Bean Dishes

Back to Recipes

Mediterranean Eggplant and Beans

Black Beans with Salsa on Toast

Serves 2

1 cup dry black beans
salt, garlic, cumin to taste
1 tsp thinly sliced jalapenos
1 large tomato diced
1/4 cup onion
4 slices of your favorite toast or tortilla

Start with the black beans. You can boil them from scratch for about 2 hours after soaking them overnight. Do not undercook. After cooking, season with salt, garlic and cumin. Or you can make your life easier and simply use canned beans (1 15 oz. can). Heat and mash the beans. For the salsa, mix jalapenos, tomatoes and onions. Serve the beans and salsa on toast or with tortillas.

Back to Top

Beans and Rice

This vegan recipe combines beans, rice, and tofu to make a yummy Hispanic dish.

2 cups rice
4 cups water
1 15 oz can refried beans
12 oz southwestern salsa
1/2 lb extra firm tofu, cubed
1/3 cup bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup onions, chopped
1 10 count soft taco size flour tortillas

Boil three and 1/3 cups of water and 2/3 cups southwest salsa. Reduce heat to minimum and add rice. Open tofu and squeeze excess moisture into sink. In a separate pan, simmer chopped veggies and tofu until peppers are tender. After the rice is tender (about 15-20 minutes, but consult rice package), add beans and simmered veggies and tofu. Cook mixture on low until beans are heated. Add the remaining salsa and mix. Serve with tortillas.

Back to Top

Soft Black Bean Tostadas

- from The McDougall Quick and Easy cookbook

3 15 oz. cans black beans, undrained
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
dash or two of Tabasco
6 soft corn tortillas
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded leaf lettuce
1 cup fresh salsa

Place the beans in a saucepan with the chili powder, cumin, and Tabasco sauce. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 10 minutes. Place about 1/2 cup of beans on a plate. Place 1 corn tortilla over the beans and flatten slightly. Cover the tortilla with more beans, then layer on the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Back to Top

Bresson's Noodles and Beans

- from The McDougall Quick and Easy cookbook

1 12 oz package spiral pasta
1/3 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5-oz can stewed tomatoes

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Drop the pasta into boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain. Meanwhile, place the water in a large saucepot. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, celery, and zucchini. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and the pasta. Mix well and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Back to Top

Rice and Beans in a Bowl

- from The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 15-oz red or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3/4 cup salsa

Place the rice, beans, and half of each of the vegetables (not the salsa) in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix well, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir well and microwave for 2 more minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve at once.

Back to Top

Batchelor's Bounty

1 1/2 cup whole wheat macaroni, cooked
1 can beans (vegetarian, black beans or red kidney beans)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 T ketchup
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 T taco seasoning
crushed chili peppers or hot sauce to taste

Cook macaroni and drain. Add everything else. Stir and simmer a few minutes.

Healing Heart Hints:

•  Adding shredded fat-free soy cheddar and/or soy parmesan cheese when cooking gives this dish a Tex Mex flavor.

• Any diced vegetables can be added, but they should be steamed or microwaved for a few minutes before mixing them in.

Back to Top

Mediterranean Eggplant and Beans

1 eggplant, peeled and diced
2 cups garbanzo or other beans
1 onion, cut thinly
1/2 cup raisins
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons ketchup

Steam the eggplant for 10-12 minutes. Cook the onion and pepper over a low flame in a covered skillet with 2 tablespoons water for 6-8 minutes. Then, add the eggplant, beans, raisins, lemon and ketchup to the skillet and simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Back to Top

Black Bean Salad - submitted by Ann Esselstyn

Black beans rinsed thoroughly, lots of diced tomatoes, frozen corn thawed, chopped peppers, green onions or Vidalia onions, water chestnuts if you wish, A LOT of cilantro and then just balsamic vinegar.

Back to Top

Black Beans and Rice - submitted by Ann Esselstyn

Brown rice (long or short grained)
Black beans from a can juice and all
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped Vidalia, green or any onion
Frozen corn thawed (if you forget to thaw run it under hot water)
Chopped red, yellow or green peppers
Grated or julienned carrots
Water chestnuts
Chopped cilantro
Chopped arugala
Low sodium tamari
Salsa

Cook rice. Heat beans. Put all chopped vegetables in individual dishes. Start on your plate with rice and just pile it up high and top it all with low sodium tamari.

Combine any leftovers, add balsamic vinegar, and you have a wonderful salad.

Back to Top

Caribbean Black Beans with Mango Salsa over Brown Rice - submitted by Ann Esselstyn

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1/2 tsp ground allspice
4 1/2 cups cooked black beans
3/4 cup orange juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Sauté onions and garlic in broth, water, wine, etc. for about 5 minutes until onions begin to soften. Add ginger, thyme and all spice, and sauté stirring often to prevent sticking until onions are very soft for about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in beans and orange juice and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly. Mash beans with back of spoon for thicker consistency. Add salt (if desired) and pepper and serve over brown rice topped with mango salsa or eat with crisped corn tortillas.

Back to Top

1 lb small white beans
1 cup soft homemade bread crumbs (see below)
lots of garlic - I used 4 big cloves
1 box frozen spinach
salt, pepper, and herbs (see below)

(The night before, I put the frozen spinach in the fridge to thaw.)

Soak and cook the beans in your standard manner, adding a bay leaf to flavor them as they cook. This batch took about 1-3/4 hours to get  tender after a 2-hour soaking following a 2-minute boiling. When they're done, mostly drain them -- the recipe said to leave them almost covered with their cooking liquid, which I thought was too wet. Your call. I saved the cooking liquid when I drained it so I could add some of it back after adding everything else if it seemed dry, which indeed it did.

I made the bread crumbs by tearing up two thick slices of (previously unsliced) whole wheat bread and whirling them in a food processor. After a few whirls, I added in the cloves of garlic and pulsed them until the bread was in crumbs. (What a wonderful aroma from the combined bread and garlic!) I put the crumb/garlic mix in a bowl.

I put the spinach in a pan and heated it up uncovered for a couple of minutes -- didn't try to get it "cooked", just "hot". I added salt (about 3/4 tsp), white pepper, oregano and thyme, mixed it up, then pureed it in the processor -- this was the olive-oil substitution so I made it as flavorful as possible.

Finally, I added the crumbs and 1/3 cup of the spinach puree to the beans (in a large bowl), mixed well, added back some of the reserved bean-cooking liquid, and tried not to "taste" too much of it -- it was really tasty. I refrigerated it overnight.

Back to Top