Gallo Pinto (Beans and Rice)

Nanzaro learned to enjoy this beans and rice dish while he was on a school humanitarian trip to Costa Rica in spring this year.

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The rice did not turn out as black as those Nanzaro had in Costa Rica. I used a mixture of chicken broth and the liquid from cooking the black beans to cook the rice. Perhaps I should use only the cooking liquid from the beans to gives the rice more colour.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of dried black beans, soak in water overnight (or use canned ones for simplicity)
  • a small bunch of cilantro, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red or yellow sweet pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups dry whilte rice (I used basmati rice); do not wash
  • 3 cups of chicken stock or liquid from cooking the beans
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying the Gallo Pinto

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Missing from the ingredients is the black bean.

P/S: the cup I used to measure the rice and cooking liquid is the cup that came with a rice cooker. It is smaller than the regular measuring cup.

Source: Nanzaro found the recipe for me from the internet.

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Quinoa Black Bean Salad Spiced with Cumin

The second recipe made in the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen is a high fiber salad.

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The Quinoa Black Beans Salad Spiced with Cumin is filing and nutritious.

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This salad is high in protein as 1 cup of black beans has 13g of dietary fiber.

Minoo shared with us some facts and nutritional values of quinoa in the kitchen. I had blogged about it here.

1/4 cup of quinoa has:

  • 170g calories
  • 3g fat
  • 5mg sodium
  • 30g carbohydrate
  • 3g dietary fiber
  • 1g sugar
  • 5g protein

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup corn kernels (frozen or from can)
  • 2 x 15 ounces (540ml) cans black beans
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil or more for drizzling on the salad
  • chili powder for garnishing, optional

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Source: via Minoo

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Black Bean Mango Salad

For the last kitchen of the season, the South Arm Seniors’ Kitchen decided to have a BBQ theme. Unfortunately, the weather was not as warm as desired, so, we prepared the food indoor instead of an outdoor BBQ.

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The first recipe is a Black Bean Mango Salad. The twist to this pretty common salad is the use of BBQ sauce as dressing. It seemed to be a weird combination but it turned out really great.

Ingredients

  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/3 cups Peaches & Cream corn (we used frozen corn)
  • 1/2 yellow peppers, diced
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 1 ripe mango, diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/3 cup barbecue sauce (spicy preferred)
  • 1 lime, juiced

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Source: via Colleen

Serves 8

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Black Bean Soup with Citrus Fruit

The next Mexican inspired recipe is a Black Bean Soup with Citrus Fruit.

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This is high fiber soup. It is tasty and filing.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 orange
  • 1/2 lime
Garnishing:
  • 1 lime cut into 4 wedges
  • 4 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream (optional)
  • 2 green onions, chopped

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Source: via Colleen

Yield 4 servings

P/S: we doubled the recipe in the kitchen

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Spiced Squash and Corn Chili

The second dish prepared by the seniors at the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors is a vegetarian chili dish. This is a healthy and hearty dish for the cold winter.

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The Spiced Squash and Corn Chili has a little kick in it and it utilizes butternut squash which is in season. The addition of walnuts adds a little crunch to the chili.

Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, C and E, manganese, magnesium and potassium.

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 small butternut squash, about 4 cups
  • 2 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder or according to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper or according to taste
  • 1 tablespoon coriander and ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon and allspice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chili flakes or according to taste
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika or according to taste
  • 3 bell peppers, mix colors, chopped
  • 1 can corn nibblets
  • 2 cans black beans
  • 1 cup walnuts (optional)

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Source: unknown

Serves 8 to 12

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Venezuelan Cuisine: Sauteed Black Beans (Caraotas Negras Fritas)

The third element in the Pabellon Criollo dish (Venezuelan’s national dish) is black beans. If you want to learn more about bean, check out the post ”All About Beans’ here.

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Maria prefers her Caraotas Negras Fritas to be sauteed to almost dry and not soggy.

Ingredients

  • 1 large can black beans
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • oil for sauteeing
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Source: Maria

Prep time: 15 minutes;  Cook time: 20 minutes;  Serve 4 to 6

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Black Bean Enchiladas

With beans in mind, Minoo selected a couple of Mexican recipes which has beans in the ingredients for the community kitchen at Gilmore Park Church.

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The first item is Black Bean Enchiladas. This is very filing and a great vegetarian alternatives.

Ingredients

  • 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 diced bell pepper
  • 1 green chiles, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 14 to 16 tortillas
  • 2 cans Enchilada sauce (or substitute one can with salsa)
  • salt and pepper to taste

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Source: unknown

Prep time: 30 minutes;  Bake time: 15 minutes;  Serves 7 to 8

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How To Make Lime Spiked Black Bean Dip

The next dip which Minoo made in the South Arm Community Kitchen is Lime Spiked Black Bean Dip. This dip is very easy to make and perfect for any casual gathering.

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The Lime Spiked Black Bean Dip tastes best at room temperature. This recipe is adapted from myrecipe.com.

Prep time: 15 minutes; Standing time: 30 minutes;  Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 x 15 ounces cans black beans
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeeze lime juice, about 2 limes (we substituted with lemon juice)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper or cayenne

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Classic Texas Caviar

During the holiday season, we are often greeted with party food which are high in salt, fat and sugar.  This Classic Texas Caviar is a wonderful appetizer for potluck as it feeds a crowd.  It is very filling and flavourful, and full of healthy protein and fiber.

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The Classic Texas Caviar recipe is adapted from Pam Anderson and it serves a large party.  Ken and Frank made this healthy appetizer.  Ken and Frank are the oldest seniors in the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors.  Can you guess their age?

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Ken and Frank are two of the active members of the cooking club.  Check back the next post to see if you guess their age right?

Ingredients

  • 2 (15.8 ounce) cans black-eyed peas or black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and minced, optional
  • 1 small onion, cut into small dice
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

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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.

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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

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