Tag Archives: beans

What to do with CSA this week: 9/4/10

Posted on by laurarees

Fall is in the air. I’m a little disappointed to see my beloved scorching heat go, but the idea of fall – and the apples, pears, cinnamon, pumpkins and everything else that goes with it – is starting to grow on me.

  • Beans – cooking with bacon and potatoes for a side with pork chops
  • Sweet Peppers – Sweet and smoky corn salsa
  • Carrots – Roasted with thyme
  • Water melon – You should have seen gorgeous yellow fleshed melon. One of the sweetest I have ever eaten.
  • Corn – Sweet and smoky corn salsa – will post recipe soon
  • Pears – Eating for snacks, hoping for some more cool nights to eat these with stilton and port.
  • Plums – Eating, making another plum cake from Hayday Market cookbook – it was delicious! will post recipe soon.

15 minute beans and rice

Posted on by laurarees

I love to make beans that sit in the crock pot all day getting flavor love from a giant ham hock. Unfortunately, that takes planning, something I seem to be lacking in a bit lately. I came up with this substitute yesterday at 5pm after I realized my hubs had requested beans and rice for dinner, and I had failed to produce any as of yet. Luckily it was a hit.

15 Minute Beans and Rice

  • 1 slice bacon, cut into small pieces
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 C cooked brown rice (I had some left over from the day before. If you have to cook the rice from scratch it would be more like 40 minute rice and beans. With white rice, 20 minutes)
  • Chipotle tobasco, to taste

Saute your bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is cooked and onion is soft. Add beans, and 1/4 – 1/2 cup water. Boil for 5 minutes, until some of the water cooks out. Add rice and chipotle. Stir to heat through and serve.

Smoky Pintos

Posted on by laurarees

When I was growing up, pinto beans were a staple meal at our house,  one we all enjoyed. It’s still one of my favorites. I can make a pot of beans for dinner one night, then stretch that to lunch for at least two more days. And it takes about 5 minutes to put together, then the crockpot does the work.

Smoky Pintos

  • 1 – 2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed and picked over (sometimes you find little rocks in them you have to get rid of)
  • Leftover chunks of smoked ham* (about the size of half a fist)
  • Salt to taste

Place your rinsed beans in a crockpot and cover with water until there is about 1.5 to 2″ on top of the beans. Add in the ham. Cover, and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8. Add salt to taste.

*We had a bunch of ham leftover from Easter, so I portioned it out into freezer bags and use it for beans, right from the freezer. If you don’t have any leftover ham, you can always use a piece of bacon. Just throw it in there whole.

I like to serve these with hot sauce (I love Sriracha) and simple quesadillas. The quesadillas are deeelish dipped into the soupy beans. They are also good topped with pickled jalapenos. The next day, you can mash these up over heat until most of the liquid is cooked out. Then use them in a burrito with cheddar, more sriracha, and a little sour cream.