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Looking for bean recipes

Last week I purchased a huge container of mixed dried beans from Costco.  It was $6 and it looks like it would make dinners for a month. Healthy foods that are also inexpensive are so hard to find that I was very happy to find these.  I wish I had discovered them sooner!

Since I have more beans than I know what to do with, I am looking for recipe ideas to use these in. I have tried turkey/bean/vegetable soup which was good. I am going to try turkey chili tonight. Other than that, I don’t have too many ideas for how to use these beans and I don’t want to get sick of eating soup and chili every night.

If you have any recipe ideas, please post them in the comments – it would be much appreciated!

Popularity: 10%

Quinoa Barley Salad

A few weeks ago when we were planning our camping trip, I was trying to figure out what on earth I was going to bring to eat.  I knew that if I didn’t plan ahead and bring healthy foods, I’d end up eating a lot of junk food.  I found a recipe for quinoa salad which looked interesting.  I made a couple of changes to it and tried it out, and it was delicious!  This is definitely a great camping or picnic recipe.  You can make up a big batch and have lunch for a few days.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup uncooked barley
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Grape or Cherry tomatoes
• 1 Red pepper
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• Chopped Almonds

Rinse the quinoa and barley, and put it in a medium pot.  Add the 3 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover for 35-45 minutes.

Chop up the red pepper, and cut the tomatoes in half.

Mix approximately 1/4 cup of olive oil with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (I don’t use exact measurements, I just make it to taste), and 1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic.

I keep the quinoa/barley, peppers/tomatoes, and dressing in 3 separate containers in the fridge (or cooler) until it is time to eat.  This prevents the quinoa from getting soggy.

Mix the quinoa and vegetables, drizzle the dressing over the mixture, add some chopped almonds and toss.

This is a very healthy and tasty meal.  I am going to try experimenting with adding more grains, but it is great with just the quinoa and barley.

Popularity: 44%

Barbecue Lentils Recipe

I’m always looking for different ways to cook lentils because they are so good for you.  Here’s a recipe that is loaded with protein and fiber, and contains no meat at all.  I love to make these lentils and eat them with quinoa and a side of steamed vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp no sugar added maple syrup (I use E.D. Smith)
• 1.5 cups dry red lentils

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft (not brown).  Add the garlic, chili powder, and mustard powder and cook for another minute.

Add the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and lentils.  Stir until fully mixed and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer about 30 minutes (or longer if necessary).  The lentils should be soft, but still intact.  If you need to simmer longer, you may need to add 1/4 cup of water.

This barbecue lentils recipe is a great way to get a lot of fiber in your diet, and they are pretty tasty too!

Popularity: 100%

Healthy Protein Pancakes

If you like pancakes and are looking for a healthy substitution that actually tastes great, give these a try!  This is one of my all time favorite recipes – seriously, these are so good you can’t even tell they are healthy.  There’s no flour and no sugar in them.  I like to make a double batch then freeze a bunch of them for easy reheating later on.

• 1 cup uncooked whole grain oats
• 4 whole eggs (or if you prefer egg whites only, use 6)
• 1 cup fat free cottage cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 packages or 2 teaspoons of sugar substitute

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender until you have a nice smooth batter (approximately 1 minute).  You will need a fairly powerful blender and you might have to stir a few times to get everything to mix.  Cook them just like normal pancakes.

I like to serve them with some blueberries on top and 2 tablespoons of E.D. Smith no sugar added syrup.

3 medium sized pancakes (about 150 grams) is only 262 calories with 9g fat, 24g carb, 21g protein.

If you haven’t tried these before you might be turned off by the idea of making pancakes out of cottage cheese and oats but trust me, they are really good.  My kids like them as much as regular pancakes!

Popularity: 65%

Chipotle Turkey Black Bean Soup

This is one of my favorite healthy recipes.  I actually discovered it by just experimenting with different ingredients and over time, I found the combination of ingredients that I like best. I like to make a huge batch of it and freeze it in 1 or 2 portion sizes so that I can easily pull out a container of it and have a quick and healthy meal.

None of these ingredients or amounts are set in stone, so feel free to adjust as necessary.

• 2 lbs of lean ground turkey (or chicken)
• 900ml (one container) of low sodium chicken broth
• 540ml black beans (not drained)
• 540ml chickpeas
• approx 700g of mixed frozen vegetables (peas, corn, green beans, carrots)
• chipotle powder to taste

This is super easy to make.  I cook up the turkey in a big pot, then add the broth and throw all the other ingredients in and let it simmer for an hour or so.  Once everything is in, I add enough water so that the ingredients are all covered. I often substitute lentils for chickpeas, in which case you may need to let it simmer longer so the lentils are soft.

The chipotle powder gives the soup a kind of smoky flavor, and if you like spicy foods, a can of chipotle peppers is even better than just adding the powder.

A big hearty bowl of this will be approximately 300 calories, with 29g of protein, 32g of carbs, 7g fat.  This will vary slightly, of course, depending on how much of what ingredients you add.  No matter what the exact numbers are, it is a great low-fat, high protein, high fiber meal.

Popularity: 26%