Avocado
Beans are delicious and versatile. But I’m no Johnny One Note – I like other fabulous foods too! Here’s my first in a series of posts about other delicious foods that go well with beans.
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People must look at me and think “avocado”.
I’m OK with that. More than once I have been asked how to eat an avocado, or if I know of any avocado recipes. Why yes, I do know a few ways to eat avocado. Not only are they delicious, they have numerous health benefits too.
If you want more avocado in your life, beyond eating them plain or in guacamole, give these suggestions a whirl:
- Use avocado instead of butter or mayonnaise. Spread on a tortilla or flat bread when making a wrap or sandwich.
- Chop up an avocado and top a bean and rice dish. Or top a bean and corn dish, like Rachel Ray’s Summer Succotash.
- Put wedges in a grilled cheese or grilled turkey sandwich.
- Top a hamburger or veggie burger with some avocado slices.
- Add avocado to a green salad. Supplement the salad with beans or chicken.
- Or make an avocado salad dressing. I’ve made some with pureed avocado, olive oil, garlic, salt, and lime juice. Try googling “avocado salad dressing”.
- Make an avocado crustini appetizer. That would be good topped with some fresh tomatoes and fresh cilantro.
- Avocados make great baby food too. Smash up some avocado with ripe banana. Our 2 loved this recipe when they were babies.
- Check out more recipes at avocado.org
A few more tips:
- If you buy a hard avocado: Check it every day for ripeness. You can put it in a brown paper bag to speed up the ripening process. You can tell its ready to eat by giving it a gentle squeeze. When it starts to “give” a little, its ready to slice and eat. Experiment with your preferred ripeness level.
- Don’t buy squishy avocados. They are over-ripe and won’t taste as good. Who knows how many times it’s been dropped, or how long it’s been sitting in that grocery store bin.
- If you buy several avocados at once, AND they ripen at the same time, AND you can’t possibly eat them all, AND your friends don’t want them…you can freeze them. Give this a try:
- Peel the avocado, smash it up, then add a little lime juice to keep it from browning.
- Put in a container as small as possible, to expose less surface to air.
- Cover the top of the avocado with plastic wrap. Seal it in your container.
- You can later thaw it and use it for dressings and sandwich spreads. But use it up fast, it won’t keep forever in the fridge after thawing.
- If it gets a little brown on top, just scrape of that layer. There shouldn’t be too much brown if you put it in a small container.
How do you like to eat avocados?
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(Thank you Simon Goldenberg for sharing your beautiful avocado photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon999/ / CC BY-ND 2.0 )
Snappy Apple Cookies
I’m delighted to let you know my recipe for Snappy Apple Cookies is featured this week at PracticalMum.com
Snappy Apple Cookies
You’ll feel good about serving your family these healthy and flavorful cookies. They contain flaxseed, apples, and a secret ingredient: Butter Beans!
These cookies are soft and chewy. The flavor and texture is similar to gingerbread with a little kick from the ginger and other spices. Get the Snappy Apple Cookies recipe!
Snappy Apple Cookies
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Chipotle Bean Enchiladas - Adult and Kid Versions
A major purchase of “tomatoes on the vine” were the inspiration for these Chipotle Bean Enchiladas. Such a purchase calls for homemade enchilada sauce.
The issues:
* My kids don’t like tomato sauce (yep – I don’t get it either)
* I don’t have a lot of time for homemade enchilada sauce, but I’m motivated.
My solution:
* Made homemade tomato sauce one evening, based on this recipe, but left out the basil. Easily made while multi-tasking on email, Facebook, and Twitter.
* The next day, after sauce was cooled down, I blended sauce in a food processor
* Divided it for kid and adult versions
To accommodate my children’s *developing* tastebuds, I made 2 small batches of enchiladas. Kids enchiladas were made with plain homemade tomato sauce, tucked away inside the bean mixture to give it a savory tomato taste without freaking them out.
The adults was made with cumin and adobo sauce. I cooked enchiladas in two seperate pans, so the cumin and sauce wouldn’t cross contaminate the kids version (they would take note, believe me).
Here are the recipes for Tomato Sauce, Enchilada Sauce, and Chipotle Bean Enchiladas
Lots of Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Yields about 2 1/4 cup (2.25 cup) tomato sauce
Lots of Tomatoes
No need to remove tomato skins/peels from the tomatoes. Also use the seeds and any tomato liquid when making this easy tomato sauce.
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced finely, then roughly chopped.
- lots of tomatoes (see photo – forgot to measure! It might be 5 lbs.)
- 4 oz. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- Dash or 2 of oregano (optional)
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste (optional)
- Sea salt to taste
Tomato Sauce Directions
- Slice then roughly chop 5 medium sized cloves of garlic.
- Cut tomatoes into quarters. Use seeds and pulp.
- Pour 4 fluid ounces of EVOO into the sauce pan.
- Heat the oil on a gentle flame or low-med burner setting until it just begins to shimmer.
- Add the garlic. Sautee for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown garlic.
- Add the tomatoes and gently mash them with wooden spoon.
- Turn the flame or burner setting to high and cook 15 (or so) minutes. Can reduce heat and cover if needed. Continue to gently mash as tomatoes cook
- Add oregano and sea salt.
- Turn off the heat, and allow to cool.
- The next day, I Pureed in food processor (I suspect a blender would also work.)
Enchilada Sauce
Enchilada Sauce Directions
The next day, after tomato sauce is pureed:
- Reserve 1 to 3 tablespoons tomato sauce for Kids Version
Then, whisk in for Adult Version:
- 3 Tablespoons Adobo Sauce (sauce from a can of Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce – often found in Mexican food aisle)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Chipotle Bean Enchiladas (Kid & Adult Versions)
Recipe By Striving Bean (inspired by Cheesy Bean Enchiladas)
Makes 8 enchiladas
Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees
Chipotle Bean Enchilada Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 2/3 cup [1.66 cup] cooked beans)
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 2/3 cup [1.66 cup] cooked beans)
- 8 tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I only had 1 cup, so I substituted 2.5 slices of Muenster Cheese for topping)
- 1 or 1 1/2 cups (1 or 1.5 cups) frozen corn (prepared and drained)
- Enchilada Sauce (recipe above)
- 1 adobe chile pepper (for adult version)
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese (for kid’s version)
Chipotle Bean Enchilada Directions:
Kids:
- Puree 2/3 cup (.66 cup) each of black beans and pinto beans together, along with cream cheese and reserved 1-3 tablespoons tomato sauce, in a food processor (for kids)
- Remove from food processor and set aside.
Adults:
- Puree 1/2 cup (.5 cup) each black beans and pinto beans together, along with 1 adobe chili pepper, in a food processor (for adults)
- Remove from food processor and set aside.
Kids:
- Spread kid’s pureed bean mixture into center of tortilla (3 or 4 tortillas)
Kids Bean Puree with Cream Cheese and Tomato Sauce
- Top with shredded cheese and roll up into a tube shape. Put tortilla tubes seam side down in greased baking dish
- Top rolled up tortillas with cheese in baking dish
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Top with Shredded Cheese
Adults:
- Coat remaining tortillas with sauce (this can be done by dipping tortilla into mixture and turning tortilla, or done with a basting brush) Messy but worth it.
- Spred adult’s pureed bean mixture into center of tortilla
- Add remaining beans sprinkled on top of center of tortilla
- Add corn in center of tortilla.
- Add shredded cheese in center of tortilla
- Roll up in tube shape.
- Pour some sauce on bottom of greased baking dish
- Put tortilla tubes seam side down in greased baking dish
- Pour some sauce on top of tortilla tubes
- Top rolled up tortillas with cheese in baking dish.
Bake both kid and adult versions at same time, 15 – 20 minutes in oven at 350 F. degrees.
Our family weighs in:
- Son liked it.
- Daughter liked it.
- Husband loved it.
- I loved it.
Chef’s notes:
- I had leftover enchilada sauce, so I froze it for next time. Probably due to not using sauce on kid’s recipe.
- I ran out of cheddar cheese – use whatever cheese you like!
This was my first time for homemade enchilada sauce from fresh tomatoes. Have you ever made enchilada sauce?
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Enchiladas: For Grown Ups and Kids
Finally – the tomatoes I bought last Sunday have fulfilled their destiny! Made “Chipotle Bean Enchiladas” with homemade enchilada sauce. 2 kinds of beans (pinto and black bean), and obviously lots of cheese.
Everyone loved them. Kid’s version (mild) and Grown-up’s version (chipotle) were easy to divide and conquer. Recipe to follow this week!
Chop veggies the night before to make prep go faster
My kids love hummus. But they have a strange habit – they will only eat it with a spoon.
They won’t eat it spread on pita bread.They won’t eat by dipping in veggies. Just hummus with a spoon.
However, this past weekend – a break through. In honor of my daughter eating a carrot dipped in hummus for the very first time, I made: Simple Hummus and Carrot Soup
But both kids hated my soup. Their objection? It’s not hummus.
You can’t please all of the people all of the time. I think I still get points from somebody somewhere for trying.
I’ll play pro-soup advocate. I really like this quick and easy homemade “after work” soup. The night before, I washed and chopped the carrots and red bell pepper to make prep time even faster. I had half a red bell pepper from our Salmon Patties with White Beans and Sesame Crust, so into the soup it goes.
This is a thin soup, not thick like hummus. Still filling – very garlicky. A good thing from my point of view. Adults and teenagers who love garlic may want to try this soup. Easily made vegan – you can try vegan cream cheese, or try skipping it.
Simple Hummus and Carrot Soup
Recipe by Striving Bean
Inspired by “What’s Cooking” Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup (which by the way is delicious)
- 1 – 15oz. can of Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans), low sodium
- 1 or 2 cloves of fresh garlic (depending on your tastes)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup (0.25 cup) tahini (sesame paste, often found near peanut butter or in health food aisle)
- 1 oz. cream cheese
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup carrots (washed and peeled), sliced into thin halved rounds (about 1 large carrot or 2 medium carrots)
- Half of a red bell pepper, roughly chopped (about 1 cup), seeds and stem removed.
Directions
- Canned chickpeas – rinse and drain well.
- In a food processor, blend chick peas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, and cream cheese. Add 1 cup of broth, a bit at a time. Blend again.
- Pour mixture into soup pot. Add the rest of the broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low. Add sliced carrots.
- Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes whisking constantly, until carrots soften.
- Add chopped bell pepper. Simmer until bell pepper softens, but not mushy (another 5 minutes).
- Serve – garnish with fresh chopped parsley
- Serve with warm tortillas or warm pita bread.
Our family weighs in:
- Son hated it
- Daughter hated it
- Husband liked it (whew)
- I liked it (I love garlic and homemade soup)
Chef’s notes:
- Feel free to modify with more herbs and spices (saffron, cumin, coriander, garnish with fresh choped parsley) for your family’s tastes.
- If the sight of red bell pepper freaks your kids out, you can easily remove it from the soup when serving in bowls.
- If you are using cooked chick peas instead of canned, save the bean broth. Bean broth can replace some of the vegetable broth.
- If you’d like to use cooked beans, one 15 ounce can of drained beans equals about 1-2/3 cups (1.66 cups) cooked beans.
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Aebleskivers
My fellow blogger Mari Suzuki, at www.KitchenWizardMari.com is hosting “Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver Starter Kit Giveaway Town Call this Thursday, February 18th at 9pm CT. I’ve signed up for the call and am looking forward to learning more about Aebleskivers.
From Aunt Else’s web site: Aebleskivers are “a traditional Danish spherical pastry, somewhat similar in taste and texture to an American pancake, but light and fluffy like a popover.”
Danish pastries…yum for sure. But you can also make them savory – like filling Aebleskivers with beans!
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Aebelskiver Pan and Abelskiver Mix
Here’s Mari’s Message:
Aunt Else’s Aebleskiver Starter Kit (Pan, mix, turner and handle hot pad) Value $52.99.
Come join the call and find out more about these tasty and fun treats, chance to win the kit, and more!
The space is limited, so sign up now and get the call in number while this is still fresh in your memory.
As soon as you confirm your registration, you will get the call in info via email.
Here are the Aebleskiver Giveaway Details (and how to increase the chance of winning)
Feel free to invite your friends and family who love tasty and fun food.
Hope you can make it!
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Learn more about Aebleskivers from Aunt Else’s video. I think my kids would be impressed if they saw me doing this!
Salmon Patties with White Beans and Sesame Crust on a Bed of Cucumbers
My kids love tuna fish. Every once and a while I’ll throw a curve ball at them – salmon for dinner!
These salmon patties feature cannellini beans, red bell pepper, and sesame seeds. They have a very mild and delicate flavor. And speaking of delicate – be careful! They can crumble – like a jilted lover on Valentine’s Day.
The next time I make these, I’ll add an egg or mayonnaise to bind them more. Also, refrigerating 1 hour before cooking can help. The jilted lover? I cannot help.
Help out your budget – adding a can of white beans really help s-t-r-e-t-c-h that can of salmon. You can get many more patties.
I pureed the beans and red bell pepper. If your kids are older, you might be able to get away with leaving beans whole or finely chopping the bell pepper. Be sure to use sesame oil for coating the patties – this increases the delicious taste of the sesame seeds.
If you want to get extra fancy, try using a cookie cutter to form the patties.
Salmon Patties with White Beans and Sesame Crust
Recipe by Striving Bean
Makes 10 – 12 salmon patties
- 1 large can (14.75 oz.) of salmon (I prefer Alaskan Wild Caught)
- 1- 15 oz. can white beans, rinsed well & drained (I used cannellini beans)
- 1 large baking potato
- 2 to 3 oz. sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil (for coating patties)
- Canola oil (for frying pan)
- 1 bell pepper – roughly chopped, seeds and stem removed (amount you use is up to you)
Optional Ingredient ideas if the above looks too mild. Give one of these (or several) a try:
- 1/2 medium onion, very finely chopped
- Chopped fresh garlic
- Fresh dill
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Dash or two curry powder
- Dash or two of paprika
- White pepper, seasoned to taste
Simple Cucumber Salad
- 4 cucumbers
- 1/2 (0.5) teaspoon Rice Vinegar
- pinch of sugar (optional)
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Directions
- Wash and scrub 1 medium baking potato . Cook baking potato in the microwave 8 to 10 minutes on high. Potato is done when you can pierce easily with a fork. Set aside to cool. Be careful! It will be very hot.
- Peel cucumber with a vegetable peeler. Discard outer cucumber peel. Peel rest of cucumber in to thin strips (do not include seeds).
Cucumber Strips
- Place cucumber strips in a separate bowl. Add 1/2 (0.5) teaspoon rice vinegar. Add a pinch of sugar (optional) and stir gently. Chill in refrigerator.
- Drain and rinse white beans. Add beans to food processor.
- Add chopped red bell pepper to beans. Add as much red bell pepper as you think your child will like. (I used 1/2 bell pepper, but after I tasted I could have used more.)
- Puree red bell pepper and white beans together. Scrape down sides as needed
- Drain canned salmon. Place salmon in a separate bowl and mash with fork.
- Remove and discard peel from cooled potato. Roughly chop potato.
- Add the pureed white beans & bell pepper to the salmon.
- Add roughly chopped potato to salmon mixture. Mash with a fork.
- Add optional ingredients if desired.
- Form into patty shapes. Or on a cutting board, cut patties with cookie cutters.
Shaping Salmon Patties
- Lightly brush each side of patty with sesame oil. Use a spatula to turn over the patty.
- Carefully coat each side with sesame seeds. Use a spatula to transfer to pan.
Patties lightly brushed with sesame oil and coated with sesame seeds
- Place patties in a large lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Leave yourself wiggle room for flipping.
- Fry patties until golden brown on both sides.
Serve on a bed of Simple Cucumber Salad.
Our family weighs in:
- Son said they were “great”. But he kind of freaked about the sesame seeds at first.
- Daughter hated the sesame seeds. Next time I will lightly flour the patties for her.
- Husband loved them – said they were the “best salmon patties ever!”
- I really liked them and loved the sesame seed crust. Next time I’ll make an “adult version” batch too with more seasonings.
I never told the kids about the beans – they couldn’t taste them.
Chef’s Notes
- What is the difference between white beans? This cookthink.com article helped me understand: “Cannellini beans vs. Great Northern beans vs. Navy beans”
- No need to poke holes in the baking potato before microwaving – I’ve never had one explode. Yet.
What do you think about salmon patties with beans?
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Salmon Patties with White Beans and Sesame Crust
Dinner tonight was Heart Shaped Salmon Patties with White Beans and Sesame Crust. Served on a bed of cucumbers.
I’ll share the recipe on Valentines Day!
Dark Chocolate Cookies with Black Beans
I had a need (yes a real need) for chocolate the other day, so I made a batch of Dark Chocolate Cookies. This recipe is a perfect for a chocolate fix – just in time for Valentines Day! They don’t have the typical amount of fat and sugar in many cookie recipes. The secret ingredient? One 15oz. can of black beans. Make your little sweeties (or your big sweetie) a batch. And if you don’t have a sweetie – make yourself a batch. It’s his/her loss!
Here are the cookie highlights:
- A light texture – this is likely due to the gluten free white rice flour.
- Not overly sweet. However feel free to adjust the sugar content to your liking.
- This cookie recipe appears to be gluten free. I’m not a gluten free baker, so please be sure to check the ingredients for your needs.
- Easily made vegan.
Dark Chocolate Cookies
Recipe by Striving Bean
Makes 3 dozen (36) cookies
Store these in the refrigerator since they contain beans.
Ingredients
One 15 oz. can of low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed well
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk (I used soy milk, but you can also try 1% milk)
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups white rice flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free White Rice flour)
3/4 teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
1/2 cup (0.5 cup) of sugar (optional – some additional Tablespoons of sugar for sprinkling on top)
1/4 cup (0.25 cup) brown sugar (firmly packed)
3 Tablespoons Smart Balance Buttery Spread, melted (I used Smart Balance, but you could try butter or Earth Balance)
1/2 cup (0.5 cup) unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup bittersweet (or dark chocolate) chocolate chips [plus optional additional 1/3 cup (0.33 cup) for topping - I highly recommend]
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Mix beans in food processor with soy milk, until fairly smooth.
Pureed Beans and Soy Milk
3. Remove bean mixture from food processor, and place in bowl. Add 1 cup canned pumpkin and mix well (can do this in food processor if needed).
4. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients: rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. (It’s important to mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, so the baking soda & baking powder can be evenly distributed. This helps the cookies rise)
5. Cream sugars and melted Smart Balance. Add applesauce and vanilla extract. Gently mix together.
6. Add black bean puree and cocoa powder to sugar mixture. Gently mix together.
7. Fold in dry ingredients into the chocolate/sugar/black bean mixture. Add 1 cup dark chocolate chips. It is easier if you add small portions of dry ingredients and dark chocolate chips a bit at a time. Mix until just incorporated.
8. Drop a large spoonful per cookie on parchment lined baking sheets. Press 2 additional dark chocolate chips on top of each cookie. (optional, but recommended)
9. Sprinkle additional sugar on top (optional)
10. Bake at 375 F for about 9 to 11 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cooking rack with a spatula. Cool completely on rack.
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Chef’s Notes
- Bittersweet (dark) chocolate chips are very key to this recipe. I used Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. Dark chocolate heightens chocolate flavor more than milk chocolate chips.
- This cookie recipe can easily be made vegan by using vegan dark chocolate chips and Earth Balance Naturally Buttery Spread (I did not test, but it seems like it should work fine)
- I used a lower sodium canned black bean. If you choose to use regular canned black beans, you may want to skip the 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt.
- Since you’ll be storing these cookies in fridge, warm in microwave 7 seconds on high. If storing in freezer, warm in microwave 15 seconds on high.
- If you choose to use all-purpose flour (since some readers may not have access to white rice flour), my best guess is the texture will not be as delicate. But I think it’s still worth to experiment with all-purpose flour.
- If you are not using canned black beans, 1 and 2/3 cups (1.66 cups) cooked beans is the same amount as a 15 oz can.
- I stored extra cookies in the freezer by wrapping individually, then placing in a freezer safe container.
Our family weighs in:
- Son loved them – he even knew about the beans.
- Daughter really loved them and asked for one in her lunch. This surprised me since she knew about the beans.
- Husband liked them, but thought they could use more sugar.
- I love the intense chocolate taste.
Cookies on a Plate
What do you think about beans and chocolate?
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Dark Chocolate Cookies
Here’s a sneak peek of my new recipe: Dark Chocolate Cookies. Can’t wait to share! I had 2 already this morning
Made with one 15oz. can of black beans. The kids loved them – and they even knew there were beans in them.
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