beans - Related Content

Ingredients: 

2 T extra-virgin olive oil plus 2 tsp, divided
1 C chopped onion
½ C chopped carrot
½ C chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp, dried
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp, dried
8 C chopped kale (1 small-to-medium bunch)  Spinach, Swiss Chard, collards may be substituted
¼ C white whole-wheat or All-Purpose flour
3 C low-sodium or chicken broth
1 15-ounce can white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp ground pepper
For the Biscuit Topping: 
You can substitute refrigerated biscuits such as “Grands” or biscuit mix (Bisquik) for the following ingredients.
1 C white whole-wheat or All-Purpose flour (see Tip)
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
3 T cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 T minced fresh chives
½ C cold buttermilk OR ½ milk plus 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or similar-size 2-quart baking dish) with cooking spray.
2.    Heat 2 T oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add greens; cook, stirring often, until tender and wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 C flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beans and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
3.    To prepare biscuits: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub butter into the dry ingredients. Stir in chives. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined. Form the dough into 6 biscuits and place on top of the vegetable mixture. Lightly brush with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Place the potpie on a baking sheet. OR use a packaged biscuit mix or pre-made refrigerated biscuits
4.    Bake until the biscuits are lightly browned and the filling is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Tip:
Try white whole-wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour in baked goods. It's made from hard white wheat berries, which makes it lighter in color and flavor than regular whole-wheat flour, but with the same nutritional properties. Look for it near other whole-grain flours. For the best flavor, store it airtight in the freezer.
Cut down on dishes: A rimmed baking sheet is great for everything from roasting to catching accidental drips and spills. For effortless cleanup and to keep your baking sheets in good shape, line them with a layer of foil before each use.
To make ahead:
Prepare through Step 2; refrigerate for up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before finishing.  If this dish proves to be comforting, you can make a double batch of the base and freeze half for another meal.  Label well, please and add to your freezer “pantry” list!
Notes:  Check your fridge and freezer for any leftover veg poultry or sausage that you can add to your pie.  If you use frozen spinach, thaw before adding and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.  If desired, add a little shredded Gruyère or Cheddar cheese to the biscuit dough.

Story:
With days getting shorter and varying degrees of chill in the air, it's officially comfort food season.  This Pot Pie recipe is rich with beans, greens and optional leftover veg and turkey!  Feelings of calm and comfort are expressed and elicited by certain dishes.  What foods soothe you?  When we are upset, some foods let us “crunch” through frustration.  This week’s Healing Secret of Food encourages us to be aware of our feelings before, during, and after eating.

Mac & cheese, soup and stew, meatloaf, baked potatoes, stuffed shells are typical comfort food dishes in American culture.  In my husband's family Chicken and Dumplings would be a comforting and homey meal.  In my family, when we were sick or chilled, we often had "Pastina" Soup made of tiny pasta stars, broth, butter, Parmesan and egg.  Beyond simple comfort, many foods have a physiological and emotional impact.  Carbs are calming.  Proteins provide strength and repair when in need of healing.  Craving crunchy foods can be a sign of frustration or anger as we chew away to let feelings out. 

Deborah Kesten encourages us to tune into our emotional state before, during and after meals.  She observes that by doing so, people consciously make healthier food choices.   Instead of asking "What do I 'feel' like eating?", checking in with our state of feeling glad, sad, mad, disgusted, weary or frustrated puts not only reason but love rather than emotion in the driver's seat.  A genuine respectful and loving approach to eating several times a day, is a healthy wholistic practice.  

"Be with me, abundant God, as I approach feeding my body and soul and nourishing others.  Remind me to slow down and breathe. Companion me, with your abiding presence as I plan what I will eat and serve my loved ones.   Help me to allow shopping and chopping,  stirring and thawing to be an experience of wonder and awe as you provide the nourishment, community and connection I crave.   Beloved nurturer, may your grace fill me with an awareness of you and the plenty you provide my body, my spirit, mind and heart.  May the ways I help feed others, be acts of love as much as possible.  Let it be so."
 

Ingredients:  There is no set recipe, but some recommendations are indicated.  Use your experience of soup making to adjust the amounts, if you like!  
2 T olive oil  
1 medium onion, diced
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 C chicken or vegetable broth
1 14 oz can fire roasted or regular tomatoes
2 C cubed red or sweet potatoes, removing skin is optional
2-3 C any peeled cubed winter squash
1 ½ C corn, frozen or kernels cut fresh off the ears
1 15 o can black beans, drained or 1 C dry beans, soaked in water overnight 
1 chopped jalapeño, with or without seeds
1 tsp chipotle powder or 1 T sauce from canned chipotles in adobo sauce, adds a nice smokey heat
bay leaf 
1 tsp cumin or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 
In a large pot over medium heat add oil and onions.  Saute for 5 minutes until onion is translucent.
Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. 
Add broth, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, corn, beans, seasonings and jalapeno.
Turn heat to high and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 50 minutes or until beans and squash are tender. 
Check every 15 minutes or so.  Add more broth or water as needed to maintain the consistency you like and to prevent burning. 

Variations: 
Use summer squash.  Bring the recipe into spring and summer by subbing out winter squash for zucchini and crook neck squash.
Explore different beans: Black-eyed peas, pinto or kidney beans work well.
Use fresh beans: If you’re not into dried or canned legumes, use fresh green or waxed beans.
Try canned hominy, instead of sweet corn.
Add chilis, canned or fresh, to enhance this soup. Go for mild or spicy.
Thicken the soup by adding some masa harina toward the end of cooking to give the soup body and more corn flavor. Or, using an immersion blender, blend just a portion of the soup to thicken it up.  You can even blend canned pumpkin into the soup stock.
Add animal protein such as shredded pork, chicken or sausage of your choice, such as chorizo.
Add cheese.  This is not traditional, but shavings of queso, Parmesan, or other aged cheese add another dimension of flavor.
Make it vegan by using water or vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

This recipe has been adapted from The View from Great Island by Sue Moran who moved from LA to Great Island, NH to Madison, Wisconsin.  Sue loves Midwestern food culture and being near the biggest farmer's market in the country.  Her summer version of Three Sisters' Soup is pictured above.

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Story: 
There is no one authentic recipe for this soup ~ it can be made, and is made, in a variety of ways, with different combinations of ‘sisters’. Recipes for it have been passed down through generations in tribes, and have become more modernized in the process. This version uses chicken broth and fire roasted tomatoes for a flavorful broth, potatoes for their satisfaction factor, jalapeño and chipotle powder for a little kick of heat, and black beans. Tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers are all indigenous crops, native to the Americas.

Three sisters soup celebrates the fall harvest  Three sisters refers to the combination of corn, beans, and squash, as well as to a native American companion planting technique that paired the three crops together for better productivity, and sustainable land use. The three foods have been staples in the diets of many tribes (from the Iroquois in the North, the Chickasaw in the South, and the Hopi and Navajo Nations in the Southwest) over the centuries, and this soup is a celebration of that magical trio. This hearty healthy soup provides a great story and learning opportunity as well!

Meet the three sisters. These three crops not only support each other as they grow, they have been critically important foods to Native Americans, and are particularly nourishing. In three sisters soup corn, beans and squash are a complete nutritional package with carbohydrates from the corn, protein from the beans (they provide the missing amino acids in the corn) and essential vitamins and minerals from the squash.
CORN ~ the tall corn provides support for the beans vines to grow on.
BEANS ~ add nitrogen into the soil to fertilize the corn and squash. These can be fresh or dried beans.
SQUASH ~ this refers to both winter and summer squash, both of which are low to the ground crops which provide shade to keep the ground moist and prevent weeds.
Speaking of Squash:

Check out the Seasoned Franciscan next week for how to roast squash seeds (even touch pumpkin seeds) and season them 5 ways. 

P.S.  If you haven’t yet seen Ken Burns' PBS special on "The American Buffalo", it is another learning invitation for all white people.  It isn't just about Bison as food.  Burns thoughtfully tells the story of the history and tragedy of this important lifegiving animal in Native history and that of our country.  It is often difficult to watch, but Burns offers both challenge and hope.  VLK

Easy Corn, Beans and Salsa Main Dish

Ingredients:
2 C fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed in a bowl of hot water
2 C or 1  16 oz jar salsa
1 can or (2 C homemade) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T corn oil or your preferred salad oil
1 T lime juice or vinegar of your choice. (The tang of red wine vinegar is good!)
1 package of Taco seasoning OR
   - 1 tsp ground cumin
   - 1/2 tsp chili powder
   - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
   - 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
3 T chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1 sliced avocado on the side, optional
4 C cooked brown or white rice (or cooked grain of your choice) cooked according to package directions (see note below)

Directions:

1. Combine thawed corn, salsa, drained beans in a large bowl
2. Add spices and acid.  Stir, tasting for salt or other spices
3. For a cold salad, mix with the cooled grain
4. For a hot meal, heat in a skillet and serve over your warm grain. Add lime juice or vinegar as you prefer

Note:
A rice cooker is a great investment! You can cook a full batch and put the remainder in freezer bags to freeze for quick recipes like this. Couscous and quinoa also cook quickly. Cooked bulger works well in this recipe. Find them in the rice or pasta or natural foods aisle. Bulger lends itself to freezing. Use the other half in bread dough or in Greek salad like Tabouli when cukes, tomatoes and parsley are in season.

Story:
Commercially frozen vegetables are typically processed within hours of harvest which preserves their nutritional value. For me, fresh flavor is a great reason to eat seasonally. Local fresh sweet corn is tastier and juicier than frozen or any shipped in from a distance. So, how do we “put up” fresh sweet corn? Don’t let the following 10 step process overwhelm you. Remember, you can thaw a bag of corn in hot water and have sweetness of summer for chowder, salads, salsa, loaded muffins and cornbread for months!

For a complete guide to blanching vegetables, see the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

If you would like to be notified when we share new recipes, be sure to scroll to the bottom, provide your email address, check the box confirming you are not a robot, click on a few photos to prove it and click subscribe! You will then receive an email after each new post. Remember, we're always looking for new recipes, and food stories so keep sending them to ecopact@fspa.org!