Black Bean and Goat Cheese Pizza

Last week one day I put a post on Facebook saying that I was making a black bean and goat cheese pizza.  Having never tried it before I added the comment at the end…”How could that not be good right?”  To those of you who responded that there was no way it could be good, you’re just plain crazy.

This ended up being an absolutely delicious pizza and we all were fighting for the leftovers the next day. 
I pretty much followed the same recipe that I use when I make black bean and goat cheese quesadillas the only real change being the pizza crust instead of tortillas.

Goat Cheese and Black Bean Pizza
Preheat oven to 500F (I use a pizza stone on the bottom shelf and cook my pizzas on a cookie sheet directly on the stone.)
1 package of store bought pizza dough or your own recipe (I make a bread machine dough that we love).  Stretched as shaped on a pan.  We use a cookie sheet pan and make rectangular pizzas.
Black Bean Topping
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
24-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup water 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, chopped or sliced if desired
4 oz. or more goat cheese, crumbled
Directions
In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, cumin, chili powder, oregano and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the water has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Take the pan off the heat. With the back of a fork, break up the beans to make a chunky mash. Stir in half of the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
Spread the black bean mixture over the pizza dough and crumble the goat cheese and dab on top, sprinkle with jalapeno.
Cook until hot and bubbly and the pizza crust is browned to your liking (should be about 20 minutes but keep an eye on it.  My oven is funky at 500F.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Read more »

Black Bean Hummus…

I was hunting around the other day waiting to pick the girls up and I stumbled across a recipe for Black Bean Hummus.  Turns out a friend of mine has also been requesting a recipe from me for hummus.  I gave her my original one that is here, but this black bean one sounded really good to me and i couldn’t get it out of my head.  I love black beans and who doesn’t love a nice garlicky hummus???

This came together in a matter of minutes in my food processor.  I think stirring up the tahini took more time the the recipe!

Black Bean Hummus (from All Recipes)

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain and reserve liquid
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
10 Greek olives

Instructions:

• Mince garlic in the bowl of a food processor.
• Add black beans, 2 tablespoons reserved liquid, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
• Add additional seasoning and liquid to taste.
• Garnish with paprika and Greek olives.

***I calculated this for WW as 2 points for a 1/4 cup serving…that’s not including the yummy pita that you HAVE to have with it!

Read more »

Turkey and Pinto and Black Bean Chili

I’m cold. Now I am not talking just a little cold here, I mean I am bundle up in a bunch of sweaters, fuzzy sock and big slippers, gallons of hot tea being drank, but I still can’t seem to get warm so I guess that’s why my family is eating lots of soups and comfort foods right now! Anything to try and be warm. This chili fit the bill. Needed to simmer on the stove and I knew if would smell just perfect and add the illusion of warmth to the house!

Turned out absolutely perfect and I can’t wait for the leftover for dinner tonight!

Recipe for the cornbread can be found here!

Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili (adapted from Epicurious.com )

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium-size red bell peppers, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1.5 pounds ground turkey
• 5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

Heat Olive Oil in a large heavy bottom pot. Add onion, bell peppers and garlic and sauté over high heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add turkey and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up large pieces with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Mix in chili powder, cumin and oregano and stir 1 minute. Add beans, tomatoes with juices, broth and chocolate. Bring chili to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour but can be simmered longer for a thicker chili. Season with salt and pepper.

Read more »

Orange-Cilantro Black Bean Salad

My Mom sent me an email today reminding me that I had not posted since last week some time…funny Mom! One of my problems is we are so busy that by the time I get to sit and eat I am so hungry and it is pitch black out. I have lights but am not satisfied with the pictures when I use them. Also my meals have been somewhat less than inspiring. Mostly based on what I have on hand and that hasn't really been anything fancy. But today I was flipping through sites and came across this recipe from Weight Watchers. It sounded wonderful and…I had everything on hand!!!

Orange-Cilantro Black Bean Salad (Weight Watchers Online)

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium red onion(s), cut into thin wedges
2 medium garlic clove(s), finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 medium orange(s), peeled, segmented
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute more.

Stir in black beans and cook just until heated through. Transfer bean mixture to a medium-size bowl and stir in cilantro, vinegar and oranges. Season to taste and serve. Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.

***If you are counting points this is described as being 4 servings at 3/4 cup each. They give it 1 weight watchers point. Not bad for a filling lunch!

Read more »

Chili Verde for the Crockpot

It was cold yesterday.  At least by Southwest Florida standards.  I think we reached a high of about 60F for the whole day.  I’m not complaining.  I live for the cooler weather but I knew that I needed something to warm us up for dinner.  Knowing that we would be at The BMX Track after the sun went down was pretty motivating too!

I pulled out my trusty Crockpot and went to work. 

Chili Verde

6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of pork (this time I used pork steaks and cut them down to bite sized pieces.  Could use Pork Butt or Shoulder Roast)
• 3 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour (seasoned with a small bit of salt and pepper)
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1/2 Cup Tomatillo Salsa
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 (7 ounce) can of chopped green chiles, rinsed and drained.
• 1 small jar of pimientos (or 3/4 cup roasted red pepper strips)
• 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

• In a large bowl toss the pork with the seasoned flour until evenly coated.  Stir in the water , salsa, cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, salt, onions and 1/2 of the green chiles.  Mix well.
• Cover and cook on low heat for about 6 hours (or on high for about 3 or 4), or until pork is tender.  Stir twice if possible.
• Stir in the remaining green chiles, the red pepper strips and the black beans.  Cover again and cook on high 20-30 min. longer until heated through and bubbling again.

Will I make this again?  Definitely.  This will be a go to winter meal for us.  I wanted to try not browning the pork in this recipe and I am really pleased with how it turned out.  Truth be told I ran out of time and needed to get this on.  Worked to my advantage.  The meat was spoon cutting tender.  Everyone in the house loved it. 

Read more »

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

My goal each and every day is to feed my family a healthy lunch and dinner.  Oh how I have been lax at meeting that daily goal!  Turning a new page and starting off on the right foot and all here is my attempt to get it all back together.  The meals that I cook have to either be crock pot, slow cooked or else pre cooked that we can heat up after, between or before whatever extra curricular event we have happening on that night.  I don’t use packaged or prepared foods at all so everything that I do is from scratch, just to make it more challenging huh?

Between karate 2 days, skating 2 or 3 days and BMX 2 or 3 days you can just imagine that it is a little hectic around here.  One thing though that we ALWAYS make sure that we do it to eat together.  There is none of this grabbing and eating on your own here.  We sit down to a family meal each and every single night.  Is it easy?  No way, but we do it.

One of my big problems though is that we get pretty bored with all of the fast things that I can make and it has been way too hot for a slow cooked or crock pot meal.  So this is what I came up with yesterday and it is going to be added into the rotation.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

I was able to make the black bean mixture, cut up all of the cilantro, jalapenos and crumble the goat cheese ahead of time.  When we got home I heated the bean mixture and got the griddle going.  These were assembled, cooked and on the table in 10 minutes.  I served sautéed zucchini along side and it was really the perfect meal!

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadilla (inspired by Fine Cooking)

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
24-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, chopped
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
6 flour tortillas, Burrito size (we used 2 whole ones for T and I and 1 each for the girls)

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, cumin, chili powder, oregano and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the water has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Take the pan off the heat. With the back of a fork, break up the beans to make a chunky mash. Stir in half of the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the black bean mixture over the tortilla and crumble the goat cheese, sprinkle with jalapeno and some cilantro top with another tortilla.  Cook on a heated and oiled griddle until nice and golden brown.  Repeat with the remaining ingredients and slice up and serve.

**We served these with chopped up avocado, salsa and sour cream.  This was a delicious and quick week night meal!

This would also be a great idea for an appetizer for your next party or pot luck.  Cut into smaller wedges these would be perfect!

As Always…

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Read more »

Using up some leftover corn…

Last week was a crazy week for me. My Mom was here and that was so incredibly, super awesome! But sadly she is gone now and we were so busy that the week passed in a huge blur! Please Mom, figure out the dog and come and stay with me!!!

Anyway, we ate last week and we ate really well but I was always flying out the door to some event or thing that I never really got any pictures. This week all that is going to change. It’s only Tuesday and already I have made something that is blog worthy from dinner last night!!!

We had some corn on the cob leftover from my youngest daughter’s birthday dinner. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it to. This is easily my favorite way to use up corn that doesn’t get eaten.

I eat this as a salad but it could also easily be used as a salsa. If I have any leftover I sometimes wrap it up in a corn tortilla for lunch the next day. This is fast, easy and delicious!!!

Black Bean and Corn Salad (adapted from CDKitchen Black Bean and Corn Salsa)

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) can black beans ( rinsed and drained)
1 cup fresh corn kernels, removed from cob
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Mix all the above well. Refrigerate over night to let flavors blend.

As Always,

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Read more »

What to make in a hurry and oh yeah...try to get rid of those frozen peppers!

The other night I knew I had to think quick on my feet. It was 5:00 and I had no clue as to what I was going to make for dinner. I remembered a dish that my brother-in-law used to make that was really good but could not for the life of me remember how to make so I just started winging it.

I browned up some "very happy" ground beef. I added some chopped onion, and some green pepper (down one more!!!). Added some oregano, salt and cumin (sorry, no measurements here but keep tasting it...is it good?).

At the same time that I was working on this I was making some white rice (yes I know that brown is better but it's what I had!!!).

I added a can of black beans to the meat mixture and then added a couple of spoonfuls of dijon style mustard. Mixed the cooked rice into all of this and check it out...

This is such an incredibly flavorful dish and I served it with the tomato, onion and cucumber salad from yesterday. I actually had a girlfriend of mine come over and join us and she liked it too!!!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Read more »

Black Beans and Rice

Black Beans and Rice

Now I am not going to tell you that these are typical Cuban, Puerto Rican, or any other Hispanic countries beans. These are just something that I have some up with that works really well for my family. I have tried them a bunch of different ways and this is what I keep coming back to. It's really all about the toppings anyway isn't it???

This really isn't a recipe but I just throw in what I have and to the amount that it tastes good. Last night I put in a bit too much cumin but that isn't a bad thing in my books!


Chop up an onion and some garlic and saute in some heated olive oil. When the onion and garlic are cooked add 2 cans of black beans or 1 lb of dried beans cooked per the directions on the bag. Add about 1/2 tsp of dried oregano, 1 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and salt/pepper to taste. Cook to allow the the bean and sauce to thicken (about 20 mins) serve over hot rice. Top with tomatoes, pico de gallo, jalapeños, onion, sour cream or anything else you want!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Read more »

Beans, beans the magical fruit....

Black Beans and Rice with toppings

You know how it goes don't you? Anyway that is what I made for dinner tonight. After 2 days of field day at the girls new school, karate and ice skating I needed something simple to start off the weekend! My inspiration for this meal came from one of my blogging friends Robin of Caviar and Codfish. I had really wanted to make her version of black beans and then serve them with rice and the toppings that we like to use. But as what usually happens to me when I have too many things going on I can't cook let alone follow a recipe!!!

First thing this morning I put the beans in a pot to soak them (yep-I wasn't suppose to do that). I then left the house for a fun filled field day for my oldest daughter.

Field day fun!

I stayed until lunch time and then ran some badly neglected errands and then went on home to start the beans and make some pico de gallo to top this with. I picked up the pot to drain the water out and as I was pouring I was reading the recipe (yep-wasn't suppose to do that either!). I stopped pouring and managed to save about half of the water so I just added some more and chopped up the onion and minced the garlic and put the pot onto boil away.

T. was expected home around 5 so I wanted most of the stuff done so we could sit and enjoy a cocktail before we had to finish off dinner. I turned the beans up top thicken them a bit and went to get the bottle of sherry. Bottle of Sherry?????? I could have sworn we had one. So anyway at this point there was no way I could follow Robin's recipe so here is her recipe with the changes that I made...Sorry Robin. I have to try this one again.


Simple Black Beans

1 lb dried black beans (picked over and rinsed but not soaked-yep I soaked them)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp olive oil
8 cups of water (I used 1/2 of the water that I soak them in and added 4 more cups)
1 1/2 tsp salt

I did okay up to here but this is where I went my own way Robin's called for Sherry, Soy Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and hot Chinese chili paste. If you would like to follow Robin's recipe or just to check out her great pictures follow this Robin's Simple Black Beans or you could just continue with mine.

1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Directions:

• Soak the beans for at least 6 hrs in about 8 cups of water. Dump out half of the water and add 4 cups of water (or skip this bone head move of mine and just start the pot to boil!!!)
• Add the onion, garlic, oil salt, oregano, cumin, and garlic powder.
• Simmer with the lid on for at least 2 hrs or until the beans are nice and tender. Remove the lid to reach your desired consistency.
• Stir in the vinegar
• Serve over rice with a variety of toppings.

We love the beans and rice with jalapenos, onions, pico de gallo and sour cream. This makes a nice hearty, low maintenance dinner!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

Read more »