The SG Challenge Part 2 - Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

A few weeks ago I asked everyone to vote on what new black bean recipe I should make. The winner was Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili and I was ready to go with the recipe. Then summer reappeared. Now, I am not complaining about 75+ degree days in October, but that is definitely not chili weather. Yesterday, fall finally arrived and tonight so did the chili.

You'd never know that there is pumpkin in this chili if you didn't see it go into the pot. The remaining ingredients alone would make a fairly light flavored chili, so that is where the pumpkin comes in. It adds a richness and a depth of flavor to the pot that would be sorely lacking without it.

The recipe is adapted from this recipe found at Taste of Home.

Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili (makes 8 - 10 generous servings)

1 medium onion, diced fine

1 yellow bell pepper, diced fine

1 1/2 lb ground turkey

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 C low sodium chicken stock

2 cans (or 4 cups) black beans, rinsed

1 can (15 oz) solid packed pumpkin

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 t dried parsley flakes

2 t chili powder

1 1/2 t dried oregano

1 1/2 t ground cumin

1 1/2 t salt

1 t black pepper

In a large skillet, saute onion, pepper and turkey until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to slow cooker.

Be sure to cook off all of the liquid from the onions and peppers.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to combine well.

Everybody in the pool.

Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours or until heated through and bubbly. Serve with sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream, or to taste.

The SG Challenge: Turkey Black Bean Burgers

After my last post of how to cook black beans, my friend, SG, asked what I did with them once I cooked them. I pointed her to a number of recipes on this blog; Lentil and Black Bean Salad, Quick and Easy Turkey Soft Tacos, even The Amazing Black Bean Brownies. I started thinking about these recipes and the other that I make using black beans and I decided I needed to try something new. It was time to break out of my black bean rut and find some new and interesting recipes. I have dubbed this recipe search (drum roll please.......) The SG Challenge.

I found this little gem on the Taste of Home website. I made it tonight and it was a hit. Even the kids ate them, although they both initially resisted because they could see the red bell pepper in it (shame on me - I thought I diced it finely enough). Chris and I both loved them too. One note on the TOH recipe, theirs makes 4 servings. I found that with one lb of turkey I got six good sized burgers. As we ate them, these come in at 335 calories (including the whole grain sandwich thin and all of the toppings) and only 247 m of sodium.

Turkey Black Bean Burgers (makes 6 patties)

3/4 C black beans
1 egg white
1/2 C zucchini, finely shredded
1/2 C red bell pepper, finely diced
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t salt
1 pound ground turkey
1 T olive oil

In a small bowl, coarsely mash beans. Add all remaining ingredients and mix lightly. With a wet hand, shape lightly into 6 patties. In a large skillet, cook burgers over medium heat for 4-5 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer reads 165 and juices run clear.

Serve as desired (we served on sandwich thins with mayo, mustard, chili sauce (Chris), lettuce, tomato and onion. Yum!)

I am Full of Beans

Congratulations. If you are reading this, you are thick skinned enough (or just down right curious) to keep reading after you saw the title of this post. But the title is perfect; I am full of beans, both literally and figuratively.

I have mentioned on this blog before how much I love beans. I cook with beans all the time. Beans are an inexpensive, versatile source of protein and fiber and are sooooo good for you. We eat so many beans in this household that I used to buy them in cans by the case. Then I started reading labels.

It turns out that beans, like almost every other processed food, start as health food and in the hands of food processors become junk. We eat mostly black beans, so I will give you a little nutritional comparison using them:

Bush's Best canned black beans (regular) - 1 cup

Calories: 210

Sodium: 860 m (36%)

Trader Joe's canned black beans (low sodium) - 1 cup

Calories: 220

Sodium: 350 m (15%)

Home cooked black beans (no salt) - 1 cup

Calories: 227

Sodium: 2 mg (0%)

So then, you can see what my problem is with canned black beans. You think you are making a healthy choice for your family by serving them beans, but in every cup you are giving them nearly 900 m of sodium in a food that is naturally sodium free. Why do food processors do that? It makes me so mad!

Now that I know the truth about canned beans, I won't use them anymore. Instead I cook my own and freeze them in 1 can size portions. Beans are insanely easy to make and freeze beautifully. Go ahead and give it a try.

Freezer Black Beans (makes 12 cups cooked, or 6 2-cup portions)

Note that I make 2 pounds at a time because my large pot holds 2 pounds fairly well. Increase or decrease the amount you make as your pot demands.

2 pounds dried black beans, picked over

water to cover and cook

Add dried black beans to a large bowl and cover with cool, fresh water. Cover with a tea towel and let sit overnight.

In the morning, drain the water from the bowl and rinse the beans in cool water. Add the beans to a large pot and cover with as much water as you can get in the pot. Cover and set over high heat. Once the pot comes to a boil, boil until just tender (not mushy), about 45 - 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the beans rest until they are cool enough to handle. Once cooled, drain beans and gently rinse with cold water.

Pack your cooked beans in 2 cup portions (this is roughly equivalent to one can of prepared beans) in zip top bags and freeze.

Saucy and Spicy Overnight Beans

Chris has been craving baked beans. I made some a few weeks ago and he has been begging for them since. I love cooking beans - they are cheap, easy to make, incredibly good for you and can be made in a multitude of ways. I was going to make my usual beans up this weekend, but decided to give a little shout out to Saucy Mama and whip up a batch using a few of their products. The resulting beans were delish. You should give them a try!

Saucy and Spicy Overnight Beans (makes 12 side dish servings)

4 oz bacon, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 C strong black coffee

3/4 C ketchup

1/2 C molasses

1/3 C dark agave nectar (or 1/2 C brown sugar)

1/4 C Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard

1 T Saucy Mama Hot Wing Sauce

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T worchestershire sauce

juice of half a lemon

1/4 t liquid smoke

1/4 t dried oregano

1/2 t chili powder

5 C water

1 lb dried navy or great northern beans, picked over

Heat a medium frying pan over med-high heat. Add bacon and fry until most of the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes more. Add garlic and saute approximately 30 seconds or until garlic is fragrant. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients except beans and stir until smooth.

Add dried beans, onion/bacon mixture and the sauce to a large crockpot. Set the pot to high and cook 12 hours (or overnight) or until the beans are tender. If you like, season with salt and pepper to taste before serving, but I didn't find they needed either.

I served our beans tonight with grilled sausages and crisp slaw. It was the perfect Labor Day dinner.

A shout out to Wendy - a quick and easy healthy dinner

My friend Wendy is looking for quick and easy healthy meal ideas. Here is my shout out to her. This is actually what we ate for dinner last night. It was quick, easy and healthy. I served it to the kids with a quick, fresh fruit freeze (one peach, one cup strawberries, 1 1/2 cups chopped ice and 1 cup no sugar added fruit juice, all whirred up in the blender). They are yummy.




Quick and Easy Turkey Soft Tacos
(makes 8)

1 lb. ground turkey
3 heaping T homemade taco seasoning
1/2 t salt
1 C cooked black beans (if you use canned, rinse well)
3/4 C prepared tomato or marinara sauce
1/4 C water
8 low carb or whole wheat tortillas (I used Carb Balance by Mission)
Taco toppings as you like (we used shredded cabbage, no-salt added salsa, yogurt - the kids got shredded cheese)







Brown turkey in large skillet over medium high heat. Add taco seasoning, salt and black beans. Stir well to combine.










Once well mixed, add tomato sauce and water. Simmer for 10 minutes or until flavors are well combined.

Serve as directed above with your favorite taco toppings.

Lentil and Black Bean Salad

This recipe is similar to Penny's Brown Rice Salad in flavor, but features lentils instead of brown rice. Lentils are packed with fiber and protein, so this would be an excellent vegetarian main course.

Lentil and Black Bean Salad (makes 12 servings)

3 C cooked lentils
1 15-oz can of reduced sodium black beans, well rinsed
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
2 T dried parsley
1 C olive oil
juice of one lemon
2 T cider vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add next 6 ingredients and shake well to combine. Pour over salad and toss lightly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Salad Days of Summer

Today I hosted Cooking Club. The idea behind cooking club is simple: get a few like-minded Moms together, plan a menu, meet at a rotating house and cook together. At the end of the morning, you have dinner all prepared and have you spent a lovely morning hanging out with the girls.

Usually the Club makes an entire meal: protein, starch, veggie and sometimes desert. As summer is now upon us, I wanted to switch things up a bit. Today we made a weeks worth of salads and sides.

The first two receipes are tried and true, old standbys for me. I love them both. I hope the Cooking Club ladies and everyone else enjoys them.

Penny's Brown Rice Salad
(Note: I always switch up the veggies in this salad, but keep the rice/bean/dressing ratio the same)

2 C cooked beans (black, kidney, pinto, etc.)
3 C cooked brown rice
4 green onions, sliced
2 stalks celery
1 small red onion, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C lime juice
1 T white vinegar
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Gently mix the rice, beans and veggies in a bowl. In a seperate bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Couscous Salad with Feta and Artichokes
(Pictured above with the addition of tomato, chick peas and crushed pita chips )

1 1/2 C dry couscous, prepared according to package directions
1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/3 C chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill -- whatever you have on hand)
juice of one lemon
1/2 C olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add couscous, artichokes, cheese and herbs to large bowl and toss to combine. In a seperate bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings and mix. Combine salad and dressing and serve as is or with additions mentioned above (also excellent with chicken).

















Grilled Marinated Zucchini

1 1/3 C olive oil
1/3 C red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic
3/4 t Italian seasoning blend
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C Parmesean cheese
3 zucchini, washed and sliced thin

Add all ingredients, except zucchini, to bowl and mix well to combine. Add zucchini to bowl or plastic bag and pour dressing over. Marinate in refregerator for at least one hour. Heat grill or broiler to high. Grill or broil for 3 - 5 minutes per side or until browned and tender. Serve as is or topped with additional cheese.

In addition to these recipes, we also made:

Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing
Homemade Caeser Dressing

While the cats away, the mouse will make BROWNIES!

So my husband is traveling, again, and I am craving something sweet. I decide that this is the perfect time to try something for desert that he would be dubious about. So tonight I made brownies. But not any brownies; I made Black Bean Brownies.

I can almost hear the air being sucked out of the room. Did she say Black Bean Brownies? GROSS! Nope, I swear they are anything but gross. They were actually pretty freaking amazing if I do say so myself.

I made this from a new cookbook, Baking with Agave Nectar, by Ania Catalano. Santa brought it for Christmas and so far, it rocks.

THE AMAZING BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 C butter
2 C soft cooked black beans, drained well
1 C walnuts, chopped
1 T vanilla extract
1/4 C instant coffee powder
1/4 t sea salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 C light agave nectar

Preheat oven to 325. Line 11x18 baking pan with parchment and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in microwave for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Stir with spoon to melt chocolate.

Place the beans, 1/2 C walnuts, vanilla and a few spoonfuls of the chocolate mixture into a food processor. Process on high for 2 minutes or until thick and smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix 1/2 C walnuts, remaining chocolate mixture, coffee powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean mix to the coffee mix and stir until blended well. Add the egg mixture, reserving 1/2 C. Mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Using electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 C egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over brownie mix. use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until set. Let cool in pan completely before cutting into squares (they will be soft until refrigerated).