Creamy Bean Soup

carrots

1 onion

1/2 of an 8 oz. pkg. of low fat cream cheese

Storage Ingredients

2 cups dry pinto beans

1/2 cup mild salsa or taco sauce

salt to taste

Rinse off 2 cups of dry pinto beans and soak in 2 quarts of water overnight. Drain all the water, rinse beans thoroughly, and place in crock-pot. Chop the vegetables and add to crock-pot with beans. Cover with 2 quarts of fresh water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the beans are fully cooked and soft. Remove 1 cup of the broth and set aside. Add the cream cheese, salsa, and salt. Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Add some of the reserved broth to achieve the desired consistency. Serve with warm tortillas or corn chips and additional cream cheese and cilantro if desired.

If, for any reason, I was not able to purchase fresh ingredients from the grocery store, this soup recipe would still provide a viable meal for my family. I would simply substitute dehydrated carrots and onions for the fresh vegetables and then add 1/2 cup of dry powdered milk to replace the cream cheese that’s originally called for.

Navajo Tacos--Scones

Makes 3 tacos. Increase amounts per persons to be served.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons shortening
1 serving refried beans (1 cup reconstituted)

Mix flour, salt, water, and baking powder. Knead and let sit 10 minutes. Heat shortening. Divide dough into 3 balls and pat or roll each piece to about 5-6 inches in diameter. Deep fry until golden brown. Top with refried beans and hot sauce, if desired.

Hot sauce for Navajo tacos:
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried onion
1/8 teaspoon cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix and serve over Navajo tacos.

Testing comment: Our family really liked these.

Vegetarian Cowboy Beans-CrockPot

Vegetarian Cowboy Beans in the Slow Cooker
Estimated Cost: $5.00
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, very finely mined
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 small minced jalapeno
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups dried pinto beans
2 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups water
Pour oil into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker; stir, and cook on high for four to six hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve beans with shredded cheese and corn bread if desired.

Curried Lentil and Rice

Curried Lentils and Rice
adapted from Fitness Magazine

2 cups rice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp powdered onion
4 cups water
1 cup brown lentils
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt

Cook rice according to package directions. Heat oil and curry powder together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion powder and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water and lentils and bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 22 minutes, until lentils are soft. Remove from heat; stir in the honey, vinegar, and salt. Ladle over bowls of rice. Top with cilantro and sour cream if rotating.

Bean Burritos

Bean Burrito
Fresh Ingredients
2-3 c. grated Colby-Jack cheese
24 corn tortillas
Storage Ingredients
1 c. pink or pinto beans
1 c. salsa
2 cans tomato soup (10 ¾ oz.)
2-3 T. chili powder
Sort and rinse beans. Bring to boil for 2 minutes in 4 cups of water, cover, and set aside to soak for 1 hour. Drain water and rinse beans. Add 6 cups of water and simmer beans for approximately 2 hours until very soft. Drain cooking liquid and stir in salsa. In a shallow dish, mix the tomato soup with chili powder and 1 cup water to make a simple sauce. Cook tortillas in their package for 1 minute in the microwave to soften. Dip each tortilla in the sauce and fill with ¼ c. beans and grated cheese. Roll and place in a baking pan. Repeat until all tortillas have been filled. Top with any leftover sauce and grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This recipe isn’t difficult, but you do have to start cooking the beans early in the day. Once that initial step is completed the recipe is easy to assemble and makes a pan of delicious bean burritos. My family likes to garnish them with fresh chopped cilantro and a little sour cream.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Beans, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Quinoa & Red Bean Burritos

Quinoa & Red Bean Burritos

1 cup Quinoa
2 tsp McCormick Smoky Sweet Pepper Blend
1 can (15 oz) Red Kidney Beans, drained, rinsed and lightly mashed (I used Black Beans because that's what I prefer and have on hand.)
1 1/2 cups jarred Salsa (I actually pureed just one cup to make it go further - plus I didn't want it chunky)
8 Whole Wheat Tortillas (I just used regular flour tortillas)
1 cup shredded Mexican Cheese Blend



Place quinoa and pepper blend in a saucepan and cook following package directions. (All you do is boil 1 1/4 cups of water and add the quinoa, lower the heat for about ten minutes and then cool for a few before fluffing with a fork.)
Once cooked, stir in beans and 1 cup of the salsa.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees while the quinoa is cooking and coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Heat tortillas in microwave for 45 seconds to soften. Place 1/2 cup of the quinoa mixture in the center of each tortilla and fold like a package. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. (I didn't have the large tortillas, so I just rolled them and placed them seam down.)
Lightly coat tortillas with nonstick cooking spray and top with remaining salsa and cheese, dividing equally.
Bake burritos at 350 degrees for 12 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

REd Beans

Kate's Red Beans and Rice
1 lb. dry red kidney beans, rinsed and sorted
6 c. water
5 regular bouillon cubes or 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. chicken base
1/4 lb. smoked sausage (Andouille sausage if you can find it), quartered and cut into thin slices. You can also use a large, meaty ham bone.
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's is the best; omit this if using Andouille sausage)
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. coriander
3/4 tsp. oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp. cinnamon (sounds weird, but DON'T leave it out!!!)
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (also omit if using Andouille sausage)





Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day. Or you can start on high until it starts to simmer and then switch it to low. Honestly, I think "high" for a shorter period works better, but that's just me...


When beans are tender, mash about 85-90% of them against the side of the crock pot. Give them a taste and add any extra seasonings if you need to, particularly more Tony's or salt and pepper. Replace lid and set heat to "low." Or off. Whatever. It's pretty hard to screw stuff up in the crockpot. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 c. water, 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, and 2 c. of white rice to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.


Now...this may be heresy to people who grew up eating red beans and rice, but I prefer it with the beans on bottom and the rice on top. I just think it's prettier. And don't think I haven't gotten dirty looks for not putting the beans on top; what can I say, I'm a sassy girl with a rebellious streak and a Yankee accent who knows what she likes! I also like to garnish it with some green onions for color and a little extra flavor.
Like Cajun food needs any extra flavor...




Serves about 8, with 1 c. beans and 1/2 c. rice per person.


Nutritional Information
Calories: 220
Fat: 4
Fiber: 6
WW Points: 4

Black Beans

Quick and Easy Black Beans

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 T olive oil
2/3 C diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
1 C chicken broth (or 1 C water + 1 t chicken bullion)
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lime

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that's a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don't want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.

Serve as a side dish, or on top or rice, in fajitas or tacos, or on top of chicken or steak.

Bean Puree vs. oil

Who knew chocolate cake could be so delicious, low-fat, and full of fiber and protein! The great thing about substituting bean puree for oil in cake mixes is that there is NO texture difference like with the brownies (since brownies are supposed to be chewy and cake is supposed to be…well…cake like). The other bonus to using beans is that the cake doesn’t go stale as quickly because there is no oil (and oil is what makes it stale). So, with cake make sure you substitute ALL the oil with bean puree…there is NO adverse effect on taste or texture plus you get all the benefits of fiber and protein to your diet, meaning you won’t eat as big of a piece! You can use this idea with any boxed cake just make sure you match the color of beans with the color of cake i.e. White Beans-Vanilla or Yellow Cake, Pinto Beans-Spice Cake, Black Beans-Chocolate or Devil’s Food Cake. So now you can make a cake from all food storage ingredients…powdered eggs for eggs and bean puree for oil. YEAH FOR FOOD STORAGE!!

Extra Tip: Make your cake a Bundt cake because you don’t generally frost those cakes…cutting out those frosting calories. You can simply dust the cake with powdered sugar or use a simple glaze. It still looks elegant…remember gourmet places always use powdered sugar as a topping.

Bean Puree

This is really easy to make.

Home Cooked Beans: Take cooked beans (reserve the cooking water) and blend in your blender with enough water to create a thick paste. (Basically enough water to make all the beans turn into a puree. If you need to see how to cook beans, read below.

Canned Beans: Dump entire contents of can (beans and water) into a blender and blend until it is a thick paste.

Click HERE to learn how to cook your dry beans.

chocolate cookies-low fat

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

(Made with white beans)

½ cup cooked white beans
1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs (1/4 C. Egg Powder + 1/2 C. Water)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ¼ cups wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup pecans (or walnuts) chopped

Beat beans and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla. In separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add flour moisture to bean/sugar mixture. Stir until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, and nuts. Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes depending on size of cookies. Makes 4 dozen

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

1-1/2 C. Onion, Chopped (or 1/3 C. dehydrated onion)
1 T. Olive Oil
1 C. Red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz. can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles
¾ C. Dehydrated Carrots
1-1/2 t. Ground cumin
3 C. Chicken Broth
6 C. Cooked Black Beans, drained (or 4 15 oz. cans, drained and rinsed)
¼ C. Red Wine Vinegar

Heat oil in large, deep saucepan. Sauté onion (if using fresh), bell pepper and garlic until tender. Add remaining ingredients (including dehydrated onions) and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream and tortilla chips or corn chips

How to cook beans in a crockpot

Cooking Dried Beans in the CrockPot


Day 292.

It's day 292. And I finally have cracked the cooking-with-dried vs. cooking-with-canned-beans code.

Why did it take me 292 days?

Sheer laziness. I have no other reason.

1 bag of dried black beans costs $1.89 at the fancy-pants grocery store, and it costs $0.89 at our local produce stand.

1 can of organic black beans at Trader Joe's costs $0.99.

1 dried bag of black beans (16 oz) = 3 cans (15 oz each).

Which means even if you buy over-priced dried black beans you will save some money making them at home yourself.

The Ingredients.

--bag of black beans (or other beans. but remember that kidney beans have that freaky toxin.)
--water
--crockpot (3 quarts and up)

The Directions.

Pour the entire bag of dried beans into a colander and rinse under cold water. If you see any beans that have broken in half, or skin that floats to the surface, get rid of it. Also pick out any beans that look shriveled and gross.

Dump all the beans into your crockpot. Add enough water to cover all the beans and an additional 2 inches.

Cover. Do not turn on. Let the beans soak for at least 6 hours, or overnight. If you live in a very warm area, and the crockpot won't be in a room that is climate-controlled, put the stoneware in the fridge. You don't want bacteria to have the opportunity to grow.

In the morning, dump the water, and rinse your beans. The water will be bean-colored.

Put the beans back into your crockpot and cover with enough fresh water to completely cover the beans with an extra 2-3 inches.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

The beans are done when they are bite-tender. Don't worry if the water hasn't all absorbed. You're going to dump it, anyway.

Drain the beans.

When cool, put 1 2/3 cups of beans into storage containers or freezer bags (you're adding this amount because you aren't adding filler-liquid like the cans have). The beans will store nicely in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 6 months.

Use as you would canned beans in your favorite recipe.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

1-1/2 C. Onion, Chopped (or 1/3 C. dehydrated onion)
1 T. Olive Oil
1 C. Red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz. can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles
¾ C. Dehydrated Carrots
1-1/2 t. Ground cumin
3 C. Chicken Broth
6 C. Cooked Black Beans, drained (or 4 15 oz. cans)
¼ C. Red Wine Vinegar

Heat oil in large, deep saucepan. Sauté onion (if using fresh), bell pepper and garlic until tender. Add remaining ingredients (including dehydrated onions) and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream and tortilla chips or corn chips.

Texas Cavier

Texas Caviar
submitted by Brittany

3 cans black eye peas, drained and rinsed
2 cans shoepeg corn, drained
3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3 avocados, chunked
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, minced
juice of 2 limes
Good Seasonings Italian Dressing packet, prepared
salt to taste


Combine all ingredients in large bowl, adding avocado last. (I like to add a few squirts of Tabasco sauce as well.) Pour about 1/2 the dressing into mixture and stir gently. Add as much dressing as desired. I usually use a little more than half. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!