Black Bean Burgers

Hello everyone! Long time, no see, eh? I know I've been really absent from this little 'ole blog for a long time. For some of that time, I've had what I consider to be a good excuse. A certain little bean kept me sick for awhile! {Well, perhaps I shouldn't say it's our bean's fault because he didn't exactly make me sick but the hormones associated with said bean sure did.} This little bean is totally worth it but I have to admit that it's really nice to like food again. :)

And now I'm back. Hopefully. I have a bunch of recipes to share and post so I'm going to get on it and start them coming. It's a good thing you've had Tierra around to help give you some new ideas! I can't promise that all of my recipes will be health conscious like Tierra's have been. In fact, if eating sugary, delicious food were a sin, some of mine would be downright sinful. But I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Today's recipe is actually healthy and so delicious! We love this recipe and it's a really nice substitute for the full of fat hamburgers usually found on a bun. If you're looking for something a little different that tastes so great, give these a try. You won't be sorry. 

Black Bean Burgers
Recipe from Sarah Harwood
Makes 4-6 patties

2 slices stale or toasted whole wheat sandwich bread
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced, with membranes and seeds removed {I highly recommend wearing rubber gloves when you do this}
1 tsp cumin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsp fresh lime juice {I admit to liking a little more than that in mine}
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
Additional breadcrumbs, if needed
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil for cooking


Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse bread to form breadcrumbs {if you toast it, make sure it's been cooled before processing}. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Saute onion until soft in a small amount of butter or oil. Add garlic, jalapenos, and cumin and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
Scrape the mixture into the food processor. Add black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed.
Scoop the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and the cilantro. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, stir the mixture until combined.
Divide the mixture into four or six {depending on the size you like - I usually get about 5} equal portions and form into patties. If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs. Place the patties on a baking sheet or plate lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. This recipe could also work well for making ahead of time. You could make it up in the morning and just refrigerate until you need to cook them up that evening.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Make sure your oil is hot before adding the burgers. Add the burgers and cook for 4 minutes per side.

Serve with avocado, tomato, lettuce, cilantro-lime mayo {see below} and on a bun.

Cilantro Lime Mayo
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp finally chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir well.

Black Bean Mango Wraps (Tuesday with Tierra)

Well hello everyone!!
So guess what?! I made it to the grocery store and have been making some healthy recipes!!
And..... I have gone down a pant size in my work slacks!! :) :) It can be frustrating because I have not lost much weight (3-4lbs) but yet clothes are fitting better so everyone says i must be losing inches! But how the heck can you lose inches and not weight... it makes no sense to me! The amazing thing is the confidence you gain from working out and just how good it makes you feel!

So the recipe I bring to you today is from mckennagordon.com it is called Black Bean Mango Salsa Wraps.... I have to say eating healthy doesnt mean its gross. Some things i have made i dont love but other things have been fantastic!
well first ill admit mine didnt have mango in it :( we bought some but it was not ripe enough.. i was really sad but we didnt want to go back to the store. (and to be honest we dont know how to tell if mango is ripe)... So here is the recipe....

Black Bean Mango Salsa

Serves 4
299 calories
11g Fat
47g Carbs
7g Protein
8g Fiber

Ingredients

1 avocado
2 limes, juiced (it was wayyy to much lime for me but im wondering if the mango would have been in it if that would have helped)
2 mangos (sadly, didnt have any in mine)
1 can black beans (15 oz)
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (i dont like cilantro)

 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional ingredients as sides
whole wheat tortillas

 greek yogurt (to spread inside tortilla before filling)
chicken breast (to go inside wrap with filling)      (we did add chicken in ours! YUM)
salsa (for added flavor – inside the wrap or for dipping)

Directions

Cut avocado into cubes. Add to a medium sized mixing bowl and squeeze limes into bowl. Lightly stir to coat avocados in lime juice to keep them from turning brown. Chop mangoes into cubes and add to avocado bowl. Add black beans and cilantro. Drizzle olive oil over contents of bowl and gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I did all of this a couple hours before eating to make the flavors blend)

Fill whole wheat tortillas with mixture and serve.

 Optionally, before filling tortillas, spread with greek yogurt, tomato salsa, and/or a layer of chicken breast strips.

I made a delicious fruit salad to go with it that you can see in the pics but you will just have to wait till next week to get it!! Or go to Mckennagordon.com 

 MMM i want to go eat one right now!! and doesnt that fruit look delish!? Just wait till you see what the sauce on it is!! A 100% healthy sauce!! :)

Enjoy! 

Tierra

Chicken and Black Bean Tacos

I almost considered putting "messy" somewhere in the title of this recipe but was a little worried it would scare people away from trying it. ;) They are messy but man are they worth it! These little tacos are deceptively simple and surprisingly delicious. I had tried experimenting with something else and when that didn't really work, I modified it for this recipe instead. So yummy!

Just a note: for this recipe, I used canned Parmesan cheese. Normally I believe in using only freshly grated Parmesan cheese. While that would work for this recipe, there is something about the canned variety that gives it a nice flavor.



Chicken and Black Bean Tacos
Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

2-3 chicken breasts
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes {the sweet onion variety is really yummy!}
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Canned Parmesan cheese
Shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Corn tortillas

Directions:
Cook your chicken breasts, using the skillet method, in 2-3 cloves garlic. When cooked through, shred. Add the beans, tomatoes, cumin and Worcestershire sauce; cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. When ready to serve, sprinkle with canned, grated Parmesan cheese, per your preference. Serve on warmed corn tortillas with shredded cheese and lettuce. Fold in half and eat up!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

This salad is absolutely wonderful! It is fresh, cool, and the perfect variation on a "typical" salad. I love salads that are different and I'm glad I've come upon this recipe. I looked for this salad specifically because I had a jicama I needed to use. Have you ever had a jicama? Mm, I love jicama! It is a sweeter vegetable that looks a lot like a turnip and tastes a whole lot better. It is delicious raw and can also be cooked in any dish with other vegetables. A stir fry or fajitas with jicama would be delicious. Just sayin'. It can be a bit starchy; I'm no expert but I'm thinking that it gets starchy quality when it is old. I've linked a video below that you can look into to see how to prepare jicama. In the video you'll be able to see what a jicama looks like {since I forgot to take a picture before I excitedly cut into mine}.



As much as I love jicama raw, I didn't want to just eat the whole thing by itself {it was a large jicima!}, so I decided to put it in a bean and corn salad. I found this recipe on AllRecipes and with just a few modifications, I've got the perfect summer salad.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
Recipe Modified from All Recipes
Ready in 25 minutes
4-5 servings {I think you may be able to get 6 depending on the size of your serving}

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 bell pepper, green or red, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup jicama, chopped
1 tsp. ground cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic and salt into a container with a tight lid. Cover with the lid and shake until ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.
In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, bell pepper, tomato, green onion, jicama and cilantro. Shake the lime dressing once more and pour over the salad. Stir salad to coat all ingredients and serve.

Delicious!

Note: If you want this salad to go further, serve over a bed of lettuce.

PS - check back tomorrow for an introduction to a new contributor to this little 'ole blog! I'm excited to have her cooking along with us!

Mexican Chicken Skillet

In honor of Cinco de Mayo today, I decided I would post a Mexican recipe. Or a kind of Mexican recipe. Maybe we should call it TexMex. Or American Mexican. Or the "dish-that-wishes-it-were-Mexican". But no matter it's official title is, we can definitely call it good.  This was the meal I craved like nothing else when I was pregnant. And the wonderful thing is that it wasn't "ruined" for me like some of my other pregnancy foods {for example, I have a hard time finding a desire for oranges or Popsicles anymore - both for drastically different reasons, but that's a story for another day}. I can still eat this meal as if it were brand new to me. And I could eat it multiple times a week. Now that is saying something. I am a variety kind of gal. Give me variety or I get queasy. No joke. I must have something different. Leftovers are always kind of an issue around here. My hubby is awesome about eating leftovers - he doesn't care if we just ate it yesterday and the day before but I do. A couple times a week - and never two days in a row - is about all I can handle of the same meal. Except for this one. I have eaten this multiple times in one week and have never gotten sick of it. It is just that amazing! And there are other fantastic things about it, too! Let's list all the pros of this recipe, shall we?

1. It tastes soooo good. :)
2. It is super, duper easy. Really, even my sister who doesn't like to cook likes to cook this recipe.
3. It freezes well.
4. It makes a ton of food. It usually makes enough for my family to eat for at least three meals. Wowza.
5. It looks yummy. 
6. Anything that goes with tortilla chips and has lime in it is simply wonderful. The end.

Now we will list the cons. . . . . . . . . . . Wait. There aren't any!


Mexican Chicken Skillet
Time: about 30-40 minutes

Recipe adapted from $5 Dinners

Ingredients

1 can black beans, mostly drained {meaning, don't worry about squeezing every last drop out of the can - a little liquid will make it tasty}
1 can corn, mostly drained or one cup of frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes {I really love the ones that have roasted garlic and onions in them, but for a more authentic flavor, choose one with green chilies}
1/2 cup chopped onion {can use green onions, which lend a pretty tasty flavor}
1 1/3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/3 tsp. garlic powder, heaping, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 tsp. cumin, heaping
1/4 cup lime juice {or more if you're like me and can't get enough lime}
Salt and pepper to taste {I actually never put salt and pepper in mine - it's one of those things that's good enough without it}
1 cup shredded cheese
Tortilla chips
Rice

Directions
In large skillet, put all ingredients except lime juice. Cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.
Add lime juice and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Just before serving, top with cheese.
Serve with tortilla chips and rice.
Yum!

Note: We usually eat this meal as is with chips and possibly serve rice on the side. If you want this meal to go further, mix it with the rice and serve as a casserole. I prefer it not mixed with the rice, but do whatever your taste preference demands!

Homemade Burritos

My hubby and I are big burrito fans. We really love them around here. I've worked and worked on a recipe until I finally came up with what we think is the perfect burrito recipe. Now, I once mentioned to my dad that I had come up with this great recipe and he said to me, in effect, "The real way to do it is to put lard in it." And I basically went, "Um, yuck." I mean in no way for that to offend anyone. Just for some reason the idea of lard kind of grosses me out. There is no lard in this recipe. None. Zilch. Nada. So I guess that makes this recipe about as non-authentic as you can get. However, I still think it tastes good. :)

Yes, I know. It looks like I have large ugly man hands.

Homemade Burritos

Recipe created by Cucina di Harwood

1/2 lb ground hamburger

1 can Refried Beans

2 1/2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried cilantro or 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp  Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup low fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. Salsa Verde

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Dash of pepper

Tortillas

Desired toppings - I really like spinach, tomatoes, green peppers, green onions, and extra cheese 'cuz I love cheese. Mozzarella is my favorite. Other good toppings are ranch, salsa or taco sauce.

Directions:

Brown the hamburger over medium heat until cooked; drain. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook until heated through. Put a scoop on your tortilla and add any toppings you so desire. 

This is also be yummy with a scoop of rice on the tortilla as well.

Yum!

Beef Steamer

I have no idea where I originally found the idea for this recipe. It's something that a lot of people probably figure has been around forever, I just hadn't made anything similar before this. Anyway, as I said, I don't remember where I found the original inspiration. But I took the idea and ran with it and this is what I came up with. 

This recipe is pretty much perfect for kids. I can't think of a kid I know who wouldn't like this stuff. It's a very simple, no-nonsense kind of recipe. Really, just meaning that it isn't complex with the flavors. The simplicity makes it a quick lunch or kid's meal, and since you put lots of veggies in it, I would feel okay feeding it to my daughter - at least, as soon as she is old enough to eat food like this, that is!.

Beef Steamer

Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

1 can chili

1 can tomoato soup

1/2 Tbsp. Chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/3 tsp salt

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup dry macaroni or other pasta, cooked

1 onion, chopped

2-3 large carrots, grated

2-3 large florets of broccoli, chopped in small pieces {optional}

1/2-1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown hamburger with onion; add green pepper just before the burger is completely cooked. If the hamburger is very greasy, add some flour to help soak up the grease. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until warmed through.

If you would like the steamer a little more like soup, you could add some water. The macaroni and the cheese can be substituted for leftover macaroni and cheese.

Bean Chicken Wraps

This past weekend I saw my younger brother and he commented about this lil' ole cooking blog. It made me happy to know that someone out there actually looks at these recipes and enjoys them. He told me that he really likes my cooking site and thinks it's pretty good. However, he also said, "But you need more real food. You've got a lot of treats, but you need more main dishes, like Italian and meat dishes." I told him I'd work on that. :) So I came home and looked in my food photo folder and discovered that I've got lots of main dish recipes I haven't shared. So over the next couple of weeks I'll share a few that I've got saved up. Of course, they don't all fall under the meat or Italian categories, but they are main dishes! ;)

This recipe was inspired by one of those e-mail recipe exchange things. I'm sure most people have had them. But you know, they don't usually turn out as they should in theory. I'm lucky if I get one recipe back. Sad, sad. Anyway, I participated in one once and I got a recipe back that inspired this one. It is really yummy and so easy to put together. I think it's a perfect lunch recipe.

Bean Chicken Wraps

Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

Servings: 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes -- Cooke time: 15 minutes

1 large chicken breast, cooked in garlic and cut into bite size cubes

1 12 oz or so can white beans, mostly drained {any kind of white bean works well}

1/2 yellow or green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green onion, chopped - use green and white parts of the onion

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded 

1 cup cooked rice

Tortillas

Directions:

Mix together the beans and chicken. Put into an oven safe casserole dish. Top with onions, peppers, seasonings and juice and lightly fold into the beans mixture. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Warm tortillas in microwave for a few seconds so they are pliable and soft.

Top tortilla with a scoop of rice and bean chicken mixture. For some extra flavor, squeeze a bit more lemon juice on top. Wrap up and eat up! 

Variation:

You can use a 12 oz can of chicken instead of cooking your own chicken breast.

You can also cook this up in the microwave if you didn't want to fire up your oven.

Doritos Casserole

Need an easy, inexpensive weeknight meal? Don't really feel like cooking but you want something yummy that your family will eat? Want something your kids will eat? Then this is the recipe for you. My sister learned this recipe from somebody, I don't remember who, but she used to convince my mom to let us have it all the time growing up. And my hubby and I ate it a lot when we were college students. Hello cheap casserole! We would cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8x8 pan and still always get at least two meals out of it, maybe more if we were sure to eat other stuff along with it. Now, it's more of a comfort food - kind of like macaroni and cheese - and is definitely the meal I turn to when I don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Doritos Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Cooler Ranch Doritos chips

2 cans chili

2 can cream of mushroom soup

Shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Crush Doritos chips into bottom on 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix chili and cream of mushroom soup together; pour over Doritos. Cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and inside is warm, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Note: The leftovers of this casserole really aren't that great because the chips get soggy if they sit for very long. If you want to make this up but plan to have leftovers, combine the chili and mushroom soup and put into a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and bake until warm and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Then put a single serving of crushed Doritos chips on a plate and cover with the chili mixture. This way you can add fresh Doritos chips to every serving and don't have to worry about  soggy chips.

Doritos Salad

I LOVE this salad. It is so super yummy. I make it just about whenever I can - which is anytime we are supposed to take a salad somewhere because we can't eat it all ourselves before it gets soggy {see update below}. My sister-in-law is the one who introduced me to this salad and I'm super glad because I love it!

Dorito Salad

Sally Thornley

1 head romaine lettuce, shredded

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

3 green onions, chopped

1 small can olives, sliced

1 regular sized bag nacho cheese Doritos, broken up

1 bottle Catalina dressing

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Do not add dressing until right before serving. Salad doesn’t keep well so eat within 6 hours of making.

Update: I was recently craving this salad so I decided to try and make a single serving version. Just make up a salad the way you like it - I had lettuce, carrots and tomatoes - and then add some Doritos chips and Catalina dressing. To dress it up a little more, add the beans. It really does work and this way I don't have to worry about a whole bowl of salad going soggy before I can eat it all.

Black Bean Spinach Burritos

We love this recipe! My hubby has been begging me to make it for quite a while now and since I'm finally back to where normal food tastes {and smells!} good again, we're gonna have this month as part of menu! It's a really super yummy recipe and quite healthy too.


Bean and Spinach Burritos
Sarah Harwood
Spinach {I just use the pre-washed ready to eat stuff in a bag though you could easily purchase a bunch on spinach and wash it yourself}
Olive Oil
1 C finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained
1 can (10 oz) whole tomatoes with green chillies, undrained {you can use RoTel, which will add a little spice}
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground oregano
8 flour tortillas {if you use whole wheat tortillas it's that much healthier}
2 C (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese {I just use the cheese sparingly}

Directions:
-saute onion and garlic until tender {about 5 minutes}
-Add beans, tomatoes, cumin, and oregano. Simmer, uncovered, until mixture is dry. Remove from heat and mash some of the beans
-Preheat oven to 350
-Arrange some spinach on each tortilla. Spoon bean mixture onto spinach. Sprinkle cheese over bean mixture, roll up and place in baking dish
-Cover with tinfoil and bake 20 minutes or until heated through

Note: These burritos taste really good with Avocado Relish {recipe to follow}!

Huevos Rancheros

Now, please bear with me. There is a lot I need to explain about this recipe. First of all, I didn’t use the chili in adobo sauce. I’m not a spicy foods kind of person – EVER – and so I always opt for milder versions of everything I cook. Also, I used turkey bacon and egg substitute {trying to cut cholesterol}. My honest opinion: it would taste better with the real thing, especially the eggs. One thing I’ve learned about egg substitute is that it’s great for baking but not so good by itself {Dan would beg to differ but it’s just too different for me}. Also, the food in my pictures might look a little weird {okay, you can say gross if you want} but I promise it really isn’t as bad as it looks. I like things to be mixed together so I don’t have to worry about layering {especially with a small tostada shell}. Here’s my suggestion if that’s what you want to do as well: cook the beans and the eggs in separate pans. Yes, it means more dishes have to be washed, but I promise you will thank me. If you don’t, you end up with black icky looking eggs and a very unique flavor that I don’t recommend. Just trust me. Thank you.

Huevos rancheros

Ingredients:
4 tostada shells (or corn tortillas baked at about 400-degrees until hardened)
1 can black beans
1 chili in adobo sauce, crushed (makes the beans spicier--if you want it mild leave this out)
bacon, cooked
cheddar cheese, shredded
tomatoes, diced
4 eggs, cooked sunny side up (I like it to be runny so you can dip the shell into it)
salsa
optional: green chilies, olives, avocado, sauteed onions and peppers

Directions:
Cook the black beans and chili in adobo sauce (optional) together in a small pot. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out and drain the beans. Layer the beans, bacon, cheese, tomato, eggs and salsa on the tostada shell and serve! You can also add the cheese on at the end at bake in the oven until the cheese is nice and melted. Add green chilies, olives, avocado, and/or onions and peppers to taste.

Layered Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

This is a very yummy dinner. We really loved it. I didn’t have any coriander so I didn’t use it; I used flour tortillas because that’s what I had and I just used cheddar cheese; and I mixed everything together, including the sour cream, because I’m not a big fan of plain sour cream taste.

I made mine in a round cake pan because the two of us don’t need much.

Really, though, it is super yummy! I think this would also taste really good made like enchiladas instead of a casserole {and it might help prevent the tortillas from going soggy – I’m pretty sure that’s why you use corn tortillas but we just always buy flour}.

Layered Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups diced chicken breast meat
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
2 Tb chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce – MILD
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container low fat sour cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.
Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.
Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.
Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Number of Servings: 8 - Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Crumbelievable! Chili

I really love a good chili. When the right flavors are combined just so and cooked to perfection, chili is a wonderful food. This is the easiest chili recipe I’ve ever made in my life. And it tastes good. Certainly can’t beat that!

Crumbelievable! Chili

Prep: 10 min. Total time: 54 min.
Makes: 6 servings, 1 cup each
1 lb. extra lean ground beef {I like to use ground turkey or chicken}
½ cup chopped onions (about 1 small)
½ cup chopped green peppers
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (14-1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (12oz) tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper {I never use this because I don’t like my chili to be too spicy}
¾ cup cheddar cheese crumbles {I also never use these – it’s so much cheaper to buy cheese in a brick and just shred it. Plus I like the flavor of the cheese melted into the chili better than eating large chunks of cheese with the beans. If you would be in favor of that combo, you could just buy the brick of cheese and cut it into cubes instead of shredding it.}



Directions:
Brown meat in large skillet on medium heat; drain. Add onions and green peppers; cook 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender; stirring occasionally.
Add all remaining ingredients except cheese; mix well. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Spoon evenly into six serving bowls. Top each with 2 Tbsp. cheese.

Curried Black Beans and Rice

This recipe is so so yummy. I just loved it. And it is very filling. The recipe does make a lot of food, so for just the two of us, I would cut it in half. I made it for Dan and I without cutting it down and we had leftovers for about 3 more meals afterwards. I also made it for my family {there were 11 of us there if I remember correctly} and every one of them loved it as well. My grandmother is from Sweden and she has an amazing palette – not picky, she just makes amazing food – so I was really excited when she said she liked it {she loves curry, so I had that running in my favor}. And my two teenage brothers are in this “everything mom makes is yucky” phase, and she tells me that they won’t eat rice. Both of them went back for seconds on this {I did double it for my family when I made it for them}. I’m telling you, it is amazing!

Curried Black Beans and Rice
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients:
1 T. Oil
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. Curry powder {more or less depending on your preference – I’ve only ever used 1 Tbsp. but that is plenty of flavor for me}
1 lb ground sausage (you can easily substitute beef, chicken, or turkey – I’ve used ground turkey and beef and it’s always turned out great)
3/4 cup chicken broth (or 2-3 boullion cubes crushed in hot water)
2 (16 oz.) cans black beans drained
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups uncooked Rice

Directions:
Rinse your rice and cook as directed in your rice cooker or pot, however you prefer. While your rice is cooking, saute onion in oil with the curry powder. Add sausage. Cook about 5 minutes. Add broth and beans. Cook 4-5 minutes longer. Serve over rice and enjoy!