There’s a recurring problem that I have when it comes to cooking. I don’t always read the directions. Well, I guess I DO read them, but only once, and then I start cooking as if I’ve done this a million times before only to glance back over the recipe and realize that I’ve missed a couple of really important steps. Like, I should have started thawing something out last night and I now need it to be un-frozen right this second. Or, the recipe actually called for 5 potatoes and I only bought 2. Yeah, these little details just kill me sometimes.

When it came to this recipe I thought that I was doing pretty good. I read about how Adam of Amateur Gourmet had forgotten to soak his beans overnight, and was pretty impressed that I remembered to do this. Yeah, for a second I felt like a rockstar. But then I sort of skipped over how you’re supposed to make a sauce with a bunch of these ingredients, and THEN add the beans, and instead just threw everything into the pot, stirred it together and realized my mistake only after I checked the recipe back for baking instructions. So close, yet so far.

However, there are some recipes that I just don’t think you can mess up, and I believe this is one of them. Despite my grievous mistake, these beans were amazing. The flavors blended together to form the most amazing BBQ sauce I have ever tasted, and the beans were plump, tender and just heaven. Seriously, for those of you who are like me and grew up eating baked beans from a can – you will be shocked at just how good these are. It doesn’t even seem fair to call them a side item when they really sort of dominate and take charge of whatever plate of food you add them to. I’m not gonna lie, I ate them for breakfast the next day. Yeah, I’m super weird. But sometimes that works out well for me.

The Best Baked Beans

Adapted from Ina Garten, via Amateur Gourmet

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Lots of changes to this. As stated above, I sort of changed the preparation technique, but it worked out well for me so give it a try. I also left out the bacon, and used dried ginger instead of fresh since that was what I had on hand. Honestly though, from this combination of flavors only good things will happen, so don’t be worried.

1 lb dried red kidney beans
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
6 whole black peppercorns
¾ cup real maple syrup
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Chinese chili paste
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon salt

Soak the beans in water 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans and then place in a dutch oven with the chopped onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 50 minutes or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans once again, reserving half of the liquid.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In the pot, add in the remaining ingredients and the 1 ½ cups cooking liquid. Cover with a lid, and cook in the oven for 6-8 hours. Every two hours you should check and stir the beans and determine if you need more cooking liquid to keep them from drying out. 8 hours will get you the maximum flavor in the beans, but they’re still awesome after 6 hours, FYI.

When your friend is a foodie, it’s both easy and difficult to buy gifts. Easy, because you know exactly what they like, and difficult, because there’s a good chance they already own whatever it is you were planning on buying them. This is the case when Adrianna and I try and buy each other gifts, however, we seemed to have both pulled it off nicely this past Christmas. I gave her a cutting board that was hand-made by my step-dad, and it’s already made its appearance in posts like this and this. I understand that since he made it he should get most of the credit, but let’s not dwell on this for too long, okay?

Adrianna got me this cookbook and so far, I think we’re going to be very happy together. I spent an entire afternoon with this new book just flipping through the pages so that we could sort of “get to know” one another, and this recipe really sums up what I love about it so much. It didn’t require that I buy weird things like truffle butter or almond flour, and I didn’t have to plan my day around any kind of intensive prep schedule. However, by blending together just a few simple items I had in my pantry I suddenly had an absolutely divine pot of beans to spoon over toasted ciabatta bread. This would be a great appetizer, but you can also use it as I did and have it as a light dinner. I know, maybe I’m weird for eating beans on toast for dinner, but just give it a try before you judge me, okay?

Tuscan Beans on Toast

Adapted from Salt to Taste by Marco Canora

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The original recipe called for using dried beans that had to then be soaked over night, but I wanted to customize it for canned beans so I could make it in less time. Also, the parmesan cheese is an addition of mine, but I can’t imagine this recipe without it.

2 cans cannellini beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 ½ tablespoons chopped sage
1-2 cups water
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Cut the cloves of garlic in half and sauté in the oil for 30 seconds, just to begin extracting the flavors. Add in the cannelini beans and sage, then add water until the beans are submerged under ¼ of water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stew the beans for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the layer of water has evaporated.

Using a vegetable peeler, slice off pieces of parmesan cheese. Spoon the beans over toasted slices of ciabatta bread and sprinkle with the slices of parmesan. Now, prepare yourself for some amazing beans.

In its most basic definition, huevos rancheros is eggs on top of a tortilla and then topped with salsa. Scan through recipes and you see time and again that it’s the salsa that plays a starring role. With tortillas and eggs being a bit difficult to jazz up, each cook will try to distinguish their recipe with a new spin on the salsa.

I, however, am not the biggest fan of tomato salsa, and I have been known to order huevos rancheros and then *gasp* scrape the chunks of tomato right off. To me, the main attraction for this dish is black beans, which isn’t even a required ingredient. Something about black beans and eggs mixed together is just heavenly in the morning. So when I decided to take on this dish at home, I spent none of my energy on the salsa and just bought a  *gasp* store-bought jar, and then began focusing on how to spice up the black beans.

When I lived in Winston Salem, NC, I had black beans at the Village Tavern Restaurant that were cooked with onions, tomato paste, brown sugar and spices. I had been struggling to remember the exact recipe, until it finally dawned on me that all those ingredients combined to make something very similar to a BBQ sauce. Now, I wish I could tell you that I labored over my own made-from-scratch BBQ sauce to pour over these black beans, but seriously, who wants to do that first thing in the morning? Considering how many components it takes to put this all together, I wanted it to be as easy as possible.  Therefore, armed with my pre-made jar of salsa and bottle of BBQ sauce, I give you my take on huevos rancheros!

Huevos Rancheros with BBQ Black Beans

Makes 2 servings

The bonus of making huevos rancheros at home is that you can control the amount of each ingredient on the plate, which is why I’ve left out measurements on a couple of these. I have a friend who hates sour cream and would probably leave it out altogether, whereas I would probably use an entire container with maybe a drizzle of salsa.  Likewise, it is often seen as a sin not to cover this in cheddar cheese, but as you can see by the photos I managed to go without. Have the ingredients on hand, and everyone eating can build their breakfast however they like. I also happened to have tomato-basil tortillas on hand and went with it, but use whatever kind you prefer.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup thick, tomato based BBQ sauce
2 large tortillas
4 eggs
1 avocado, chopped
Salsa
Sour Cream

In a small saucepan, sauté the onions  over medium heat until they begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add in the black beans and BBQ sauce and stir occasionally until well heated.

Lay out the two tortillas on plates. Divide the black beans between the two and spread over the tortillas. In a large skillet, fry the eggs to desired temperature, and layer on top of the beans. Top with avocado, salsa and sour cream.

Sometimes I decide to cook something because it’s a recipe I’ve done a million times and I know that it’s going to taste amazing, like cheddar & pinto bean patties. Sometimes it’s because I see a recipe in a book, magazine, or blog and am immediately compelled to give it a try, like Smitten Kitchen’s pasta with goat cheese. Then, I have the days when I realize that I’ve had that box of couscous in my cupboard for a year, a YEAR, and by George, I’m going to do SOMETHING with it. That’s when I make things like Couscous Salad with Cherries.

And you know what? I should get fed up with my cupboard ingredients more often, because this was delicious. It was a little too healthy for Chase to even try, but that was fine because I really didn’t feel like sharing anyway. This salad is perfect for picnics, because the dressing is very light and doesn’t make it soggy. It’s also perfect for sitting at home on a summer day with a glass of lemonade, enjoying it bite by tasty bite.

Cherry Couscous Salad

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

The original recipe called for cucumber, but I’m not a big fan so I omitted it. Similarly, if there’s an ingredient that you feel is missing or should be added, feel free to customize this salad however you would like.  You can also substitute quinoa or bulgur for the couscous.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups spinach leaves
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved, or 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
5 Tbs. olive oil, divided
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Toast the almonds, either in a over the stove at medium heat or in an oven at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or until the almonds have just turned golden brown.

In a saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups water, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ tsp salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the couscous. Stir well and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. Meanwhile, lay 5 or 6 spinach leaves flat on top of one another on cutting board and slice into strips.

Toss together couscous, almonds, spinach, cherries, chickpeas and red onion in large serving bowl. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in small bowl. Pour over salad, and toss to coat. Chill 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop, then dig in.

It’s Monday, and the day is finally over. I’m home after it’s already dark, the dog’s been walked and all I really want to do is sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing. I mean, lifting the remote seems like it may take too much energy at this point. However, my stomach is angrily growling at me, and I need to think of something to feed it.

I have a few recipes that I keep around for such dire occasions as these, and this is one of them. The best things about these bean patties is that you can keep all of these ingredients on hand and just whip it together when you get home from an endless day of work. If you’re really organized, you could prep them the day before and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook the next day. But honestly, I am never, ever, even remotely that organized and I love any recipe that says I can mix some pantry items in a bowl, throw it on a skillet and call it dinner.

Want to get really fancy? Mix together a salad and throw some rice in your rice cooker (everyone has one of these, right? If not, go buy one. Now.) With a meal like this, sometimes I amaze even myself, right before I fall asleep and start drooling on the couch.

Cheddar & Pinto Bean Patties

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

2 ½ cups dried breadcrumbs, divided
1 15oz can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup canned chopped green chiles
2 Tbs olive oil
Sour cream (optional)

Mash pinto beans with a fork or potato masher in a mixing bowl. Add cheese, chiles, and half of the breadcrumbs. Mix everything together and form mixture into 4 patties. Dredge the patties in the remaining breadcrumbs.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook patties until crisp and golden brown, roughly 3-5 minutes on each side. Serve with sour cream, if you so desire. Leave the dishes for tomorrow and get some rest…

Most days begin with me thinking of what I’ll cook for dinner. I know that might sound strange to some, but it really is what gets me through the day. By noon I’m usually wishing I were at home beginning the prep work for some extravagant dish that would win the hearts of many, but by around 5pm my ambition usually dwindles when I’m hit by the reality that there’s no way one could go home, head to the market, AND cook short ribs for 2 hrs.

So at around this time Wednesday I was attempting to find a recipe that was just as engaging and less time consuming, and this is when I came across a beautiful little sandwich in Bon Appetit that was made for lunch, but could easily compete for dinner. The original recipe called for garbanzo beans but I opted to use cannelli beans after trying a cannelli bean dip a few days prior. I figured this recipe would be a great place to implement that memory.

Cannellini & Feta Sandwich

Adapted from Hummus & Feta Sandwiches from Bon Appetit March 2009

INGREDIENTS

HUMMUS

1 can of organic cannellini beans, drained

1 garlic clove, peeled

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons of good extra-virgin olive oil

1 chopped

SANDWICHES

4 slices whole grain bread

1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced

4 fresh cilantro springs

4 fresh mint leaves

4 oz feta cheese, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

PREPARATION

HUMMUS

Since I’m too cheap to buy a food processor, I just used a blender and it worked just fine. Throw the cannellini beans and garlic in the blender and pulse on and off for a few moments (we don’t want anyone to bite into a huge chuck of garlic! Eww!). Add the lemon juice and remaining ingredients and puree. Add the salt and pepper to taste and add more lemon juice depending on consistency.

SANDWICHES

I’m a fan of different textures so I toasted my bread, but you’re welcome to not. Spread 2 tablespoons of hummus on each slice and garnish with cucumber, cilantro, mint and slice of feta. Place the second bread slice and press down to make into nicely compact sandwich. Cut in half and serve with delicious olives.