Bean Puree and Kale Stir Fry

I love beans but am tired of opening a can to weird slimy textured stuff. After years of reading about the cost effectiveness and improved taste of home prepared dried beans, I had to try it. I had been daunted. It takes time to prepare beans, more time than I thought I had. Who has time to soak beans over night and then three hours cook them?

Not me.

Not until I started watching some of Mark Bittman's NY Times videos, praising to the high heavens, home cooked beans. He is one of my favorite cook book authors; he makes cooking simple and accessible. He convinced me that I did not need to soak the beans. An overnight soak may cut cooking time by 30 minutes.

An hour and a half later, I had perfectly texture salted beans. It was a low effort low attention preparation too, meaning for those that multi-task, you can work on other home activities! Bonus. The trick is to make a lot, more than one serving, and to freeze whatever you don't expect to use in the next few days. So I now have eight cups of beans in four quart sized bags. Now, I just need to know what I'm going to cook on any given day so that I can have the where with all to bring out one of those bags to defrost!

After preparing, you can either freeze them in their juice or store them in the fridge for 3-6 days. Two days later, I made bean puree which truly rivals mashed potatoes. They are just as tasty, if not tastier, and so much healthier. These will not make your glycemic index shoot through the roof.

I decided to pair the bean puree with a wonderful kale stir fry. I'm on a kale kick since it's one of those bang for your buck foods. Healthful and value laden in so many ways. The only modification I made is that I added the bread crumbs at the end. I pushed the kale to one side of the pan, dropped a tiny bit of olive oil, and then toasted the bread crumbs so that they were brown and crispy, and then proceeded to mix in the kale. This dish was a hit. Combined with the bean puree, you have very healthy comfort food!

Basic Beans from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients

-Any quantity of dried beans

-Salt

-Water

Preparation

1. Place beans in large port with water to cover. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil; skim foam if necessary. Turn heat down so the beans simmer. Cover loosely.

2. Cook stirring occasionally, until the beans begin to become tender; add about 1 tsp salter per 1/2 pound of beans, or to taste.

3. Continue to cook, stirring gently, until beans are as tender as you lik; add additional water if necessary. Drain and serve, or use in other recipes, or store covered, in their cooking liquid, in the fridge (3 days) or freezer (3 months).

I checked on the beans every 30 minutes. Different beans, even of the same type, cook differently depending on how old they are etc. One night, I cooked one white bean and after 30 minutes, they were still very very firm. Another night, I tried another white beans, and after 30 minutes, they were tender. So watch out so you can control texture.

White Bean Puree

Makes 4 servings

Time: 10 minutes with precooked beans

Ingredients

-3 cups drained cooked or canned navy or other white bean

-1 cup bean cooking liquid, or chicken, beef, or vegetable broth

-3 T butter

-Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Puree the beans by putting the through a food mill or using a blender (I have a great blender but found that the food processor is best); add as much liquid as you need to make a smooth but not water puree

2. Place in microwave-proof dish or medium non-stick pan along with the butter. Heat gently until the butter melts and the beans are hot; season with salt and pepper.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Parsley, and Bread Crumbs

This is a quick easy dish made with ingredients easily found around your home.  I liked it though I think it would taste better with home grown parsley as opposed to store bought since the scent was not there.  Would make it again, probably with more parsley.

Ingredients

- 1 pound spaghetti (substituted penne)

- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (reduced to 1/4 cup)

- 4 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

- 1/2 cup mixed freshly grated Parmesan and pecorino Romano (I only used Parmesan)

- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs crisped in 1 T olive oil

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water.  Meanwhile, warm the oil with the garlic and pepper flakes in a wide skillet over medium heat.  As soon as the garlic starts to color, remove from the heat.

Drain the spaghetti, shaking off excess water, and put it in a warmed pasta bowl.  Pour the mixture over the top and toss with parsley and cheese.  Taste fro salt, season with pepper, and serve with bread crumbs scattered on top.

Red Peppers Stuffed with Corn and Fresh Mozzarella

Bell peppers are naturally abundant in August which inspired me to make this dish which I found in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I went to my local farmer's market where I spent a rather leisurely Saturday morning perusing all the produce twice before making purchases for this dish. It's amazing the little tidbits you learn about produce and the farms they grow on. I love the stories people have to share. I also love all samples; I was stuffed by the time I finished shopping.

When I read the recipe it seemed like a lot of stuffing for just 2 peppers but I used almost every single morsel of stuffing. Those peppers have bottomless pits. There was probably about a half a cup left after stuffing all the peppers. The stuffing alone could be a meal in of itself. Quick, simple, easy, and delicious; this recipe uses some of summers finest ingredients (except the garlic pictured).

My taste tester and I disagreed on the salt level of the dish. When I tasted the filling, I felt that it had enough salt from the cheese so I didn't add any as Madison's book suggests. But after eating one of the peppers in the final stage, I felt that I should have added a bit of salt to enhance the flavor. But the taste tester thought the salt level was perfect. I say add the salt but taste the filling first, after it's cooled a bit.

Makes 2-4 servings
Cooking Time: 30 minutes, Prep is about 15

Ingredients
-2 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise
-2 T butter
-1 bunch scallions, including the firm greens, thinly sliced
-2 1/2 to 3 cups kernels from 5 ears of corn (common on, Deborah! Too much work. I used frozen)
-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (skipped the peeling, etc.)
-1 fresh mozzarella cheese, 4 to 5 ounces, finely diced, or 1 cup grated Cheddar or Jack (used Jack)
-2 T finely sliced basil leaves
-2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
-Salt and pepper
-Paprika

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the peppers. If the red peppers won't stand upright, slice them lengthwise in half, leaving the stem end intact. Steam them for 5 minutes and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the scallions, corn, and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn of heat and stir in the cheese, basil, and half the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the peppers and top with the remaining bread crumbs. Set them in the prepared dish, add a few tablespoons water to the dish, cover, and bake until the corn is hot and peppers are cooked, about 25 minutes. Uncover and brown the tops under the broiler. Dust with paprika and serve.

Now get out and enjoy your local farmer's market.

KM, you were "by my side" while I shopped. Te pierdo.