Italian Tomatoes and Beans
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
½ tsp Italian spice blend or fresh Italian herbs of your choice (basil, parsley, oregano, garlic)
1 14 oz. cannellini white beans
1 14 oz. can whole tomatoes
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 oz. fresh or grated mozzarella
Serve plain or with crusty bread
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
To a Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, add oil and diced onion, if using. Saute on medium heat until onion is translucent, stirring often.
Add garlic (if using) and saute for about 1 minute, stirring as it cooks.
Add spices and/or herbs in the recipe and allow the flavors to “bloom” for about 1 minute.
Add canned ingredients and cook on medium heat until warmed, about 5-10 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings, salt and pepper to your liking.
Top with cheese and bake uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Serve as recommended.
Middle Eastern/North African Tomatoes and Beans
Ingredients:
1 T olive or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced.
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp ground ginger and/or coriander
1 14 oz. garbanzo beans
1 13 oz can crushed or diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1/4 C raisins, golden or regular
1/2 C chopped green olives
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese
Instructions: (See Instructions for Italian Tomatoes and Beans above.)
Mexican Tomatoes and Beans
Ingredients:
1 T vegetable oil
1 T taco seasoning or to taste
1 14 oz can Ro-Tel canned tomatoes and green chilies
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed.
Salt and black pepper to taste
6-8 oz shredded Oaxacan, Monterrey Jack or cheddar cheese
Serve with fresh tortillas, on a bed of corn chips or rice
Instructions: (See Instructions for Italian Tomatoes and Beans above.)
Story:
Canned Tomatoes and Beans can become a delicious, quick and simple meal. Here are 3 variations of the Italian version pictured above on The Tasting Table website. Use ingredients from your pantry in whatever flavors you like best!
Even the most basic of meals can nourish the Body, Mind and Soul. This post is the first of a series of reflections on “The Healing Secrets of Food”. I find them to express many values held by Franciscans!
Food can be a source of stress when we can’t afford to eat well, when we find ourselves eating too much, too fast or without meaning. Sometimes we may feel hungry for loving people with whom to break bread and share our lives.
The first Healing Secret of Food that nutrition researcher Deborah Kesten shares in her book, celebrates how we unite with others through food. This may be common sense to community-minded Franciscans who celebrate often around food, but connecting over meals deserves a closer look at this time of year.
Eating is a social activity. Do I focus on my plate only or on what “flavors” and gifts that others bring to the gathering? How can I center myself in preparation for mealtime to foster more awareness of my table mates? In our diversity of ages, likes and opinions, how can conversation connect us with common memories and common values? Do I listen well, ask questions, and share stories that show I care? How is the food we share, simple or elaborate as it may be, an opportunity for communion?
Some of Jesus’ most memorable words and actions happened as people came together to be fed. Kesten invites us to slow down. We can be nourished by a focus on relationships and community that can heal our incompleteness, lessen our sorrows and unite us in community. Eating alone or with strangers can be meaningful as we acknowledge those with whom we share our common humanity in the presence of the Divine.
Native Americans are returning to the wisdom of working together to provide food for the whole community. An article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes practices that connect the community to one another and to the land. Planting together, a communal harvest and drying of native corn, wild rice and game remind us of the interdependence the human family can have around feeding one another physically, socially and spiritually.
