Power Breakfast

Sometimes tinkering around in the kitchen with no real recipe works out.

I sauteed up some onion, garlic, and a package full of baby bella mushrooms then dumped in a (rinsed) can of cannellini beans and diced tomatoes. Let it simmer for a bit and voila! A healthy fiber and protein packed dish that made an excellent and filling breakfast...which a big squirt of hot sauce for a nice wake up call!

Revamped Lefties

Ditch bun and make yourself a bbq platter! 

I'm getting pretty good at winging baked beans and I love it. I threw in some leftover jalapeno from our spicy dinner of doom, a good squirt of dijon mustard, and two spoonfuls of brown sugar.....no real measuring involved! Baked at 350 for 1.5 hours. Those jalapenos still have a mighty kick!

Summer Salad

Yum yum! This salad was a nice fresh taste of summer. You get a nice burst of sweetness from the red pepper and corn. A bit of spice from the onion, cumin, and hot sauce plus the earthiness of the black beans to even it all out. I do believe that this dish will be making a return during the summer season.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

(from Rachel Ray)

Ingredients:
1 can, 14 ounces, black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used sriracha)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve.

More Roasted Beans!

I really wanted to have some roasted chickpeas the other night but I was all out (there haven't been any good sales). So I tried roasted some cannellini beans....mixed results. Mr. Lawyer inhaled them while I was less than impressed. First off they burst open like popcorn which results in very crispy pieces and very soft pieces. Personally I like the pop of the chickpeas when you munch on them. My seasoning was also off. I used garlic powder and rosemary. The hints of rosemary was good but you couldn't taste the garlic at all! I thought I was heavy handed it with so I was a bit disappointed. 

If I had to rank all the beans I've roasted my favorite would be:

1. Spicy Roasted Chickpeas!

2. Roasted Edamame

3. Roasted Cannellini Beans

Roasted Cannellini Beans

I followed my roasted chickpea recipe: coat the beans in olive oil and season with desired herbs/spices. Roasted at 400 for 20 minutes or until crisp.

Spicy Jalapeno Baked Beans

Tonight's menu: Grandmom's Chicken served up with spicy jalapeno baked beans and doctored up green beans. For the green beans I just sauteed up some garlic and red onion in a tablespoon of butter and then plunked in the canned green beans (drained of course). Not too bad considering it's a canned veggie. My wonderful jalapeno baked beans were a masterpiece that came out amazing considering I winged it and didn't really measure anything. Oops.

Spicy Jalapeno Baked Beans

(from Guinea Pig Kitchen!)

Ingredients:
1 can baked beans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
6 pickled jalapeno slices, diced

A big splash of pickled jalapeno liquid

1 tablespoon spicy seasoning, I used Dinosaur BBQ's dry rub

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a baking dish, combine the beans, brown sugar, onion, ketchup, mustard, jalapenos, jalapeno juice, and spicy seasoning. Mix well.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until sauce is thickened.

Heavenly Refried Beans

"Touch that clock, and you can never come back!" a quote from All Dogs Go to Heaven that was burned into my little four year old brain. This recipe illustrates that quote: once you touch these refried beans you'll never go back to canned. I know I can't.

For starters you don't need to soak the dried beans over night. Which is great in case you forget important steps like that. It's a crockpot recipes, can't beat the ease of that! (added bonus: it made the place smell amazing all day). You can control the consistency: Mr. Lawyer likes things chunky so I lightly mashed the beans but left in most of the water/broth for a more creamy-chunky texture. And the flavor! So rich and delicious. It's suppose to freeze well too. The original post doubled this recipe, that's a lot of  refried beans! But it's so delicious I could have just had the beans for dinner, I didn't even want the quesadilla! A note on the quesadilla: Mushroom Onion Provolone Quesadilla. Mr. Lawyer thought it was an odd choice of cheese but it was a marvelous combination.

Crockpot Refried Beans

(Adapted from Pennies & Pancakes)

Ingredients:

1 lb dried pinto beans
1/2 large onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped (could be omitted, I didn't taste the spiciness)
2 tablespoons jarred minced garlic
1 1/4 tablespoon salt (or less if desired)
1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

2.5 cups chicken broth

2.5 cups water
Directions:
1. Rinse the beans in a colander. Pick out any bad beans.
2. Combine all the ingredients in the crockpot. Remove any floating beans. Cover, and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until beans are soft.
3. Uncover, and remove extra liquid. Leave enough liquid to reach the desired consistency when the beans are mashed. Mash beans with a potato masher to desired consistency. If it is still too soupy just let it simmer in the crockpot for an hour or until the desired consistency is reached (which is what I did).
4. Serve warm. Store in air-tight containers in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks, or freeze in ziplock bags for later use.

Healthy Flatbread

This recipe was a hit and it disappeared! It's a healthy pizza and could be made even more healthy if one made it with low-fat cheese/used less cheese...but I am not that person. The one stumbling block I hit was I didn't have enough bean spread or toppings to cover the entire pizza crust but I did not let that stop me! I baked the rest of the pizza crust with no toppings and when it came out I brushed it with a mixture of butter and garlic powder and sprinkled on some parmesan cheese for some quick breadsticks! Ta-da!

Here's the flatbread with extra breadstick combo

And the finished product!

Southwestern Flatbread

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
1 can pillsbury thin crust pizza
1 16-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 avocado
Lime juice and salt

Directions:
1. Bake crust according to package. My can of dough baked at 400 degrees and needed to be pre-bake for 5 minutes before adding toppings.

2. Microwave black beans for 30 seconds. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and olive oil. Mash the beans and spices into a paste.
3. Spread bean paste onto pizza crust, sprinkle on cheese, and top with onions and corn.
4. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Mash the avocado with a dash of lime juice and a pinch of salt. Serve on top of pizza.

White Bean Soup!

This soup was good in a healthy sort of way, has a bit of an earthy taste. It's all beans and veggies so there is nothing unhealthy to give it that delicious flavor pop....like bacon. I liked it, especially with a shot of hot sauce. Mr. Lawyer was not a huge fan I think but is still eating it because it is healthy. It was an interesting change but it doesn't come close to our delicious and favorite tomato-orzo soup!

White Bean Soup

(from epicurious) 

Ingredients:
2 cups dried Great Northern or other small white beans, rinsed and picked over
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 large tomato, halved, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 garlic cloves, chopped
6-8 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth, or more as needed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Put the beans in a large pot, add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches, and let soak overnight. Drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leeks, tomato, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the beans, chicken stock, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the half-and-half, then add more chicken stock to thin the soup if needed, and reheat the soup if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grilled Cheese Goddess

I am rocking the big kid grilled sandwiches: BLT with a yummy twist, the gooey mushroom melt, and now this pesto grilled cheese. It was divine. Any mellow soft cheese will do, such as a swiss instead of fontina, but I feel that a cheddar or more flavorful cheese would interfere with the pesto. The parmesan cheese on the outside gets nice and toasty and very flavorful. I also served up some beanie weenies with a twist. I used my baked beans recipe but used some Dinosaur BBQ sauce (Wango Tango) in place of the ketchup and added some sliced up hot dogs (leftover from our engagement party!). Delicious and oh so spicy!

Parmesan Crusted Pesto Grilled Cheese

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
Sourdough bread
Butter
Fontina cheese
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
2.  Butter the outside of each slice of bread. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on butter. Place 2 pieces of bread, butter side down in pan. Spread pesto on bread, layer cheese, and top with the second slice of bread.

3. Grill until golden brown.

Benjiiiiii!!

Benji is here so it's time for some meaty man food. I decided on our homemade burgers. They are filling and boys love playing with the meat grinder (*snerk*). Mr. Lawyer did his usual no measuring throw in some breadcrumbs, seasoning and an egg thing....drives me nutty. I served with up with a wonderful toppings bar and some baked beans. There is nothing left except some lettuce so I guess I made the right choice.

Yum! Toppings. There were also some sauteed onions.

 Boys and their toys.

 Burgers and Beans!

The burgers went pretty quick!

Thank you Dork! Mr. Lawyer never let's me take pictures of him ;)

 Watching the 'Cuse game. You have to stand until they score the first basket.

 So when I moved to Philly two years ago my brother and dad had brewed some beer. I still had a bottle hiding in the back of the fridge. The time had made it a little better but it was still weird. It tasted like a Belgium sour to me.

Meatless Monday: Crunchy Tacos

Someone came home with flowers tonight ♥

So I stuffed him full of beans and told him it was okay if he tooted. Romance.

Fact: I love quesadillas. I use to go for straight cheese quesadillas with the occasional mushroom/onion mix but now I have to be a healthy, responsible adult. Beans are now the bulk of the dish and cheese just a topping. Normally I bake them (see: healthy!) but I liked the sound of this crunchy recipe. They did come out crunchy but they sat (covered) for about 15 to 20 minutes because Mr. Lawyer was running a bit late (see: flowers) and they lost their crunchiness. I loved the black bean insides, good flavor, slightly mashed means it's easier to keep everything in the tortilla....slathered with avocado and spicy apple salsa from Fly Creek. Delicious. 

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

(Pinterest find! Cornerstone Cooking)

Ingredients:
2  cups black beans, cooked
½  cup red onion, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
8 tortillas
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.
2. In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add one tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add the desired amount of bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.
3. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
4. Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Hurricane Chili!

In August 2011 during Hurricane Irene I made some fabulous Hurricane Potato Soup. This time around I went with some Hurricane Chicken Taco Chili and it was a hit. I will definitely be adding this to my chili recipe rotation. It was chock full of beans, the corn was a nice touch, and the spice was spot on. It's from a healthy recipe site and was created with weight watchers in mind so it's super healthy! 

I also made my own taco seasoning. So fancy! I loved it so much that I will be making a larger batch to keep on hand. It's easy to customize if you want more or less spice and if you're concerned about sodium you can tweak the amount of salt (or completely omit it), something you can't do with pre-packaged taco seasoning!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (some versions use cayenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

(adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 16-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (I used Hunts diced tomatoes with zesty jalapenos!)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used two tablespoons homemade seasoning)
1 tbsp cumin (I only used 1 teaspoon)
1 tbsp chili powder
24 oz. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts (I only used two and it was fine)
chili peppers, chopped (optional)
chopped fresh cilantro, cheese, sour cream for serving
Directions:
1. Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (**I sliced my chicken breasts into smaller strips to reduce the cooking time**)

2. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream.

Comfort Food Monday

Man oh man. Nothing like some nice warm and spicy mexican food on a chilly day.

I used a sweet corn salsa (from the Fly Creek Cider Mill), cheddar cheese and black beans for the quesadilla. I popped them in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. They were served up with some spicy guacamole, cool sour cream, refried beans and brown rice. Plus some chips and salsa on the side. All washed down with some Ommegang Witte in the proper glass because that's how I roll. 

There was something very comforting about this meal.

Crock Pot Soup

It's been a soup week and I'm loving it! Wednesday I made a crock pot full of Savory Bean and Spinach Soup (the leftovers have been good too). It's a perfectly fine soup, it just tastes healthy (the site said it had 150 calories per serving!). As you can see from the ingredient list there is not any one ingredient to give it that pop of flavor so I added a good shot of Sriracha sauce to mine. I would also add another can of beans to it because there weren't enough in each spoonful for me. So it could be a keeper with a couple of additions.

Savory Bean and Spinach Soup

(Pinterest find! From fitnessmagazine.com)

Ingredients:
3 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can tomato puree
1 15-ounce can small white beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach or kale leaves
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions :
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine vegetable broth, tomato puree, beans, rice, onion, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting 5 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.
3. Just before serving, stir in spinach or kale and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Spicy Quesadillas!

I cleaned out the fridge/freezer today so it was a leftover kind of meal. Out of some frozen corn, black beans and random cheese hunks we made some delicious quesadillas. I also ran down and purchased an avocado so we could have some guacamole with them. I downsized this recipe here. It's delicious. Plus there's enough for the boy to have for breakfast....and my fridge is clean. Win win.

Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:

Quesadillas

Corn

Blackbeans

Red Onion

Jalapeno

Hunk of Seriously Sharp Cheddar

Hunk of Chipotle Cheddar

Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Combine all the veggies. Shred the cheese.

2. Assemble quesadillas on a baking sheet and spritz top with olive oil.

3. Back at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

HOBOS!

Tonight I made a hobo packet and I was super excited about it. In reality I really just like using the word "hobo." Hobo packets are easy: just throw everything together, seal, and bake! Hobo packets are clean: nothing stuck on your baking sheets and our plates were as clean as a whistle! Hobo packets are delicious: yum!
I was using left over beans and corn so my measurements are not exact. I'm sure you could be a tad healthier and get away with only 2 tablespoons of butter (and adjust the spices accordingly).

Hobo Packet Tilapia with Black Beans and Corn

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup black beans
4 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Dinosaur BBQ Cajun Foreplay Spice Rub (or whatever you fancy)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place two sheets of aluminum foil (about 8-12 inches) on a baking sheet. Divide up the corn and beans between the two pieces.
3. Dry fillets and season with salt and pepper (to taste)
4. Mix together butter, garlic and spice rub. Divide the compound butter in half and slather it on your fillets. Place fillets on top of veggies and roll up the foil, sealing it well.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked (depending on the size of your fillets, mine were skinny)

My hobo packet!

I used the word "hobo" 9 times in this post. Woo!

Tasty Taco Thursday!

Tonight's dinner was inspired by my need to use up some random stuff in my kitchen. I purchased two lovely avocados that needed to be used. Did some quick inspiration searching and decided on fish tacos! I didn't have the required red cabbage but I did have some spicy black beans that I've been putting on my morning salads. The recipe really didn't do anything with the fish other than a standard flour coat and fry. Lame. So I dug up my Honey Lime Tilapia recipe but I didn't have a fresh lime. I marinated it anyway sans lime zest which is the major source of it's flavor but this lack of flavor inspired me to add a good heaping of Old Bay to the flour before throwing it in the pan. I was worried I used too much Old Bay but Mr. Lawyer told me that "there is no such thing." All of these substitutions worked out wonderfully! My only complaint is that I wish I made more!

Avocado and Fish Tacos

(from my kitchen!)

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets, thawed and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2c flour
Old Bay Seasoning, desired amount
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Avocado, diced

Black Beans

Quesadillas
Directions:
1. Mix marinade by combining lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Add fish and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
2. Combine flour and Old Bay in shallow bowl. Remove fish chunks from the marinade and dredge lightly with the flour on both sides.
3. Heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook fish 3-4 minutes per side or until opaque and browned.

4. Serve with avocado and beans all wrapped up in a quesadilla!

Bean Balls!

No Meat Monday has come early! I've been thinking since watching "Fork Over Knives" and have realized a couple of things. I rarely ate meat in college or grad school. College consisted mainly of oatmeal, cereal, soup and grilled cheese. When I lived with Grandma for a semester in grad school dinner normally had meat but she's super healthy and it was always a balanced meal (and always a yummy salad!). When I lived by myself I didn't eat a lot of meat because I was poor/I was just cooking for me/totally going to die from food poisoning. Now that I live with the boy, I cook a lot of meat and there is just generally more food. Time to start working on that.

Fresh out of the oven Bean Balls!

I've been craving spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna lately so I figured this would be a good place to start. There are several recipes for vegetarian meatballs or bean balls I found on the internet, all of them are very similar. So I took bits and pieces and combined it with my meatball recipe. It came out pretty good! The texture is very soft but flavor wise it was good (especially once it was in the sauce). I tried one right out of the oven an it reminded me of falafel or red pepper hummus. I might be able to sneak these by as a super soft turkey meatball since we had some very delicious soft meatballs at Christmas. I'll tell Mr. Lawyer eventually, I just want to see if he'll notice!

Bean Balls!

(adapted from the internet)

Ingredients:
2 cans of beans, rinsed and roughly mashed (I used cannellini but saw recipes for black, pinto, garbanzo, etc)
1 roasted red pepper, minced (or raw or carrots! so many different recipes)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 to 1 cup panko bread crumbs (I had to use 1 cup because my mixture was so wet)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Italian herbs (or fresh)
Sauce and Pasta
Directions:
1. Mix together all ingredients. Do not over mix or puree the beans, you want there to be some texture!
2. Form into "meatballs" and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
3. Add to sauce and bring to simmer. Serve with pasta.

Beans, Beans, Beans!

When I took a look at my cupboards today I realized that they had been colonized by beans. There were baked beans, spicy black beans, refried beans, red beans, kidney beans, and a dried white bean kit. Yikes! Mr. Lawyer had mention wanting to make the white bean chili kit but with this past weekends festivities it got away from us. We picked up this kit (for free!) on our vacation to NH and it contained dried beans and a spice mix. All I had to do was add chicken, water, chicken broth and a little salt. That is after I boiled and soaked the dried beans for eternity. I have never done anything with dried beans and now I know why all my food magazines recommend starting the soak before you go to bed and just leaving them over night! It was perfectly fine for a free meal starter but it could have used a little more spice. I did decide that there wasn't enough beans and threw in the can of kidney beans.

BBQ Lefties

I'll start with a disclaimer: due to my weird teaching schedule I normally skip breakfast (horrible!) and eat a heavier brunch. Today I had the genius idea of putting the leftover bbq pork and beans on a tortilla instead of a roll and it was so much better. To start with all the flavors are more prominent without all the bread (although I'm sure some of the flavors melted together after sitting in the fridge overnight). As an added bonus it is slightly more healthy! The tortilla had 110 calories where your average hard roll has 190. There was about 10 less carbs as well. Not a huge deal, especially when you're dumping bbq pork on it, but it's a small thing that makes me feel better. I know tortillas are one of those things I should upgrade to whole wheat but I still have texture issues with that but I suppose it's something to work towards.

I find that tortillas freeze well (very useful when there is a sale!). This helps feed my quesadilla addiction. I pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds with a damp paper towel over them.