White Bean Burritos

White Bean Burritos are super easy to whip up.  Cooked Great Northern beans or Navy beans are quickly mashed, seasoned with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper, then heated up like refried beans.  I could totally see this as a healthy snack dip or eaten as a filling for tacos, chalupas and, yes, burritos.

For folks accustomed to eating Pinto beans or red beans in your Tex-Mex treats, you may think the Northern or Navy beans don't have enough "bean" flavor.  That's what I thought the first time I attempted to make tacos using them.  The second time, I cooked them up like I would a pan of traditional refried beans.  Mixed with a topping of cooked red bell pepper, onions and a few spicy jalapenos, they turn into a tasty alternative.

I ran this recipe through the Kid Approval Process, using my two plus a kid from the hood.  EVERY ONE gave a thumbs up and Max went back for seconds.  He claimed he liked them MORE than the regular kind.  I, personally, wouldn't go that far, as I am a die hard pinto bean refried bean eater.  However, as I said before, using the Northern bean shakes it up a bit.  I want to play around some more with this recipe.  I feel it could be more exciting.  Today's version is purely for the kiddos, picky eaters, and mild spice consumers.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

this makes 4 to 5 small burritos

• 1 small onion, sliced into rings
• 1 small bell pepper, sliced the same thickness as the onion
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings (essential seasoning in refried beans)
• 3 cups cooked Great Northern or Navy beans
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt & fresh pepper to taste
• flour tortillas, fajitas size
• jalapenos, sliced (totally optional)
• cheddar cheese, grated

In a medium fry pan over medium heat, heat a little canola oil and cook the onion and bell pepper until soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pan, set aside and keep warm.

Using the same pan, warm the bacon drippings, add in the chili powder and cumin, then add in the beans.  If you're using canned beans, pour in the whole can, liquid and all. Carefully use a potato masher to mash about 3/4 of the beans into a thick consistency.  If you need to,  add a little water if the bean mixture is still too thick.   Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the beans on medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes until they have thicken back up, stir often to keep from sticking to pan.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.  The refried beans will thicken the more they cool down.

Meanwhile, prep your burrito building station. Warm the tortillas, either in the microwave on medium power for 20 to 40 seconds, or in the oven set to 250ºF degrees for a minute or two.  You pick. Grate the cheese, get out the jar of jalapenos...

Allow everyone to build their own burritos and you're ready to eat!

Joe’s Baked Egg Muffins

I just came from Joejhorn's blog, My Cooking Quest and grabbed a fantastic breakfast!

All it takes is a couple of slices of bread, butter, crumbled bacon, two eggs, a little cream, salt & pepper, topped off with a pinch of cheese.

You know when you're eating something really good and you reach down to your plate to get another bite and there's nothing there?  And you don't remember finishing off the meal and you're really not finished tasting all the goodness you were eating?  That's what happened here.

Don't get me wrong. I made two and two makes a very satisfying breakfast.  But I was not finished eating when I finished eating these baked egg muffins.

HERE'S HOW JOE PUT THESE TOGETHER

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter your muffin tin.  Cut edges off each piece of bread to form a square about four inches by four inches. Butter the bread slices.  Press each slice gently into the bottom of the muffin cup so that the four edges are pointing up like in the picture.  Bake for 3 to 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bread, until it is starting to crisp.

Remove tin from the oven, place the bacon, prosciutto or ham on the bottom of each cup.  Crack an egg into each cup.  Season with salt and pepper, pour a bit of cream on top and cover with cheese to your liking.

Place the muffin tin back into the oven and bake for 10 to 14 minutes until the whites are just set, or to the desired consistency. With a fork or an offset spatula, remove the bread cups, garnish with chives and devour!

I had maple flavored bacon on hand, pre-baked in a freezer bag and used one slice for both muffins.  I prefer my eggs on the firm side, so I baked these for 15 minutes and the eggs were still soft.  Be sure to coat the muffin tin generously with nonstick spray or butter.  One muffin came out fine, the other got stuck on the bottom.

Oh Joe, Joe, Joe, how can I thank you for such a lovely breakfast?

For the exact details of Joe's Baked Eggs click here. and BE SATISFIED.

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Simple White Bean Soup

There's a lot more flavor in this simple soup than the photograph can portray.

Simple White Bean Soup is perfect to make ahead for work day lunches, no matter what the temperature is outside.  It's light and filling and totally healthy!

My only mistake in making it was that I didn't make enough.  The original recipe came out of my favorite Italian cookbook and is simply called, White Bean Soup.  I changed it to fit what I had on hand in the pantry and that's what I've listed here, my on-hand version.

Max's best friend, Eli, passed by the soup pot and asked to try it.  He told me that he was a Professional Taster and he could tell me from a scale of 1 to 100 if it would be a good soup.  Eli's 8 years old, and has a wonderful sense of adventure when it comes to food.  His Mom is SO lucky!

Eli's rating, after eating two bowls, was 1000! He crumbled a few tortilla chips on top and went to town.  He did recommend that I "add a pinch more salt, but it was REALLY, REALLY GOOD!" He also asked to make sure his Mom got the recipe so she could make it.  So with all that in mind, here's the recipe.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 2 (15 oz.) cans Northern Beans
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 (15oz.) can plum tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
• 1 (15oz.) hot chicken broth or 2 cups hot water
• salt & pepper to season
• extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

Puree one can of Northern Bean with an immersion blender or food processor.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Stir in the onion, and cook until it softens.  Add the celery, tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Pour in hot broth.  Stir in the beans and the bean puree.  Season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Sprinkle with a little extra virgin olive oil in individual soup bowls.

LET'S EAT!

1st AMENDMENT TO THIS RECIPE

I cooked up 2 cups of Cannellini beans with 4 garlic cloves and 4 small bay leaves in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes.  Cannellini beans are larger and held up better in the end than the canned Northern beans.  I wouldn't say they had distinct flavors, one was just larger & hardier.

I ended up with a creamier soup, because I used more pureed beans than before.  That was a good move.

Here's a photo of the cannellini bean soup. I can tell it's creamier looking than the one above.  Can you?

Jalapeño Peach Salsa Recipe

If you've never eaten this salsa before, I know what you're thinking. I thought the same thing. "This is some weird foodie recipe."
It's not at all. I got this delicious, simple recipe from my good friend, Kim. She's a Nutritionist and a VERY good cook.

It turns out that jalapeño peach salsa is highly addictive. It's very hard to stop eating once you get started. It begins to rock after an hour of refrigeration. It's unstoppable the next day.

The soft sweet mix of the peaches and tomatoes (canned tomatoes are the best for this recipe) together with the cilantro and green heat of the fresh jalapeños dripping with the garlicky lime juice and sitting on the salty crunch of the tortilla chip...

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 cups fresh peaches or 1 (15oz.) can peaches, drained
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes or 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 small jalapeños, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, dice peaches into half inch pieces for a chunky dip. Finely chop the onion, jalapeños, garlic and cilantro. Add lime juice, cider vinegar and salt; toss well. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or longer.
Great to make a day ahead.

Kim says this is very good on top of grilled tilapia, too.