A fresh Salsa with large chunks of tomatoes is best for this salad. I actually use Sam's club bottled bruschetta. I drained the oil off and stirred in some cilantro, but any salsa will do. Feel free to add or subtract and ingredients you like or don't like.  I had originally intended to add cheese to it but once I had everything thrown together I decided it didn't need it. I also loved it before I added the sour cream and even more afterwards but whether you want it on yours is up to you. If your sour cream is really thick I recommend whisking in a tablespoon of milk to thin it out and make it easier to stir in. I cooked my chicken on the stove top and after I had removed it from the pan I added the corn and sauteed that until it was golden in spots but that is optional too. For a meatless dish just leave out the chicken and add an extra can of black beans. We liked this even better the next day warmed up and with a can of Mexican cheese sauce poured over it.

8 oz. small pasta

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1 1/2 c. salsa

1 lb. chicken breasts

2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning

1 c. sour cream (optional)

Optional: Black olives, sliced green onions, avocado chunks, chopped bell peppers, grated cheese, etc...

Toss the chicken with the taco seasoning. Either bake (at 375 for 30 minutes) or fry until cooked. Set aside, when cool enough to handle chop. 

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until al dente. Drain, immediately add the can of enchilada sauce, and stir. Chill until cold. 

Combine the chicken, pasta, and remaining ingredients. Chill salad until cold again, at least 2 hours. Stir in the sour cream right before serving.

Italian Bean Stew

 



2 links Italian Sausage

1 - 2 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, cut into large chunks

1/2 lb red potatoes, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 bottle spaghetti sauce (or 3 - 4 c. homemade)

oil

Cut the Italian sausage into 1 inch chunks and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from pan. Add a splash of oil and saute onions and red potatoes until the potatoes are mostly cooked. Add the bell peppers and cook an additional minutes until they are starting to get tender. 

Add the sausage, beans, and spaghetti sauce to the skillet and stir well to combine. Simmer until the potatoes are completely tender. 

Serve with Parmesan cheese

Souper Saturday Information Packet

I spent some good times yesterday teaching a class at a church activity called "Easy Meals for Real Moms." You can probably guess what most of my ideas centered around. Sadly, my printer ran out of toner at 11 the night before so, as promised, here's the downloadable version of my handout for anyone who might have wandered over.

This is the handout

This is a link to canning dry beans (my way)

Another link to canning dry beans the traditional way

Email me with questions or poke around the website. Thanks ladies - it was fun!

How to can dry beans - the easy way

Dried beans are great to store, but not so convenient if you want a fast dinner. By bottling your own dried beans, you can take advantage of the convenience of canned beans without paying the premium for a can you're going to throw away. Most methods call for soaking the beans ahead of time, which is still pretty easy, but the way I've begun doing it is even easier.

A pound of beans will fill 4 pint bottles.

1. Set your pressure canner on the stove and follow the manufacturers directions for how much water to place inside (this varies based on the canner and how many bottles it holds). Start another small pot full of water boiling (to rinse the lids).

2. Rinse your beans thoroughly and make sure you remove any debris or rocks. No one wants dirt soup.

3. Rinse your bottles in hot water to make sure you remove any dust, etc.

4. Put 1/4 pound of beans in each bottle. Add 1/2 - 1 tsp. salt (everyone says you must use canning salt, but you really can just use regular table salt). Fill with hot tap water, leaving 1/2 inch headspace at the top.

5. Wipe the rims to remove any loose salt. Dip canning lids in boiling water, place on jars, and firmly screw on canning rings. Place the jars in your canner.

6. Turn the stove on and gently bring canner to a simmer - follow manufacturers instructions on bringing the canner up to pressure. Cook at 10 pounds pressure (15 pounds for high altitude) for 105 minutes. Let canner cool completely before opening and removing jars. Let jars sit overnight before removing rings and testing seal.

Hot Pot with Kale

This was definitely inspired by/based upon the Chickpea Hot Pot at 101 Cookbooks, but I also made a few changes to better suit our tastes and needs - most notably, I changed the spices around, and substituted potatoes for the bulgur wheat since we have gluten sensitivities in our house. It's another easy, healthy, weeknight win - we'll definitely be cooking it again.

3 T. olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

3 c. chicken or vegetable broth (use vegetable if you want the dish to be vegetarian or vegan)

1 can chickpeas

3-4 red or yellow potatoes

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (3-4 c.)

1 head cauliflower, in bite sized pieces (about 3-4 c.)

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. dill

1/2 -1 tsp. crushed red pepper

salt and black pepper to taste

In a large saucepot or soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until they begin to brown. Add chicken broth and beans and bring to a simmer. Add the rest of the vegetables and cover. Simmer over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender. Add the seasonings, combine well, and serve.

As always, if you are gluten or soy intolerant, be sure to use a brand of bouillon and spices that you know is safe for you.

Roasted Carrot and Lentil Soup

Continuing my efforts to try something new, I pinned this Charred and Roasted Smokey Carrot Soup to our new pinboard. It's very similar to the Red Lentil Soup from 101 Cookbooks, minus the brown rice and with the addition of roasted carrots.

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to add 4 cloves of garlic to the roasting pan with the onions.

It's a great soup, not a lot of complex flavor but it's easy, tasty and just hits the spot when it's rainy and gray.

Persian Beef and Split Pea Stew

Surprisingly (or perhaps not), we here at Bean Basics get into a cooking rut sometimes too. There's school to teach (we're both homeschool Moms of 3), husbands out of town, and a wide world to explore. So we spend a lot of time going back to tried and true, under-15-minute recipes.

But when Fall arrives, suddenly I have the urge to start cooking again. This recipe was part of my attempt to get out of my cooking rut and explore something new. I didn't come up with the recipe, I and I didn't change it substantially, so I'm just going to link it, but I will tell you what I changed, and that the entire family really liked it.

Persian Beef and Split Pea Stew

Now for my changes:

1. I used leftover cooked pot roast - so after cooking the onions, I added everything to the pot all together.
2. I think the recipe calls for too much water. I used 2 c. of beef broth rather than 4 c. of water.
3. I used 2 onions and 5 cloves of garlic.
4. I used 1/4 tsp. of Penzey's dried lemon peel instead of the Persian lime.
5. I used red lentils instead of yellow split peas (they're very similar)

As always, if you're gluten or soy intolerant, make sure you use spices that meet your needs. McCormick and Penzey's are both trustworthy.