Black Bean, Avocado and Onion Quesadillas

I like to have one Mexican dish on the menu every week. Lately I've felt like we're eating too much meat so I was on the hunt for a vegetarian dish. My friend Jaida recommended these Black Bean and Avocado Quesadillas and I couldn't wait to try them.

One nice thing about cooking without meat is the prep time is substantially less. I was able to toast the tortillas while I mashed the beans and avocado and then it was simply a matter of assembling and baking to melt the cheese. I love easy dinners like that.

We all loved these. SP said he thought the beans were unnecessary but I liked the contrasting flavors. Plus the protein - beans are so good for you. I opted to add caramelized onions for flavor and to break up the monotony of mashed beans and avocado and it was the perfect addition. Delicious!

Black Bean & Avocado Quesadilla
Adapted from Sweet Beginnings, originally from Sing For Your Supper

1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt
cooking spray
4 burrito-size flour tortillas
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
1 avocado, mashed
shredded cheese (mix of cheddar, monterey jack, etc)
lime wedges
sour cream for dipping

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the onion slices, season with salt and allow to cook slowly until they caramelize. This will take about 30 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning. The onions can be made ahead of time, allowed to cool and then refrigerated until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla at a time in the skillet, turning often to brown on both sides. Remove to a plate.

Place two of the tortillas side by side on a baking sheet lined with foil. Top each with half the mashed beans followed by half the mashed avocado. Add half the onions to each tortilla, then top with cheese. Place the other two tortillas on top.

Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted, then cut into triangles. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream for dipping.

Pasta with Bacon and White Beans

My friend Cassie recently posted this recipe for Pasta with Chicken, Bacon and White Beans. I used to think beans and pasta were an odd combination but now I know better. Since I already had two other chicken dishes on my weekly menu I decided to just omit the chicken from her recipe.

SP thought I'd already made this dish. He was thinking about this pasta with sausage, white beans and mascarpone, which is very similar. Needless to say this was a big hit at our house. Baby Girl was sneaking beans out of the strainer as I was cooking and anything with pasta is always a hit.

Since SP didn't need lunch the next day I only used 1/2 lb of pasta but kept the rest of the ingredient amounts the same. It was plenty of food for both of us, especially with a veggie side. I happened to have 8oz of campanelle pasta in the pantry so that's what I used, but any short-cut pasta is fine. I have both rosemary and basil growing in my backyard, but my basil plant is out of control so I subbed basil for the rosemary. Either would work great. Even thyme would be delicious. This is a great pantry meal. Thanks Cassie!

Pasta with Bacon and White Beans
Modified from Cassie Craves

1/2 pound penne or other short pasta
6 slices bacon, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cannellini beans, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Add the garlic and beans; stir for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and half and half. Cook until thickened. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Off heat add the Parmesan cheese and basil. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

This year I decided we needed some appetizers to nosh on before Thanksgiving dinner. I made a list of a few different recipes and asked SP to pick three. He was most excited about this White Bean Dip with Pita Chips.

This was a huge hit and couldn't have been simpler to make. You could save even more time by using store-bought pita chips but, really, making your own takes next to no time. I made the dip the night before and brought it to room temperature before serving. I also used whole wheat pitas for the chips to make this a bit healthier.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
Giada De Laurentiis

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

Make Ahead: Make the dip up to 2 days before and keep refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Pasta with White Beans

It never occurred to me to combine pasta and beans until college. I was living in England my junior year and we had to make our own meals in a communal kitchen. A friend told me about a pasta dish her dad used to make all the time - spaghetti with red kidney beans, diced peppers, onions and olive oil. I think I might have added a chopped tomato but I can't be sure. It was delicious, which shocked me. I made it often since canned beans and pasta were cheap. I can't believe I've never blogged that one for you guys - I need to get on that ASAP.

This Pasta with White Beans and Prosciutto was not new to me. In fact, I made a similar dish with sausage awhile back. I was intrigued by the changes that were made along the way and I had an already-chopped leek in the freezer, so I put this new version on the weekly menu.

I was not disappointed. I left out the prosciutto because it's so darn expensive (plus we prefer to eat it plain or with melon rather than mix it with other things), and also to make this more of a vegetarian meal. Baby Girl loved the sauce but wasn't a fan of the beans. Me, I could have eaten mostly beans and a little pasta. I love, love, love the creaminess of beans. This is a meal I'll be making often.

Pasta with White Beans
Modified from Good Thymes Good Food

1 lb. pasta, any type
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek, white portion only, washed and cut into thin rounds
2 (15-oz.) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
A pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
Zest of 1 large lemon, plus a squeeze of juice
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, shredded
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large deep sided skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Add leeks and sauté until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add in the beans, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and sauté 1 minute. Add the stock and simmer about 6 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat, add the cream cheese and lemon zest. Stir until the cheese is melted. Add the cooked pasta to the pan containing bean mixture. Add in prosciutto, basil, and half of the parmesan and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve immediately with remaining parmesan.

Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Herbs

I don't know about you but side dishes frustrate me. I find myself making the same boring things over and over again because they're either easy or because I'm too lazy to think of something better. I had seen this recipe for Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Herbs on Kelsey's blog awhile back and thought it sounded like a great, light side dish (she serves it as a main course).

Then I completely forgot about it until I was trying to come up with something to serve with black bean burgers from the freezer. It needed to be something I could make in advance since I was planning to serve it for dinner on a Tuesday after my exercise class. Baby Girl and I threw together a half order after I picked her up from daycare and it sat in the fridge until SP and I enjoyed it about 4 hours later. I think it got better the next day once the flavors had married a little more and I finished it off for lunch.

I'm excited to have a new quick and easy side dish in my repertoire. This went well with the black bean burgers (I had mine with mashed avocado and it was divine). It would also go great with grilled chicken, steak, pork chops, seafood, portabello mushrooms, alongside a traditional burger or chicken sandwich, or as a salad tossed with chopped lettuce.

Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Lemon, and Herbs
As seen on Apple a Day, adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2011

2 (15-oz.) cans low-sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Zest of one lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon each coarse sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Taste salad and adjust seasonings as desired. The salad can (and should) be made ahead of time and chilled to allow the flavors to marry.

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Basil Cream

I had two more Black Bean Burgers in the freezer and wanted an easy, no-fuss dinner for the end of the week. I had seen this Avocado Basil Cream on How Sweet It Is so I thought I'd give it a whirl.


Please forgive the photos. I thought I'd try my hand at those staging shots so many bloggers do with the ingredients and the finished product. I even edited both of these photos in PicMonkey, although I doubt you can tell. My photography is a work in progress, that's for sure.

Anyway, on to the cream. It was delicious but I did modify it a bit. I've been burned before by avocado creams that have way too much sour cream, so much that you can't taste the avocado anymore. I was worried that this recipe had too much and since I was only using half an avocado to begin with I decreased the sour cream substantially. I also added lemon juice because I felt it needed a little something to brighten and lighten it up. It was delicious paired with the black bean burgers.

A funny story - Baby Girl insists on helping me in the kitchen these days (not that I'm complaining, I love it) and I also want her to taste and smell the ingredients. I offered her avocado, which she declined, but as soon as I opened the sour cream she asked for a taste. I ended up spoon feeding her at least 1 tablespoon of sour cream before I cut her off. First lemons and now sour cream? The kid is weird.

Avocado Basil Cream
Modified from How Sweet It Is

1 tablespoon sour cream
1 avocado, chopped
10 medium basil leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Add sour cream, avocado, basil, a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor, blending to combine. Once somewhat smooth, add lemon juice, blending a bit and then tasting. Keep tasting and seasoning until you're happy.

Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce

After the success of the Black Bean Burgers I went looking for other ways to incorporate black beans into our meal plan. I remembered seeing these Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce on Annie's blog and thinking that while they looked delicious SP would never eat them. Happily, I was wrong.


I absolutely loved these. I'm shocked at how much I enjoy black beans. SP was hoping these would just be burgers and he ended up eating his salad separately and making his patties into a burger on some whole wheat bread, but I enjoyed taking a bite of the patty with some of the salad, avocado cream and corn. I decided to gild the lily with my leftovers the next day and top the whole thing with a fried egg. Amazing.


This is an awesome dish, definitely restuarant-quality, and while I wouldn't call it an easy weeknight meal, it's simple to put together if you prep the bean mixture ahead of time. Unfortunately I don't have a squeeze bottle so my dollops of avocado cream are less than photogenic, but believe me, this is a truly fantastic dish. The tanginess from the lime juice works beautifully with the corn and tomatoes (I omitted the jalapeno so Baby Girl could eat it) and you can't go wrong with avocado in my book. And the patties are pretty much the same recipe as the burgers, so I knew they'd be a hit.


Baby Girl watched me make these and couldn't wait to try them, although she kept calling them chicken patties which made me laugh. She ended up eating one and a half patties, as well as two servings of corn and couldn't get enough of the avocado cream. That's my girl!

Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish and Avocado Cream Sauce
From Elly Says Opa, as seen on Annie’s Eats

For the patties:
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 roasted red bell peppers, 1 coarsely chopped, 1 finely minced
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 medium onion, finely diced
2/3 cup panko
Salt and pepper
Canola or vegetable oil

For the corn relish:
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups corn kernels
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (I omitted)
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the avocado cream sauce:
1 avocado, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup light sour cream
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place half the beans in a food processor with coarsely chopped bell pepper, the eggs, oregano, and cumin. Process until smooth. In a large bowl, lightly mash the remaining beans. Stir in the remaining bell pepper, onion, and smooth bean mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the panko mixing lightly. Chill for 30 minutes.

While the bean mixture is chilling, heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and sauté until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the tomato, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the avocado cream sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Form the bean mixture into patties. Heat about 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties in batches, cooking until lightly browned and firm, about 3-4 minutes per side. Serve the patties warm topped with the corn relish and drizzled with the avocado cream sauce.

Homemade Refried Beans

One of my favorite sides at a Mexican restaurant is the refried beans. When made well, they are so good. Creamy and velvety, with a hint of smokiness and great bean flavor. Whenever I would make Mexican food I'd pine away for refried beans, convinced that they took hours to make properly and therefore wouldn't be something I could easily replicate at home. And don't even talk to me about the canned variety. We tried them once and that was enough.


Then Annie's post on Refried Beans popped up on my Google Reader shortly before Cinco de Mayo. Homemade refried beans that take less than 20 minutes to make and taste great? Sold!

I prepared these ahead of time and reheated them for dinner. All I can say is wow. They tasted just like my favorite restaurant version only I knew exactly what was in them and how much fat I'd used. I opted not to add the salsa or scallions because my favorite refried beans are just beans and seasoning, but I did melt some cheese on top. While I added in the cooked bacon to this batch, next time I'll leave it out. I prefer smooth refried beans and the little pieces of bacon were a distraction. SP said I should just save it for BLTs. Smart man!

This is an easy recipe to double or triple for a party. One 15-oz can made enough for four servings, along with Mexican Sour Cream Rice and chicken tacos.

Refried Beans
Slightly Modified from Elly Says Opa, as seen on Annie’s Eats

2 strips bacon (or 2 tablespoons bacon grease)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (or 1½ cups cooked pinto beans)
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken or veggie broth, divided

If you don't have any bacon grease handy - heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, being careful not to burn it. Remove the bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pan. (Save the bacon for another use, like BLTs)

If you have bacon grease handy, add it to a medium skillet. Melt it over medium-high heat, then add the onion to the pan. Cook until just tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add the beans to the pan. Season with a bit of salt and pepper (you can add more later, don't oversalt). Pour in 2/3 cup of the broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to a light simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Mash the bean mixture as desired. For a chunkier texture, use a fork or potato masher. For a smoother texture, pulse the mixture in a food processor (this is what I do). Add up to 1/3 cup more broth for a lighter texture and adjust seasonings to taste.

Reheating - These reheated wonderfully in the microwave. No need to take up space on the stove or dirty another pan.

Pasta with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know that I have a weakness for cream sauces, especially in pasta dishes. I've seen this recipe for Orecchiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone floating around the blogosphere for awhile and figured it was time to see what all the fuss was about.


After looking at the ingredient list I knew my first task would be finding a substitute for mascarpone. I'm sure the stuff is great but I'd rather use ingredients that I already keep on hand then spend extra money for a specialty item. A quick Google search led me to this recipe at food.com. I really appreciated the tool to increase or decrease the serving size to adjust for different recipes. The original recipe yielded 10 ounces and I only needed 4 ounces or 1/2 cup. Easy peasy.

I subbed nugget pasta for the orecchiette simply because I had a box at home and, again, didn't want to spend the money for a specialty item when I had something else at home already. Next time pasta is on sale at my supermarket I plan to stock up on mini shells, so next time I'll use those. As the original blogger said, the crevice in the orecchiette/shells is perfect for cradling the sausage and beans, although the nuggets were fine in a pinch.

My only complaint about this dish was that there wasn't more sauce. I'm thinking about upping the amount of mascarpone ingredients next time to see if that helps. Otherwise this was outstanding, if a little spicy from the red pepper flakes. I've made them optional in the recipe below but if you like spice use them. I prefer my cream sauces mild, thankfyouverymuch.

If 1/2 pound of sausage seems like too little for 1 pound of pasta never fear; the beans more than make up for it. I wish I'd taken my own advice, though. I thought the pan seemed a little empty so I used a full pound of sausage and it overwhelmed the finished dish once everything else had been added. Next time I'll stick with a 1/2 pound.

Orecchiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone
Modified from Stirring the Pot

1 pound orecchiette or shell pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup Marsala wine (you can also use brandy, sherry or Madeira)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces cream cheese
1/8 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.

In a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onions. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it browns. Continue cooking until the sausage is golden and the onions are tender. Add the garlic and stir, cooking about 1 minute until you can smell the garlic. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup Marsala wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the beans, oregano, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and stir. Add the cream cheese, heavy cream and sour cream and stir until it dissolves into a light sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pasta. Stir until coated and serve.