Real Food for Life » beans

CHILI CON VEGIE

Diana — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:37:12 +0000

Here is my version of Chili, which is always enjoyed whenever I make it.

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

½ mushrooms, sliced

1 – 3 cloves garlic

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. coriander

1 tsp. oregano

¼ – 1 tsp cayenne pepper*

1 tsp paprika

3 carrots, thinly sliced

3 cups cooked kidney beans and water (cook according to recipe: http://realfoodforlife.com/cooking-beans/)

4 tbsp. soya sauce

1 green pepper, sliced

3 tomatoes, chopped

Directions:

Sauté onion, mushrooms, garlic, cumin, coriander and oregano.
Add carrots, cooked kidney beans with 1 cup of the bean water, soya sauce and green pepper.
Cook till vegetables are tender.
Add tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and paprika.
Cook on medium heat until thick like consistency of gravy, adding more water if necessary.

* Cayenne is easier on the digestive system then chili and there is lots of literature saying it is very good for one’s health. But you could use Chili powder or fresh chopped chilies. I actually make this without any pepper as that is my preference but when I put the recipe together I new that the people I was making it for would have been very disappointed had there been no heat in the Chili!

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Cooking with Beans

Diana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:34:20 +0000

I am quite fastidious about the way beans are cooked as I do not like experiencing the common thing we all associate beans with GAS! So here is what I do.

Cooking Beans & Lentils

Ingredients:
Dried beans or lentils
Water

Directions:
  1.  Wash beans in cold water and soak overnight in three times the volume of water.
2.  Next day, pour off the water.
3.  Place beans in a pot and cover with water 1 inch above the level of the beans.
4.  Bring to a boil.
5.  Let simmer with lid ajar.
6.  Skim off the foam.
7.  Add more water if necessary, as the beans should always be covered with water while cooking.
8.  Cooking time will vary according to the type, size, and age of the bean.
9.  Most beans will need approximately 2 hours cooking time.
10.  Beans should be soft. This is the stage that you can salt and other seasonings. Do not add salt while cooking as above.

Adzuki Vegetable Bean Stew

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
3 sticks of celery, sliced
1 zucchini, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 – 5 garlic cloves, minced
1- 2 inches of fresh ginger, chopped
1 1/2 cups adzuki beans
3 pieces of Wakame Seaweed, rinsed and broken into pieces
2 – 6 tbsp. Tamari
Few drops of stevia (optional)

Directions:
1.    Cook adzuki beans for 1 – 2 hours (time is dependant on the age of the beans) according to recipe titled ‘How to COOK BEANS’ above.
2.    When beans are soft, add Wakame and cook for another few minutes.
3.    Then add onions, celery, zucchini, carrots, ginger and garlic.
4.    Simmer for ½ hour or till vegetables are tender.
5.    Add Tamari to taste and a few drops of stevia.
6.    Serve with a whole grain.

Check out the Nutrition Facts on a Serving Size 1/4 cup (48g) of Adzuki beans!

Calories 160                  Protein 11g
Total Fat 0.5g               Potassium 600mg
Dietary Fiber 6g            Sugars 0g
Total Carbohydrate 29g

For Vegan Chili recipe: http://realfoodforlife.com/veganchili/

Healthy Party Dips

Diana — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:36:27 +0000

So many of the dips that I find at parties are full of unhealthy ingredients. These two are full of healthy ingredients, chemical free, sugar free, dairy free, gluten free….and very delicious,

What I like about this raw avocado dip is that it is full of vegetables; adding the celery makes it crunchy and not so rich…healthier.

AVOCADO VEGETABLE DIP

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, peeled & pitted
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 – 2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tomato, chopped
Spike Salt to taste

Directions:
1.   Mash avocado.
2.   Add celery and lemon juice and mix in well.
3.   Gently mix in chopped tomato.
4.   Season with Spike salt to taste.
5.   Place in serving bowl on a plate surround with cucumber rounds, slices of radishes and corn chips.

This is a creamy dip that is also dairy free.

BUTTER BEAN DIP

Ingredients:
1 cup Butter beans (cooked)
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
Salt to taste
A few sprigs of fresh Parsley chopped
Olives & Watercress or Parsley for garnish

Directions:
1.   Mash butter beans until smooth and creamy.*
2.   Add rest of ingredients.
3.   Mix together until well blended.
4.   Adjust seasoning to taste (salt, Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic)
5.   Put into a decorative bowl and garnish with olives & watercress.
6.   Serve with corn chips or whole meal crackers.
* you could use a blender, when I developed this recipe I did not have one by choice!