30 Days of Beans in September: Cheesy Beans and Rice

Today I tried to find something that was just easy to make.  I have tried several recipes from Damn Delicious that I have really liked, but this one was not one of them.  Don't get me wrong.  It is easy and tastes fine, but it isn't great.  But, if quick and easy is what you want, then you may want to try it.  It is so simple to make and get ready in no time.  

It has been fun to try a lot of different recipes with beans.  Some were fantastic and some weren't so great.  But, variety is nice and this has been a fun challenge.  Most of the recipes turned out well and we really enjoyed them.  The one thing I have taken away from all of this is that it really is easy to eat beans on a regular basis.  They are full of nutrition and there are so many good recipes out there to make with beans.

30 Days of Beans in September: Black Bean Brownies

Oh. My. Brownies. These are absolutely amazing. I've been a doubter about beans in desserts. No longer. I have been converted and seen the light. I made them with low expectations and even substituted applesauce for the oil to make them healthier. No joke: I ate half the pan of brownies! They were warm and fudgy and gooey chocolate heaven. I couldn't even taste the beans and would never have guessed they were there. Now to make them again and eat them a la mode...

30 Days of Beans in September: White Bean and Tuna Salad

 I chose this recipe because I wanted to make something really fast today, since I had a lot of other things I had to do.  There was no cooking, so it was perfect.  But, I must confess that I didn't like this one at all.  I won't ever make it again.  Some of my favorite recipes are from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She really does a wonderful job and I can always turn to her website for something good to make.  But, the combination of tuna and beans didn't work for me.  You may like it though.  After I took the picture, my husband took the tuna salad and added lots of mayonnaise.  I guess we are used to having tuna with mayo instead of lemon and oil.  I am very glad I tried it though, just because it is good to try new things, even though sometimes they don't end up being a favorite.  

30 Days of Beans in September: Creamy Black Bean Taco Soup

 This recipe was definitely a keeper.  It is basically what the title says:  a creamy taco soup.  I had some half and half that I wanted to use up, so I used that instead of milk and it was really good.  It was easy to make as well.  I will make this one again.  The family really liked it.  

30 Days of Beans in September: Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Tonight was Mexican food night in our house and I needed a side to go with the salsa chicken. This quinoa salad provided some healthy extra protein as well as using up the extra black beans in my fridge. I left out the cayenne pepper (to cater to kid palates) but highly recommend adding the cilantro. It was just the right touch for the dish. I plan to eat the leftovers in lettuce leaves tomorrow. Yum!

30 Days of Beans in September: Red Beans and Rice

 

We lived in Louisiana for a few years before coming up here to Montana.  While I was there, I learned to make some really good Red Beans and Rice.  I didn't think any other recipe could come close, but I tried one that did.  This recipe is SO good.  I am going to make it from now on, with a few modifications.  Now that I have told you how great it is, I can't find the recipe.  It isn't on the website I thought I saw it on, and I don't have a print out of it.  I will have to try to find it so I can make it again!  I started typing in my browser on my computer and it came up.  I am glad it did.  I soaked the beans before making the meal and I also cooked them a little bit on the stove.  I am new at cooking with an instant pot and old habits die hard.  But, at least I found it again.  The spice blend is fantastic and it has a little bit of a kick like it should.  

30 Days of Beans in September: Beefy Cheese Taco Bake

 I was going to do a a Freezer Beef and Bean Burrito recipe, but I didn't feel like making something with so many ingredients, so I went for a quick and easy recipe that my husband's mother made him when he was younger.  She would fry ground beef, mix in some refried beans and then put them inside of a tortilla with some cheese.  After you fold it so it doesn't spill out, you put a little salsa and cheese on top and bake it at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  It was so easy!!! And, they turned out really well.  It is nice when that happens and it brought back memories for my husband of growing up, which was the best thing of all.  Recipes don't have to be complicated to taste good.  

My husband's mother's birthday is today, so we are posting her recipe today on her birthday.  

30 Days of Beans in September: Turkey Taco Skillet

 

I had about 30 minutes today and decided to make a couple of recipes that had similar ingredients for the next two days of this challenge.  The first one was this Turkey Taco Skillet.  It was easy and tasted great.  I didn't have any chips in the house, which is because of my lack of self control when there are chips in the house, so I made a cup of rice and mixed it with the Taco Skillet after it was all cooked and before putting on the cheese.  My husband really liked it and so did I.  It is nice when a dinner is easy and tastes good.  

30 Days of Beans in September: Perfect Potato Soup with White Beans

 I tried this potato soup a few months ago.  It was pretty good, but not as good as my own.  I think it is good to try new recipes, even though sometimes they don't turn out as good as you would like.  But, this time I put some white beans in it and pureed the whole soup so no one would notice that there were any beans in it.  No one noticed.  The bacon flavor stands out so it doesn't really matter what else is in the soup!  The purpose of trying it was beans was just to see if I could get away with it and get additional healthy protein into my family.  It totally worked.  If you don't have a good potato soup, this one is a good one to start with.  You always have the freedom to tweak it the way you like.

30 Days of Beans in September: Baked Beans

 These baked beans have been in my husband's family for a long time.  His Aunt Sandra made them and we liked them so much that we got the recipe.  They are really good.  They are perfect for summer picnics and a perfect side along with potato salad when you have burgers.  It was fun to make them again for this monthly challenge.  I didn't have green pepper so I used my red and orange peppers.  It wasn't a problem at all.  If you like baked beans, it is definitely worth trying these.

30 Days of Beans in September: Quinoa Patties with Beans

 I am not much of a fan of quinoa, but I love these quinoa patties.    Because we are doing beans this month, I tried adding some mashed white beans to quinoa mix to see if it would work.  I used Great Northern beans only because I had used the other half of the can for some potato soup.  But, the fact that they were white made it so you couldn't really tell that there were any beans in the patties.  Pretty sneaky way to get kids to eat healthier food!  I was going to save the roll with the quinoa patty for my husband when he got home.  Then I thought I had better try it to make sure it tasted good.  Well, needless to say, I ended up eating it for a snack because I liked it so much.  Homemade bread and quinoa patty:  yummy combination.  I even ate another one without a roll.  I was honestly shocked that we liked these patties so much.  But, we do.  I bet you will too if you try making them!

30 Days of Beans in September: Turkish Red Lentil Soup

 I love this soup.  I tried it from Pick Up Limes, a website that shares recipes for vegans.  The recipes are dairy free and meat free.  I add cheese and sour cream because I think it tastes better, but this soup is good on its own.  Anyway, when we had company last month, little Charlie love this soup.  He is only 1 year old, but he really loved it.  I am not a lentil-friendly person, but these red lentils are easy to eat.  So much better in my mind than eating brown lentils.  It is an inexpensive, yet flavorful soup.  So, for those on a tight budget, it is a great recipe to make and it tastes good!  

30 Days of Beans in September: Peanut Butter Cookies

 

I mentioned in an earlier post, that peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts like most people think.  So, I thought I would include a post with my favorite "legume" cookie.  I don't usually like peanut butter cookies, but this recipe is so good.  Of course, the day I make them I didn't use quite enough flour so they turned out flatter than normal.  I also overcooked them a minute or two, but I decided to use the picture anyway.  They still taste fantastic, even will my mishaps.  It is kind of like when your kids does something really cute, and then when you want them to show off, they won't do it.  

Once you try these cookies, you will never go back to any other peanut butter cookie recipe.  And, if you aren't a fan of peanut butter cookies, like I used to be, this recipe will change your mind.  The hint of almond in them is the reason why they are so good.  

What did the peanut say when he was insulted by another peanut?

'' You just got ROASTED ''

30 Days of Beans in September: Frito Lay Casserole

This dinner is one I made up with ingredients I had on hand. It requires a bit of planning ahead, unless you want to use cooked, shredded chicken OR have an Instant Pot and can pressure cook the chicken.

1-2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (or cooked shredded chicken)

1 cup salsa

2 cups Fritos    

1 15 oz. can of black beans

1 15 oz. can of corn

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Slow cook chicken and salsa for 3-4 hours, until chicken is completely cooked. Alternately, just mix the salsa with already cooked shredded chicken. Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Put Fritos into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer black beans, corn, tomatoes, and then chicken on top of the chips. Cook for 20 minutes, then add the cheese on top and return to oven till cheese melts.

30 Days of Beans in September: White Bean Blondies

I had some leftover black-eyed peas and found a recipe for bean blondies. I followed it rather loosely, which may have been the reason it didn't turn out as nicely as I'd hoped. I like that recipe calls for honey instead of sugar so I feel like I'm eating healthier! I used black-eyed peas instead of great northern beans, substituted 1/2 tsp of almond extract for 1 tsp of vanilla, chocolate chips instead of vanilla chips, and coconut oil instead of butter. Even after cooking for an extra 25 minutes, the blondies were still extremely gooey. I let them cool and then ate one with ice cream. It was still very squishy but made a good ice cream topping. After letting the rest chill overnight, I gave pieces to my kids at lunch. They really liked them, so at least that was a win, but I don't plan to make this recipe again. 

30 Day of Beans in September: Tex-Mex Casserole

 

This black-eyed pea casserole is not only vegetarian but healthy too. I served it with whole romaine lettuce leaves instead of chips or tortillas. It made very good lettuce wraps. I adjusted the recipe slightly and added a can of corn as well as some extra cumin.  

30 Days of Beans in September: Split Pea Soup

 

Split pea soup used to take hours to make in my slow cooker. Now, thanks to my trusty Instant Pot, I can have it ready in under an hour. Pair it with buttermilk biscuits or rolls for a kid-friendly, healthy dinner.

30 Days of Beans in September: Lasagna Soup

 

This was another good recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron.  I had some stew meat and needed a recipe to use it in.  Because I had all of the other ingredients on hand, this ended up being my choice.  I chopped up the stew meat and substituted it for the hamburger.  This recipe tasted really good, especially with the tortellini in it.  I will definitely make it again.  I tasted it first and then I added a can of beans to see if it would work.  I must admit that I did like it a little better without the beans, but it tasted great either way.  The beans just add some good nutrition.  Plus, the spices are strong so adding some beans didn't cause too much trouble.  This is definitely a must try for those who enjoy Italian food.  

Why should you always invest into the bean market?

The stalks can only go up

30 Days of Beans in September: Crockpot Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup

 

I found this recipe when I was looking for a different one.  It had beans in it so I decided to make it again.  My husband and our friends really liked it.  The title is very long, but it is an easy soup to make and I already had some cooked chicken in the fridge to use.  I cut back on the chicken, like I usually do and use more beans instead.  

I really like a lot of the recipes from Chelsea's Messy Apron.  She spices things well.  Her peanut butter cookies are the best I have had with the addition of a little almond flavoring that is great.  Peanuts are a legume officially instead of a nut like most people think, so maybe that would work for another day.  Maybe that's pushing it a bit.  

Here's the bean joke today:

I just got kicked out of a secret cooking society.

I spilled the beans.

30 Days of Beans in September: Creamy White Chili

 

This is my all time favorite Chicken Chili.  It has won a couple of awards for best chili and is also know by some as "Happy Husband Chili".  All I can say is that you will not be disappointed.  It is easy to make and has beans, which is why it is spotlighted for this month.  I usually cut back on the chicken and add extra beans.  It is just wonderful.  That is all I can say!!!

"What do you call the guy who guards the bean factory?

Fiber Security.