dinner | The Foodies' Kitchen

Four Bean Chili

My bulk Tuesdays are getting old. We’re kind of tired of lentils, red bean chili or chickpeas, so I needed (and still need) to find some new twists for my leguminous Tuesday lunches. I was happy to find this Four Bean Chili recipe, even though we’re still talking about beans… and chili… again, I find that mixing four different types of beans in an all-vegetarian meal would certainly bring a different twist.

I didn’t use any canned ingredients simply because I prefer to use fresh cooked beans. You can certainly use cans to make this an even easier meal. I also incorporated zucchini to the mix, you can add any variety you like.

Helga

4 Bean Chili

Recipe adapted from Clean Eating Recipes

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup black beans (dry, uncooked)
1 cup pinto beans (dry, uncooked)
1 cup kidney beans (dry, uncooked)
1 cup cannellini beans (dry, uncooked)
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 sliced zucchini
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Procedure:

The night before, get your slow cooker and mix beans together with enough water to cover them. Cook on Low for 8-9 Hours. (You can add a little salt to the water, onion and garlic and a bay leaf)
Next morning, drain your cooked beans. Sautee the onions and garlic in the olive oil, using a medium-sized soup pot.
Add all other ingredients and your drained cooked beans and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for approximately 10 minutes and remove from heat.
Allow to cool and serve.

09:39 AM
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- Chili, dinner, four bean, Lunch, slow cooker
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Cornmeal Crusted Fish

Cookies, candy canes, chocolates and all sorts of sweets we indulged in during the holiday season are behind us (…literally). It’s time to get back in gear and feed our bodies nutritious and low fat food. This fish recipe is a perfect choice, instead of using breadcrumbs to coat the fish fillets, you use cornmeal which has antioxidants, fiber and it’s gluten free. Pair it with a fresh green salad, and you’re set.

Use a generous amount of salt to season your fish. I under seasoned mine by using a sprinkling of salt on my fish, and adding just a sprinkling to the cornmeal mixture.

As a rule, I found this great tip for seasoning foods and I want to share it with you so you don’t under season like I did:
Since you can’t taste meats and fish in their raw state, seasoning them is a bit tricky. Try 1/2 teaspoon salt per pound of seafood, and 1 teaspoon salt per pound of chicken, beef, pork, and lamb. This will give you a starting point, and next time you’ll be able to fine tune your seasoning.

Helga

Cornmeal Crusted Fish

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons paprika
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 (6 to 8 ounces each) skinless tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil

Optional:
1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa

Procedure:

In a shallow dish, combine cornmeal and paprika; season generously with salt and pepper. Separate fillets into thick and thin sides. Dredge each piece in cornmeal mixture, patting it on to coat completely.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook as many pieces as will fit (without crowding) until golden brown and firm, about 2 minutes per side for thin pieces and 4 minutes per side for thick ones.
Transfer to a plate; sprinkle with salt, if desired, and cover loosely to keep warm.
Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining oil and fish.
Serve with tomato salsa, if desired.

10:59 AM
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- cornmeal, dinner, fish, gluten free, healthy
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BLT Fried Egg Sandwich

In Guatemala, lunch is the big meal of the day. For dinner most of us have soup, sandwiches, or the “chapin dinner” which consists on scrambled or fried eggs with beans. At home, we usually have sandwiches and when we’re really hungry I’ll make something like this BLT Sandwich. This is simple and very satisfying; I like to give it an extra kick by putting some Sriracha on it (I put this stuff on everything!)

My only advice for this sandwich, is you have to try to slice the tomato and avocado as thinly as you can. That way, you won’t get an overly thick sandwich which will be impossible to bite on without making a mess.

BLT Fried Egg Sandwich

Makes 1 sandwich
A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original

Ingredients:
4 thick slices of bacon
2 thick slices of rustic white or whole wheat bread, toasted and hot
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tomato slices
2 leaves of butter lettuce, or spinach
1/2 an avocado, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 large egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sriracha (optional)

Procedure:

In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Spread the mayonnaise on one slice of toast, then top with lettuce, bacon, tomato and avocado.
In a small, nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Add the egg and fry over moderate heat, until crisp around the edge, about 4 minutes; the yolk should still be runny.
Slide the egg onto the lettuce; add salt, pepper and sriracha, if you’re using it. close the sandwich and eat right away.