All Entries in the "Bean" Category
Creamy Bean Soup with Fresh Herbs and Spinach
The next dish which the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors made is a bean soup. Soup is comfort food especially in the colder fall and winter. This bean soup is adapted from Cara Brunetti Hillyard and it serves 6. Chris and Paul made this soup.
Chris and Paul made two versions of this bean soup. One is the creamy version while another is the broth version. The creamy version is smooth while the broth version has more texture to it. The soup is very filing too with the beans as a source of protein.
Quinoa Salad with Mango and Black Beans
The last salad item in the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors salad cook off was Quinoa Salad with Mango and Black Bean. You can use quinoa as a substitute for rice, or mix it with chopped vegetables, nuts, or dried fruit for a salad. One thing to remember when using quinoa is to wash it thoroughly before cooking. This is because each grain has a naturally bitter coating called “saponin” that needs to be rinsed off.
Jane (also a new member of the cooking club) and Karen prepared this salad which serves 6.
This yellow and red high protein grain is easy to cook and has a moist, fluffy texture.
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons rice, cider, or wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Salad:
- 5 cups cooked quinoa (see above)
- 2 mangoes, diced
- 1 large red pepper, diced
- 1/2 jalapeno, finely minced
- 1/2 cup green onions, finely sliced
- 1 can black beans
Turkey Black Bean Chili
Minoo made a Turkey Black Bean Chili in the South Arm Community Kitchen. I had blogged about 3 other chili recipes here:
Chili is a very versatile dish. You can serve it on it’s own or serve it with bread, noodles or rice. It’s an almost complete meal by itself as it has protein from the meat and beans, and fiber and vitamins from all the vegetables in it.
You can double the recipe to freeze the leftovers in single portion containers or ziplock bags for days that you dont feel like cooking. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on low heat on the stove.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lb ground turkey or chicken
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (28oz/796ml) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (19oz/540ml) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small zucchini, cubed
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 cup minced fresh coriander or parsley
- sour cream and sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
This recipe is adapted from Canadian Living.
Tex-Mex Bean Salad with Creamy Salsa Dressing
This is one of none Danish dish which the seniors made for the Christmas celebration. It’s called Tex-Mex Bean Salad with Creamy Salad Dressing. It’s kind of Mexican. Christina and June were in-charged of making this salad.
The Tex-Mex Bean Salad is great for potluck but it is advisable to assemble the salad just before serving. This is especially so for the tortilla chips so that they wont get soggy by the salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 3 tablespoons light sour cream
- 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar
- 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or you can prepare your own black bean from dry ones)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels (or can ones)
- 1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 24 baked low-fat tortilla chips
- 1/2 cup cubed cheese (pepperjack or cheddar)
To store the leftover half of the avocado, sprinkle the cut flesh with lemon or lime juice or white vinegar. Place it in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 days.
Click on Read More for the instructions.
Kidney Bean Casserole
Andrea made two German dishes in the South Arm Community Kitchen. It’s been a while since Andrea demonstrated after she gave birth to a beautiful girl. It is so amazing that we watched Andrea’s tummy grew and now watching her little girl grows. One good thing about the South Arm Community Kitchen is that it provides baby sitting facility. Mums with young toddlers can still participate in this kitchen.
Andrea first dish is called Kidney Bean Casserole. This casserole is great for potluck. You may serve this casserole with a salad and you’ve got a complete meal.
The top layer of potatoes has a glutinous texture. The Kidney Bean Casserole is very filing.
Ingredients
- 500g potatoes, peeled (or thoroughly scrubbed), grated
- 400g kidney bean in cans
- 500g onions, sliced
- 100g bacon, cubed
- 300g ground beef or pork
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 egg
- bunch of parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh or dried rosemary, finely chopped
- butter to grease baking dish
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
Quinoa is 100% whole grain and is close to being a perfect food source. Technically it’s not a grain but the seed of a leafy plant related to spinach. Quinoa is an excellent source of protein. A 1/4 cup of Quinoa has a nutritional value of 30g carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 1g sugar, 5g protein equivalent to 12 to 18%), 3g fat and 5mg sodium. According to the National Academy of Sciences, Quinoa is “one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom”.
Quinoa contains the amino acid lysine which helps the body to produce protein. The World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in Quinoa to be equivalent or superior to that found in milk products. Therefore, Quinoa is a good source of protein for those who are allergic to cows milk.
Quinoa has been one of the primary foods of the Inca Indians for more than 5000 years. The Incas referred to Quinoa as “Mother Grain”. Most Quinoa is grown in the Andes in South America. Some Quinoa is now being grown in the Colorado Rockies. The fact that Quinoa will grow in extremely poor soil together with its great nutritional value makes it a true super grain to feed the world. However, it is still not a common food that you can find in the supermarket. Minoo bought this 1 kg pack of organic Quinoa from Galloway for $12. Someone in the kitchen told us that you can find Quinoa in the bulk section of Save-On-Foods.
The Quinoa and Black Bean Salad is absolutely great. The Quinoa has a nutty, smoky flavour and is less filling than other grains and pastas.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black bean, rinsed if canned (you may substitute black bean with red asuki bean)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked corn
- 3/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
- 1 jalapeno chili, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or parsley
Dressing:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 5 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Click on the link below for the instructions.
Turkey Chili
The second dish which Minoo demonstrated from the book Deceptively Delicious was called Turkey Chili with red pepper and carrot. Minoo substituted the lean ground turkey with lean ground beef as she was not able to find ground turkey when she did the groceries shopping for the ingredients. Minoo also used the real pepper and carrot instead of puree as in the original recipe as there is no children in the community kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 lb ground lean turkey or beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (15 oz) can chopped tomatoes
- 1 (26 oz) carton reduced fat low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup red pepper puree (we used 1 cup chopped red pepper)
- 1/2 cup carrot puree (we used 1 cup chopped carrot)
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Click on the link below for the instructions.
