Black Beans Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bowl

There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of beans and rice during the cold days we have had lately.  Just thinking of it makes make mouth water.  I added butternut squash and spinach to the beans to increase the nutritional value of the dish as well as its taste and texture.  I used black beans but any other type will do. The fresh garlic with the vegetable broth are all you need to make this wonderful one pot meal full of robust flavor as you eat it with rice or quinoa. The butternut squash adds some sweetness and pairs up well with the spinach and beans.  It is an easy quick meal to prepare.

Black Beans Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bowl

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat the coconut oil in a saute pan to medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook till the onion is translucent and the garlic slightly brown but not burnt.  

Add the vegetable broth and butternut squash to the onion and garlic mixture and heat through till the butternut squash is soft but not mushy.  

Add the black beans and the spinach leaves and heat through till the spinach is cooked and the whole dish heated through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the brown rice in a bowl and ladle the black bean butternut squash mixture on top.  Enjoy.

Vegan Pantry Friendly Black Olive and Corn Stew

I really liked the dish I posted recently, Mediterranean Chickpea Ragu which I shared with a friend of mine and the rest I ate by myself for breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between meals too.  It was that good. My friend Kathy's husband Joe gave a glowing review in his thank you email. The combination of the different ingredients made it pretty haunting and made me craved it.  However I did not have time to chop fresh vegetables so I decided to use canned foods in my pantry for a variation of the recipe.  

Differences can be gleaned from the recipes of the two versions as well as similarities but this pantry friendly one is just as good. I added corn and substituted black olives for the green ones since I found the latter too salty for my taste.  

My picky taster, my husband Bob, gave this latest version two thumbs up. By the way he never got to eat the original version since I ate what was left at home. I did use fresh green pepper in this pantry friendly version, which you have to cut into cubes, but roasted red pepper from a bottle will work well too. Other than that you just need to open cans of food in your pantry and you are good to go.

Vegan Pantry Friendly Black Olive and Corn Stew

(inspired by this past post)

• 1-15 oz can chickpeas or any beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1-15 oz can corn, drained
• 1- 6 oz can black olives, drained
• 1 green pepper, cubed or 2 pieces roasted pepper from a jar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1 tbsp dry garlic flakes
• 2 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp dry oregano (optional)

Combine all ingredients in the saute pan and cook till most of the liquid evaporates and the sauce thickens.  If you want it to have a thinner sauce just heat the mixture through till the flavors blend and skip evaporating the liquid off.  I like mine to have a thick consistency.  Serve over rice or quinoa or bread or tortilla.  Endless possibilities.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Beef Chili

My husband and I are not natives of Pittsburgh, PA.  We moved here in the early 1990's.  He is from Wisconsin while I am from the Philippines originally. It is delightful for us to hear stories, customs, ways of saying things and serving dishes unique to Pittsburgh. We had the opportunity to have this experience when we listened to native Pittsburghers, Joe and Kevin together with their wives A and Bernie swap stories of their childhood during the 250 Club banquet we attended.  Joe particularly recounted how they ate certain foods growing up.  For example he used to dig out the dough from crusty bread so he can stuff more meatballs into them.  Kevin mentioned a certain pizza parlor that served cold pizza.  There is one story that intrigued me and that is how Joe's family made their chili.  To bulk it up to feed 8 children, his mother added elbow macaroni.  He thought all chilis were made with this pasta. He was surprised to know when he started traveling to other parts of the country they lacked those little noodles.

I googgled for a recipe of chili with elbow macaroni and ended on this website which gave four versions of a basic chili by adding ingredients that represent the different regions of the world. One of the versions is the Cincinnati Beef Chili.  I have heard of it when I stopped by an airport in Ohio but never had it.  Neither have I had the Pittsburgh version with the macaroni.  I decided to try the Cincinnati Beef Chili in the website since it is served with elbow macaroni on the side which is close enough to what I envisioned what Joe's mother prepared for him as a child.  The other ingredients that made me curious to try this chili are the white vinegar and cinnamon.  And so I prepared it.  I made it convenient by using my slow cooker.  Here is the recipe. By the way my picky taster, my husband, gave it two thumb up.  Try something different next time you make chili and use this recipe.  Delicious.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Beef Chili

• 1 lb (or less) lean ground beef 
• 2 tsp dry onion flakes
• 2 tsp dry garlic flakes
• salt and pepper to taste,
• 1 can ( 15 oz) light red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz)  black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 canful (15 oz) water
• 1 beef boullion
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 3 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, add at end of cooking.

Saute the ground beef with the dry onion flakes and dry onion garlic flakes, salt and pepper.  Transfer into the slow cooker bowl.  Add the other ingredients except the cooked elbow macaroni and mix.  Slow cook for 6 hours at low or 3 hours at high.  I slow cooked mine  for  2 hours using Aroma Brand rice cooker/slow cooker using slow cooker setting.

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Plant Based Beans and Greens

One of my favorite Italian side dishes is Beans and Greens. I did not want to use any oil in my plant based version and I instead braised the ingredients in vegetable broth.  The braising method is a good alternative approach to sauteing the onions. The resulting end product was close to the Beans and Greens prepared using olive oil that are served in most Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh.

I used spinach for the greens though kale and escarole are good options also. For the beans I used pinto beans though canneleni beans are more traditional. I also used seasoned salt to give added flavor in one shake so to speak.  My McCormick seasoned salt has no MSG. My favorite dry garlic flakes is better than fresh when braising so I find and less work.

This is a perfect side dish during barbecues and Sunday family dinners or even a main fare with crusty bread for lunch. I love eating this with rice in my case. Very satisfying and comforting.

Plant Based Beans  and Greens

• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1-8 oz bag spinach
• 1-15 oz can pinto beans, drained
• 1 tbsp dry garlic flakes
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt or to taste

Place the broth and onions in a saute pan and allow the liquid to boil and cook the onions till half done. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to boil gently till the spinach is wilted.