Pinto Beans in Smoky Tomato Sauce (Use it/Lose it day 4)

Breakfast: Cheese Grits and milk


Lunch: Fried Rice (using the one portion of Steak Em I have left, along with the veggies in my house right now)


Dinner: Pinto Beans in Smoky Tomato Sauce (recipe follows) with rice and green beans


Snack: Applesauce with cinnamon sprinkled on top

Pinto Beans in Smoky Tomato Sauce
(Whole sauce recipe is 3 Points Plus value)

What You Need:

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 a large onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp chipotle powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooked pinto beans (1 cup per person should do)

How it's Done:

1. Sautee the onion in the olive oil until soft (about five minutes). Add the garlic, cooking and stirring another 30 seconds. Stir in the seasonings.
2. Serve with pinto beans & rice. Queso fresco is excellent on top.

Use it/Lose it Day One

Okay folks. Here we go. The "Use it or Lose it" personal challenge has begun. Here are the results from day one...

Breakfast: Greek yogurt with granola and bananas

Lunch: pita bread toasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, sliced cucumbers and bell peppers, with Greek yogurt-onion dip (recipe coming soon).

Dinner: Spanish Black Beans and Rice (recipe follows) with sour cream and cheddar cheese; steamed broccoli

Snack: apple wedges with natural peanut butter

Spanish Black Beans and Rice - 8 Points Plus value (does not include sour cream or cheese)
Serves 6

What You Need:

• 1 cup dried black beans (sorted and rinsed and soaked overnight)
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 large bell pepper (I chose red), diced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp salt
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 cup chopped tomato

How it's Done:

1. Cook the beans until almost tender. Puree half of them and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, saute the onion and pepper in olive oil until tender (about five minutes). Add the garlic and cook and stir another minute or so.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
4. Stir in the tomato, beans, and rice. Tranfer the mixture to a 2 quart baking dish and put it in the oven. Pour water over the mixture until it's completely covered with water.
5. Bake, uncovered, for an hour to an hour and a half, until rice is cooked through. Add more water as needed.
6. Let cool a few minutes before sprinkling with cilantro or chives or parsley, slicing into squares, and serving.

Spicy Lentil & Sausage Soup

Ode to a Lentil

Lentil, your wholesome.
Lentil, you're tasty.
Lentil, you make my
Dinnertime hasty.

Okay, so I'm no Robert Frost. But I do love me some lentils! And what's not to love? They're nutritional powerhouses. They're just about as cheap as food comes these days. They're versatile. They're quick. And they're delicious. This soup has just three main ingredients, yet the flavors that come out of it suggest a much more complex recipe. Warm your belly and your taste buds this winter. Belly up to a bowl of lentil soup. Here's a great way to make it.

Spicy Lentil & Sausage Soup
Serves 4 or 6 (8 Points Plus value at 4 servings; 5 Points Plus Value at 6 servings)

What You Need:

• 1 lb turkey sausage (hot is what I used)
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 6 cups chicken stock (homemade is best by far)
• salt & pepper to taste

How it's Done:

1. Brown the turkey sausage, but do not drain when you're done.

2. Add the chicken stock.

3. Add the lentils.
4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender but not mushy.

5. If the soup is too thick, add more stock. I like mine thick. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.

One year ago: Buttermilk Bread

Wallet Padding: Split Peas

Did you hear? We're moving to Germany! It looks like September will be our reporting month. So, I want to save up around $3,000 between now and August 1st, so that we can have a little padding in the wallet when we arrive. We'll want to take some vacation time and tour a bit of Europe, plus we need to set money aside for out-of-pocket expenses as they arise.

One of the easiest ways to cut household costs and save money is in the grocery store. Going vegetarian is almost always a surefire way to slash the cost of a meal. Take today's soup, for example: It's split pea. By leaving out the traditional ham, I'm saving at least $3.00. That's $3.00 toward my trip to Italy/France/Spain/Portugal/wherever my heart desires. ;)

I mean, really. Which would you rather have: ham in your soup, or a pair of Italian shoes...bought in Italy?

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
in the slow cooker

What You Need:

• 1 lb dried split peas, sorted through to remove debris
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick coins
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp minced basil
• optional: 1/2 tsp curry powder
• salt & pepper to taste

How it's Done:

1. Add everything but salt and pepper to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, then reduce heat to low and continue cooking until ready to serve.
2. Consider taking your potato masher and mashing up the veggies a little bit at the end of the cooking time. I like for my split pea soup to have an even texture. Doing this gives me the mouth-feel I like from split pea soup.
3. Before serving, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
4. I like to serve this soup topped with garlic-cheese croutons and a dollop of sour cream.

Low-Fat, Filling Mexican Pizza

As you all know, I started Weight Watchers last week. I had a tremendously successful week! I went to my 2nd meeting today, and weighed in 5.6 pounds lighter! I feel wonderful about it! If you're unfamiliar with Weight Watchers, and all you see are the products for sale in the supermarket, you might think Weight Watchers stresses the use of packaged foods. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am so pleased with the program. It fits in perfectly with my family's lifestyle. I made this for lunch today and it's delicious, low-fat, and very filling. Plus, it's minimally processed -- just my style. Oh, did I mention that it took me about five minutes to put together?

Mexican Pizza Bagels

Per serving, you will need:

• 1 Bagel Thin (or Sandwich Thin)
• 1/2 cup "refried" black beans (cook 'em without fat and smash the leftovers!)
• 1/4 cup chopped raw onion
• 2 Tbsp salsa
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese made with 2% milk (I used a Mexican blend)
• 2 Tbsp low-fat sour cream

How it's Done:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees (if I had a toaster oven, I would have used it instead!).
2. Toast the bagel thin. While it's toasting, warm up your beans.
3. Top the bagel thin with the beans, then salsa, then onions, then cheese.
4. Stick it in the oven for 3 or 4 minutes -- you just want the cheese to melt a bit and the food to heat through.
5. Top with sour cream and enjoy!

Messy Lenny

Sloppy Joes. They're the things of childhood. I have fond memories of Manwich and ground beef on a soft, white hamburger bun, dripping all over my plate.


Manwich, however, contains ingredients that I don't want to consume. Take a look:

Ingredients



Tomato Puree , (Water , Tomato Paste) , High Fructose Corn Syrup , Distilled Vinegar , Corn Syrup , Less Than 2% of: Salt , Sugar , Dehydrated Onions , Dehydrated Red and Green Bell Peppers , Chile Pepper , Tomato Fiber , Spices , Guar Gum , Xanthan Gum , Dehydrated Garlic , Carob Bean Gum , Natural Flavors



No, thanks.

And I love beef. I really love beef. It's the only meat I have a love affair with. However, I'm in my 30s, and I need to eat less of it. I'm striving for a mainly plant-based diet, so most beef has to go. My whole family benefits from eating a mostly plant-based diet. Enter the lowly lentil.

Lentils make wonderful ground beef stand-ins for several recipes: Meatloaf, tacos, and sloppy joes are three of my favorites. After reading mixed reviews on lentil sloppy joes, I decided to venture forth and create my own spin on this idea. I love sloppy joes, so it was worth the effort. What I got was a recipe that tasted so much like the Manwich of my childhood that I wouldn't have known the difference had I not been the chef.

This is not a Sloppy Joe. This is Messy Lenny. The Lentil.

Messy Lenny

What You Need:

• 1 cup brown lentils
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 a large onion, diced
• 1/2 a large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup ketchup (check for high fructose corn syrup!)
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• black pepper to taste
• a few dashed of garlic powder
• buns for serving (I suggest this recipe)

How it's Done:

1. Cook lentils in water until tender. Some folks say they can be cooked in 30 minutes. I find that 60 is more realistic. Here's how to cook them: Add lentils to water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender. Check the water level occasionally to prevent scorching. After cooking, if there is more than a couple tablespoons of water left, drain some out and proceed.
2. Add onion, pepper, and oil. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and serve on buns.

PS Don't forget to enter to win a loaf of Rudi's Organic Bread!

Simple Refried Beans & Homemade Tortilla Chips

I love refried beans. Tasty, smooth, nutritious, and easy to make, they're a great food to have around when you're craving junk food. Nachos with homemade refried beans are much better for you than that can of bean dip or a run to Taco Bell. Just look at how simple it is to make your own batch.

Refried Beans

What You Need:

• 1/2 lb dry beans (or 2 to 3 cans of pinto beans, rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• optional added nutrition: 2 to 3 small sweet peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

How it's Done:

1. If you're starting from dried beans (and please do. They're so easy, affordable, and much tastier than their canned counterparts), sort through the beans and dump them in your slow cooker. Cover with water almost up to the top of the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low overnight. After breakfast,  drain the beans and continue making your refried beans. If you're using canned beans, be sure to rinse them very well.
2. Let your machines do the work for you. Dump the beans, onion, peppers, garlic powder, oil, salt, and pepper into your food processor. Process until mostly smooth. I like to leave some chunks in mine, You can make yours as smooth or chunky as you like.
3. Store tightly covered in the fridge.

Refried Beans Before Processing...

And after...

Look at these cute tortilla chips I made! I simply followed my recipe for corn tortillas, adding food coloring, then I cut them into quarters and fried them in olive oil. How fun!

Coconut Black Beans & Rice and Summer Corn Salad

Happy Friday to all of you! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? A band called Seven Oh Sixx is performing here at Fort Benning, free of charge, so we're going to go enjoy the show tomorrow night. We're also hosting a sleepover -- a sort of last hurrah before school begins.

My blogger friend Heather at Out of the Box Into the Kitchen made some coconut black beans and rice, but advised that it was bland. So, I decided I'd try it differently and see if I'd like it. The idea of adding coconut both intrigued me and made me nervous at the same time.

WOW! Everyone gobbled it up, even Picky Eater! It was so delicious I'll never make black beans & rice differently again. I know it sounds odd, but give it a try. We had summer Corn Salad on the side. It was fresh and delightful. A good accompaniment to the main dish.

Coconut Black Beans & Rice

What You Need:

for the beans:

• 1 lb black beans, cooked, and drained (or 2 cans, rinsed and drained)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 green onions (greens and whites), sliced
• 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper

for the rice:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (sticky rice is great here)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup coconut milk (full-fat, also called coconut cream)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 green onions, sliced
• a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper and a few more shakes of sea salt

How it's Done:

1. Bring the coconut milk, water, and 1 tsp sea salt to a boil. Add the rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes (for white rice). When finished, remove from heat and stir in green onions and pepper & additional salt (as needed). Rice will be creamy and will absorb the remaining liquid as it sits a few minutes.
2. While the rice is simmering, prepare the beans: In a skillet, heat oil or butter. Saute onion and pepper several minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, beans, and coconut, Cook and stir until heated. Stir in green onions.
3. Serve beans over rice.

Simple Summer Corn Salad

What You Need:

• 15 oz can white corn kernels (drained of liquid)
• a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 small green bell pepper, diced
• 1 banana pepper, sliced into rings
• 1/4 onion, diced
• a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• the juice of one lemon
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl.
2. Cover and chill several hours before serving.

Welcome, friends new & old! Don't forget to enter to win a SodaStream Home Soda Kit! Also, I'll be drawing later this evening for a random follower winner of my Georgia Pay it Forward prize pack! (To win the Georgia Prize, all you need to do is become a public follower via Google Friend Connect!)

This post is linked to...

http://friday-follow.com/

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Chili...When it's Less Than Chilly Outside

I know, I know; Chili in July?

But July is prime chili time, because July is prime fresh produce time! When else can I go into my back yard, pick peppers and onions and tomatoes, come inside and cook them into a delicious chili straight away?

So I say, "Go ahead and enjoy this winter treat now, while the produce is at its prime." And don't leave out the special ingredients, either. They make the recipe.

Chunky Veggie Chili

What You Need:

• 1 lb ground chuck
• 2 large sweet bell peppers in any color, seeded and diced into 1" pieces
• 1 large onion, Vidalia if possible, diced into 1" chunks
• 6 sweet banana peppers, seeded and sliced into 3/4" rounds (you can use another bell pepper if you prefer)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 28 oz can drained diced tomatoes
• 2 cans of beans, rinsed and drained (I used black soybeans)
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp chipotle powder (this lends a smokey flavor, and it's wonderful)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp sea salt (omit if your tomatoes are already salted)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (yes, really)

How it's Done:

1. Brown the beef while chopping your vegetables. Heat the oil in a stockpot and add the vegetables to it. Stir and saute until the beef is browned. Drain the fat off the beef and add the beef to the vegetables in the stockpot.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings. Stir in beans.
3. Cook over medium-low heat at least an hour. Longer is better. What I like to do is simmer it on the stove for 30 minutes or so, then transfer it to the slow cooker and cook it on low for a couple hours. This lets the flavors mingle and keeps me from babysitting the pot. If you choose to cook it the entire time on the stove, be sure to stir often to keep things from sticking.
4. Serve with hunks of cornbread and top the chili with sour cream and shredded cheese.

A Week of (Healthy) Bare-Bones Meals

Today's day five in my week of super-frugal recipes. You'll notice I don't use much meat this week. It's much less expensive to eat a plant-based diet. Therefore, my frugal tip for today:

Frugal Tip #5: Treat meat as a side dish or a tasty addition to a meal, not the main course.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to cut your grocery budget, rethink your meat & potatoes approach. Even if it's what you've been doing your whole life, you can change now, and so can your spouse and/or children.

Today's meal uses up some of the scraps of foods leftover from other days. I encourage you to switch things up a bit with whatever you have around.

I don't have a recipe for you; just a set of instructions. Open up a bag of tortillas (flour, hopefully whole wheat). Spoon on any leftover beans and vegetables you have. Maybe you have some salsa and cheese in the fridge. If you don't, I suggest adding chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic to the beans before heating them up. Anyway, you're making a leftovers burrito. It's easy, it's practically free, and it's tasty. As a matter of fact, I have a sixth frugal tip for you today:

Frugal Tip #6: PLAN to USE your LEFTOVERS.

Don't waste food. Plan to use them. Leftovers don't have to be the same dish just warmed over. Take your leftovers and transform them. Chicken becomes chicken soup and chicken burgers. Beans become Mexican pizzas and bean burritos. Change it up a bit. Add new spices. Make a main dish into a salad. Be creative.

And enjoy your quick and easy lunch. :)

Here, I've taken a whole wheat tortilla and stuffed it with my beans (leftover from Mexican Pizza), lettuce, and tomato. Filling, nutritious, and easy!

A Week of (Healthy) Bare-Bones Meals

It's day 3 in my week of bare-bones meals. I want to take a minute to talk to you about something I see a lot of people do that wastes quite a large percentage of money. So here's today's frugal tip:

Frugal Tip #3: Learn to buy, cook, and use dried beans.

Now, hold on. I can hear the groans already. But you're looking to cut your grocery dollar, aren't you? Then why is it that you keep spending 75% MORE on the same foods? Dried beans average $1 per pound. One pound of dried beans is equal to four cans of beans. One can of beans costs around $1. So why are you paying $4 for the same food you could be paying $1 for?

What? You don't want to heat up your house, you say? Worried about energy use, you say? Dump them in your slow cooker, cover with lots of water, and let them cook overnight while you sleep. No kitchen heat, less energy. Big savings.

Oh, and guess what! Beans cooked from dry taste so much better than canned beans. It's true. Not only are you wasting your money, you're also hindering your recipes. Yup. Try it. Cook your beans from dry.

On to today's meal plan:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar
Lunch: Chicken Soup from leftover chicken carcass (SAVE the rest of the chicken for tomorrow's meal, though)
Dinner: Mexican Pizzas (recipe follows)

Mexican Pizza
Serves 4

What You Need:

• 8 corn tortillas (make them yourself if you have a press)
• 2 cups cooked, rinsed, and drained beans (any type will do -- I used small red beans)
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 2 to 4 peppers (whatever's on sale or cheapest -- I used bell and sweet banana peppers from my garden) 
• 1/2 a large onion
• 1 large tomato
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1 green onion, chopped

How it's Done:

1. Cook your beans. Save half for another recipe. Of the remaining two cups, place 1/2 cup in a food processor or blender with 1/4 cup water and puree to make "refried" beans. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and peppers and tomato. Stir until the vegetables are soft. Add chili powder and remove from heat.
3. Heat the other 2 Tbsp oil in a separate skillet. Fry the tortillas, cooking 30 seconds per side. Remove to drain.
4. Assemble the pizzas like this: place a tortilla on a plate. Spread with some refried beans. Top with a second tortilla. Spoon the bean & pepper mix on top. Sprinkle with cheese and green onion. Serve right away.

Eating a (Primarily) Plant-Based Diet

Day 144.

It's a natural tendency for me. I don't eat meat on bones. Fat on meat disgusts me. I don't like any seafood -- anything at all that lives in water, for that matter. I don't care for the taste of chicken or pork. I do love a juicy Porterhouse steak (after my darling husband has removed the bone for me), and I love me a good burger. I love crispy bacon, but only if it doesn't have that bit of mushy fat at the end that doesn't crisp up.

Gee, I wonder where Picky Eater gets her tendencies?

But really, it's natural for me to want to move toward a plant-based diet. The catch is that my husband loves all meats and sea foods and always will. So, in order for me to be able to eat what I want, I am looking at duplicate cooking most nights. (I cook in the house. It's how it works here. Please don't see me as the Little Wife in the kitchen -- I'm not. ;) It's just my contribution. He works, I cook.)

My husband isn't the type to refuse food if it's not meat and potatoes. He loves casseroles, beans, even lentils! But right now he's low carbin' it so it'll be tricky. While our dinner cooked tonight I pan-fried him a  steak and a couple eggs and served some broccoli for greenery.

Batch cooking is going to work well for us during this diet. A big batch of low-carb meatballs should last him a week or so. Meanwhile, I can cook more meatless meals for the rest of us.

Here's what we had tonight:

Vegetarian Stuffed Shells
serves 8

What You Need:

• 1 package jumbo shells, cooked al dente, drained, and rinsed in cold water
• 4 cups of cooked, drained beans (2 cans will work) -- I used half pinto, half Great Northern for color
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/2 a large onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 16 oz cottage cheese (or ricotta, or tofu)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

How it's Done:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute the onion in the melted butter for a few minutes, until the onion is see-through. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach, beans, garlic, 2 tsp of the Italian seasoning, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the cheddar, and the egg.
3. Stir together the tomato sauce with the remaining 1 tsp Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper.
4. Fill each shell with the bean mixture and set them, sides touching, in a 9x11" baking dish with high sides.
5. Pour tomato sauce evenly over the shells. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.
6. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until heated through and bubbling.

The Picky Eater Dilemma

Day 113.

If you've ever read my blog before today, you're well aware of my Picky Eater. Now, I'm seeking your ideas.

Every dinner table discussion with Picky Eater is a fight about how many bites she has to take, or how she thinks she's a vegetarian, or how she's not a vegetarian, but an omnivore ("Omnivores eat vegetables, too, sweetie,"), or how such-and-such burns her mouth, or, "Remember, Momma? I don't like this."

I refuse to serve "kid foods" at my house. I despise the notion that children should be raised on Gerber Stages and then on to Kid Cuisine and Lunchables. I think that kids can and should be served proper, home-cooked meals and be expected to try them and to eat them -- most of the time.

On a rare occasion, I make something I know Picky Eater won't eat for sure, but the rest of us enjoy it, so I make it anyway. On those occasions, I'm sure to provide adequate side dishes so that there's plenty she'll tolerate.

I don't know how she got to be so picky with a mom who's always experimenting in the kitchen (and seldom makes something that's not delicious to everyone else!).  What I do know is that I'm sick of fighting over food with her. It's been going on for four years now.

The Clean Plate Club doesn't hold its meetings at my house. I never require her to clean her plate. I don't reheat refused meals to serve at the next mealtime. I don't use foods as rewards or punishments. I do expect everyone to at least try what's put in front of them, and I demand respect at the table (no insulting the food or the cook), but I know that not everyone likes everything and that's okay.

What more can I do to ease the mealtime battles? Any advice? Here's a meal that she refused tonight. It was delicious. The sweet potatoes are the key ingredient in this dish. Definitely don't leave them out.

Black Bean Stuffed Bell Peppers
makes 6 peppers

What You Need:

• 2 cups (or 1 can) cooked black beans (drained of any liquid)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 of a bell pepper, diced
• 1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and diced
• 1/4 cup salsa
• salt & pepper to taste
• 6 bell peppers, tops and seeds removed

How it's Done:

1. Cook onion, diced pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Stuff bell peppers until overflowing. Place in baking dish.
3. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for one hour.

To Market, To Market, To Buy a Fat...tomato???

Day 106.

I'm giddy with excitement over the spring season! Today, my husband and I visited our first farmer's market of the season, and it was brimming with fresh produce. We walked around, scoped out, sniffed, touched, and selected a bunch of things. I ended up spending nearly $60 more than my budget allows for mid-month groceries (yes, that's more than twice my mid-month budget), but I couldn't contain myself. Besides, I hadn't spent my early month $400-$500 anyway, so I am still at a savings.

This recipe uses some of the produce I bought at the farmer's market today. It's fresh and light, yet satisfying and filling. Paired with oat bran cornbread, this is a yummy springtime meal.

Baked Spaghetti with Black Beans
Makes 5 generous servings

What You Need:

• 1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked according to package directions, drained, and tossed with 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
• 3 Tbsp salsa
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• sliced green onions for topping

How it's Done:

1. Heat olive oil in saute pan. Add onions and saute for one minute.
2. Add tomatoes, salsa, cumin, sea salt, and white pepper. Cook and stir for five minutes. Remove from heat. Gently stir in black beans.
3. Combine pasta with sauce. Pour into an 8" square baking dish (coated with non-stick baking spray for easy cleanup). Cover with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
4. When done, sprinkle green onions over top and serve.

Oat Bran Cornbread
adapted from The Quaker Oat Bran Cookbook

What You Need:

• 1 cup oat bran (uncooked)
• 3/4 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking pwoder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 8" baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Give Your Slow Cooker a Chance to Impress You

Day 69.

Do you use a slow cooker?

Do you use a slow cooker for anything other than a hunk of meat and some hardy vegetables?

I love my two slow cookers, and long for two more. I'd like to have one large slow cooker that's company presentable. My two slow cookers are food stained and old, chipped and yellowed with age, but work perfectly. I'd also like to have one of those tiny slow cookers that are perfect for a small side dish or appetizer.

When my husband was in Egypt on his first overseas mission, I mailed him a Lil Dipper, some Velveeta, a can of Rotel, a can opener, a plastic mixing bowl, a spoon, and a brown bag of Mission tortilla chips. It was his favorite care package. See? Slow cookers can bring happiness. :o)

Your slow cooker is a wonderland of cooking capability. You can use it to make almost anything. You can make a main dish: soup, stew, pot roast, of course, pot pie, casserole, beans. You can also use it to make breakfast for you while you sleep, and dessert while you go about your day. Your slow cooker can even be used as a room freshener, to make your house smell lovely.

For now, let's tackle something many people find challenging: dried beans.

I remember when I was 20 years old, and my husband was 21, far too young to have a toddler, but we did. We qualified for WIC back then, and they would allow me to purchase certain food items: ready-to-eat cereal, milk, Juicy Juice, cheese, eggs, and dried beans. I would always give those beans away. I didn't know how to cook them and didn't care to try. Dried beans? Ick! Probably they tasted as bad as dried milk! No, thank you! I'll pass. I told you I was too young.

I don't remember when I decided to give dried beans a chance, but I'm so glad I did. I still use canned beans frequently, because they're so quick. Relatively speaking, canned beans are economical, too, at under $1 per can. However, I can generate three to four cans' worth of beans with one pound of dried beans. Dried pinto beans cost me 99 cents per pound. If I buy them in bulk in the produce department, they cost me even less.

For me, saving money is my full-time job. I can save 66% or more by purchasing dried beans. The energy used to cook them is negligible in the big picture. They're boiled for ten minutes, then slow cooked all day. Slow Cookers are very energy efficient.

If you haven't tried dried beans yet, I encourage you to do so soon. Here's the simplest recipe I know.

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• at serving time only: salt and pepper to taste, optional hot sauce, cheese, taco sauce, or sour cream

How it's Done:

1. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Pick through the beans. Sometimes the machinery used to harvest them also harvests small pebbles. Remove any funny-looking beans that are cracked, broken, shriveled up, or otherwise unappealing. Rinse the good beans in a collander.
3. Put the beans in a pot. When the kettle of water is boiling, pour it over the beans. Bring the beans to a boil on high heat. Boil at a full, rolling boil for ten minutes.
4. Pour beans and boiling water into the crock of a large slow cooker.
5. IF YOU WILL BE GONE ALL DAY, add the onion and garlic now. IF YOU WILL BE HOME, add the onion and garlic in FOUR HOURS. Cover and cook on low all day long. The beans will take from 8 to 10 hours to cook, so get them started first thing in the morning.

I recommend serving your beans with a side of rice. It's said that beans and rice together form a perfect protein. Here's a delicious side dish to go along with your beans and rice:

Slow Cooker Triple Cornbread
(yes, you can bake bread in your slow cooker)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 11 oz can of corn
• 14 3/4 oz can of creamed corn
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp baking powder

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Grease the crock of a large slow cooker.
3. Pour batter into crock. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, then uncover, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 15 minutes before removing from the crock. You should be able to flip the crock over onto a plate and the whole loaf should slide right out without any trouble.

For more slow cooker recipes, visit Dining with Debbie each Wednesday.

Meatless Monday!

Day 67.

Meatless Mondays in our house are upheld this month as an act of contrition toward our bodies for the overly decadent foods we consumed on Southern Cookin' Sunday. To be kind to our overtaxed bodies, laden heavily with butter, salt, cream, and mayonnaise, we're opting for a meatless day today. Won't you join us?

Black Beans and Yellow Rice with an Egg
serves 5

Ingredients:

• 1 package (5 servings size) saffron yellow rice and seasonings mix
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup taco sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 a large onion, diced
• 5 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp butter
• optional for serving: sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, salsa, and tortillas

How it's Done:

1. Prepare yellow rice according to package directions.
2. While rice is cooking, place beans, taco sauce, galic, and onion in a sauce pan. Simmer while rice cooks.
3. Fry eggs.
4. How to plate this: Make a bed of yellow rice. On top, place some beans. On the beans, put one fried egg. Top with green onions, cheese, and/or salsa. Serve with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and tortillas on the side.

Southern Cookin' Sundays #1

Day 66.

 

Today's the first of four Sundays in March that I will use to feature full, traditional Southern cuisine. This is not diet food. In fact, your arteries may narrow a little just reading this entry. But your belly will be very pleased with your culinary selections if you choose to replicate my menu. And your house will smell very nice. It'll smell so nice that you'll wish you could bottle the scent. And you'll open your windows to let in some cool air and your neighbors will smell the yummy scents and you might find yourself with some company this evening.

 

Oh, and by the way: If you make this menu for just your family, you should have leftovers to last several days. Cook once, eat lots.

 

Southern Cookin' Sunday #1

 

On today's menu:

• Barbecue Pork Ribs
• Cole Slaw
• Potato Salad
• Baked Beans
• Hushpuppies (cheated with a mix)
• Peach Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Sweet Tea

Invite a few friends to join you for supper. You'll have more than enough.

 

Step-by-Step Directions (individual recipes follow):

 

THE NIGHT BEFORE (I began preparing at 7:00 p.m. and went to bed at 10:00 p.m.):

1. In a bowl, place 4 to 5 cups of shredded cabbage, carrots, and raddicchio.
2. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp celery seed, and 2 Tbsp milk. Whisk well. Pour over cabbage.
3. Stir cabbage to coat completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
4. Peel and quarter 3 pounds of Yukon Gold (or other waxy type) Potatoes. Place them in a large pot and cover with cool water.
5. Bring to a boil and continue boiling about 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Don't overcook them or you'll end up with grainy mush.
6. Drain potatoes and move to a large bowl. Let them cool.
7. Meanwhile, cook 1/2 lb bacon to crispy and drain on paper towels. Hard-cook three large eggs and let them cool. Peel and roughly chop the eggs. Crumble the bacon.
8. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp celery seed, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp yellow mustard, 1 Tbsp relish, 1/2 cup finely minced white onion, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
9. Pour dressing over potatoes. Add eggs and potatoes. Toss gently to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
10. Pick through and sort 1 lb dried pinto beans. Place in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Boil at a hard boil for ten full minutes. Transfer beans and water to a large slow cooker. Make sure the water is at least double the depth of the beans. I prefer to play it safe and triple the water. Cover and cook on low overnight (at least 8 hours, but up to 12).
11. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups whipping cream and 1 cup milk, 1 vanilla bean (scraped, seeds added to cream, add pod, too), and 1 cup of sugar. Bring to a slight simmer. Remove from heat and put in an air-tight container. Refrigerate overnight.
12. Take a bath, read a book, watch a movie, or do whatever it is you do to relax. You've worked hard! Your efforts will pay off tomorrow.

THE MORNING OF YOUR SOUTHERN COOKIN' DAY:

 (I began at 9:00 a.m., took a break from 10 to 11:00 a.m., and worked hands-on until 2:00 p.m. Then, it was occasional stirring and flipping until another 30 minute bout of hands-on work from 5:30 till 6:00)

1. Drain your beans. Reserve 4 cups of beans for your baked beans. Bag up the rest and freeze them in 2 cup portions for later use. These can be used in any recipe calling for canned beans. 
2. Remove the vanilla bean hull from your custard. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Look for the custard to double in size. Move to an air-tight container and place in the freezer. 
3. Next, it's time to make some peach pie. Roll out two pie crusts. Position one in a 9" deep dish pie plate. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brush the pie crust with a beaten egg.
4. Place 4 cups of sliced peaches (I used frozen ones) in a collander. Drizzle 1 Tbsp lime juice over the peaches. Let them sit in the collander for about 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix well. Pour peaches into mixing bowl. Drizzle with 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, then stir to cover with the sugar & flour mixture.
6. Pour the peaches into the pie crust.
7. Dot with 2 Tbsp cut up butter.
8. Cover with the second pie crust. Make vents in the top.
9. Position your pie plate over a large cookie sheet in case of spilling in the oven.
10. Bake 40 to 55 minutes, until golden brown.
11. Let the pie cool a full 2 hours before cutting it. This allows the filling to set. Serve with your homemade vanilla ice cream. But first, on to the sweet tea, then the ribs and beans.
12. Make some sweet tea. It needs time to cool, so make it now. Bring a quart of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add 8 tea bags. Let it stand for 10 minutes.
13. Pour 1 1/2 cups of sugar into a 2 quart pitcher.
14. Remove tea bags from water and throw the tea bags away. Pour the tea into the pitcher and stir until the sugar is all dissolved. Add enough ice to fill the pitcher, stirring to melt most of it. Set it in the fridge until dinner is ready.
15. Prepare the dry rub ingredients for your barbecue ribs. In a ziploc bag, combine 3 Tbsp paprika, 2 tsp each red, black, and white pepper, 2 tsp onion salt, and 2 tsp garlic powder.  Close bag securely and shake to mix ingredients. Rub on both sides of 2 racks of ribs and let them stand for 1/2 an hour.
16. If you want to eat at 6:00 p.m., your ribs need to go in the oven at 1:15 or so. Set the oven to 275 degrees and put your ribs in. Bake 2 hours.
17. Meanwhile, start your barbecue sauce. In a large saucepan, combine 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sea salt, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper, 4 cloves of garlic, minced, 2 cups of ketchup, 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (I've been known to use rice vinegar with fantastic results), 1/2 cup dry white wine, 2 cups of water, a large onion, diced, 1/3 cup molasses, and 1/4 cup honey. Whisk well, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
18. After the ribs have been cooking for an hour, put together your baked beans. Fry 6 slices of bacon crispy and let them drain on paper towels. When they're cool enough to handle, crumble them. In a mixing bowl, combine bacon, the beans you reserved from earlier in the day, a chopped up onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/2 cup molasses. Put them in the oven with the ribs and let them cook for the rest of the time the ribs cook (just over 2 1/4 more hours).
19. When the ribs have cooked 2 hours, flip them over and cook another 2 hours.
20. With 15 minutes left on the ribs, prepare your hushpuppies. I cheated and used a mix that only required water. I wish I'd gone ahead and made them from scratch. Make your balls and set them aside. Preheat your oil to 375 degrees.
21. Now it's time to brush the ribs with barbecue sauce. Pull them out of the oven and coat them with sauce. Put them back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the lid from the baked beans and let them continue to cook.

22. Fry the hushpuppies. Drain on paper towels.
23. Your dinner is ready to serve. Go stuff yourself silly.

Here are the individual recipes in case you don't want to make a full, traditional Southern menu.


Oven Barbecued Pork Ribs
makes 2 racks

Ingredients:

• 2 racks (2.5 lb each) pork ribs
• dry rub (recipe follows)
• barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

How it's Done:

1. Rub both sides of the racks of ribs with the dry spice rub.
2. Let stand at room temperature for 1/2 an hour. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
3. Cook 2 hours. Flip racks over. Cook another 2 hours.
4. Brush barbecue sauce on both sides. Cook another 20 minutes.
5. Serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.

Dry Rub for Ribs:

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp each black, white, and red pepper
• 2 tsp onion salt (or 2 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp sea salt)
• 2 tsp garlic powder

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Close bag securely and shake to mix. HINT: Double or triple this recipe and store it in your pantry for a quick BBQ rub for any meat!
2. Rub on both sides of ribs.

Barbecue Sauce that'll stop you from buying that bottled junk
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar (though I prefer rice vinegar for flavor)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups water
• large onion (I recommend vidalia), diced
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup honey

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Use a whisk to blend them well.

2. Bring to a full, rolling boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Cole Slaw
Ingredients:

• 4 to 5 cups shredded cabbage (can add carrots and raddicchio for variety -- I save the raddicchio from bagged salad for this purpose)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp celery seed
• 2 Tbsp milk

How it's Done:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and milk.
2. Toss with shredded veggies in a large bowl.
3. Cover and refrigerate several hours, or overnight for best results.

Southern Style Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, rinsed, and chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 Tbsp relish
• 1/2 cup finely minced white onion
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

How it's Done:

1. Peel and quarter potatoes. Place in large pot and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and set them in a large mixing bowl. Allow them to cool.
2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes. Toss gently to combine.
3. Cover tightly and refrigerate several hours or overnight for best taste.

Baked Beans

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked pinto beans
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup molasses

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart casserole.
2. Cover and bake at 275 degrees for 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Peach Pie

Ingredients:

• pastry for a double crust pie
• 1 beaten egg
• 4 cups of sliced peaches (I used two bags of frozen sliced peaches)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp butter

How it's Done:

1. Roll out the bottom crust and position in a 9" deep dish pie crust.
2. Brush bottom crust with a beaten egg.
3. Partially thaw peaches if frozen. Place in collander and drizzle with lime juice.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Toss with peaches.

5. Pile the peaches high in the crust, mounding in the middle.
6. Drizzle with vanilla extract and dot with butter.
7. Position top crust over filling and pinch seams closed. Vent the crust.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 55 minutes. Watch crust for burning. Cover with aluminum foil if the crust browns too quickly.

Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod and all

• 1 cup sugar

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Heat to barely a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove vanilla pod.

5. Process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Return to airtight container and freeze until firm, at least two hours.

*You can rinse off the vanilla pod and set it aside to dry. When it's dried and brittle, process it with sugar for a wonderful vanilla sugar.

Sweet Tea
makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 quart water
• 8 tea bags
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• enough ice cubs to fill the pitcher

How it's Done:

1. Bring 1 quart water to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and add 8 tea bags.
3. Let tea steep for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pour 1 1/2 cups sugar into a pitcher.
5. Remove tea bags from water. Pour water into pitcher. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
6. Add enough ice cubes to fill the pitcher all the way.
7. Refrigerate.