Quick and Easy Black Beans

Quick and Easy Black Beans 
by Our Best Bites

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
1/2 T olive oil 
2/3 C diced onion 
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced 
2/3 C chicken broth (or water, I use broth for extra flavor) 
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.


Makes 6 1/3 C servings

Asian Cabbage Salad

Asian Cabbage Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 14 oz bag coleslaw mix 
1 rib celery, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 small handful sugar snap peas (about 20 baby ones)
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
1 T toasted sesame seeds*
1/3 C slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*
Optional: 1 1/2 C cooked, shredded or diced chicken

Dressing: 
2 T canola oil
2 T cider vinegar
1/4 C seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)
1 t kosher salt
2 t soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, minced
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t sesame oil

* To toast almonds or sesame seeds, place them (not together, do one thing at a time!) in a dry skillet over medium heat. Turn constantly until golden brown. Let cool before using. 

Begin by making dressing. Combine all ingredients in a sealed jar and shake shake shake. Store in the fridge until ready to use. You can definitely do this part a few days ahead of time.

Place all salad ingredients in a bowl

You need to pour on the dressing and toss to coat at least 30 minutes before you're ready to serve. When you pour the dressing on you might think it's not quite enough, but just wait. When it sits and marinates, it combines with the veggies and draws out liquid and there will be more than plenty of dressing after it sits. After you've poured on the dressing, place salad in the fridge to sit for 30-60 minutes.

Right before serving mix in toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

It's as pretty as it is delicious!

Leave out the chicken and it makes a great vegetarian salad, or a terrific side dish for things like potstickers, Asian BBQ chicken, or Sweet and Sour Pork. Serve it with the chicken for a light meal.

Serves 4 main dish servings, or 6 side salads.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 T olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)

3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)

1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3.5oz can green chilies

2 cans low-sodium beef broth

1 t kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 t chili powder

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t dry oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat.  When pan is warm, add olive oil.  Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes.

 

Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.

Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup. 

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters. 

Puree soup until completely smooth.  Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges.  Makes about 8 C soup.

Nutritional Information (1 C soup, w/o toppings):

125 calories, 2g fat, 8g fiber

2 Weight Watchers points

South Beach Diet Phase 2 (eat carrots sparingly)

How to Cook Dried Beans in a Crockpot Slow Cooker

How to Cook Dried Beans in a Crockpot Slow Cooker

Use a slow cooker that's at least 3 1/2 quart size to cook 2 cups of dried beans.  You can increase the amount of beans for a larger size cooker.

Presoaked Beans:

Pick over the dry beans and discard any broken or shriveled looking ones.  Put 2 cups dried beans into the slow cooker crock and soak overnight in cold water, enough to cover by several inches.  The next day, drain the beans and discard the cooking water.  Put soaked beans back into the slow cooker and add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches.  Turn cooker to HIGH and cook beans until they're tender and cooked through, about 3-4 hours for soaked beans.  (You can also cook the soaked beans on low, which would take about twice as long.)  Drain beans.  (You can save the cooking water if desired, but I usually don't because this liquid will have the undigestible carbs that make beans cause gas.)   Whether pre-soaked or unsoaked, 2 cups of dried beans will make about 6 cups of cooked beans.  Beans can be frozen in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid for several months until you're ready to use them.

Unsoaked Beans:

Pick over the dry beans and discard any broken or shriveled looking ones.  Put beans  into the slow cooker and add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches.  Turn cooker to HIGH and cook beans until they're tender and cooked through, about 5-6 hours for unsoaked beans.  (You can also cook the unsoaked beans on low, which would take about twice as long.)  Drain beans.  (You can save the cooking water if desired, but I usually don't because this liquid will have the undigestible carbs that make beans cause gas.)  Whether pre-soaked or unsoaked, 2 cups of dried beans will make about 6 cups of cooked beans.  Beans can be frozen in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid for several months until you're ready to use them.

From http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-cook-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html

Ham & Creamy Penne

Ham & Creamy Penne
from Jenn's Kitchen by Jenni

What you will need:

17 oz. of pasta (I used penne, and I think the original called for linguine--but use what you like. . .or have on hand)

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli florets

2 cups of cubed ham

1/3 cup of mayo

1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Easy Peasy Directions:

Cook the pasta as directed--adding in the broccoli for the last four or five minutes.  Drain. Return to pan. Add remaining ingredients--toss. . .eat. . .ENJOY!

We love this recipe and have made it many times.

Pumpkin Muffcakes

Pumpkin Muffcakes

This is what I call them, but I'm sure they have another official name.  They seem like a cross between muffins and cupcakes, hence the Muffcakes.  My friend Shandy gave me this recipe. She got it through Weight Watchers.  So, if you are trying to lose weight and want a healthier alternative to real cupcakes - try these.  Shandy said these are only 1 Weight Watcher point per muffcake.

Pumpkin Muffcakes

Take 1 box of cake mix (any flavor, but we like Lemon the best.  Spice Cake is also good.)

1 16oz can pumpkin (not pie, just plain pumpkin)

1/2 cup water

Mix well, and put in muffin tins.  Bake about 15-20 minutes.  They are very moist, and almost chewy on the outsides.  It makes 1 dozen, but you could make smaller ones and stretch them farther.

Candied Yams

CANDIED YAMS (Sweet Potatoes)

6-8 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 to 3 tsp. ground cinnamon, or to taste
1 cup melted butter, plus 2 tbsp. melted butter
1-1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup pecan chips

Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch round slices. Arrange potatoes in a lightly greased baking dish (approx. 13”x9”x2”).

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a bowl. Sprinkle each layer of potatoes with the mixture. Pour 3/4 cup melted butter over potatoes evenly. Cover and back at 375°F for 30 minutes.

Remove, and baste with remaining 1/4 cup butter. Cover and continue baking for 30 minutes. (If transporting dish, stop here and continue last step at remote location – warm 5-10 minutes in oven before adding marshmallows).

Remove, sprinkle marshmallows evenly on top and continue baking without cover for 5 minutes.

From Cooks.com

Apple Strudel Muffins (using food storage)

Apple Strudel Muffins
1 c. wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour (or all wheat flour)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. applesauce (or 1/2 c. butter total)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs (or dry 2 T. egg powder + 4 T. water)
2 T. dry powdered milk (added more for nutritional value--you can leave it out if you need to)
1 1/4 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. apples, shredded or chopped (reconstitute dry apples if no fresh)
Cinnamon Topping:
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. flour
1/4 t. cinnamon
1 T. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a large bowl beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in apples and then gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.To make cinnamon topping- in a small bowl mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the tops of the batter in the muffin pan.Place into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.


by Shandra (Deals to Meals)

Pumpkin Bread (adapted for food storage)

Recipe from http://dealstomeals.blogspot.com


Pumpkin Bread

3 T. dry powdered eggs
1 c. + 2 T. water
1 lb. canned pumpkin (1/2 of a large can)
3/4 c. vegetable oil (I have tried substituting part of the oil with 1/4 c. applesauce and it works perfectly)
3 T. dry powdered milk
2 c. wheat flour
1 c. white flour
2 c. sugar (this bread is pretty sweet, I am sure you could cut this back a little)
1 1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 1/4 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
1-2 c. mini chocolate chips

Beat the pumpkin, egg powder, milk powder, sugar and water together until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients together and then pour into heavily greased and floured bread loaf pans (makes 2-3 loaves depending on the size of pan you use). Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

by Shandra

Homemade Dulce de Leche

Homemade Dulce de Leche

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour sweetened condensed milk into a shallow baking dish. Cover tightly with foil. Place in a larger pan, such as a roasting pan. Fill larger pan with hot water until water level reaches about half way up the baking dish. Cook for about 60 minutes and then check. Continue cooking if necessary. When a medium caramel color is reached, remove from oven and let cool. Whisk until smooth, store in fridge.

Crock Pot Instructions: Place 1-3 sealed cans of sweetened condensed milk in slow cooker. Place enough water in slow cooker to completely cover cans by 1 inch. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Let cans cool completely before opening.


This recipe is from one of my new favorite blogs http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Pumpkin Roasting & More

Now that I have pumpkins to roast, I found these great instructions from From Hillbilly Housewife .  I plan to freeze my pumpkin puree for pumpkin bread, pumpkin "muff-cakes", and more!  (Recipes for these coming soon.)

How To Roast A Pumpkin

You can only do this with a freshly carved pumpkin! Do not use on a pumpkin that has been carved and sitting out for several days.

To bake a fresh 6 to 7 pound pumpkin, halve the pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil and add a little water. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at time, in food processor or blender. Mix with a little salt.

To freeze pumpkin puree. Put 1-2 cups in freezer bags along with spices and use in pies.

To use pumpkin puree for recipes: Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth or a flour sack dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain out the extra moisture BEFORE cooking with it. Pumpkin is very moist, so in order for your recipe to come out correctly, you MUST strain it.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Boil seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250°. Stir after 30 minutes. Bake 1/2-1 hour more or until crunchy.
*Squash seeds may also be used.

Pumpkin Smoothies

• 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup milk or vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 4 ice cubes
• whipped cream (optional)
• sprinkles (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2-3 glasses. Serve with a small amount of whipped cream on top. You may also add orange sprinkles if you like. Serves 2-3.

Stuffed Baked "Potatoes"

JUST LIKE STUFFED BAKED POTATOES 
16 ounce package frozen cauliflower (I prefer fresh - steamed)
8 ounce cream cheese, softened 
8 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded 
4 green onions, chopped 
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
3 pieces bacon, chopped and fried until crisp 
Paprika, optional 


Cook the cauliflower until soft, about 8-10 minutes; drain very well and break up the florets a bit with a spoon. It's also very good if you leave the cauliflower a little chunky. Put in a greased 8 x 8" baking pan or a 2-quart casserole. Mix in the cream cheese, cheddar, green onion, salt, pepper and bacon. Dust the top with paprika, if desired. Bake at 350º for 20-40 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Or, microwave, loosely covered, for about 40 minutes on 50% power, turning the dish after 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings 
Can be frozen 

Spicy Lime Coleslaw

Spicy Lime Coleslaw

(Makes about 4 servings, recipe can easily be doubled. Adapted from Spicy Mexican Slaw with Lime and Cilantro that was originally found in Fine Cooking Annual 2008.)

1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced then coarsely chopped
1 cup grated or shredded carrots, lightly chopped (I like matchstick carrots in a bag, which are a bit thicker than grated carrots)
1/2 cup sliced green onion (about 4 green onions sliced)
4 T mayo (I used 2 T full-fat mayo and 2 T light mayo)
3 T fresh squeezed lime juice (I used my frozen fresh lime juice)
1 tsp green Tabasco sauce (or use other hot sauce of your choice)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Thinly slice and then chop the 1/2 head of green cabbage and the 1/2 head of red cabbage and place in bowl. Grate and chop the carrots (or use matchstick carrots like I did and coarsely chop them.) Slice green onions and put carrots and green onions in the bowl with cabbage.

Whisk together the mayo, light mayo, lime juice, and green Tabasco sauce. (Taste the dressing to see if you want it a bit more sour or spicy.)

Salad can be prepared to this point and kept in the fridge until you're ready to serve it (even for a few days if it's in a sealed container or bag with the dressing in a separate container.)

Just before serving, mix desired amount of dressing into the cabbage mixture, season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and serve.


This printable recipe from KalynsKitchen.com.

Crockpot Pumpkin Chili

Another great recipe from http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/  This can easily be adapted to food storage items by using freeze dried ground beef, peppers, onions, garlic, spices, sour cream, and cheese.  This is also a great recipe for dieters (South Beach, Phase 3 of hCG, etc).

Crockpot Pumpkin Chili with Ground Beef, Black Beans, and Kidney Beans
by Kalyn Denny
(Makes 6-8 servings, recipe adapted from Pumpkin Chili at Eclectic Recipes.)

I used a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker and it was quite full so any 4 - 5 quart size would also work.

2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan)
1 lb. ground beef (use ground beef with 10% fat or less for South Beach Diet)
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to season meat
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 T minced garlic
1 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder (I used mild chili powder from The Spice House, note this is a blend of spices and not ground chile pepper.)
2 tsp. ground Ancho chile pepper (or use a little more chili powder if you don't have this)
2 tsp. dried cilantro or 2-3 T chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
2-4 oz. diced green Anaheim chile peppers (I only used 2 oz, but if you like it spicy use the whole 4 oz. can)
3 cups homemade beef stock (or use 2 cans beef broth)
1 can (15 oz. can) red kidney beans, rinsed with cold water
2 cans (15 oz. cans) black beans, rinsed with cold water
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz. can, not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 oz. cans)
grated cheese for serving if desired (I used Mexican 4 cheese blend, a mixture of low-fat cheeses)
sour cream for serving if desired (I used light sour cream)

Heat a small amount of oil in a large heavy frying pan, add ground beef, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and cook until the beef is well browned. Add browned meat to the crockpot.

Add a little more oil to the frying pan, add diced onion and green bell pepper and cook 2-3 minutes, until the onion and pepper is just starting to soften. Add minced garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, ground Ancho chili pepper, dried cilantro, dried oregano, Spike Seasoning and diced green chiles and saute a couple minutes more. (Sauteeing the spices and chiles helps release the flavor, so don't skip this step.) Put the onion mixture into the crockpot, then deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add that to crockpot.

While onions and peppers are cooking, drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. (This removes excess starchiness and makes the beans easier to digest.) Add beans to the crockpot. Add canned pumpkin and diced tomatoes with juice.

Stir the mixture to combine ingredients, then cook on high for 4-6 hours, (or 8-10 hours on low) stirring a few times if you're home. (I cooked my chili about 4 1/2 hours on high and it was perfect, but crockpots can vary greatly as to how hot they get, so adjust the cooking time depending on your own slow cooker.)

Serve hot, topped with grated cheese and sour cream if desired. This chili will be even better after it's been in the fridge overnight, and also freezes well.

Amber's Cheesy Potatoes & Ham

8 to 10 potatoes, skinned and sliced about 1/4 in thick (less potatoes if they are large)
1 lb of ham sliced thin or small cubes
1 cup of sour cream
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
3 cups of sliced cheddar cheese (or how much you like)
1 Tb of garlic powder

Layer ham and potatoes in a large crock pot.  Mix cheese, sour cream, soup, and garlic in a large bowl, then spread evenly over potatoes and ham.  Stir ingredients every so often while cooking.  Cook on low 8-10 hours.
This can be cooked for 1 hour in an oven at 400 degrees, just reduce amounts above to fit in a 9x13 pan.
Feeds 8-10

Fabulous Brussels Sprouts

This is a great blog with tons of great recipes. Jeff loves Brussels Sprouts so here is another good one
from

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/10/very-best-brussels-sprouts-ever-slow.html

THE BEST BRUSSELS SPROUTS RECIPE IN THE WORLD!!

by Stephanie ODea

LOL. sorry. I must have been channeling my inner infomercial guy.

but they really are super tasty...

The Ingredients.

serves 6

1 pound brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (ooh la la, fancy)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup water

The Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Wash and trim the ends off of each Brussels sprout, and cut in half. Toss into the cooker. Add butter, mustard, salt, pepper, and water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 3. Stir well to distribute the sauce before serving. The sprouts on the edge get brown and bit crispy on the outer edge. This is a good, and not something to worry about!

The Verdict.

My newly-turned-nine-year-old's favorite food is brussels sprouts. And artichokes. She has learned (sadly, through peer pressure) to no longer give this as an answer when asked what her favorite food is because many, many people dislike these little guys.

If you're on the fence about brussels sprouts, I urge you to try them prepared like this. The Dijon gives a fantastic savory taste and is really quite wonderful.

and hey. At least they aren't beets... 

bwahahahahahaaaaa!!!

Stephanie O'Dea is the NYT best-selling author of Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking and More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: 200 Brand New Recipes for Slow Cooking on a Budget.