Posts Tagged ‘beans’

Sunday night was the perfect night to grill out here in Chicago! I had put a slab of ribs in the fridge to marinade Saturday afternoon, but this was not your typical marinade. Per a recipe in Cook This Not That, I used Dr. Pepper soda to marinate my ribs! I thought this was such a clever and unique idea that of course I had to try it!

Here’s what you do:

Ingredients:

• 1 slab baby back ribs
• 1 (2 liter) bottle Dr Pepper (I used Diet)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 onion, minced (I used 3 purplette onions from the farmers market)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp apple cider
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Place ribs in a deep baking dish and pour enough soda over them to cover (save at least 1/2 cup for barbeque sauce). Add 1/8 cup salt and soak overnight. Preheat oven to 350*F. Remove ribs, pat dry, and sprinkle with chili powder. Discard marinade and return ribs to empty baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 2 hours.

To make the barbeque sauce heat oil in a skillet, and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, cayenne, and 1/2 cup soda. Simmer for 15 minutes until sauce thickens. If you do not want to make your own barbeque sauce you can just as easily use a store bought one instead to save time.

Heat grill. Brush ribs with barbeque sauce and grill for 10-15 minutes, rib side down. Flip over and cook other side until lightly charred and smoky. Remove from grill and brush with more sauce before serving. I used up all of my sauce before grilling so had to use some extra store bought barbeque sauce for the last step. Next time I might double the sauce recipe to ensure I have some left over!

I served the ribs with some grilled corn, chips and fresh salsa made earlier that afternoon, and some homemade baked beans (see recipe below). The beans were fantastic, I couldn’t get enough of them! This recipe of course was derived from a recipe in Cook This Not That! I’m telling you, this book has it all!

Ingredients:

• 4 strips turkey bacon, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (you can also use 2 cans kidney beans instead)
• 1 cup beer (a dark beer is preferred but if all you have on hand is light, that will work too!)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Stir in beans, beer, ketchup, chili powder, brown sugar, and cayenne. Simmer until sauce thickens (about 15 minutes).

I love summertime grilling! What’s you favorite meal to throw on the backyard grill?

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Its finally summer, and nothing says summer like pasta salad! With being out of town and starting up my dietetic internship I feel like I haven’t cooked in ages! Pesto Gnocchi Pasta Salad was the perfect solution for dinner. I took this recipe from Cook This Not That; I used store-bought pesto from Whole Foods and leftover whole wheat gnocchi that I had made a month or so ago.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb green beans
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 16 oz gnocchi
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella (cut into bite-size cubes)

Boil water in a large pot and cook gnocchi until they float to the top of the water (about 5 minutes). Drain and set aside. In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add green beans and cook for 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes until veggies are slightly browned and cooked. Add gnocchi, mozzarella, and pesto to vegetables and mix well. Garnish with freshly grates Parmesan cheese if desired and serve!

Use this recipe as a dinner meal or a perfect side dish for your next picnic or cook-out! What’s your favorite pasta salad recipe? Share your recipe with Eat Chic!

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Continuing with my love for Bob’s Red Mill products, I decided to try the 13 Bean Soup Mix this weekend to make a delicious winter chili.

Beans should be a staple in everyone’s diet. They are high in fiber, loaded with protein, and have no cholesterol. Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix contains a mixture of navy beans, black beans, red beans, pinto beans, baby lima beans, large lima beans, garbanzo beans, red lentils, great northern beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, yellow split peas, green split peas, and lentils. There is no seasoning added to this bean mix so you can use it to make any recipe you’d like!

Ingredients

• 3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 8oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 3 cups kale, chopped (optional)
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight. Place beans in large saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for 2 hours until beans are soft. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion, garlic, kale, and spices. Simmer for 1 hour. You can also add ground beef to this recipe if desired. Serve with this killer corn muffin recipe and enjoy on a cold winter day!

I am still contemplating what to make with all of the extra beans I soaked. Any ideas?

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 4-5 cups arugula
• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• Lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 19-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups shredded red cabbage
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

To make pesto, toast sunflower seeds in dry skillet until lightly browned. Put seeds, arugula, oil, lemon juice, and garlic cloves in food processor. Process until smooth. To make the salad, combine beans, cabbage, and onions in a large bowl. Add 3-4 Tbsp of the pesto and toss to coat. Let sit for 15-30 minutes for flavors to mix.

Enjoy as is or atop French bread as a great appetizer! Save extra pesto for future use; spread it on a sandwich or mix it in with pasta for a quick dinner!

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I made these for a delicious healthy snack to nibble on during the Bear’s game tonight! Over the weekend I soaked and cooked a bunch of dried garbanzo beans in preparation for this recipe, but you can just as easily use canned beans for convenience.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups garbanzo beans
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp spice mixture
• 1 tsp salt

The spice mixture is a combination of:

• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine beans, oil, salt and spices in large bowl. Stir to coat. Spread on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Allow to cool a bit on pan to increase crispiness. Sprinkle with a pinch more of salt if desired. Eat plain or combined with your favorite nuts or snack mix!

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