Jamaican Black Bean Stew

Jamaican Black Bean Stew

One of my new favorites! This unusual (unless you eat a lot of Jamaican food) dish has some interesting foods paired together. It is fresh, light, delicious, healthy and easy! What more could you want. I was going to wait to post until I made another batch and could post a picture, but I can't withhold such a fabulous recipe until them.

2 C. uncooked brown rice
2 lbs. sweet potatoes
3 pounds butternut squash
1 can vegetable broth (14 ounces)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (I used black)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup raisins (I used more!)
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 cup diced tomato
1 cup diced peeled cucumber

1. Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, peel sweet potatoes; cut into 3/4 inch chunks to measure 4 cups. Peel squash; remove seeds. Cut into 3/4 inch cubes to measure 5 cups.
2. Combine sweet potatoes, squash, broth, onion, garlic, curry powder, allspice, red pepper and salt in Dutch oven (or stock pot). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes and squash are tender. Add beans and raisins; simmer 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir in lime juice.
3. Serve stew over brown rice; top with tomato and cucumber.

Bean Brownies....

Doesn't that sound scrumptious?!! Well, they are. And, since I was added as an author just so that I could add this, here goes:

1 Brownie mix (any variety will work, I'm sure -- I usually use Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines -- my favorites are the kind with chocolate chips in the mix)

1 can of unseasoned beans, I prefer navy or black, but you can use any variety, from what I've read -- dump the beans, undrained, into the blender. Puree them until they are as smooth as you can get them. (They will still have some texture and that's okay.)

Now, make the brownies according to the box directions, EXCEPT, use your new bean puree in place of the oil... if the recipe says 1/2 cup oil, use 1/2 cup beans. I also use just the egg whites to lower the fat and cholesterol a little more.

I cook them at the temp on the box, but short the cooking time by a LOT. I usually start with 10 to 15 minutes and add 2-5 minutes at a time. You want them to be very underdone or they are really dry. Most of the time, I find they are best after about 18 minutes -- it just depends on the size of the pan. I have also found that cook more evenly, if they are thinner.

I did read on one blog, as I was looking for ways to use beans in recipes, that if you use 1/2 the oil and 1/2 beans, you get a much more normal brownie texture. Personally, I prefer just undercooking them.

I have also used this in cake mixes and it works just as well. Just match the bean color to the mix color. One can of beans is enough for about 3 mixes. I usually make all of them into cupcakes and freeze a bunch, so I don't have to bake so often. Again, short the cooking time dramatically! The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

So, there you have it! A super easy, sneaky way to add a great food to dessert and still have something any normal child (or adult) will eat. (And it makes a brownie much less damaging to your health...) At our house, we don't even have to keep it a secret. We call them "Bean Brownies" and all five of our kids love them!

Southwest Tuna and Black beans

Good ole Betty Crocker quick, pantry meal. Serve with rice and your favorite corn bread recipe.
Also can be used as a burrito filling.
Southwest Tuna and Black Beans
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 C.)
1 chili, chopped or 1/4 C. canned green chilis
1 Tbsp. grated lime peel
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 medium tomato, chopped (or more)
2 cans (15 ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (6 ounce) white tuna in water, rinsed and drained
1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, chili and garlic in oil about 2 minutes, stirring constantly until onion is softened.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.

Bean Week in Indiana

Maybe it's that we're still experiencing sub-zero wind chills this week that beans are still a big part of our meals. Winter just keeps coming back, so perhaps we need a week of frijoles to get sick of them to truly get ready for all things spring. Our culinary week begins on Monday and tonight, we had Huevos Rancheros (as pictured). Later this week we'll have the following (I'll hyperlink some of the meals to what I can find online):

• Tom Ka Gai
• Pasta with Lentils and Arugula
• White Bean and Kale Soup
• Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
• Sweet & Sour Mixed Bean Hot Pot

I think we're set for the week. You can see that Mothering Magazine and Martha Stewart really represented this week. Also in the menu is a reuben festival of sorts this week with some friends, so if any of you have made rye bread or know of any kind of reuben additions, please let us know.