Sunday, January 30, 2011

whole foods - part one - beans

i know that sounds so unappealing but it amazing what soaking a few beans can do for a menu...
last year i started with lentils as i had the misfortune or previous attempts at soaking beans resulting in nasty starchy hard beans...  lentils being tiny reconstitute a bit better
this year i started with black beans - of course the end result of the balck bean dip probably wasnt the best decision...  i mixed the whole bag of beans witha  brick of reduced fat cream cheese and half a jar of salsa...  served it as a dip with whole grain chips...  according to a recipe calculator the calories in the dip weren't that bad, i suspect however that the chips threw it over the top...  others made quesadillas out of it - that sounded interesting...  ultimately it tasted just fine out of the dish with a spoon
today's quest is white beans
now i did a little experiment with white beans from a can earlier this year... i mixed them with cauliflower and made pretend mashed potatoes - they were good
today's experiment is a tuscan bean soup - google mollie katzen for the details - with spinach instead of collard greens...  i suspect it will be tasty
and then i have one more bag of lentils - i think those may end up with a fruit base casserole but i have some time to contemplate that
the purpose of the bean dishes is to too get something different in the mix for lunch
now to find something unique for breakfast

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