Black Beans & Rice

Simple, healthy, tasty - not much more to say than that! I used olive oil instead of cooking spray, brown rice instead of long-grain rice, and a can of diced tomatoes (drained) instead of tomato sauce.

PREP TIME 5 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 20 Min
SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup cooked long-grain rice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a nonstick skillet that has been coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute the onion, green and red peppers, garlic, basil and pepper until tender. Stir in tomato sauce. Add beans, rice and vinegar; heat through. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with cheese.

Nutritional Analysis: One 1-cup serving equals 175 calories, 396 mg sodium, 1 mg cholesterol, 32g carbohydrate, 10g protein, 2g fat.

source: allrecipes.com

Curried Mustard Greens & Garbanzo Beans with Sweet Potatoes

Oh my yum. I am so in love with what I just ate - another 5-star dish from the World's Healthiest Foods website. Who knew that eating well could be so ridiculously tasty?

The texture of this dish is just amazing... and the color is exciting... and the flavor of the sweet potatoes (I know, not again... but they're so good), curry and tomatoes blends together well.

You wouldn't guess that mustard leaves would be at all enjoyable, but surprise, they are! Greens are highly underrated. My family makes endive soup at Christmastime and when I was little they told me it was made with grass clippings - because that's pretty much what cooked greens look like. I couldn't get past that for a while and it wasn't until just recently that I realized endive soup is one of my favorites. We just don't usually cook with greens and I'm not sure why. This recipe is a good reason to start changing that (oh, and also they're really good for you).

Notes (i.e. the boring stuff):
I used 3 big sweet potatoes and a almost a whole can of broth (the sauteing method seems to use up much more than just a tablespoon - maybe it's just me). I doubled the turmeric and curry powder. For more protein, I would recommend using another can of garbanzos. I thought I would need an electric mixer for the sweet potatoes but you can easily mash them with a spoon. Also, I have no steamer. So I just put 2" or so of water in a pot and cooked them for about 15 minutes - then let them sit until I finished everything else. Use a deeper skillet - the greens take up a lot of room until they start to wilt.

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and sliced thin 1 medium onion cut in half and sliced thin 3 medium cloves garlic, sliced 1 TBS + 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth ½ tsp curry powder ¼ tsp turmeric 1 bunch mustard greens, rinse, remove stems and chop 1 15oz can diced tomatoes 1 15oz can garbanzo beans, drained 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a steamer with a tight fitting lid. Peel and slice sweet potatoes in fairly thin slices so they will steam quickly, 5-10 minutes.
2. While steaming potatoes, slice onion and garlic. Heat 1 TBS broth in 12inch skillet. Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes stirring frequently, until translucent. Add 1/4 cup broth, garlic, curry powder, turmeric, and mustard greens. Cook stirring occasionally until mustard greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Mash sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you need to thin potatoes more you can add a little broth. Serve mustard greens with mashed sweet potatoes.

   Serves 4

Healthy Cooking Tips:

When sweet potatoes are steamed, they pick up some moisture from the water. You should only need a little olive oil when mashing them. Mash well with the oil before adding any more liquid, otherwise they may be soggy.

Nutritional Profile

Kidney Beans & Sweet Potatoes

I found a new website for recipes and I'm so excited about it.

World's Healthiest Foods

I have been leaning toward eating more wholesome, natural foods for a while and I think this is a good starting point. Oh, and they actually have useful information for non-cooks like,

"Chopping your vegetables into the size recommended gives them a chance to cook slowly without over cooking. This allows the flavors of the vegetables and spices to blend together. Allow it to simmer on low heat, and don't rush it. It will taste much better. By uncovering it toward the end and continuing to simmer for a little longer reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavor."

I never chop/dice/slice as a recipe suggests because no one ever gave me a logical explanation for it. But this makes sense. I still didn't follow the recipe exactly - and I probably should have. After my recent over-seasoned soup episode I was cautious about adding too much seasoning, even though I used at least three times as many vegetables (what am I going to do with leftover mushrooms? - might as well put them all in) so this probably wasn't as great as it could have been, but it was still really, really good - fresh ginger, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, yum.

Prep and Cook Time: prep time: 20 minutes; cooking time: 45 minutes Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 TBS fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, sliced thin
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut in 1 inch squares
• 2 cups sweet potatoes, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced medium thick
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 2 cups + 1 TBS vegetable broth
• 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
• salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare first 6 ingredients by chopping and slicing.
   
2. Heat 1 TBS broth in a medium to large soup or braising pot. Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, carrot, pepper, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
   
3. Add spices and mix thoroughly. Mix tomato paste and broth together and add. Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add beans, salt, pepper, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat uncovered, or until vegetables are tender.
   Serves 4

Nutritional Profile

Italian Vegetable Soup with Beans, Spinach (& Pesto)

I learned a very important lesson today - you CAN have too much of a good thing, especially when that thing is garlic. Who knew? The sad news is that I think this soup probably would have been great had I not over-garliced it. But I did. And it's pretty bad. It kind of burns - but not in a spicy way.

You might notice that garlic is not on the list of original ingredients. But I have a great fear of bland soup - so I added a lot of garlic and basil. Oh, and I skipped the pesto because a little tiny container of it was $4.50 at the co-op (where I stopped after work). I topped it with Kraft parmesan instead - high class all the way. I also skipped the bell peppers, celery, and potatoes - and substituted green beans for peas.

So try this one and let me know how it is without the overpowering taste of garlic. I'm off to find some parsley.

Submitted by: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson Rated: 5 out of 5 by 11 members

Yields: 10 servings

"Cannellini beans and a plethora of vegetables - bell peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, peas, and spinach - make this healthy soup hearty and satisfying."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, cut into small dice 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick 3 medium celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1 medium bell pepper (red or yellow), stemmed, seeded and cut into medium dice 1 pound all-purpose potatoes, unpeeled and cut into medium dice

1 (16 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes 2 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, undrained 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth in can or carton 7 ounces loosely packed baby spinach 1 cup frozen green peas Salt and ground black pepper Prepared pesto (found in grocer's refrigerated section)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a soup kettle over medium-high flame. Add onions, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, bean and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and peas; continue to simmer until spinach wilts, 3 to 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, adding a spoonful of pesto to each serving of soup.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Nothing says 'summer' like tuna pasta salad. It's the only thing I want to eat on hot days - best with watermelon and a Blue Moon. My previous concoction was a little bland (tuna, pasta, mayo, salt, pepper) and had no veggies so I did some research and came up with this - a combination of two allrecipes.com recipes, kind of.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (16 ounce) package rotini (my mom pointed out that the shape works well for holding the goo)
  
• 2 yellow squash, chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained

This is where I freestyled a bit and it probably could use some tweaking. Let me know if you come up with something better. Alternatively, you can use a bottle of Italian dressing.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• a lot of mayo (2 big scoops)
  
• black pepper
  
• garlic salt
• a lot of dill weed (3 tablespoons?)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (maybe leave this out - I'm not sure what the purpose is)
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta and return pot to boil. Cook until al dente. Drain well.
2. Place squash and zucchini in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, squash, zucchini, kidney beans and tuna. Stir in dressing. Mix well and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Minestrone Soup

I think this is about as easy as cooking gets. There's no meat involved (thus no fear of contamination) and no chopping. But be forewarned, your can opener will get a workout.

I do have to wonder, however, if this is a cost-effective substitute for Progresso's minestrone (which I have adored since about age 5). There's likely less sodium and fewer preservatives but it might more expensive on a per-bowl basis. If you do the math, let me know.

But it is tasty. I'll add garlic next time (what's an Italian recipe without garlic anyway?) and some more spinach. It could probably use about 4x more seasoning as well.

Isn't cooking fun? (Especially when it only consists of opening cans, dumping their contents into a large pot, and stirring?)

Start to Finish: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 14-ounce cans beef broth
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14-1/2-ounce can low-sodium stewed tomatoes
• 1 11-1/2-ounce can vegetable juice
• 1 6-ounce can low-sodium tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1-1/2 cups loose-pack frozen mixed vegetables (such as an Italian blend)
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
• 2 cups cooked pasta (1 cup uncooked), such as small shells or mostaccioli
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese(optional)

Directions

In a large kettle combine broth, beans, stewed tomatoes, vegetable juice, tomato paste, sugar, and Italian seasoning. Bring to boiling. Add mixed vegetables. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add spinach and cooked pasta; heat through. To serve, ladle into bowls. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 8 main-dish servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare soup up to the point where frozen vegetables are cooked until tender. Remove from heat; cool quickly. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. To serve, reheat soup over medium heat. Stir in spinach and cooked pasta. Heat through.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Bean & Ham Soup

Here's where I get into trouble with cooking: apparently you're supposed to follow recipes. I am detail-oriented in every other aspect of my life but, for whatever reason, when it comes to recipes I struggle.

The Bean & Ham Soup was my first experience with a slow cooker. It's supposed to cook for 10 hours. That sounded ridiculous to me - so I tried 5 hours (on high) without success. After hour 4 I ladled the contents of my slow cooker into a large pot and simmered it on the stove. The broth didn't want to thicken so I added 3 tablespoons of corn starch mixed with water.

It was somewhat of a disaster.

Bay leaves are gross. Some of the reviewers on Allrecipes suggested adding them but I wish I hadn't. I also added a clove of garlic and a can of chicken broth. I have no idea if either of these ingredients made for more flavorful soup, but they didn't hurt.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can buy pre-cooked and cubed ham. Due to my immense fear of raw meat, I am a fan. I will likely make it again - but will use more chicken broth and less water.

On a side note, my slow cooker rocks. It has a lid that can be clamped down to prevent spills when transporting. It also came with a super stylin' green gingham carrying case.


Hamilton Beach Stay/Go Slow Cooker

Grandma B's Bean Soup

Submitted by: Reneerent Rated: 4 out of 5 by 23 members

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Hours

Ready In: 16 Hours 15 Minutes Yields: 8 servings

"A simple slow cooker bean and ham soup. It's delicious!"

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dry navy beans 3 carrots, peeled and shredded 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, sliced 1 medium onion, diced 2 cups cubed cooked ham

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place the beans in a slow cooker with enough water to cover, and soak 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
2.	Drain the beans, and return to the slow cooker. Cover with water, and mix in the carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and ham.
3.	Cover slow cooker, and cook soup on High for 3 1/2 hours. Switch to Low, and continue cooking at least 6 1/2 hours. The longer it cooks the more flavorful it becomes.

Nutrition Info (per serving)

Calories 337 (17% from fat) | Protein 22g | Fat 6.8g (sat 2.4g) | Carbohydrate 48g | Fiber 10.8g | Cholesterol 32mg | Iron 4mg | Sodium 47mg | Calcium 118mg