Easy Chili Beans on Toast

This is a recipe for a day when you come home hungry and want something filling that will be ready in about 10 minutes or less.  Or for a day when you have a can of beans you need to use up.

The other day, I found myself in both of those situations.  Sometimes you need a cop-out meal, something fast that will satisfy you and save time.  And sometimes, cop-outs can be delicious.

Easy Chili Beans on Toast

2 slices gluten-free bread, toasted
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 tsp. onion flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or 1 tsp. minced garlic)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 - 1/2 cup water, to desired thickness

Place the kidney beans into a skillet and heat them.  Add the spices and stir to coat well.  Continue to cook for another 2 - 3 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and stir to distribute evenly.  Add 1/4 cup of water and stir.  As it boils off, add more if desired.  Cook for another 4 - 5 minutes.

Serve over toasted bread.  Delicious plain, or add melted cheese if you are dairy-tolerant, or top with a fried egg.

Jugo Beans, or African Groundnuts

As I was walking down the street in Mbabane the other day, I passed a woman sitting by a huge bin of brown beady looking things. At first Ithought they might be roasted peanuts, but upon closer inspection, I saw that they were some sort of bean. I bought a bag and munched on them for the rest of the day, savoring their salty yet slightly sweet flavor. As I snacked on them, I held them up to my Swazi colleagues and asked what they were called. They looked amused that I was eating them and said, "Oh! It's tidlubu," but no one I asked could remember the English name for them. Finally Nokuthula remembered that they are called jugo beans English, which still didn't really help me much, as I had never heard of them before. They are also known as African groundnuts or bambara groundnuts. Either way, I was hooked, and the next time I was at the market, I found a bag of uncooked beans to try my own hand at it. They are so simple to make, yet they turn out to have such a powerful natural flavor that you don't need to add anything but salt, and that's even a matter of taste. They end up looking almost like candies when you turn them out on to the plate, sticking together like caramel would, but their flavor is a deep savory one that has just a hint of sweetness to it that is complemented perfectly by the tinge of salt. These are popular in many parts of Africa and are powerhouses of protein. I have never seen these in the U.S., but who knows? Maybe someone knows a place to find them. I just wanted to share with you all that if you have the chance to try them sometime, you should take it!

Boiled Bambara Groundnuts
2 cups jugo beans/African groundnuts/Bambara groundnuts
4- 8 cups water, more if needed
1 tbsp. salt

Wash the jugo beans and remove any defective ones. Place the beans in enough water to cover by several inches and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, adding water as necessary to cover. After about 2 hours have passed, and the water has turned to a soupy brown, add 1 tbsp. of salt and continue to boil until the water has almost entirely evaporated away. Drain excess water and place the jugo beans on a plate to cool. Add more salt as desired to your own taste. Eat plain as a snack, or add to rice for a pilaf, or roast in the oven, or add to your favorite tomato sauce for a delicious protein boost.

Diana's Taco Soup

The last week I was living in my apartment in St. Louis with my lovely roommates, we decided to make a big pot of one of our favorite easy dinners to use up some of the food I had left: taco soup. Kyle got this recipe from his mother, Diana, and we've made it many times since then because it is so easy to put together, and so delicious. I altered a few things - I added twice the taco seasoning originally called for because I omitted the dry ranch mix - but it turned out wonderfully. It will be ready in as little as 15 minutes, or you can let it simmer and bubble for longer than that to achieve an even richer flavor. It's super easy to make, and it is ready so quickly that this would be perfect for a night when you don't have much time to throw dinner together but still want something filling and satisfying. Serve topped with anything you'd put on a taco that you can tolerate: tomatoes, onions, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, etc. And we top ours off with Fresh Gourmet brand tortilla strips - the fiesta flavor is our favorite, but all of them are good, and most are gluten-free. If you don't have those, any corn chips will work!

Diana's Taco Soup

Makes 4 - 6 servings

1 pkg of ground turkey OR vegetarian/vegan meat substitute
2 packets Old El Paso taco seasoning (or your favorite gluten-free brand)
1 can corn with liquid
1 1/2 can of water
1 can pinto beans
1 can mild chili beans
1 can diced tomatoes (the ones that include onion & garlic add nice flavor)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 pkg dry ranch mix (I omitted this, but in case you are able to find one that suits your dietary needs, I'm including it as it's part of the original recipe)

Brown the meat in a large pot. When it has been cooked, drain the fat and return the meat to the pot. Add the packets of Old El Paso seasoning and stir to mix, and then add the rest of the ingredients listed. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to mix, but longer if you'd like a little more depth of flavor to develop. Serve topped with any ingredients you would normally use on a taco: chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, guacamole, Tofutti sour cream, cheese (if you can have it), and corn tortilla strips (Fresh Gourmet Fiesta brand is my personal favorite to have with this soup).

Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

After two weeks of traveling and after this hectic week of getting back into the swing of things at home and work, I have been aching to cook myself a good, fresh meal. My tour guides in Israel were really great about ordering me gluten-free meals as we traveled around the country, but the meals were mostly either giant bowls of plain lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, or they were TV dinner-type meals with "certified gluten-free" written in Hebrew and Arabic across the top, which, while filling, were not particularly satisfying or wholesome. While I was very grateful for the attention that was paid to my diet, I have been craving something homemade and delicious ever since eating the first meal on the plane over. It has blisteringly cold all week in St. Louis, and I've had to spend all too much time outside, walking to work and class. I know, I know - we're babies. People who live in Minnesota are probably scoffing at Missourians, complaining about our "cold weather." Does it make it better if we're just not used to this kind of cold in Missouri?? Maybe not. But nonetheless, St. Louisans were collectively very chilly this week. Today I spent the morning inside, sipping my coffee and skyping with a dear friend who is many miles away, and what better way to cap off that kind of morning than with a steaming bowl of chili and a nice big piece of my favorite cornbread for lunch? I made the recipe for this chili up as I went along, and a lot of it was done to taste, which I would advise you to do as well. As I roamed the aisles of Trader Joe's last night, I picked up random cans of beans, an onion, ground turkey, and a little package of baby sweet potatoes with a vague plan to turn it into a huge pot of chili this weekend. Today I decided to get experimental with the spices, and I even added some chocolate and balsamic vinegar to add more depth to the flavor. It turned into a wonderfully thick and delicious chili, exactly what I was hoping for. This makes a huge pot, so be prepared either to share it or live off of it for several days! I will probably freeze several individual portions of it to bring out when I don't have time to cook a meal in the weeks to come.

 
Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

1 lb. ground turkey (or vegan/vegetarian meat substitute)
1 medium red onion
2 - 4 cloves garlic
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can pinto beans
1 20-oz. can red kidney beans
1 15-oz. can white kidney beans
1 15-oz. can Cuban-style Black Beans (Trader Joe's brand)
4 -5 baby sweet potatoes or 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
2 - 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (Trader Joe's brand)
2 - 3 tbsp. chili powder (to taste)
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic salt
2 - 3 tsp. cumin (to taste)
1 tsp. oregano flakes
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 - 2 tsp. Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (to taste)
2 - 3 tsp. balsamic vinegar (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

optional: fresh avacado, sour cream, and salsa to garnish

Put the onion and ground turkey into a large pot and cook over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked (or, if you are making the vegetarian/vegan version, until the meat substitute is heated through).  Drain the excess fat and add the tomatoes, all of the beans, the diced sweet potatoes, chicken broth, and spices, and stir well. Bring back to a soft boil and then reduce heat and cover. After it has cooked for about 20 minutes and the spices have had a chance to mingle, add the chocolate and balsamic vinegar to taste and continue to cook, covered, over medium-low heat for about 30 - 45 more minutes (I was baking sweet potato cornbread at the time, which partially dictated the cooking time for the chili, so just use your own judgment). Serve with fresh avacado, salsa, sour cream, if you like, and/or a nice thick slice of cornbread.