Chic Galleria » Beans

30-Minute Meals: Hearty Beans and Greens Stew

Editor — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 07:50:22 +0000

By Carolyn Hemming, co-author Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood (2010 Whitecap Publishers) carolynrunkvist@gmail.com

The superfood quinoa is your answer to super meals, super fast! Gluten-free, high protein, maximum nutrition, kid-approved and under 30 minutes? It is possible!

What is QUINOA? Pronounced keen-wa, it is an extraordinary superfood that has become increasingly popular because of its high protein and maximum nutrition… it cooks up the same as rice, but with super nutrition and in half the time!

This powerful little seed has more recently garnered interest from those not only seeking superior nutrition, but those with food allergies, on high-protein diets, seeking weight loss or those just wanting to eat better quality foods. Quinoa is completely gluten-free and an ideal non-animal protein source for vegetarians. It is a complex carbohydrate, has a low glycemic index and is full of iron, fiber, calcium, folic acid, and more! It is also abundant in linolenic acid, the essential fatty acid that has proven to benefit the immune response. Quinoa contains a complete combination of all life supporting nutrients, containing all eight essential amino acids, a balance that makes it highly digestible and completely unique in the plant kingdom.

Quinoa has a myriad of benefits, such as its ability to promote weight loss, build muscle, alleviate migraine headaches, help diabetes, promote cardiovascular health and prevent hardening of the arteries.. and more! This incredible superfood has also been linked to helping prevent breast cancer, childhood asthma, gallstones and acts as a super antioxidant.

The versatility of quinoa makes it compatible with almost everything you eat throughout the year. Soups, salads, entrées and desserts can all be made with quinoa and taste great. It is very easy to prepare, regardless of your cooking ability. There are many quinoa recipes you can prepare in 30 minutes or less, here is one of our favorites!

Hearty Beans and Greens Stew

This tasty, one-pot stew is fast to make when you’re short on time. This recipe is gluten-free, kid-approved and is easily modified to be vegetarian—just use vegetable stock and omit the meat. Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups (1 L) chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup (250 mL) diced onion

½ cup (125 mL) quinoa

¾ tsp (4 mL) dried oregano

1 tsp (5 mL) minced fresh garlic

1 bay leaf

2 cups (500 mL) cooked red kidney beans

2 cups (500 mL) cooked navy beans

2 cups (500 mL) chopped spinach, kale or

Swiss chard leaves

2 cups (500 mL) diced rotisserie chicken or

diced cooked low-fat Italian sausage

Pinch ground black pepper

Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine the stock, onion, quinoa, oregano, garlic and bay leaf in a large saucepan and

bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and add the kidney beans, navy beans and spinach.

Cook until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the chicken, season with salt and pepper and serve. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

Share your experience with quinoa or your favorite quinoa recipes! Carolyn@quinoa365.com

Sisters Carolyn Hemming and Patricia Green are authors of Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood. Health conscious, family-oriented and physically active, they constantly seek healthy foods and recipes that can provide the right amount of energy, great taste, nutrition and portability. Their book shows you that incorporating healthy alternatives into your everyday lifestyle is simple when you use quinoa. The versatility of this superfood makes it easy to bridge the gap between already established eating habits and increasingly nutritious food choices.

Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood is available at amazon.com and all bookstores. www.quinoa365.com

Healthy Eating: The Israeli Salad

Editor — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 07:21:30 +0000

This a tasty and refreshing meal. Whoever said salads are boring? It’s also a near perfect ratio of quality protein, fat, quality carbs and fiber. The mint is the key ingredient and makes it very refreshing!

The Israeli Salad
by Dr Tom Potisk

INGREDIENTS

2 fresh cucumbers, peeled
-4 fresh tomatoes
-1 green pepper
-1/2 cup fresh parsley
-1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-juice of 1 lemon
-sea salt to taste
-freshly ground pepper to taste
-1 cup cooked Garbanzo beans

DIRECTIONS

Finely dice tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper.
Chop the parsley and mint finely and toss with vegetables/beans
In separate bowl. whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Slowly add to vegetable/beans and mix well. Makes 4 big servings.

Dr Tom Potisk, a holistic family doctor for over 25 years, is the author of the new book Whole Health Healing: The Budget Friendly Natural Wellness Bible for All Ages. Dr Potisk recommends eating a big salad like this every day, perhaps even making it one of your meals. He offers some free holistic health reports on his web site including the recipe for another salad called The Healing Salad. http://www.wholehealthhealing.com

Mediterranean Bean Soup

Lauri Rottmayer — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 07:03:29 +0000

Ahhh fall. It’s been teasing us. We have a couple of cool days here in Oklahoma and then it’s summertime hot again. With the first whisper of cooler weather, I pulled out the soup pot. I love soup. It can be a complete, healthy meal in a bowl. It’s also, usually, relatively easy to make.

Bean soup is one of my favorites. Dried beans are cheap and easy to prepare. If you don’t want to use dried beans, you can always open up a couple of cans. Just be sure to rinse them to get some of the salt off before you use them.

If you remember in enough time that you want to make the soup the following day, you can place the beans in the pot, cover them with water, and then let them sit overnight. I forgot this time and so I did the quick soak method. I placed the beans in the pot and covered them with water.

I brought them to a boil, let them cook for 2 minutes, then removed them from the heat and let them stand covered for an hour. After that I drained them and they were ready to add to the soup.

Coarsely chop the carrots.

And also your onion.

Crush your garlic clove with the handle of your knife. I adore garlic, and it’s so good for you, so I used two cloves.

Once you’ve drained your beans, add the olive oil to the soup pot.

Sauté the onions, carrots, and garlic in the oil until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the drained beans to the soup pot along with the boiling water.

Add the herbs but not the salt and pepper. I use two bay leaves. Love them!

Cook the soup, covered, over low heat for 1 1/2 to 3 hours, adding boiling water from time to time if necessary. When the beans are soft, taste and adjust the seasonings. Garnish with Italian parsley. This soup is terrific when it’s first made but also reheats wonderfully!

Easy, tasty, nutritious. I’m sure you will love this Mmmmm FABU soup!

Mediterranean Bean Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil, extra-virgin

1 large onion coarsely chopped

2 medium carrots peeled and chopped

1 or 2 large garlic cloves crushed

2 cups beans soaked and drained

8 cups water boiling

1 tablespoon thyme leaves fresh or 1 teaspoon dried

1 or 2 bay leaves

1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to

Directions

In heavy 3-quart stockpot or soup kettle heat extra-virgin olive oil; sauté onion, carrots and garlic until vegetables are soft but not browned, 10-15 minutes.

Add drained beans and boiling water to stockpot; add thyme, bay leaves and parsley.

Cover and cook over low heat, adding boiling water occasionally if necessary, 1 1/2 – 3 hours or until beans are soft (cooking time varies with age of beans).

When beans are soft add salt and pepper.

For thicker soup remove about 1 1/2 cups of beans, puree in food processor or blender, and return to pot.

For thinner soup add hot water (or crushed canned tomatoes with juices).

Correct seasonings. Transfer soup to tureen or individual bowls.

Garnish with chopped parsley or croutons and drizzle with a good green olive oil.

Makes 8 servings.

Lauri Rottmayer is the author of the FABU Highway. When she’s not traveling the Highway, Lauri directs The Mrs. Oklahoma International Pageant, a competition for married Oklahoma women from ages 21-56.

You can visit Lauri’s websites at www.FABUHighway.com and www.TheMrsOklahomaPageant.com.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

Kristin Cuccio — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:24:15 +0000

I’m here again with another feel good recipe. With the “chili” months approaching this will surely warm you up on a cold day, and again, is figure friendly!!

What you need:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1lb lean ground turkey

1 package (1 ounce) reduced-sodium taco seasoning

1 can corn

1 can (15 ounces) black beans

1 can (15 ounces) northern beans

1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans

1 can (16 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cans (14.5 ounces) tomatoes w/ chiles

1 small onion

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Spray a 6- to 8-quart pot with nonstick spray. Warm the oil in the pot over medium-high heat. When the oil’s hot, add the onion and brown, then add the ground turkey and cook for 5 minutes, or until it’s no longer pink. Add the taco seasoning and stir until the meat is well coated with the seasoning, add the corn*, beans*, broth, and tomatoes. Season with salt and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Sprinkle some low fat cheddar cheese, instead of a spoon, serve with a side of tortilla chips and enjoy!

Nutritional Facts:

Calories – 265.6

Fat – 7.4

Saturated Fat – 0.6

Cholesterol – 22.5

Sodium – 972.5

Carbohydrates – 33.2

Total Sugars – 6.9

Dietary Fiber – 8.5

Protein – 23.7

*Note: all beans and corn should be rinsed and drained before adding to the chili

Coffee Talk – Your Brew and You

Laura Carson Miller — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:01:00 +0000

Personally, I love coffee. I like it hot in the morning and iced in the afternoon. Lunches or dinners out that end with a cup are particularly satisfying. It seems that adults in the United States and Canada consume vast amounts of the brewed bean, but Finland boasts the worlds highest coffee consumption. Finnish and Swedish researchers even found that people in midlife that drank coffee helped lower their risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s in later life.

When it comes to the actual taste of your coffee, it’s really all in the beans. The less time the beans are roasted, the less depth of flavor and intensity the final product will have. European or French roast coffees roast slightly longer than the American brews, while a ‘dark’ brew roasts to bring out the beans natural sugars and oils. It has more body and actual looks darker in your cup as a result of the sugars caramelizing. Dark brews are a favorite of mine. When preparing beans for espresso, they are cooked to the point of burning and are allowed to smoke. Dark roast coffees usually are smoother than their lighter companions, but the lighter roasts contain more caffeine. The prolonged roasting time of espresso beans actually subtracts a lot of their caffeine punch. A cup of regular coffee has more caffeine than a shot of espresso, contrary to popular belief.

If at all possible, get your coffee directly from a local roaster and grind the beans right before brewing. A few years ago I purchased a new coffee maker and I had certain criteria for my new kitchen companion, including a grind and brew option and automatic shut off so that I wouldn’t find myself in the car on a road trip wondering if I turned off the coffee maker. Have you been there? It’s not fun.

Even though being a coffee connoisseur can get a bad rap, this delicious beverage does have health and beauty benefits galore. Used coffee grounds make a great body scrub – it’s easy to find recipes on line. Coffee can help reduce your risk for non-melanoma skin cancers and can help lower breast cancer risk in premenopausal women. So drink up and don’t feel bad when you say yes to that second cup. See, even dark roast coffee has a silver lining!