Sweet & Spicy Baked Butterbeans, Brisket & Bacon

The holidays are over and I'm still dealing with a few bits and pieces of the Ghost of Christmas Dinner Past. Admittedly, this was a friendly ghost...there's nothing spooky about a great big smoked brisket!

Ahhhhhh, the brisket. Not to brag here, but this was the best brisket I've ever smoked....hell, it's the best brisket I've ever eaten! For sure, I've upped my skills over the years, but it was the quality of that huge cut of beef that made all the difference. 

Have you been to Butcher on Butler in Lawrenceville yet? Thank goodness I found them. Right after coming back from our trip to the Bourbon Trail, I hit them up for some really good thick-sliced bacon to recreate the Bacon in a Glass with Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce we'd enjoyed at OBC Kitchen in Lexington, KY. Whoa! Best. Bacon. Ever! My version kicked some major bacon butt, too...again it's the quality of the meat. I knew right then and there where I was getting my Christmas brisket. (You can bet the bacon recipe will be hitting Dinner Plan-it soon.)

Okay, back to the brisket. I put the 11 1/2 pound deckle-on, spice-rubbed beauty on to smoke Christmas Eve. Christmas morning there was a miracle of a gorgeously smoke-ringed, juicy hunk of brisket waiting to be sliced for dinner. Opening the door of the smoker was just like opening a Christmas present!

After using the leftover brisket in sandwiches, brisket hash, and such, I had one last hunk...and I was looking for something a little different to use it all up. A one pot wonder perhaps...and so a nice pot of rich, hearty, smoky beans with brisket and bacon - and a little heat and sweet was born.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Butterbeans, Brisket & Bacon

• 1 lb large lima beans, soaked overnight according to package directions - reserve the soaking water!
• 1/2 lb thick sliced slab bacon cut across into 1/4" lardons (yes, I got it at Butcher on Butler!)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) fire roasted diced garlic tomatoes
• 3/4 pound smoked brisket, cut into 1/2" squares
• 2 T instant coffee powder
• 3 T maple syrup - the real stuff, not fake pancake syrup
• 1/4 C blackstrap molasses
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 1/2 T Jane's Crazy Salt
• 2 T Mike's Hot Honey
• LOTS of fresh ground black pepper
• 4 C reserved bean soaking water - add chicken stock if you don't have a full 4 C

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Using a large ovenproof Dutch oven or large, deep enameled casserole dish, saute the bacon long enough to release the fat. Add the onion and jalapenos and saute until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

Cover the dish and bake for 4 hours. Increase the oven temp to 400 degrees, UNCOVER the casserole dish and continue baking another hour. 

NOTE: I went back to B on B for my good luck New Year's kielbasa to tuck in with some good ole Pittsburgh sauerkraut. When I picked up my order after waiting in a long line with other meatlovers in the know, the meat sticks were still warm from the smoker. Meat heaven!

New Orleans Red Beans, Rice and Greens - The Best of Both Worlds

Red beans and rice OR beans and greens? That was the question. Hmmmm. Why not the best of both?! 

Sunday's dinner was a simple, quick and easy cedar-planked, Cajun-seasoned filet of salmon on the grill with some bright green, thick spears of asparagus grilling right alongside. The side dish of beans, greens AND rice? Definitely simple, too.

A classic Cajun trinity - green pepper, celery and onion - was the base of the dish along with a kick of finely diced Andouille sausage to amp up the bayou flavors. After the veggies were softened and the Andouille had surrendered it's fat and flavor into the mix, I added lots and lots of sweet, green baby kale. 

Once the kale cooked down a bit, rice, chicken broth and, what else(?) Cajun seasonings emphasized the decidedly down home dish. You already know I kept this easy, so I used a bottled Cajun seasoning instead of mixing one up myself. Timesaver!

One thing for sure, this is one delicious, best-of-both-worlds, beans AND greens AND rice dinner decision that will be repeated!

New Orleans Red Beans, Rice & Greens

• 1 T canola oil
• 1 link Andouille sausage, diced small
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 2 ribs celery, diced small
• 1/2 green pepper, seeds removed & diced small
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 5 oz. baby kale left whole or regular sized kale, roughly chopped - feel free to sub-in whatever greens strike your fancy or whatever you have on hand instead of kale
• 2 T tomato paste - I love tomato paste in tubes, don't you?
• 1 T Cajun seasoning - I used Weber's N'Orleans Cajun Seasoning
• 1 can red beans (15 oz) WITH the liquid
• 3/4 C arborio rice or long grain white rice - whatever you have on hand
• 10 oz can chicken broth

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Saute andouille, garlic, onion, celery, green pepper until soft. Add kale and stir until wilted. Add tomato paste and cajun seasoning, beans WITH their liquid, rice and broth. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil.

When the mixture comes to a boil, immediate reduce heat to low cover and cook until rice is tender, approximately 25 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve!

Moinks & Beans...Even Better Than Pork & Beans!

Pork n beans. Moinks n beans. What?! Moinks? Never heard of them? Neither had I until about a year ago when we started getting more and more into this whole smoking thing. 

Moinks are pork meatballs, wrapped in bacon and smoked.  The name? I think it comes from the 'M' in Meatball and the 'OINK' in the pig. Moink.

Sunday's smoking consisted of ribs with pineapple jalapeno glaze, a simple on-sale salmon steak (only 1 because Mark won't eat anything that swims) and Moinks. While we ate the ribs that evening, the salmon was planned for a couple salads for work. The Moinks became an appetizer (mainly because we couldn't wait to try them!), treats for neighbors and the rest became dinner for another night. When we smoke, we make the most of it...you don't waste the smoke.

The beans? Lots of pineapple was left from the marinade and rib baste - jalapenos too - so both became part of the baked beans I'd planned as a side to the ribs. Because I bake my doctored up beans for at least an hour - sometimes longer, I even used the core of the pineapple in the beans instead of tossing it out. I learned that thrifty trick from Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet, long, looooonnng ago. The pineapple core becomes tender when it cooks! A good tip for Asian stir fries, too.

The fresh pineapple added LOTS of sweetness (and a nice bit of tartness, too), so I didn't add the brown sugar or molasses I usually do, but I DID add just a little kick of bourbon and a little bottled barbecue sauce along with the jalapeno. The result? One that will be repeated! Often. 

In fact, my son-in-law wants me to bring a dish of them when I visit them in Michigan next weekend. Maybe we'll even throw a few Moinks on his smoker.  Why not?! They couldn't be easier.

Moinks

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound sausage meat, hot sausage if you wish...I wish!
• 7 slices bacon, thin sliced bacon

Mix the pork and sausage well - it helps to let the meat come almost to room temp first. Shape golfball sized meatballs and set aside until all are done.
 
Cut the bacon strips in half and wrap a half slice of bacon around the circumference of each meatball. Secure with a toothpick or slide several moinks onto metal skewers. (If you use wooden skewers, be sure to soak those right along with the hickory chips for at least an hour so they don't burn.) Chill the moinks in the fridge until the smoker is ready to go.

 
Prepare the smoker as you normally would for whatever type of smoker YOU use. I like hockory chips for these, so soak them at least an hour ahead. When the smoker is to temp, scatter some soaked hickory chips on the coals.
 
Place the skewers of moinks on the grate, cover and smoke until cooked through and bacon is golden.
 
NOTE: You can do these on the grill, too. Be sure to keep the flame low and use indirect heat so the bacon drippings don't ignite. 

Pineapple, Jalapeno, Bourbon BBQ Baked Beans

Serves 8

• 1 cup pineapple, fresh, diced small, core and all
• 2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, very finely diced - red or green
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 15 ounces black beans, drained
• 28 ounces baked beans, do NOT drain
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, hickory, bottled
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 7 slices bacon, cut into thirds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
Combine everything but the bacon and mix well. Pour into a large casserole dish and cover the top evenly with bacon.
 
Bake 1 - 1/2 hours or until the bacon is cooked, crisp and browned. 

Cuban Black Rice & Black Bean Soup with Jamaican Dark Rum

Ponderable question. Is it still technically possible for black bean soup to qualify as Cuban if the sweet, dark rum therein hails from Jamaica? How about if I call it Cuban-style? 

Sure, they make dark rum in Cuba, but unless you ARE or KNOW a rum runner we'll never be able to make this soup with authenticity. Damn Cuban embargo. Enter Appleton Dark Rum...from Jamaica.

How did this dark and rich soup come about? Like most of my soups, there was a bone...in this case, a ham bone...leftover from a Sunday dinner. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at the time, so I wrapped it well and tucked it into the freezer until there was some inkling of what to do with it. The inkling never came. 

What did come was warmer weather. As the opportunity for hot soup waned, I decided to just wing it, make the stock and see what naturally developed.

Cooked, cold black rice waited in the fridge...what would work with black rice, but black beans. Beans and rice, of course! In soup form. This was made even easier by the cans of black beans I keep in the pantry just for such times. (Because you never know when you need a can for emergency black bean hummus or cowboy caviar!) The soup came together quickly and easily. Classic ingredients - with a twist - simply don't need much fussing.

You might wonder why, at first glance, dark rum was added to soup. It just seemed like a natural pairing. Dark rum is made from molasses so I thought that same dark, slightly smoky sweetness would echo the smoky sweetness of ham stock. That, and it just seemed like a fun addition! Doesn't rum make just about everything better?! 

Cuban Black Rice & Black Bean Soup

 with Jamaican Dark Rum

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 large green pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced

• 3 cans black beans, drained

• 4 cups ham stock (see recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 cups cooked black rice (or brown rice - or whatever cooked rice you have tucked in the back of YOUR fridge!)

• 1/4 cup dark rum

• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced well into the green

In a large soup pot, add 2 T. olive oil and heat. Add the chopped onions and green pepper. Saute until soft, add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
 
Add the drained black beans and stir into veggies. Cook another 10 minutes to meld flavors.
 
Add the ham stock, vinegar, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, lower heat immediately and add rice. Cover and simmer about half an hour. Add rum and simmer another 15 minutes or until the raw rum taste dissipates.
 
Ladle into bowl, add reserved ham (that you've warmed in the microwave - make it easy!) and garnish with sliced green onions.


 
Ham Stock:  In a soup pot, add a large meaty ham bone. Add several large celery stalks with lots of leaves, 2 large quartered onions, 3 T. dried minced garlic. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for several hours until the ham fall easily from the bone.

Cool and remove all the meat from the bone. Reserve meat to add to black bean soup. You should have about 4 cups of ham stock. Proceed with black bean soup recipe.

Minestrone with Adzuki Beans and Kale

I always thought it was Jack and his beanstalk that had the corner on magic beans. Not anymore! Apparently Dr. Oz and like-minded health conscious folk have challenged ol' Jack with these new-kids-on-the-block-beans, the Adzukis.  Well...new to me anyway. 

What are they?  Besides the darling of the macro-biotic world? Adzuki beans are are a variety of beans found in Japan, China and such. Small, dark red and packed with protein and fiber - much like any other bean - they are also said to contain the power to help you lose weight. If nothing else, they fill you up so you stay full longer. 

Do I buy it? Probably not. But after the excess of the holidays followed by Restaurant Week, I'm looking to adzuki beans to be the antidote to my over indulgence. What the heck, it's worth a shot.  (I'm only half kidding....I'm secretly hoping all this "magic" stuff is real! Note to self: get a grip!)

Traditionally in Asia, adzukis are used in sweet preparations and desserts. My friend Leah Lizarondo of the wonderful Brazen Kitchen blog told me of an adzuki bean rice pudding she makes. Leah! Recipe?! If adzuki beans are good for you, then adzuki beans for dinner AND dessert must be even better! Magic? Here's hoping!  

Minestrone with Adzuki Beans & Kale

• 1 cup dried adzuki beans, rinsed
• 1 ham bone
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, broken into pieces - WITH leaves
• 1 large carrot, big pieces
• 2 tablespoons seasoned salt, You know I use Jane's Crazy Salt!

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 large potato, scrubbed & diced, leave peel on
• 1 package Italian green beans, frozen
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, sliced across
• 1 large carrot, peeled, sliced thinly
• 1 large celery stalk, sliced thinly
• 4 cups kale, sliced into 2" ribbons
• 8 large fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• seasoned salt, to taste - maybe 1-2 T more
• 1 parmesan cheese, rind - SAVE YOUR PARM RINDS FOR SOUP! - plus more for serving 
• 1 cup ditalini or other small pasta - or just crush larger pasta (gluten free, of course, to make this GF)

In a large heat-proof bowl, soak adzuki beans in boiling water several inches above beans for 2-3 hours. Drain.
 
In a large soup pot, add the ham bone, onion, 2 celery stalks and the carrot. Cover with water until the ham bone is submerged.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to simmer and cook 2-3 hours until the meat begins to fall off the bone.  Remove bone and meat and strain out the stock veggies.  Return the broth to the soup pot.
 
Add adzuki beans, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potato, Italian green beans, garlic, zucchini, slices carrot and celery, kale, 8 basil leaves, oregano, additional Crazy salt and the rind of a parmesan wedge.  The rind makes all the difference in the world...gives the soup depth and flavor.
 
Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and cook an hour or so until the veggies are soft.

Add the pasta at this point.  Bring to a boil again, reduce the heat again and simmer until the pasta is tender.
 
Serve in bowls topped with shaved parmesan and a little fresh basil.
 
NOTE: You can use purchased beef broth in place of the homemade ham broth - I had a hambone and you know I don't waste it!  Use 2 boxes of broth in place of the homemade stock.  Veggie stock is fine if you want to keep this vegetarian. If you're making this gluten-free, be sure to check the label of the bought broth to be sure it's GF.

Apple Baked Navy Beans With Smoked Pork

Frugal alert!  By this time, you all know I like to make the most of menu-planning and budget-stretching.  Just yesterday, I struck gold. It was a rich vein of mahogany, made-from-scratch, beautiful navy beans, sweet with flecks of smoked pork (yep, from the Spiced Apple Balsamic Smoked Pork Loin I made last week!) and accented with fresh apple, apple butter, apple cider and then made zippy with mustard and onion in a sweet and savory counter-tempo.

What's frugal about that?  For starters, navy beans are cheap, cheap, cheap and I already had the cider and apple butter from the smoked pork roast!  Apples?  I've always got apples on hand from Shenot's at this time of year, especially when my favorite Stayman Winesaps are in season.  

Back when I was a kid (and dinosaurs roamed the earth), Winesaps were my dad's favorite...he KNEW his apple varieties!  To this day, I don't think there is a crisper, juicier, more flavorful apple out there. The kids crave this late season variety, too, so the autumn tradition of looking forward to - and buying - Winesaps continues.

Now don't go thinking these pork n beans are just like the canned ones.  Nope.  Not even close.  These aren't your typical tomato-y, mushy, overly sweet, tinny tasting things you find on grocery store shelves. These have character!  Campbell's and Bush's, eat your heart out!

Not that I have anything against canned beans....they make a fine, quick casserole when doctored, bacon covered and baked.  Just don't ask me to eat them plain out of the can and heated up on top of the stove.  Those things aren't even close to acceptable in this house!

High in protein and with the addition of the pork, these beans are hearty enough to be served just with a salad and maybe some buttered cornbread, too.  Want something more substantial?  Serve them as a side dish like in the photo above with grilled chicken and a veggie.

What?  You still have apple butter and cider left after making the pork loin AND the beans?  Maybe you have just enough left (and a little tequila, too) to make a Margarita.  Sound good?  You're in luck!  There just happens to be a recipe for our Apple Cider Margarita right here on Dinner Plan-it!  Cheers!

Apple Baked Navy Beans With Smoked Pork

• 1 pound dried navy beans, soaked overnight according to package directions

• 1/2 large onion, diced small
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider, the good farm fresh stuff!
• 1/3 cup apple butter
• 1/3 cup molasses, unsulphured
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 cup pork, leftover smoked or roasted pork (or ham)
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced

Drain beans and mix with the remaining ingredients.  Pour into a deep casserole dish or a bean pot with a lid, if you have one.  If you don't have a lid, cover the dish with aluminum foil.
 
Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for about 3 hours (more or less) until the beans are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, but not dry.  Moisten, if necessary, while they're baking with a little apple cider.    

 

Greek Layered Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Salad

It’s that time of year when we're going to, and cooking for, lots of parties, picnics and showers.  We're celebrating holidays, birthdays, beautiful weather and being outside, new babies and new love that has blossomed into the commitment of a wedding.  Our celebrations run the gamut...we just LOVE parties, don't we?  Well, I do.

Do you wrack your brains for what to make to take?  It's not always an easy decision, is it...especially when you want to fancy it up a little bit for a shower. I made this colorful and delicious salad for Janelle's bridal shower at work tomorrow.  

A layered salad makes such a beautiful presentation.  They’re SO pretty in a clear glass bowl!  We all know that you eat with your eyes first.  That makes this gorgeous salad a feast for the eyes and for the tastebuds!

Greek Layered Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Salad

• 2 large chicken breast halves, shredded (Buy them at the deli counter - if you're lucky, you can just buy the breasts.  Otherwise, buy a whole rotisserie chicken, use the breasts and use the rest for something else.)
• 3/4 English cucumber, diced small
• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 teaspoon Jane's Crazy Salt

• 2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 large lemons, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Jane's Crazy Salt

• 5 ounces fresh spinach, preferably baby spinach, torn - 1 bag
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
• 12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, reserve juice
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 3/4 cup kalamata olives, seeded and quartered
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

A day or two ahead, mix the garbanzo beans (chickpeas) with the lemon juice and minced garlic, olive oil & Jane's crazy salt in a tall, narrow container.  Using a fork, stab the beans, stir, stab the beans, stir; cover & store in fridge.  Shake the container occasionally to marinate well.  Don't make the beans mooshy, just get some nice holes in them.  It lets the marinade permeate & gives the beans a hummus-y flavor!
 
The night before you're going to serve this, sprinkle Crazy Salt on diced cucumbers and let drain in a strainer over a bowl while you layer the salad.
 
In a glass bowl, put the spinach in the bottom, scatter the garbanzo beans and all the marinade next.  Next do a layer of the roasted red peppers, then chicken and sprinkle with basil and a little Crtazy Salt. 
 
Next do an even layer of the artichokes, cutting to bite-size, if necessary.  Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.  Scatter with the kalamata olives - be SURE you get all the pits out!  Next crumble the feta over all.
 
Now drain the cucumbers well, pressing them against the sides of the strainer.  Mix the cukes and the tomatoes, sprinkle with a little Crazy Salt, pour the reserved artichoke liquid over all, mix and scatter the mixture over the salad.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.
 
The juices and marinades form the dressing.  Serve with tongs, digging down deep through the layers to get a little of everything in every serving.  Nice with some pita!

Navy Bean Soup

The Easter ham is but a sweet (and salty) memory....but, you know, all good things must come to an end.  Or  must they?????  There's potential here...just about anything is possible...get ready folks, yet another recipe with a hambone comin' at ya! 


If you've been following Dinner Plan-it, you know I treasure those last ham-y bits awaiting their transformation into something possibly even better than the original joint of meat.You've seen recipes here on Dinner Plan-it for Ham & Green Beans  (Mieke and I made that together over Christmas) and for Black Bean Soup - made that one recently, too.  (If you don't have those recipes, check the right hand side of the blog and click on "ham."  Those recipes will pop right up!)  Now it's time for (drumroll, please) Navy Bean Soup!  
 
Navy Bean Soup is a classic.  Even the U. S. Senate has a bean soup that's famous....so popular in the Senate restaurant that it's served every single day....has been since the early 1900's.  Hmmm, that might explain a lot of the hot air around there.  I haven't been making mine quite that long, only since the 60's.  

The Senate version is pretty simple - beans,onion, water, ham, butter, salt and pepper. Mine packs a lot more flavor...well, in my humble, non-governmental opinion, anyway.  The hambone simmers for a couple of hours with lots of leafy-topped celery, onions, garlic and LOTS of carrots.  Tomatoes add even more flavor and color.  It isn't just protein packed ham and beans in that big old soup pot in my kitchen, this soup is packed with lots of vitamins and minerals and fiber, too by golly!  
 
Give it a try and see what you think!

Navy Bean Soup

• 1 ham bone, with lots of meat on it
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, with lots of leaves, chopped
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 pound navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can tomatoes
• water
• Jane's Crazy Salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• hot sauce - optional (I like Cholula Chile Garlic!)

In a large soup pot, cover hambone with water, add onions, celery and garlic.  Cover pot with lid, bring the water to a boil, lower to medium and simmer the soup for about an hour.  Add the beans, carrots and tomatoes, return to a simmer and cook until the ham is falling off the bone.
 
Remove the bone, cut the ham into bite sized pieces, if necessary.  Adjust the seasonings with Crazy Salt and pepper and continue simmering until the veggies and beans are soft and creamy.



Add hot sauce, if desired (and I desire!).  Serve!

Ranchero Beans

Ranchero Beans

Like most societies, we Americans tend to use food to mark the occasions in our lives - happy and sad.  Sometimes, the event is both.  A retirement falls under that category...sad to see that longtime friend and coworker go, but still happy to see her begin a new phase of her life.  The "her" in this case is someone with whom I've shared a lot's of life's ups and downs, laughter and tears and a whole lot of silly giggles, too.  We'll miss you, Patt...I'LL miss you!  

Here in our office, significant events are observed with lots of homemade goodies...in fact, we call it a "goody" party.  Don't know how name came to be, but I'm surmising if you bring in goodies and it's a party, then....well, you get it.  We've got an unusual number of damned good cooks in this department - Tax people can do more than just crunch numbers! 
 
What was on the menu for Patt's retirement party?  Lisa and Darin teamed up to bring tacos and all the fixings, Mashawn and Jeannie got together to bring hot sausage and everything to go with....then there was Penne ala Vodka, two kinds of meatballs - Buffalo and Swedish, corn dip (YUM!), pepperoni dip (double yum!), artichoke dip, broccoli salad, pasta salad, Caesar salad and far too many other dishes to name.  

Ranchero Beans to go with the tacos and Key Lime Coconut Bars were my contributions.  Ranchero Beans loaded with earthy cumin, spicy jalapenos, fire roasted tomatoes and sweet onion chunks were a good complement to the tacos.

Ranchero Beans

• 1/2 pound bacon bits, make yourself, cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, ribbed and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• lots of freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over high heat and add bacon.  Fry until crispy.  Drain bacon on a paper towel.  Discard all but 1 T. of fat.
 

Add the onion and cumin.  Cook stirring often until onion is soft.  Add the beans, bay leaves, oregano, tomatoes, chopped jalapeno, reserved bacon, salt and pepper and cook until the flavors come together, 10-15 minutes.  

Take out bay leaves and serve sprinkled with cheese, a few pickled jalapenos, and a dollop of sour cream...or just plain.

White Bean and Greens Stew

Since my mom has been putting up some healthier recipes for those of us who need to detox a bit from the gluttonous holidays, I decided I would add one to the mix. I classify this dish as..."yummy vegetarian."

This is a delicious dish with a spicy kick.  You might want to consider making this not only if you're vegetarian, but if you want to make doing meatless Monday easy. With all the protein in the beans and vitamins in the kale you won't miss the meat. 

You know those "But wait! There's more!" commercials? Yep, there's a bonus with this stew...it's cheap to make. And, even if you're not on a budget, it's just damned good.

White Bean and Greens Stew

Makes 6 servings

• 2 lbs Kale (or Spinach) rinsed, stems removed, and cut into strips
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Medium red onion, chopped
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• 1 Tablespoon dried jalapenos, less if you don't like it spicy (if you don’t have dried jalapenos you can sub in red pepper flakes)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (I usually use the onions with garlic and onions)
• 2 cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 Teaspoons chile powder or to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the kale for 5-6 minutes, until tender. Drain the kale well and set aside.
 

Wipe out the pot making sure it is dry (so the oil doesn't spatter). Put it back on the burner, heat the oil and cook the onion until almost translucent. Add the garlic and dried jalapenos and cook for another minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
 
Add the tomatoes with the juices and the chile powder; bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Add the cannellini beans and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked kale and simmer until the mixture comes together nicely. 
 
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve! 

This is great with good crusty bread.

NOTE:  One serving has approximately 222 calories and only 6 grams of total fat.  And it's LOADED with fiber!