medcnet: beans

‏إظهار الرسائل ذات التسميات beans. إظهار كافة الرسائل

Black Eyed Peas

Happy New Year! Can you believe we're here? The decorations are packed away and the homework has emerged. Oh and also, it took me 15 minutes to write those three sentences because my children are all "mama, mama, mama, mama" and I no longer have 8 house guests here to help answer them. It's been difficult for me, getting back into the swing of things. Anyone else feel like they're moving through mud? Anyone else want to come over and cook a healthy dinner for my family tonight?

Great. Thanks.

Well, this is a throwback now, but on New Year's Day my mom made the most delicious Black Eyed Peas. This is not a tradition we usually partake in, but she wanted to try them out (and who am I to turn away possible luck and prosperity in 2016). She referenced this article while making them, and they were delicious! Like, I had 4 helpings delicious. I think we will be making these all year round.

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Chipotle Bowls at home!

beans, cheese, chicken, pasta/rice, restaurants

Who doesn't love Chipotle?! (No, that's not a rhetorical question, I really need to know if someone in this world exists who doesn't love Chipotle.) It's a magical place with fresh ingredients, quick service, salty chips and BEER! There's even beer. The kid portions rock, the guacamole is insane, and you can customize your order pretty much any way you like it. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we don't live very close to one, so I decided to make our own bowls at home!

I followed this recipe using black beans instead of pinto (that I warmed on the stove with some chopped cilantro and green onions) and leftover grilled corn off-the-cob (with lime juice and zest). Oh, and I may have gone to the restaurant to get their guacamole and chips to-go. In case you're wondering, the Chipotle cheese is a blend of monterey jack and white cheddar. Brilliant.

What's your Chipotle go-to order?

*Even though I wrote their name 1700 times, this post was NOT sponsored by Chipotle, but hey, IF YOU'RE OUT THERE READING THIS, YOU MAGICAL PLACE YOU, FEEL FREE TO SEND ME COUPONS. That was classy.

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Chickpea Burgers

beans, burgers, veggies

We've been trying to eat a little less red meat this month at our house (I say that after going to Smashburger the other night and ordering bacon on top of my beef), so last night I decided to make Chickpea Burgers. They were a hit (between Carson and I of course, kids were like, Chickpea wha??). The coriander, cumin and cilantro added so much flavor, and the mushrooms combined with the beans made it taste hearty and delicious. I loved them, and will make them again and again. We served ours with pita pockets, and topped them with avocado, tomato and a store-bought tzatziki sauce (and I will forever have to google the spelling of that word).

Chickpea Burgers

(Makes 4)

Printable Recipe

1 19 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic

2 T chopped cilantro (or parsley)

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 carrot, roughly chopped

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

2 T all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/4 cup panko

2 T olive oil

In a food processor (or blender), combine chickpeas with garlic, cilantro, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper. Pulse until it reaches a choppy, paste-like consistency. Remove with a rubber spatula into a large bowl. Add mushrooms and carrots to food processor and pulse until finely minced. Add to bowl. Add flour, egg and panko to bowl and stir everything together until combined. Form into 4 burger patties. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for about 7 minutes per side, until nice and golden brown.

Also, Mushroom and Lentil Veggie Burgers.

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Black Bean Brownies

baked goods, beans, siriously nutritious

Well, hello there Internet, it's nice to see you again. I've been away, visiting family and friends in Sunny California. And now I'm back, in Sunny New York. Sunny, you're my friend, thanks for coming back East with me. Why don't you stay for awhile? For like, the next 7 months at least? You make me happy, you turn me into Fun Mom. Fun Mom goes outside and blows bubbles and draws on the driveway with chalk. Fun Mom takes her kids for a walk until the neighbor's puppy attacks us and we all run inside crying with newly developed dog phobias. Fun Mom puts on her bathing suit and - ohmygosh. Wait. Is that me in a bathing suit??? WHAT THE. Sunny, leave me alone with my hearty winter comfort food and my gigantic sweaters.

I kid, I kid (sort of), but let me introduce you to a brownie that will get you ready for bathing suit weather. Ok, it won't actually help you LOSE weight, but you don't have to feel guilty about eating one (or two, and licking all the batter). These brownies have BLACK BEANS in them! WHAT THE. I came across this recipe and thought I'd try it, because my daughter with the sweet tooth could use some more iron and protein in her life. Enter, "healthy" brownies. They're actually good! A little more on the "cake" side of the brownie spectrum (I prefer fudgy) but you can definitely not taste the black beans in the finished product. I added some chocolate chips on top once the brownies were cooked to make them EXTRA healthy (what) and I think you should too.

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Pesto, White Bean and Broccoli Dip

beans, dips, siriously nutritious, veggies

I was sent a copy of The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook by Tina Ruggiero and after a brief page-through I knew it was a keeper. You can usually tell when a healthy dish will end up stale and flavorless just by reading the recipe, and all of these sound delicious (yes, I read recipes for fun, what's it to you?). Some of the meals on my to-do list: Risotto with Mushrooms, Butternut Squash and Kale, Mini Salmon Sliders and Turkey Meatloaf with Chipotle Glaze. Yes, please, all of that.

Right off the bat I made this Pesto, White Bean and Broccoli Dip because I'm trying to feed my daughter more iron. Beans and Broccoli are great sources of iron! Iron, iron, i-ron... that's a weird word. Anyway. This was simple to make, yielded a HUGE batch, and was great on pasta or crackers.

Thanks for the book, Tina! Recipe here.

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Red Lentils with Feta and Tomato

beans, cheese, life, veggies

As I type this, I'm sitting in my family room staring at large pieces of plywood and plastic covering. I can't see my kitchen. Have I mentioned we're redoing our kitchen? So you'll have to bear with my postings for the next few months. I might make a lot of peanut butter toast and easy mac & cheese. Which both sound delicious to me! But for now lets talk about lentils. Lentils! Doesn't that excite you?? Well it should, because while they might have a bad reputation, they're delicious. I've had a bag of red lentils in my pantry for months, and I finally decided to do something with them over the weekend. And because my best friend AND her sister are having babies on the same day, which is today(!), and because my mind is being blown over this construction, I am not going to write a recipe...

Take one cup of red lentils and put them in a pot with one cup of water. Bring to a boil, then lower temp, cover and let simmer for roughly 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, sauté halved cherry tomatoes in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 1 clove of minced garlic and then a splash of really good balsamic. Let cook over low heat until all bubbly and delicious. Once lentils are done, add tomato mixture and crumbled feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. A great side dish!