Cuban Black Beans

Cuban Black Beans

Serve them whole....

CUBAN BLACK BEANS

• 2 lbs. dry black beans
• 1 lg. yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 2+ t. salt

The night before you want to eat your beans, pick through beans and be sure you have no rocks and rinse....key to good dental health.  Place beans in large pot/Dutch oven and cover with water, about 1 inch past the beans.  Let soak overnight.  The next day, depending on when you want to eat your beans (you will need 2 hours to cook the beans), drain and rinse the beans.  Rinse the pot you soaked them in.  Spray pot with nonstick spray or drizzle a little olive oil in and heat to medium heat.  Saute the onions until they soften, about 5 minutes.  Throw in garlic and saute another  minute, until things start smelling like garlic.  Add beans and enough water to cover beans.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cover pot and let them simmer for an hour and a half, checking them every 20 minutes or so to be sure they have enough water.  Wash the cilantro.  Chop off the stems and the base of the bunch and rough chop it.  After the beans have been cooking for an hour and a half add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 the cilantro. Stir to combine well. Continue to simmer.  After thirty minutes more, check for saltiness and add more salt if needed.  I usually end up using 3 teaspoons. Toss in the remaining cilantro and stir.  Serve with cornbread or if desired scoop into a cast iron skillet, draining off some of the liquid and mash the beans for burritos, toastadas, nachos.....yum.

Cinnamon Bun Scones

  
CINNAMON BUN SCONES

• 1 cup instant oatmeal
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 cup demerara/turbinado (or white sugar)
• 1 stick butter
• 3/4 cup nonfat milk (or milk of your choice)
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 T. sugar
• 2 t. cinnamon

      Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 t. maple flavoring
• 1 t. strong brewed coffee
• Milk (enough to make it the consistency you like, adding it in 1 tablespoon at a time)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and demerara.  Mix.  Cut in butter.  In a separate bowl combine eggs, milk and vanilla.  Pour into dry mixture and combine.  The dough will not be super wet, kinda dry, like a biscuit or like....like a scone if you have made scones before. Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together.  Swirl into dough...or mix in randomly.  Prepare cookie sheet with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.  This will make 12 scones, so divided the dough in such a manner that you will have 12 equally sized scones.  I scoop out my dough onto the cookie sheet and then kind of loosely shape it into a roundish biscuit.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until bottoms are golden.  Remove from oven.  While cooling, combine ingredients for frosting.  Drizzle glaze on scones and enjoy.  I like to put the scones on individual plates and then drizzle the glaze over the scone so the recipient gets all the glaze that drips off too!

Roasted Cauliflower

 

Roasted Cauliflower

 

 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

• 1 head cauliflower
• Olive oil spray
• Salt, pepper, garlic salt, whatever floats your boat
• Parmesan if you are not sure what the reaction will be without cheese (like me) so you sprinkled some on about 10 minutes before it was done (totally optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with olive oil spray.  Wash and cut cauliflower.  My method is to cut off the florets and then slice the florets into slices, maybe 1/4 inch thick along with all the little bits that fall off.  Spread cauliflower on cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil spray.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.  Toss and spray with a little more olive oil spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip and stir and spread back out evenly on cookie sheet.  Cook another 10 to 20 minutes, until cauliflower is browning on the edges and is tender throughout. Serve immediately. 

Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili

Thank you Skinnytaste. 

 

 

 

Here is my interpretation of Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili:

 

CHICKEN CHILI

See original recipe here.

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 (16 oz. each) cans of black beans (drain 2 cans, leave juice in other two)
• 2 (16 oz. each) cans red kidney beans with juice
• 2 (14.5 oz. each) cans of tomatoes with chilies
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 (16 oz.) bag frozen corn
• 1 packet taco seasoning (I used low sodium)
• 24 ozs. (3 to 4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chop onion. Combine onion, black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn and taco seasoning in your crock pot.  Place chicken breasts on top.  Cook for 8 to 10 hours on low.  Before serving remove chicken and shred.  Stir chicken back into chili and serve.  Enjoy!

 

Note:  This was kind of soupy due to the juice from the beans.  The original recipe did not say whether or not to drain the beans and you can see above what I decided to do. 

 

Another note:  Bean juice?  Not really sure what you call the liquid in the can with the beans.

 

According to Skinnytaste this recipe is 3 points for 1-1/4 cup chili or 5 points for the Points Plus system.

 

 

Sausage and Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Sausage and Cheddar Drop Biscuits

SAUSAGE AND CHEDDAR DROP BISCUITS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. onion powder (or 1/2 an onion diced)
• 1/3 c. cold butter
• 1/2 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage, cooked, crumbled and drained
• 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we like it cheesy!)
• 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine dry ingredients. Cut butter into small chunks and then cut into small pebbles size pieces with a pastry cutter.  Toss cooked and drained sausage with flour, coating the sausage crumbles with flour so they don't stick together.  Stir in cheese. Stir in buttermilk.  Drop biscuits onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, until bottoms are golden.  Makes 12 good sized biscuits. 

 

A note about the onion:  You can omit this all together if you like.  I prefer the real onion, minced and tossed in with the rest of the ingredients.  Some chicks do not like this, but don't mind at all or even notice if I use onion powder. 

Snicker Doodle Muffins

 

SNICKER DOODLE MUFFINS
Courtesy of Your Cup of Cake.

• 2 cups flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp cream of tartar
• 1/3 tsp salt
• ½ cups butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla, blend well. Combine dry and wet ingredients, do not over mix. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins or muffin cups. Mix cinnamon and ½ cup sugar (I do not use the whole amount because it makes a big mess and just falls off.) and spoon over tops of muffins. Bake 10-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Combine crispy rice, oats, wheat germ and coconut.

Combine honey, brown sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir until the mixture comes to a complete boil for 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Let cool for 5 minutes.

Add chocolate chips.

Pat into greased 13x9 inch pan and cool completely before cutting.

CHEWY PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP GRANOLA BARS

• 2-1/2 c. crispy rice cereal
• 1-3/4 c. rolled oats
• 1/4 c. wheat germ
• 1/2 c. flaked coconut
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2/3 c. peanut butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Combine first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl. In a saucepan, mix the honey, brown sugar and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the mixture comes to a complete boil for 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before mixing in the chocolate chips. Press into a greased 9×13 pan and let cool before cutting into bars.