Tag Archives: Beans / Legumes / Lentils

Spicy Bean Burritos

Growing up, we didn’t eat a lot of beans. Sometimes we’d have chili and they’d show up there, but other than that, they were limited.

Now that I have my own kitchen (and have had for some time!) beans are a frequent guest at our dinners. I am so lucky that CH will eat almost anything and he happens to love beans, so it’s a win-win. Nothing will beat the Tuscan white beans we had while traveling in Italy, but I will keep trying recipes until I get it right.

This meal however is one of my favourite go-to quick dinners, and it has even been made many upon many times – I was just lucky that I planned ahead a little and managed to take a photo this time around.  I even made these while living in France last year.  They are healthy, very budget-friendly and the bottom line – they are delicious.

Like I said above, this is an easy weeknight dinner that is ready in about half an hour and is absolutely delicious for lunch the next day (or two!). Feel free to fill them with whatever toppings you like – just be careful not to over-stuff them or you will have burrito explosion :)!  Oh, and if you don’t like spicy, kick back the amount of chili powder to your liking.  One final note – feel free to use whatever canned beans you have on hand – I’ve used only black beans, a mixture of white beans/black beans, and straight pinto beans – use what you like and they will be delicious.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bean Burritos

Yield:
about 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes (prep while the beans cook!)
Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

 For the bean filling:

  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. minced chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 small pinch of cayenne pepper
  • S&P to taste
  • 1/3 cup water, vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 TBSP of your favourite store-bought salsa

 For serving:

  • 6 (9- or 10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Diced cherry tomatoes
  • Shredded romaine lettuce
  • Diced red onion
  • Diced cucumber
  • Low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • Diced cilantro

Directions:

To make the bean filling:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent and slightly brown. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin, salt and cayenne; stir, cooking just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.

Add the beans and the water or broth to the skillet.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the salsa.

Spoon about a third of a cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Top each serving with a pinch of shredded cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cucumber cilantro and sour cream.  Roll the tortilla up tightly, burrito style, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats, as seen on Pink Parsley Catering, originally from Cooking Light

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Filed under Healthy, Mains, Mexican, Vegetarian and Vegan

Zucchini Pasta with Chickpeas, Beets and Basil

With the bounty of vegetables at the market next door, I have been in heaven (both cooking and eating).  We haven’t eaten meat (except a slice of ham in our morning egg mcmuffin today!) for lunch or dinner since last week, and neither of us are complaining. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with all of the local vegetables and coming up with new concotions.

This recipe was born out of just that.  I’ve found that, to no surprise, I am enjoying a baguette almost daily with CH.  While I will never complain about that fact, given I am in France, my dresses/skirts may have something to say about it in a few weeks.  Thus, I am focusing on reducing the amount of grain products (i.e. pasta, bread, rice) in my lunches and dinners.  Lunches are easy, salads with lots of veggies and proteins.  Dinners are a little trickier, especially because I have a 6ft 2in hubby who can eat like a machine and not gain weight (argh, again not fair)! Thus, dinners have to be something adaptable to both of our taste, and this recipe did just that – I had mine with zucchini “noodles” and CH had his with bowtie pasta.  One simple switch, two delicious meals and two happy people.

Just as a disclaimer – I am not going on a carb restrictive diet – I am just focusing more on the local vegetables and fruits available in France and leaving room to enjoy the baguettes, cheese, croissants and pain au chocolates….and of course, more wine.  Diet and healthy living to me are all about everything in moderation, but enjoying things without guilt or hesitation.  Thus, if you make healthy choices most of the day, there is always room for treats here and there.  And, to top off this little blurb, CH and I are still training for our first 10km race, hopefully at the end of summer, so we are running as much as possible, in combination with this healthy eating approach.  Each run = more fun!

This dish was delicious and CH liked his version too.  It had subtle flavours that blended really well together, yet the garlic gave it the little flavour kick it needed.  The colors were beautiful on the plate, and it really satisfied me for the entire day (it was lunch!). Feel free to switch up some of the ingredients – add more cheese (CH did), more garlic, omit the beets and substitute with eggplant or red peppers. Whatever you enjoy and have on hand.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pasta with Chickpeas, Beet and Basil

Servings:  2 large servings
Prep Time:  5 minutes
Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium zucchini, julienned
  • 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 1 cup cooked beets, drained well and cubed
  • 1 large shallot (or two small), diced
  • 2 – 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 8 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
  • 2 or 3 tbsp grated pecorino or mozzarella cheese (I used some delicious aged goat cheese I can’t remember the name of)
  • S&P

Directions:

In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, heat olive oil until glistening.  Add onions to the pan and cook until translucent (4 – 5 minutes).

Add chickpeas to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add beets and garlic to the pan, and cook for 5 – 10 minutes, until warmed through.

While beets are cooking, placed julienned zucchini strips into a microwave safe bowl.  Cook in the microwave on medium-high heat for 3 – 4 minutes, ensuring that the zucchini softens but still has a slight bite to them (just like pasta!)

Season the chickpea and beet mixture with S&P and remove from heat.  Stir-in the basil pieces.

Place zucchini ‘pasta’ into two bowls and top with chickpea and beet mixture.  Sprinkle each bowl with grated cheese.

Enjoy!

A JBean French Cuisine Creation

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Filed under Healthy, Mains, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetarian and Vegan