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.

Italians Sausage Pilaf

This was inspired by the flavors of Zuppa Toscana remade into a quinoa pilaf. 

2 Italian sausage links, casings removed

1 can white beans, drained

1 medium onion

2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp sambal oleck OR dash red pepper flakes

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped fine

3 c. cooked chilled quinoa

1 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. cream or half-an-half

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese plus more to garnish. 

Cook the Italians sausage, crumbling, until no longer pink. 

Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender. 

Add the kale, samal olek, beans, and broth. 

Simmer until the kale is tender. 

Stir in the quinoa and cook, stirring, 

until the quinoa is heated through and the broth is absorbed. 

Stir in the cream and cheese, mix well, and heat through.

Serve with the cheese to dust with

Bean Basics is on Pinterest!

We're always looking for something new and interesting for dinner. If you'd like a sneak preview of recipes we hope to try out soon, check out our "Bean Stuff" board at Pinterest. Happy eating!