Twice Baked Bean-tatoes

1 bottle white beans (if you're trying to be sneaky with them, start by using half a bottle the first time)
6 regular sized baking potatoes, baked and cooled slightly (leftovers are great!)
1 large onion, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/2 c. shredded cheese
Leftover ham, diced OR 1 can ham, crumbled (optional)
1/3 c. sour cream or plain yogurt (greek yogurt works well)
2 T mayonnaise
1-2 T dried parsely
1 tsp paprika
butter and/or olive oil
Parmesan cheese, about 2 or 3 tablespoons. (optional)
salt to taste

Slice potatoes in half and carefully scoop out the insides. Save skins for filling. Saute onion in 2-3 T butter/olive oil over low heat until brown and very soft. Add green onions and saute briefly. While onions are cooking, puree or mash white beans until smooth. Add white beans and onions to mixing bowl, add all other ingredients including potato flesh. Mix until well blended and mostly smooth (some small chunks of potato will remain). Spoon into potato skins, mounding slightly. Place on a baking tray, and bake at 350 until heated through and tops are browned.

Fiesta Salad

You want to season the chicken enough to give it a good flavor but not so much that it overpowers the cilantro. Also note that southwestern seasoning is different than taco seasoning and the flavors are totally different

4 slices bacon
1 Chicken breast, boneless skinless cut into cubes
2 tsp. southwest seasoning
6 ears corn
3 or 4 cups boiling water
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
1 bunch, cilantro, chopped
Salt to taste

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserve 2 Tbsp of the dripping. Sprinkle chicken with southwest seasoning. Cook in reserved bacon drippings until no longer pink. Chop into small pieces. Set aside. Cut corn from cob, place in a large colander, slowly pour boiling water over corn, you only want to blanch it, not cook it full. Toss with bacon, chicken, and remaining ingredients. Salt to taste.

Serve as a salad by itself, on a bed of lettuce, with corn chips, or wrapped up in tortillas.

Add a cup or two of cooked quinoa or rice to make an entree

White Bean Thai curry

You can use more, less, or no chicken at all, according to your tastes. Vegetarians and vegans, just skip the chicken in the first step and cook the rest according to the directions.

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small cubes (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 14-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained
3 medium carrots, grated
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 medium green onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Hot cooked basmati, jasmine, or other white rice

In large saucepan cook chicken, onion, chili powder, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the cayenne pepper in hot oil over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more. Stir in coconut milk, peanut butter, and 1 cup water. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans, carrots, celery, green onion, garlic, and chopped basil. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Queso Cheese Dip

1/4 red onion, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped fine
2 Tbsp butter
1 can diced tomatoes with Jalapeno, drained really well and chopped if in large chunks
6 oz. pepper jack velveeta cheese
1 1/4 c. cream
10 oz. cheddar cheese
1 can black beans, drained and well rinsed
Bottled jalapenos

Saute onion and pepper in butter until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes. Stir in velveeta and cream until velveeta is starting to melt. Add cheddar and stir until melted and well blended. Stir in black beans If using add jalapeno, add them slowly and let sit about 10 minutes before adding more, they dont heat the the sauce right away, they work slowly.

Banana Muffins (with garbanzos) and Penuche frosting

1 can garbanzo bean, drained and rinsed really well
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
3 over ripe bananas
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/3 c. milk

Puree beans, eggs, and bananas. Pour into a mixer. Beat in sugars, vanilla, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Beat in 1 cup of the flour, the milk, and then the remaining flour. Pour into paper lined muffin tins and bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, until light and dry on top. When slightly cooled, drizzle with frosting or nutella.

Makes 2 dozen muffins

Caramel Frosting
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 c. confectioners' sugar

Melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil. Cool slightly. Beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Spinach Quinoa Bowl

2 Tbsp oil or butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 large handfuls of baby spinach
2 c. quinoa, cooked and chilled
1 can garbanzo beans
1 c. liquid (chicken or vegetable broth or water)
Mortons nature seasons OR salt&pepper to taste

Saute onion in oil until translucent. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add quinoa, beans, and liquid. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Season to taste.

Jazz it up with
Parmesan cheese
Italian salad dressing
lemon zest
Fresh sauteed garlic

Asian Salad

3 handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped fine
1 can mandarin oranges, drained (if they are huge, break them up a bit)
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 or 2 green onions, chopped
1/4 c. crispy chow mein noodles
1/4 c. broccoli, chopped fine
1/2 c. chicken, cooked and chopped (optional)
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 or 2 carrots, grated
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Asian Toasted Sesame Salad dressing (Kraft Light is my favorite)

Toss all together. Drizzle with salad dress, toss to coat. Add more salad dress until all is coated to your liking. Serve immediately.

Other things that might be good in there
Sliced Almonds
Julienned yellow squash
Sliced Red onions
Pineapple tidbits
Thin sliced celery
Baby corn
Fresh Pea Pods
Anything you like in stir fry

Fajitas

1 can kidney beans
1 red bell peppers, sliced
1 green or yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 large onions
1 Tbsp. oil (you want it scant)
1 beef bouillon cube (imitation for vegetarian and vegans)
1/4 tsp. taco powder

Slice onions. Cook over medium low heat with the oil until they just starting to cook. Add the beef cube, taco powder, and 1/2 c. water. Simmer to reduce liquid. When the liquid is about half gone, add the bell peppers and kidney beans. Cook until vegetables are tender. Serve in tortillas.

Great with:
Cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
Chopped Avocados

Garlic Bean Pilaf

1 can white beans, drained
1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice, cooled
1 1/2 c. barley, cooked, cooled
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil (Vegans use all olive oil or earth balance)
3/4 c. water
1 chicken bouillon cube (or imitation)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Saute onion and garlic, until onion is tender. Add water, bouillon cube, pepper, thyme, and paprika And simmer until cube is dissolved. Add lemon juice and stir, add rice, barley, and beans. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed.

Bean Gravy

1 can beans
1 or 2 beef or chicken bouillon cubes to taste (Edward&Sons works great)
Water
Gravy Browning (optional)

Rinse beans really well. Puree with half a can full of water. When pureed add water to thin to desired consistency. Pour into a pot and add 1 bouillon cube. Cook over medium heat until hot, adding more bouillon cubes as desired for flavoring, add a dash of gravy browning.

Other Options:

Saute chopped, onion, celery, and carrot in a dash of olive oil and puree with beans.

Fresh herbs give it a great flavor too.

Black pepper

1 Tbsp tomato paste with beef gravy

Caramelized onion

Cream of Potato Soup

Most of the creaminess of this soup comes from the pureed beans.

2 c. water
3 chicken bouillon cubes (imitation or vegetable)
1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium potatoes, cut into tiny cubes
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can ham, drained and crumbled
1/4 - 1/2 c. half-an-half
Mortons Nature Season or Salt & pepper to taste

Combine water, chicken cubes, and beans. Puree until smooth. Heat in large saucepan until chicken cube is dissolved. Add potatoes and parsley. Simmer until potatoes are almost tender, add corn and ham and cook until potatoes are done. Stir in half-an-half and heat through. Season with to taste with Mortons or salt & peppers.

Vegetarian: use an imitation chicken bouillon and leave out the ham. JB Bacon salt has a great bacon flavor and is vegetarian.

Try one of these tasty twist:
1 can jalepenos
Parmesan cheese
Cheddar cheese
Bacon
Chopped broccoli
Grated carrots

Summer Salad

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. walnuts chopped
1/2 apple, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 handful broccoli, chopped fine
1 carrot, grated

Lightly mash beans with a fork. Combine beans, apple, red onion, cucumber, broccoli, and carrot. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with nuts and stir in. Chill 4 hours.

Dressing
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4.c. mayo
splash lemon juice

Whisk together mayo and honey. Whisk in vinegar and lemon.

Taco Salad

2-3 heads romaine lettuce (or lettuce mix), torn into bite sized pieces

1/2 c. shredded cheddar, monterey jack, or mexican blend cheese

1 bottle black, pinto, or red beans, drained and rinsed

1 small can sliced black olives

3+ green onions, cleaned and thinly sliced

1-2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced into bite sized pieces

3 c. tortilla chips

1 bell pepper, any color seeded and diced (optional)

Salsa, ranch dressing, and sour cream OR creamy cilantro-lime dressing.

Crush tortilla chips lightly so they are in bit sized pieces. Lay in the bottom of a large serving platter. Arrange the lettuce on top, and the sprinkle with beans, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and olives. Drizzle with ranch and salsa OR cilantro-lime dressing, dollop with sour cream, and serve immediately.

Notes: If you don't like cilantro, you can omit it from the cilantro-lime dressing and still have a fabulous salad dressing.

This is also good with ground beef or turkey. Use a package of taco seasoning to flavor it and follow the package directions for cooking, then layer it in the salad on top of the corn chips. Or you can toss in some leftover shredded pot roast or diced chicken. There are endless possibilities.

Tex-Mex Bean casserole

This is the Tex-Mex version of the white bean casserole a few posts back, I felt it was worth making it it's own post.

Oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 can beans, drained (Pinto, kidney, or black work well)
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 soup can full of rice, uncooked
1 can beef broth (or vegetable or imitation)
3 Tbsp. Taco Powder
5 carrots, grated
1 can green beans, drained

Cheese

Other Optional Additions:
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 Can chilies or jalapenos

Saute onion and bell pepper until tender. Pour all ingredients (except cheese) together in a 9x13. Cover with tin foil and bake at 450 until rice is tender, usually between 30 - 45 minutes.

when the rice is completely tender sprinkle with cheese, recover with tin foil and place in oven a few minutes until cheese is melted

Bean and rice casserole is great the next day as the filling rolled into tortillas

Ranch Dip

You can use any variety white beans but I have found that the white kidney beans are the creamiest and have the best texture for this dip

1 can white kidney beans, drained
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. black peppers
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. mayonnaise

Puree beans. Add salt, parsley, garlic, onion salt, and black pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Whisk in mayo. Thin to the consistence desired with half-an-half or buttermilk. Let chill at least four hours. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt or garlic as needed. Dont adjust the seasonings before you chill it, the garlic really comes out the longer it sits, you dont want to over do it. If you are going to serve it right away, adjust right away.

I didnt have any when I was making this, but I suspect it would be good with some fresh chopped chives or dill too, depending on how you like your ranch.

Vegans - just leave the dairy out, thin with reserved bean liquid, veganaise, or other vegan alternative

Simple Snack

1 hand full baby spinach, chopped fine
1/4 c. roasted salted sunflower seeds
1/4 c, garbanzo beans, lightly mashed
drizzle italian salad dressing

Combine spinach, seeds, and beans. Drizzle with salad dressing, toss to coat.

Bean Casserole

This is a really simple casserole that is a remake of another family recipe. I usually serve it with a spinach salad and fruit of some kind

2 can white beans, drained
1 can cream soup (I used chicken, any flavor works)
1 soup can full of rice, uncooked
1 1/4 soup can milk
1 envelope lipton onion soup
1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
5 carrots, grated
1 c. frozen peas

Pour all ingredients together in a 9x13. Cover with tin foil and bake at 450 until rice is tender, usually between 30 - 45 minutes.