Black Bean Burgers

Again, this is from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Families Cookbook. We eat them on hamburger buns with the typical hamburger fixin's or on a bed of salad greens. Tasty.

2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (or about 1/2 c. bread crumbs, I use whole wheat)

2 cans black beans, rinsed

2 large eggs

3 T. olive oil

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro (or 1 T. dried cilantro)

1 shallot, minced (or 1/2 onion, minced)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 F. Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Spread the crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. (I never toast the crumbs. I just pull them from the freezer and use.)

2. Place 2 1/2 c. of the beans in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher until mostly smooth. (I used the food processor.) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 T. of the oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne together.

3. Stir the egg mixture, tossed breadcrumbs, remaining 1/2 c. beans, bell pepper, cilantro, and shallot into the mashed beans until just combined. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about 1/2 c. each, and lightly pack into 1-inch-thick patties.

4. Heat 1 T. more oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully lay half o f the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the burgers to a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Return the skillet to medium heat and repeat with the remaining tablespoon oil and remaining patties. Serve.

Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

This is something Ryan and I love (the boys, not so much). It is from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Family Cookbook.

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (or about 1/2 c. bread crumbs--I use whole wheat)

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and shredded

salt and pepper

1 1/4 c. Greek yogurt (or strained plain yogurt)

6 scallions, sliced thin

1/4 c. minced cilantro (or 1 T. dried cilantro)

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed

2 large eggs

10 teaspoons olive oil

1 t. garam masala

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 shallot, minced (or 1/2 onion, minced)

lime wedges

1. Adjust an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 F. Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Spread the crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. (I never toast my crumbs; I just scoop them out the of the bucket of crumbs I keep in the freezer.)

2. Meanwhile, toss the cucumber with 1/2 t. salt in a colander and let drain for 15 to 30 minutes. Combine the drained cucumbers, 3/4 c. of the yogurt, 2 T. of the scallions, and 1 T. of the cilantro in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor to a coarse puree with large pieces remaining, about 8 pulses. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 2 T. of the oil, garam masala, cayenne, and 1/8 t. of salt together. Add the processed chickpeas, breadcrumbs, remaining 1/2 c. yogurt, remaining scallions, remaining 3 T. cilantro, and shallot until just combined. Divide the chickpea mixture into 6 equal portions, about 1/2 c. each, and lightly pack into 1-inch-thick patties. (I always end up with about 8 when I measure by 1/2 c.)

4. Heat 2 t. oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the cakes to a place and tent loosely with foil. Return the skillet to medium heat and repeat with the remaining 2 t. oil and remaining cakes. Serve with the cucumber-yogurt sauce and lime wedges.

Best Black Beans

I make these for any Mexican-esque dinner we have. So yummy!

1 (16 ounce) can black beans

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve. The longer you simmer it, the better it tastes.

Crockpot Black Bean and Rice Soup

1 med onion, chopped
3 carrots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili pwdr
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. tabasco
2 16 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 smoked sausage or kielbasa, cubed
1 1/2 c. cooked rice
Combine all EXCEPT rice in crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add rice just before serving.

US Senate Bean Soup

From the Joy of Cooking. 'This soup has been on the US Senate restaurant menu since 1901.'

Rinse & soak
1 1/4c small dried white beans, such as pea or navy

Drain and place in a soup pot along with:
7c cold water
1 small ham hock

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 1/4 hrs. Remove the ham hock. Discard the bone, skin, and fat; dice the meat. Return it to the pot along with:
1 large, diced onion
3 medium celery stalks with leaves, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2t salt
1/2t ground black pepper

Simmer until the potatoes are quite soft, 20-30 min. Remove from the heat and mask with a potato masher until the soup is a bit creamy. Stir in:
2T chopped fresh parsley

Ladle into warmed bowls and serve! Makes about 6c.

Southwestern Beef Chili with Corn

I made this the other day and it turned out really well. My sister makes this all the time too and she has made a few additions that are great. She serves it with sides of cheese, tomatoes, diced green onions, leaves of cilantro, sour cream and diced avocados. She also makes a side of quesadillas, and it is a yummy meal.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 poblano or bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup corn kernels (from 1 ear, or frozen and thawed)
1/2 cup grated Cheddar (2 ounces)
2 scallions, sliced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and poblano and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute. Add the beans, chili powder, 3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the corn. Divide among bowls and top with the Cheddar and scallions.

Make Ahead: You can cook the chili in advance and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 343; FAT 15g (sat 5g); CHOLESTEROL 51mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34g; SODIUM 893mg; PROTEIN 23g; FIBER 11g; SUGAR 6g

Bean and Corn Salsa

Suzy requested this one so here it is. This is the version of bean and corn salsa that I like the most. You can eat it like a salsa with tortilla chips or like a salad.

Mix:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
juice of one lime (I like to do the zest too)

Combine:
1 can of Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup chopped red onion
2 roma tomatoes, diced (or 1/2 red pepper, whichever you prefer or both)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Add the dressing to the bean/corn mixture and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for one hour and up to 4 hours.

Red Beans and Rice

I got this recipe from My Sisters' Cafe and tried it last night. It was so yummy and so easy. What more can you ask for? My kids even gobbled it up!

1 1/2 c red beans
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 pkg Polska Kielbasa
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 Tb butter
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp dry mustard
1 Tb Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Cajun spice

Soak beans in 4 cups hot water and 1 Tb salt; cover and let stand for 6 hours to soften. Then drain beans and add 3 1/2 cups fresh water and tomato sauce. Cut sausage into pieces and saute with butter. Add chopped onion, garlic, and green pepper until tender; add to beans. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice. (To thicken last 15 minutes, mix 1 part flour to 3 parts cold water. Stir into mixture until desired thickness.)

*Now the way I did it was in the crockpot with canned beans...here it is:
In place of the dry beans, use 3 cans of red beans. (Drain most of the liquid off the beans) Also, you may substitue 1/2 tsp garlic salt for the garlic clove. Place all ingredients (minus butter)directly into the crockpot - no need to saute veggies with sausage. Add 3/4 c water. Cook on low for 3-5 hours. We served it with brown rice which was very good and had the added bonus of being healthy! Also, I used the lowfat Polska Kielbasa which is just as good to me but some might prefer the real thing.