Curried Lentil Soup

Thanks to Dana Bertermann for passing along this recipe!

Curried Lentil Soup
Recipe by Molly Wizenberg
Curry powders vary in flavor and heat; begin with two tablespoons and add more according to your taste.

• 6 servings
• PREP: 35 minutes
• TOTAL: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
• 2 tablespoons (or more) curry powder
• 1 cup French green lentils
• 4 1/4 cups (or more) water, divided
• 1 15- to 16-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Ingredient Info
French green lentils are small, dark green, and speckled with black; they can be found at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Preparation

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add half of chopped garlic; stir until vegetables are soft but not brown, about 4 minutes longer. Add 2 tablespoons curry powder; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining garlic in processor.
• Add chickpea puree and butter to lentil soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional curry powder, if desired. Add water by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency. DO AHEAD Soup can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm before continuing.
• Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Best Rice and Beans

Thanks Hannah for sharing this recipe (from All Recipes) on the Facebook page!

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine beans, onion, and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cayenne, and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes, and serve.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/best-black-beans/Detail.aspx

Cuban Black Beans with Brown Rice

1 lb black beans, washed

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 minced hot green chili peppers

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, soak beans in water to cover overnight.

2. Rinse beans and transfer to a large stock pot. Add onion, bell peppers, bay leaves, paprika, cumin, oregano, and chili peppers, along with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Test beans for tenderness, and when tender, add garlic and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

R&B for the office or for emergencies or, y'know, whenever

Being a single person on the go can be tough during Rice & Beans Month. As committed as I might be to cooking rice and beans for dinner at home (that commitment may or may not come from having removed all other food types from the house), when I'm flying out the door late in the morning, I don't always have time to stop and think about what I'll eat for lunch. Or those evenings full of meetings which cause me to reach home late with barely enough energy to think "rice and beans," let alone cook it.

Now, a solution!

This morning as I browsed the rice section of Trader Joe's, I noticed the pre-cooked portions of brown rice which only require re-heating. Next to that section was one of pre-cooked beans which only require reheating! Hurrah!

The serving size on the rice says 3.5 servings (yeah, maybe if you're also eating a baked potato and some steak with it), and the beans says it has 2 portions. After the combined re-heat time of 2.5 minutes, I was ready to eat! It smelled amazing, and looked...well, it looked brown, like most food we eat in America.



I have now eaten about 70% of the meal, and it tasted pretty good. The spices on the soybeans were a little intense after the more simple versions I've been eating, but it has totally filled me up with leftovers (and I tend to eat gigantic portions of rice and beans), and all for only $2.68, which, overall, is not too shabby.

Black Bean Cakes with Chipotle Cream

Thank you for sending the recipe link Erin, if you try it out, please leave a comment with your rating/suggestions!

1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 c green onion
1/2 c frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 tsp olive oil
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed/drained
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2/3 c breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten

1/2 c light sour cream
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp canned chipotle pepper in adobo, minced


Makes 8 servings. For a quick dinner option, freeze black bean cakes up to 3 weeks in advance; then prepare Chipotle Cream just before serving.

Saute first 4 ingredients in 2 tsp hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
Mash 1 1/2 cups black beans in a large bowl. Stir in remaining black beans, red bell pepper mixture, cumin, and next 3 ingredients. Add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, cilantro, mayonnaise, and egg, stirring until well blended.
Shape black bean mixture into 8 (1/2" thick) patties. Place patties on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill 1 hour. Lightly dredge chilled patties in remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs.
Cook 4 patties in 2 tsp hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 5 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 patties and 2 tsp oil. Serve with Chipotle Cream.
To prepare the Chipotle Cream, stir sour cream, lime juice and minced chipotle peppers together in a small bowl.

Recipe located at: http://www.food.com/recipe/black-bean-cakes-with-chipotle-cream-299987#ixzz1FOlRZPnv

Recipes

We'd love to hear from you if you have any Rice and Beans recipes to share! Whether it's something you made up, found online, in a cookbook or passed down from your great grandmother's sister's best friend send them our way!

You can submit them by sending them to recipes@eatriceandbeans.com. Feel free to include any pictures, feedback, alterations or thoughts from your family, we'd love to hear it all.

Cranberry Bean Gratin

Cranberry Bean Gratin

-from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters, thank you Kelli for sending it in!

Soak overnight in 4 cups water:

1 1/4 cups cranberry or borlotti beans

Drain and cover with fresh water by 2 inches in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and skim off any foam. Simmer gently for 2 hours or so until the beans are tender. Add more water if necessary during the cooking.

Season to taste with salt.

Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid. Meanwhile finely dice:

1/2 onion (about 1/4 cup diced) (Lenz family used one whole small onion)

1 small peeled carrot (about 1/4 cup diced)

1 small celery stalk (about 1/4 cup diced)

Heat in a heavy-bottomed pan:

1/4 cup olive oil

Add the diced vegetables and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add:

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

6 fresh sage leaves, chopped (we didn't have fresh sage so I used 1 tsp. dried)

salt

Cook for 5 minutes and then stir in:

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

Cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Mix the beans with the vegetables and put into a medium-size gratin or baking dish. Taste for salt. Add enough bean liquid to almost cover. Drizzle with:

1/4 extra-virgin olive oil

Cover with:

1/2 cup toasted breadcrumbs (we had Panko breadcrumbs in the cupboard so thats what we used)

Bake for 40 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven, checking occasionally. If the gratin is drying out, carefully spoon in a little bean liquid (pouring at the sides of the gratin dish to avoid getting the crumbs wet).

RiceAndBeans Recipes

Dan's Ginger and Zucchini Bean Sauce recipe

From Dan Holcomb's kitchen.

Note: I cook almost entirely from my head, so the directions below are estimates.

• 2 fresh zucchinis (sliced into thick rings)
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of ginger
• 1 teaspoon of italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of pepper
• 4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
• 3 cups of dry beans or 6 cups of soaked beans

- Soak 3 cups of dry black beans overnight.

- Before cooking beans the next day, rinse and drain them thoroughly.

- Bring 10 cups of water to a boil, add beans to the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer.

- Add additional ingredients and cover with a lid. Let the ingredients simmer for 70 minutes and stir every ten minutes.

- Sample sauce to see if additional spices are needed for your tastes.

Enjoy over steaming Basmati rice! It should make enough for about 8-12 servings.

A few of the ingredients I used in my sauce.

Dry black beans soaking overnight.

Rice and Beans for a Mzungu in Tanzania

Reflections from Leisha Adams (Leisha is the Lahash Sponsorship Director and resides in Tanzania. You can visit her blog at http://leishainafrica.blogspot.com/)

At the beginning of the month, walk to the market to purchase the rice, beans, cooking oil, charcoal and kerosene. Spend several minutes in greetings with the owner of the booth of your preference, then buy several kilos of rice and several kilos of beans and a few litres of cooking oil. Walk to another shop to purchase a litre of kerosene, given in an abandoned water bottle. Walk to another shop to purchase a large bag of charcoal. Return home and store the food where cockroaches, lizards, and mice will not have access. Purchase carrots, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers from the local produce stand in the days before cooking.

On the day of the meal, measure the beans into a wide, flat basket and remove debris. Wash the beans thoroughly, and put in a large pot. Fill pot to the brim with water. Fill the charcoal burner with charcoal, and use small kindling to get a good, hot fire among the coals. Place the pot of beans on the burner. Bring to boil, and leave cooking until beans are soft. Drain off and reserve remaining water. Wash and chop up onions, carrots, green peppers, and grate tomatoes. Fry some onions in oil with the grated tomatoes and diced carrots and peppers. Leave cooking until soft, then add the beans, and cook for approximately ten minutes. Add salt and the reserved “bean water”. Cook for another several minutes until the water thickens into a kind of “soup”.

Measure the rice into the wide, flat basket. Pick out the small rocks, twigs, and bad grains. Pour the rice into a basin of water and wash thoroughly, then pull the rice out of the water by the handful, carefully pressing the water out of each handful. Place the rice in a pot with fresh water and a little oil. Fill the cooker with kerosene and raise the wicks. Light a match and hold to each of the eight kerosene-soaked wicks. Replace the cooking platform over the flame and place the pot of rice on the burner. Stir the rice occasionally until the grains start to absorb water, then cover and leave to cook until the rice has absorbed all of the water.

Move the beans and rice into serving dishes and carry to the table, where the cook is expected to pray for a blessing on the food. Load a plate with a heaping serving of rice, then cover the rice with the soup from the beans, then spoon the beans and veg over the rice.

If your appetite for the traditional “wali na maharage” is somewhat abated, a generous splash of Tabasco or local “pili pili” spice will give you a little different flavor and renew your enthusiasm for the national food of Tanzania.

Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

I used this recipe as a template for a soup a few of us had last night and it was great! I made a handful of alterations based on what I had on hand and served it over rice to cut down how spicy it was.

Alterations:
1 can of Mexican green chili's instead of jalapenos
1 tsp fresh garlic instead of powder
1/2 the amount of chili powder (I ran out)
I didn't have cayenne so substituted it with couple shakes of red pepper flakes
Added some diced onion since I had it
Added 2 diced red potatoes partway through since I had them
I ran about half the beans/potatoes through a blender halfway through to thicken the soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spicy-Slow-Cooker-Black-Bean-Soup/Detail.aspx
Ingredients:
1 pound dry black beans, soaked overnight
4 teaspoons diced jalapeno peppers
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Directions:
Drain black beans, and rinse.
Combine beans, jalapenos, and chicken broth in a slow cooker. Season with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
Cook on High for 4 hours. Reduce heat to Low, and continue cooking for 2 hours, or until you are ready to eat.

Recipes

Have you tried one of our recipes? If so we'd love to hear your comments, suggestions, adjustments, etc. Feel free to comment on the recipes and let us know.

If you have any other recipes to share please send them to us at recipes@eatriceandbeans.com

Marinated Giant White Beans and Beets

This is what Annette and Jim brought to the kick off!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/health/nutrition/24recipehealth.html

Many Greeks love giant white lima beans. This recipe is an adaptation of a dish prepared by the Greek chef Jim Botsacos for a Clean Monday celebration to benefit the Gennadius Library in Athens. Don’t soak the beans or they’ll fall while they cook. Mr. Botsacos serves this with skordalia.

For the beans:

1 pound dried large lima beans

1 large white onion, cut in half

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow or red bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion, soaked for five minutes in cold water, drained and rinsed (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

For the beets:

8 small beets, greens cut away, scrubbed

1/3 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Salt to taste

2 garlic cloves, cut in half

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Place the beans in a large pot. Cover by 2 inches with water, and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any foam, and add the onion, garlic and bay leaf. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add salt to taste, and simmer an additional 20 minutes until just tender. Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the onion, garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Allow the beans to cool in the liquid, then drain through a strainer set over a bowl. Gently toss the beans in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil, celery, peppers, onion and herbs. If desired, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of the bean broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Cook the beets while the beans are cooking. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, add 1/4 cup of the vinegar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Remove from the heat, add the garlic to the pot and set aside to cool. Remove the beets from the pot (do not drain), slip off the skins and cut in wedges.

3. Combine the remaining vinegar, the sugar and 1/4 cup of the beet broth (discard the garlic). Toss with the beets. Arrange the beans on a plate or in a bowl and surround with the beets. If you wish, serve this dish with skordalia.

Yield: Serves six to eight.

Advance preparation: The beans and the beets can both be prepared up to three days before serving.

Turmeric Rice

Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking

2 cups basmati rice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 whole cloves

1 bay leaf 4 cardamom pods

1-inch stick cinnamon

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

¼ teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons finely sliced chives or the green part of green onions

Put the rice in a bowl and rinse well in several changes of water, then drain.

Put the oil in a heavy saucepan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cloves, bay leaf, cardamom pods, and cinnamon. Stir once or twice and put in the garlic. As soon as the garlic turns medium brown, put in the rice, turmeric, and salt. Stir gently for a minute. Now put in 2 ¾ cups water and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn the heat down very, very low, and cook for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chives before serving.

Serves 4-6

Cajun Skillet Beans

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 celery stalks (about 1 cup chopped)

2 green or red bell peppers (about 1 ½ cups chopped)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (1 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (½ teaspoon dried)

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)

Pinch each of cayenne and salt

2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (14 ½-ounce can)

1 tablespoon honey or molasses

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 cups cooked black-eyed peas or butter beans (two 10-ounce frozen packages or two 16-ounce cans, drained)

Chopped scallions (optional)

Grated cheddar cheese (optional)

In a heavy saucepan or skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil on medium heat. Chop the celery and bell peppers, and add them to the pan. Continue to sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, basil, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden, stirring once or twice. Add the tomatoes, honey or molasses, and mustard, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the beans, cover, and stir occasionally until thoroughly heated. Canned beans will be hot in less than 10 minutes, but frozen beans need to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Top with scallions or grated cheese if you like, and serve.

Serves 6

Caribbean Red Beans and Rice

Healthy kidney beans are simmered and spiced with garlic, nutmeg and cinnamon for a healthy vegan Caribbean red beans and rice meal.

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/ricedishes/r/carribeanbeans.htm

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t cloves
• 1 14 oz can tomatoes
• 1 12 oz can kidney beans, including liquid
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions turn soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for just one more minute.

Add the beans and the tomatoes, including the liquid from each. Allow this to cook for a few more minutes, then add the rice and water.

Cover and cook for about 30-35 minutes, or until rice is done and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Everyday Yellow Dal

smittenkitchen.com

1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 large tomato (about 8 ounces), cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
5 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, finely ground
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
¼ cup minced cilantro leaves or flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt

Drain the dal (split peas) and place in a large saucepan. Add the tomato and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until peas are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Pick out any tomato skins and whisk dal to emulsify it. Keep warm over very low heat.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add the cumin seeds, covering the pan with a lid or splatter screen. After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add the onion and saute over medium heat. About 3 minutes later, add the garlic and saute until most of the onion has turned dark brown, about 5 minutes altogether. Add the coriander, turmeric and cayenne, stir and pour mixture over the dal. Add the cilantro, butter and salt to the dal and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Rice Cereal

from Cherish -- posted on Facebook.

I love rice cereal (no, not rice crispies!)
Here's a simple recipe:

1 cup. rice (brown or white)
2/3 c. milk or soy milk... See More
2 tsp. honey, syrup or sugar
dash of cinnamon

Place everything iin a small pan. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally over medium- low heat (do not boil)
OR
heat everything in a glass bowl until almost boiling in the microwave.

Honolulu Skillet Beans

Honolulu Skillet Beans

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 cups cooked small firm beans, such as pink, red or white beans (two 16-ounce cans)

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

2 tablespoons catsup or tomato paste

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Grated peel of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon)

¾ cup fresh or canned crushed pineapple (optional)

In a skillet or saucepan, sauté the onions in the oil until soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. While the onions cook, drain the beans in a colander and rinse them under running water. In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin sauce, mustard, catsup, soy sauce, sesame oil, cumin, orange peel, and optional pineapple. When the onions are soft, add the beans and the sauce. Stir gently to distribute the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer on low heat.

Remove the beans from the heat and serve right away, or set them aside to reheat later.

Serves 4

Mexican Rice and Beans

Mmm. I made this for my family's 'Valentine's dinner' this weekend. I also picked up a bag of shredded cheese to go on top, but we didn't even end up using it- it was great without. We have slowly been trying out some new rice and bean recipes to add to our repertoire before next month - there are a lot of delicious recipes out there and I'm sure we will continue eating them beyond March.

3/4 cup white rice [I used brown]

T vegetable oil

T salt [I'd use a bit less...maybe 1/3-1/2]

T garlic powder [I used 2 cloves, minced instead]

One medium tomato

One can of vegetable broth

Half of one medium size onion

Heat vegetable oil in cooking pan over hi/med heat. Once hot, pour in the rice and brown it evenly. Put the sliced tomato, sliced onion, tablespoon of salt, and tablespoon of garlic into a blender and blend at medium speed for a couple of minutes.

Once the rice is browned evenly, pour in the tomato sauce and stir it unit all the rice is immersed. Once ready, pour in the can of vegetable broth and then fill the can 1/2 full of water and pour it into the pan as well.

Important: Do not stir the vegetable broth or water into the pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to low and cover it. Keep an eye on it, but do not stir. Once all the liquid is gone, turn off the heat and let it stand covered for at least ten minutes before serving.

Borracho Beans

Cooked pinto beans

1 large tomato [I used 1 can of diced tomatoes]

1 medium sweet onion

3 Serrano peppers (I used 2, depending on how hot you want it, use up to 6)

1 stalk of cilantro (I forgot this and it was still delicious)

Chop up the onion, tomato, and chilies into small pieces and add all three into the already cooked pinto beans and raise the temperature on the burner to medium heat and allow to boil for about 45 minutes, stirring often.

Afterwards lower the heat to a low setting (simmer) and add the chopped up cilantro. After about 15 minutes, it is ready to serve.

Recipes courtesy of Richard Tamez via veganmexicanfood.com

Breakfast Rice

Thanks Carol Copeland for sharing this on the Facebook page!

my mom cooked this for me when I was little back in the 50's. Two cups milk, one cup rice, bring to a boil very slowly and cook until done. THEN put lots of BUTTER, CINNAMON AND SUGAR!!!!!