Category: Black beans

Creative left-overs in a flash!

I don’t know about you – but most weekends we try to clean out our fridge before going to the store to restock. Although veggies tend to last longer in the fridge than meat – they can still go bad if not used within the week. Here are a couple of go-to recipes for using up those left over veggies.

Stir Fry Veggies and Tomatoes:

This week I had to find a use for left over spaghetti and spaghetti squash, zucchini squash, mushrooms, a yellow pepper and half an onion. After a busy week, dinner was basically on the table in about 20 minutes or less. It serves 2 – 4 people depending on amount of veggies and pasta.

Ingredients:

  1. 3 cups of cup up veggies (zucchini, colored peppers, mushrooms, onion – or whatever sounds good to you).
  2. 1 Tbsp olive oil
  3. 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning
  4. Salt and pepper to taste
  5. 1 – 14.5 oz can of tomatoes, undrained (optional: Diced tomatoes with onions and garlic)
  6. 2 cups of cooked spaghetti or other pasta (or cooked rice)
Veggie and Tomato Stir Fry

Instructions:

  1. Sautés the veggies in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes (add 1 tsp. of minced garlic during last minute)
  2. Stir in 14.5 oz can of undrained diced tomatoes with garlic and onions. Add 1+ tsp. of Italian seasoning.
  3. Let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.
  4. Check to make sure the veggies are tender and then add a little salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve over the warmed spaghetti noodles, spaghetti squash or rice.
  6. Optional: top with Nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan (ground up almonds and Nutritional yeast).
Veggie and Tomato Stir Fry over spaghetti squash

Sweet Potato & Bean Quesadillas

Another favorite quick and recipe using left-overs is Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas. These are easy to make for 2 – 4 people or more depending on how many sweet potatoes and tortillas you have on hand. If you are not vegan you may choose to add the cheese. If you are vegan – it tastes fine without cheese. I found this recipe in the Feb/March 2014 issue Taste of Home magazine. This takes 30 minutes or less to make.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quesadillas

Ingredients:

  1. 2 medium sweet potatoes
  2. 4 whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
  3. 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  4. 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (omit if you are dairy-free)
  5. 3/4 cup salsa
  6. Vegan sour cream (optional)
  7. Diced Avocado (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Scrub sweet potatoes: pierce several times with a fork. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 7 – 9 minutes or until tender, turning once.
  2. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato lengthwise in half. Scoop out pulp and spread onto one half of each tortilla. Top with beans and cheese (optional). Fold other half of tortilla over filling.
  3. Heat a griddle or a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 2 -3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve with salsa, vegan sour cream and/or avocado chunks (or guacamole).

Another quick and easy recipe to use left over veggies is the “Everything Minestrone” recipe that I shared in a previous post entitled “Soup in a Hurry”.

Show your heart some love!

I thought Valentine’s Day would be the perfect time to talk about something very near and dear to each of us. In fact, none of us could live without it! It is your heart!

On this day we see hearts everywhere, but we rarely think about our own heart and how important it is to us (or to those we love). You may already know this, but Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. and also the leading cause of death worldwide.* That’s right – not cancer, not drugs, not suicide – but something that in most cases is preventable.

My Dad’s list of 12 medications

This hits close to home for many of us with aging parents. It was just a year ago this week that my family gathered to mourn the death of my father. He died of a massive stroke at the age of 85 after having surgery to restore circulation to his foot (which had a bad ulcer). He had high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and was taking 12 medications just to stay alive (I found this list in his personal calendar). Like many men his age, he was overweight, rarely ever exercised and had a love for food (which I do as well). He was a veteran of the Korean War, faithfully loved his wife for 64 years, provided for us 4 kids – but he didn’t make his health a priority. Now my Mom is living alone in an assisted living facility and dealing with dementia.

As we get older, we look at our parents to see what we could become (both good and bad). Some of us have the genetics hardwired toward certain diseases and we just accept the fact that we will probably have to deal with the same illnesses. When I stated in this blog, I mentioned how genetic testing showed that I have a higher chance of getting several diseases that my parents and grandparents dealt with (and are still dealing with). There is good news, though! Science is starting to show the impact of healthy lifestyle choices in preventing and even reversing many of these same diseases!

One of the websites that lead to my husband and I cutting out meat, fish and dairy from our diet was NutritionFacts.org. Michael Greger M.D. FACLM also had seen firsthand what heart disease did to his own family and it lead to his becoming a medical doctor. Today many doctors ignore diet as a means to prevent or treat disease and instead just prescribe more medicine with terrible side affects. Even as far back as the ancient Greeks, the physician, Hippocrates knew the importance of good nutrition to counteract disease. He is quoted as saying “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

OK – I’ll get off my soapbox for now and give you a heart-healthy recipe to cook up for your favorite Valentine. But remember, the biggest gift you can give any of your loved ones is a healthy heart. Lord willing, you will be sticking around for them as long as possible!

Black bean and sweet potato chili

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

This is one of our favorite soups for cold nights. I love the colors, flavors and textures – and it has been a hit with company who come to visit and are not into the vegan thing. Another bonus is the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find at your local Aldi or grocery store. I found this recipe in One Dish Vegan by Robin Robertson. It serves 4 – 6 and takes about 1 hour to prepare (depending on help with chopping).

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil or 1/4 cup of water
  • 1 large onion, chopped (I like sweet yellow onions)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 1/2 tsp.)
  • 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (optional: we leave this out because it’s too spicy for us wimps)
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, plus more if needed (I use low sodium if available)
  • 1 1/2 – 3 Tbsp chili powder (according to taste)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 cups cooked black beans or 2 (15.5 oz) cans black beans, rinsed drained
  1. Heat the oil or water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until softened (about 10 minutes).
  2. Add the sweet potatoes, chipotles (if using), diced tomatoes with their juices, crushed tomatoes, broth, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, and beans. Stir to combine, then bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender (about 45 minutes).
  3. Add more broth if the chili is too thick for your taste. If you prefer a thicker chili, cook uncovered for 15 minutes to thicken. Serve hot. We like to serve this with vegan cornbread muffins.

*According to the article, “The top 10 leading causes of death in the United States” posted by Medical News Today. Last updated 23 February 2017 By Hannah NicholsReviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, CRNP

Quick Burrito Bowls

Who doesn’t like to get a quick bite at Chipotle for some yummy Mexican? I was looking for more ways to use my 49 cent avocados from Aldi and I thought – how about a burrito bowl? We really enjoy their burrito bowls with beans, rice, lettuce and chorizo (plant-based protein). I’ve run across a few recipes that are really delicious and quick to make when we are craving Mexican. Our new favorite is the vegan burrito bowl, taken from Forks over Knives. I’ve added some of our customizations in italics.

Vegan Burrito Bowl

Vegan Burrito Bowl

By Heather McDougall. Serves 2 – 4 Ready in 30 minutes or less (depending on the use of pre-cooked beans, grains and chips).

Ingredients:

  • Baked tortilla chips (see notes)
  • 2 – 4 cups of cooked grains (see notes)
  • 2 – 4 cups chopped romain lettuce or steamed kale
  • 2 – 4 chopped tomatoes
  • 1 – 2 chopped green onions (opt.)
  • 1 – 2 cups corn kernels (see notes)
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • Fresh salsa (our favorite is Newman’s Own Peach Salsa)
  • Vegan sour cream (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Break a handful of the chips into pieces in the bottom of each serving bowl.
  2. Spoon some of the cooked grains over the chips followed by some of beans, then layer on the rest of the toppings: lettuce or kale, tomatoes, onions (if using), corn, and avocado. Top with the salsa and a spoon full of vegan sour cream if desired.

Notes:

Chips: Read labels carefully to find baked chips without added fat, or make your own chips from soft corn tortillas: Cut them into wedges, spritz with water, and bake at 300 degrees until crisp.

We found some great healthy chips like these Veggie and Flaxseed Corn Tortilla chips from Aldi (right). We also really like the organic blue corn chips from Meijer. You can find a variety of options in the health health food aisle of your local grocery store. Make sure to check the nutrition label for added sodium and fat.

Grains: If you have leftover cooked grains and beans in your refrigerator, this can be a really fast meal. We like to use the Simply Nature Seven Grain pre-cooked blend from Aldi or the Birdseye Protein Blends Southwest Style (does contain a small amount of skim milk – see packages ingredients below).

Beans: You can slow-cook your own beans, cook them in a pressure cooker in a fraction of the time, or use canned beans (we like organic black beans from Aldi).

Chorizo: We found this Loma Linda Chorizo (plant based protein) at our local grocery store and gave it a try (see below). It isn’t bad – but it was saltier and not as light as Chipotle. Give a try if you want the feel of meat in your burrito bowl.

Burrito Bowl with Chorizo

Corn: I usually use frozen organic corn kernels thawed under cold running water until tender and then drained well.

Vegan Sour Cream: We found that we liked Tofutti vegan sour cream as a toping (pictured below) – available from Whole Food and some other food stores.

This recipe is very flexible and may be different every time you make it depending on the ingredients you have on hand. Enjoy experimenting with it and let your kids pick and choose what they want in their burrito bowl.

My First Attempt at Plant-Based Cooking

Penne & Veggies
Penne with Veggies 'N' Black Beans
Penne with Veggies ‘N’ Black Beans

When we decided to cut meat and dairy out of our diet I had to search through my existing cookbooks to find recipes. This one, Penne with Veggies ‘n’ Black Beans came from Taste of Homes’ Healthy Cooking Annual Recipes (2015). Since we had just become “empty nesters” I turned to the ‘Table for Two’ section and found a photo of a meal that looked appetizing and super simple to make.

Since it was June – all of the ingredients were in season and it did not require any special ingredients that were hard to find (except maybe the Nutritional Yeast – which is used as a substitute for the parmesan cheese).

Recipe for: Penne with Veggies ’n’ Black Beans

Estimated time to prepare: 25 minutes. Makes: 2 servings (double for 4)

Quick tip: use a bag of your favorite pre-cut frozen veggies if you are in a hurry.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup of uncooked penne pasta (substitute with a bean pasta if gluten free)
  • 1/3 cup of sliced zucchini (about one medium)
  • 1/3 cup of sliced carrot (about 2)
  • 4 medium mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 small green pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 yellow or red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced (I used minced garlic from a jar)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of each: dried basil, oregano & thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (15 oz can is ok)
  • 1/4 cup chopped seeded tomato (canned and drained is ok)
  • 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan (substitute with Nutritional Yeast)
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté all the vegetables, garlic and seasonings in 1+ teaspoon of oil until tender-crisp. Stir in the beans.
  1. Drain pasta; add to vegetable mixture. Add tomato and remaining olive oil; toss gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (or Nutritional Yeast) and parsley.

Nutritional Info. Per serving:

  • 300 calories
  • 7 grams fat (2 g sat. Fat)
  • 4 mg cholesterol
  • 643 mg sodium
  • 47 g carb
  • 8 g fiber
  • Diabetic Exchanges: 2/12 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat