Taco Dip Platter

Last year I was very excited about the Super Bowl as "my team" was playing. This year I am sad that "my team" did not make it, so I wasn't thinking too much about appetizers. However, I thought about sharing my hummus recipe to go with the 5-Layer Greek Dip, but that will have to happen another day as I forgot to take pictures of the whole process. Instead, I have another favorite appetizer recipe that makes great use of those black beans that you made last week. So, if you haven't tried them yet - get those beans a soaking!

This dip often gets made around the holidays in our family. Everyone seems to make it a bit different, but I've always gotten complements on this one, so enjoy! Please forgive the picture quality, I experimented with a different setting on my camera and found out later that it didn't work as well.

This post is part of a Real Food Roundup sponsored by Kelly the Kitchen Kop. Go on over to her site to check out other great Real Food Recipes.

Taco Dip Platter

Ingredients

• 1+ cup Refried Beans
• 4 ounces Cream Cheese or yogurt cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2+ teaspoons taco seasoning (preferably homemade)
• 2 ripe Avocados
• 1 small clove Garlic
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 Bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 2 - 3 Tomatoes, diced
• 1 block Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 Chopped Black Olives, optional

Directions

1. If you are using the Best Black Beans recipe, then puree the beans in a food processor and throw into an oiled pan over medium heat to remove some of the moisture.
2. While refried beans are cooling, use a hand mixer to combine cream cheese or yogurt cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Mix until thoroughly combined and smooth - check taste to see if it is "tangy" enough, if not add more taco seasoning. If it is too thick, add more sour cream.
3. You can make guacamole by combining avocados, garlic, lime juice and salt in a food processor or use a fork in a bowl to crush the avocados and combine with crushed garlic. Or, you can cut up the avocados into small pieces and omit the lime juice, garlic and salt.
4. When beans have cooled, assemble your taco dip by spreading a thin layer of refried beans onto your platter. On top of the bean layer, spread the cream cheese layer then the guacamole or sprinkle the diced avocado on top. Sprinkle the cilantro and tomatoes over the top of the avocado/guacamole and top with shredded cheese. If you are a family that likes black olives, then add some of those too. If you are in mixed company and not sure, maybe just add black olives to half. Serve with tortilla chips and ENJOY!

Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 1 min Ready in: 31 min

Taco Dip Platter courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

The Neverending Bean Pot

You may have noticed from our meal plans that we eat a lot of beans around here. Growing up the only beans I remember eating were baked beans - from a can. Always with meatloaf and kielbasa (or ring bologna). Our family eats a variety of beans (that's one of the things I love about beans - there are tons of different varieties of beans), but I think my favorite are probably black beans. Every week my crockpot doubles as a bean pot for soaking dry beans and then cooking them.

Beans/legumes - what's so amazing about them? They are chock full of nutrients and they have the most healthful mix of protein plus fiber among all other foods. They are great for your digestive tract, blood sugar regulation, heart, blood pressure and more. And when combined with wheat, corn, brown rice or nuts they make a complete protein. Not to mention they are super cheap! I can get a pound of beans for just a little over $1. Beans happen to be one of those things that I don't buy organic and I don't buy them in a can. There are about four cans of beans in one 1# bag of dried beans. The other reason I no longer buy canned beans is that cans are lined with BPA (Bisphenol A) remember that chemical that we worked so hard to get out of our plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, the one that is linked to breast cancer and premature development in girls - yep, that's the one. It is in the lining of most canned goods. To my knowledge Eden is the only company that makes a BPA-free can lining.

So, not only are dry beans cheap and better for you than canned beans, but you can also control their flavor and increase the nutrient value by soaking them and cooking them in bone broth in your own home. With a little forethought you will have delicious and nutritious beans in no time. I've come across articles about pressure cooking beans and then canning them yourself in glass jars so that you have beans ready to use when you need/want them or you can make up a big pot and freeze them in smaller portions for future use.

Having traveled to South America a few times I have had the opportunity to eat incredibly flavorful beans and rice. When I was working as a HeadStart Preschool teacher many of my co-workers were Latino. I asked them why my beans and rice never tasted as good as what I had in South America. They told me the secret was "sofrito" that you could buy in the freezer section of some grocery stores and a seasoning packet that contained MSG. I tried that for awhile with mixed results. I have since found a recipe that doesn't use frozen sofrito from the store or seasoning packets containing things I can't pronounce. My recipe is one that I adapted from Cook's Illustrated to get the flavor and texture that I remember. The recipe calls for black beans, I have used pinto beans and pink beans, but my favorite is the black beans. Oh and they make really great refried beans too. Just throw some in the food processor until smooth and cook them up in an oiled pan (you can use bacon grease or lard if you prefer).

The Best Black Beans
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients

Beans
• 1 pound black beans, picked over and rinsed
• 2 water to cover by, inches
• 1 bone broth, stock or water to cover beans by an inch or so
• 1 green pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered (optional)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 2 Tblsp)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt   

Sofrito
• 3 Tablespoons light olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 14 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 5 Tblsp)
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 5 teaspoons lime juice
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight (12-24 hours) in very warm water (about 140 degrees). Drain the water before you are ready to cook your beans. If I'm making the beans for dinner I typically start cooking them after lunch in my crockpot with the bone broth, stock or water, quartered bell pepper, minced onion, garlic, bay leaves and salt. If using a Dutch oven on the stove top, bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered for about two hours. Add more water/broth if the liquid reduces to the level of the beans. Check the beans to confirm tenderness.
2. To make the Sofrito, heat the oil in a large skillet (don't use a non-stick pan) over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, oregano and salt - cooking until the vegetables are nearly soft (about 5 minutes). Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic allowing the juices from the tomatoes to cook off. Then add the cumin and cook for about another minute.
3. To finish the beans, scoop out about 1 cup of beans and 2 cups cooking liquid adding to the pan with the sofrito. Use a potato masher (or fork) to mash the beans until smooth. Simmer over medium heat until liquid is reduced and thickened (about 10 minutes). Return the sofrito mixture to the pot of beans and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. The beans will have a creamy sauce-like consistency. Add lime juice and simmer for another minute then stir in cilantro.
4. Serving Suggestion = over brown rice with sauteed kale and a fried egg. ENJOY!

Prep Time: 24 h Cook Time: 4 h Ready in: 28 h

The Best Black Beans courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.

Potluck Quinoa

A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a potluck at a neighbor's house, but there were a few dietary restrictions.  Our host told us not to worry about it, but if we brought something which contained an item from their dietary restrictions and they did not eat it, that would be why.  I had some left-over veggies with spinach dip and watermelon from my son's birthday party, but decided I should bring something else too.  The night before the potluck, I threw some black beans in my crockpot to soak and as an inspiration for a dish to bring.  So, let's see, something that is gluten free, dairy free, meat free and does not contain any sugar...  I didn't have a lot of time to look up recipes, but I glanced through a vegetarian cookbook to see what kind of quinoa recipes it had.  Hmm, not many.  I decided to create a Mexican Quinoa dish and it turned out pretty good.  Another neighbor commented that he liked it and then told me that he normally does not like quinoa.  So, if you ever need to go to a potluck and bring a meat free, dairy free, gluten free, and sugar free dish - try this one out.  Or, make it as a side dish to any mexican meal you have or it could even be a main dish with a side salad.

I'm hoping that most of you reading this have already heard of Quinoa, as it seems to be gaining popularity these days.  But in case you have not, I'll tell you a little bit more about it and why I love it so much!  Quinoa is a truly versatile grain that can easily turn something into a main dish.  It has 14g of protein per 3.5 oz serving (uncooked) and 7g of fiber and is nearly a complete protein in and of itself.  Knowing this little grain was so good for me I tried several times to make dishes with it and did not care for it.  Then, I finally discovered the secret - broth, cook the grain in BROTH!  It has much more flavor this way and then add whatever you want to it or serve another dish over it.  Recently I made a pilaf out of it by adding a cinnamon stick to the broth while the quinoa was cooking and then some nuts and dried fruit when it was finished.  If you have never made quinoa before, it should open up a bit and look kind of like a curlicue and should have a touch of crunch to it, as if it were bursting in your mouth.

Mexican Quinoa

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Quinoa
1 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup dry black beans (soaked overnight and cooked)
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes in sauce (or fresh)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
handful of chopped cilantro
sea salt to taste
drizzle of olive oil
splash of red wine vinegar

Preparation:
Bring stock to a boil and add quinoa, cook for 12 - 15 minutes until tender, but retains a bit of crunch.  Stir in frozen corn during the last few minutes of cooking then add remaining ingredients cooked black beans, diced tomatoes, cumin, garlic and cilantro.  Salt the quinoa to taste, add a splash of red wine vinegar then drizzle with olive oil.  Serve warm or cold.

For a printable version of the recipe above, click on the title of the recipe.

Have you used quinoa?  What is your favorite way to prepare it?

Do you have any left-over holiday ham in the freezer?  I hope you didn't throw away the bone.  Next week I'll share some recipe ideas to use up every last bit of your holiday ham - including my Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Ham Breakfast Strata.  If your ham is all gone, then hang on to these recipes for the next time you have ham left-overs or if you happened to buy an extra one for the freezer when they were on sale - get ready for some hamsational meals!