans

1 cup great northern beans
5 cups water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup frozen mixed peppers
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram leaves

Rinse and pick through beans. Soak in water for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse. Add to pressure cooker. Add the 5 cups of water and the rest of the ingredients. Cover and lock lid in place. Heat on high until cooker is pressurized. Turn heat down to maintain pressure and cook for 30 minutes. When beans are cooked, take cooker off of heat and let de-pressurize naturally (about 15 minutes). Open cooker and salt the beans to taste.

Note: If you want to cook these beans in a Dutch Oven, follow my directions through putting all the ingredients in the pot. You will not need the vegetable oil if cooking in the Dutch Oven. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for about a minute then lower heat to simmer. You may cover if you wish, but leave partially uncovered or the beans may boil over. Simmer until beans are soft. Salt the beans to taste.

Pinto Beans

Bob and I love beans...any kind of beans! We usually have at least one bean night per week. Sometimes it's canned black beans or chili beans but most of the time it's dried pinto or great northern beans. Bob was raised eating pinto beans only so I cook those most of the time. They are so easy to cook in the pressure cooker I only measure out 1 cup of dried beans and make a small amount.

Pinto Beans

1 cup pinto beans, rinsed and soaked for at least 4 hours (or use the quick method of boiling for 2 minutes and let sit, uncovered for 1 hour)

5 cups water

1 tablespoon canola oil

onions, chopped

mixed frozen sweet peppers

black pepper

garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

Add all ingredients to pressure cooker and stir. Turn to high, cover and bring to pressure. Turn heat to just under medium and cook at pressure for 25 minutes. Take off heat and let cooker de-pressurize naturally. When lid will unlock, open and salt the beans before serving.

Chicken Nachos

Okay, so this recipe can barely be called cooking. It's putting stuff together that was previously cooked or just needs to be dumped out of the can and heated up. What can be easier than that for a quick weeknight meal? I love to cook smothered chicken in my pressure cooker. I will post that recipe in a couple of days. But, listen, if you have had weight loss surgery and don't have a pressure cooker...get one. Any kind of meat comes out so tender and juicy and not stringy. I've had trouble with food out of the slow cooker for heaven's sake! Chicken breast in the slow cooker...forget it! Beef tips in the slow cooker...ha...double forget it! Everything I cook in the pressure cooker comes out flavorful and juicy and tender on tiny pouches.  Anyway, I always cook an extra chicken breast so we can have leftovers for this dish.

Chicken Nachos

1 can chili beans
1 leftover chicken breast
1 Flatout Wrap (or pita bread) (optional)

Place the Flatout Wrap or pita bread on a baking pan and heat in the oven at 400F until slightly browned. Heat up the chili beans. Place the chicken breast in a microwave safe dish and heat. Shred the chicken. For each serving place some chili beans, then some chicken on a plate. Break up the wrap into tortilla chip sized pieces and dip into the chicken and beans.

Note: You can add anything you want. I like mine simple and usually just have the beans and chicken. You can add melted cheese, sour cream, chili, jalapenos, etc. to make your nachos as elaborate as you want! This dish is very satisfying and filling.