Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit
You may have noticed that the vast majority of my posts on this blog have something to do with food. I try to bring in travel, work, life, family, weather (I am an atmospheric scientist, after all, and we finally had a big snow here in Madison), but it really all comes down to food.
I once asked a beloved family friend how to make a can of corn, and for a long time after that my specialties were sandwiches, scrambled eggs, and chicken baked in pasta sauce. Tasty, I'll grant you, but boring after a while. When Wil left for Alaska I decided to be more adventurous in my cooking, and I've been pursuing that ever since. It gave me a nice break from the stress of grad school, and now it's a fun challenge. It also important because of my newly discovered high cholesterol (thanks, Mom and Dad!)--I need to start incorporating lots of soluble fiber into my diet.
Do you know what soluble fiber means? Oatmeal, barley, some fruits and veggies, nuts...and beans. I've never been huge on beans, and yet they've turned out to be a strong player on the Allied front. Adding beans to soup is easy, but since Wil's not big on soups I've got to get crafty. So here I am, putting my creativity to the test and buying more beans than I ever thought I would!
Thanks to the Food Network and a (probably totally obvious) chicken-cooking technique I recently discovered, we had a delicious, and filling, dinner last night!
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
--1 tbsp. olive oil
--2 large cloves garlic, minced
--1 red onion, diced
--1 stalk celery, diced
--1 bell pepper, diced
--2 cans red beans (I used kidney)
--1 tsp. onion powder
--salt and papper to taste
--2.5 c. chicken stock
--1 c. brown rice
Instructions
1. Bring chicken stock to boil and add rice. Bring back to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 35-40 minutes (less for white rice).
2. While rice is cooking, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan or large skillet.
3. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper until tender.
4. Stir in kidney beans (drained or not, up to you), onion powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Reduce heat, and simmer while the rice cooks.
6. When rice is done, gently fold it into the bean mixture.
Chicken
Ingredients
--1 tbsp. olive oil
--3 large chicken breasts
--1.5 tsp. cumin
--1 tsp. coriander
--1 tsp. paprika
--an appropriate-looking amount of salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rub raw chicken breasts with spice mixture, trying to coat evenly.
3. Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place chicken breasts in skillet and sear for about 3 minutes.
5. Flip chicken and place skillet in oven.
6. Bake for 8-15 minutes (it really depends on size) in oven.
7. Cut up and add to red beans and rice!
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| It snowed here! Unfortunately, the city of Madison doesn't pull out the plows until after the majority of snow has fallen. |
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| On the plus side, our apartment complex looks like Narnia! |
| Soluble fiber...right? |
Thanks to the Food Network and a (probably totally obvious) chicken-cooking technique I recently discovered, we had a delicious, and filling, dinner last night!
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
--1 tbsp. olive oil
--2 large cloves garlic, minced
--1 red onion, diced
--1 stalk celery, diced
--1 bell pepper, diced
--2 cans red beans (I used kidney)
--1 tsp. onion powder
--salt and papper to taste
--2.5 c. chicken stock
--1 c. brown rice
Instructions
1. Bring chicken stock to boil and add rice. Bring back to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 35-40 minutes (less for white rice).
2. While rice is cooking, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan or large skillet.
3. Saute garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper until tender.
4. Stir in kidney beans (drained or not, up to you), onion powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Reduce heat, and simmer while the rice cooks.
6. When rice is done, gently fold it into the bean mixture.
 |
| Mmmmmm, foooooood |
Ingredients
--1 tbsp. olive oil
--3 large chicken breasts
--1.5 tsp. cumin
--1 tsp. coriander
--1 tsp. paprika
--an appropriate-looking amount of salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rub raw chicken breasts with spice mixture, trying to coat evenly.
3. Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place chicken breasts in skillet and sear for about 3 minutes.
5. Flip chicken and place skillet in oven.
6. Bake for 8-15 minutes (it really depends on size) in oven.
7. Cut up and add to red beans and rice!
 |
| The final product. Delicious and filling, and probably wondrous for your cholesterol! |
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