Comforting Farmer Beans and Greens with Cornmeal Mush

About this time last year I had been down and out with a horrible flu for several days.  I never really ask for help or dinners...but when a friend showed up out of the blue with a warm and comforting meal for my family it made a huge impact on me. One, because I am a huge push-over for a homemade meal and two, because it was an unsolicited gesture of good-will...towards me. I've spoken of Lisa often on the blog (yup she's the Lisa from evil tarts...), as we've gone through some of the same trials, experiences, and personal victories. I've seen her battle through some personal demons...and she's cheered me on when others have totally shunned me (for whatever reason).

Just saying...I'm thankful for Lisa's true heart and friendship.

 That's what this meal is about today. It is a warm and comforting reminder to me that no matter what, I have a recipe and a meal to remind me of friendships that are warm during the "winters" of my life.  I hope you have friends like that. I feel blessed that I do.

Today, out on the farm (Our Farm Adventures!), we have some great chard and greens coming into season. Arizona is awesome for this! We've also had some killer beautiful spinach.

 I've also been messing around with my favorite white beans of all time. Again. Still. Forever.
They just aren't leaving my kitchen. Ever.  They are called "Mortgage Lifters". Thank you Dove Creek Bean Company. I love you. They are available here locally at our Honeyville store in :Chandler, Arizona.

 By the way, those who are out of town, La Paloma does not have a website. You can order directly from the owner, Mike Coffey, 970-677-2445, PO Box 552, Dove Creek CO, 81324. They grow 10 different varieties of heirloom and antique beans. All of them are amazing!

...when they're cooked they are the size of my thumb. They taste like a giant navy bean.  Awesome for this recipe. Just awesome.

My Beans and Greens
3/4 lb spicy Italian sausage, crumbled out of casing (or 1 cup freeze dried sausage, hydrated with 1 cup hot water)

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/2 cup minced onion (or 1/4 cup dehydrated onion, hydrated)

2 1/2 cups cooked navy beans or Mortgage lifter beans ( 1 can, drained)

1 lb mustard greens, Swiss Chard, or Spinach ( washed and chopped)

1 cups diced peeled tomato (canned works) or 1/2 cup dehydrated tomato powder and 1/2 cup water

 Chef Tess Romantic Italian Seasoning (or your favorite seasoning)

Directions: In a 12 inch deep skillet, cook the sausage until cooked through. Add the garlic and onions. Saute until the onions and garlic are clear, and lightly caramelized, about 4 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Cook covered 10 minutes until greens are tender. Season generously with salt and fresh cracked red pepper to taste.

I serve them over this cornmeal mush. I love it instead of mashed potatoes...and it is perfect for this crazy cold winter.
 

Buttery Corn and Cornmeal Mush

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup cold tap water

1/2 cup sweet corn, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1T sugar (optional)
1/4 cup butter
3 cups hot tap water

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal and cold tap water. Meanwhile, in a 2 quart pan, combine the corn, salt, sugar, butter, and hot water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. While the water is heating, add the cornmeal mixed with the cold water. Combining the cornmeal with cool water before adding it to the boiling water keeps the cornmeal from lumping up when it hits the hot water.  When the water and cornmeal boil, reduce the heat to low. Allow the mush to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until it is nicely thickened.

Serve a portion of the cornmeal mush topped with some of the Beans and Greens.

Top with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired. 

We served this dish in our bean class today and it was well received by all! That's a good sign darlings!

There you go! Have an amazing day. Think warm thoughts. Cook something comforting. Life's winter will not last forever. Love and friendship...well, if they are true...will never end.


Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

 

Vegetarian Healthy Black Bean 7 layer Dip

Day 4 of the 90 day weight loss challenge. Dinner. I love Mexican food. I do. 
I don't love being overweight. It is sooo not my favorite. Yes, I know I'm beautiful. Honestly, I've never had so many gorgeous e-mails from all of you letting me know that I'm good looking! Thank you all! {Blushing}  That being said, I'm not trying to lose weight to look good, though that is a a perk. I'm wanting to do what is best for my overall health.   Plus, maybe when I've lost all the weight, Dr. Oz will want to have me on his show...just kidding. Hi Dr. Oz. I love you, by the way. 

So, today I decided I needed to have this delicious black bean 7 layer dip for dinner. Sounding as evil as it possibly could be, it is actually a very healthy choice! Including baked chips, and fat free dairy options, it is a great vegetarian dinner.  I think even Ace will approve!


Healthy Black Bean 7 Layered dip

2 cup black beans, low-sodium, cooked and mashed
1/4 cup  plain yogurt or fat free sour cream
1/4 cup salsa ( I love my Roasted tomato salsa)
1 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
2 cup field greens (or lettuce), shredded
4 ounce shredded fat free cheese
8 slices jalapeños (optional)
2 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp Chef Tess Southwest Fajita Seasoning ( Here)
cracked black pepper to taste
4 ounce corn tortilla chips (corn), baked, unsalted


Directions: Mash black beans with a fork or potato masher. Divide between 4 serving dishes. Spread sour cream  and then salsa evenly over bean spread. Wash green onion and lettuce. Chop onion finely and shred lettuce. Layer onion, lettuce, cheese, then jalapeno (chopped) in the order listed over lettuce. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, Chef Tess Southwest seasoning and cracked pepper.  Serve with chips (one ounce is about 11 chips)

Nutritional information: Yield 4 servings. Calories 300, Calories from Fat 80, Total Fat 9 g, Total Carbohydrate 40 g , Dietary Fiber 10 g, Sugars 5 g, Protein 24 g

Onward and Upward my darlings! There you go!

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Gon-zo Bean Summer Salad

Day 3 of the 90 day weight loss challenge. Lunch. I have lunch every day, and this one is being added to my list of  "freakin' YES"  food! Can we have a list like that? I think so.  We're calling it Gonzo salad because our bums are going to be "Gone-zo-soon"...right? Actually...there's a story here on the beans.  But, in the meantime, here's the recipe. Under 300 calories and  a full plate! Eat up darlings!

Tess Gon-zo Bean Summer Salad
Ingredients
2 cup mixed baby field greens
1/2 cup garbanzo beans or white beans (cooked or canned without salt)
1/3 cup yellow onion, medium, sliced paper thin
2 carrot, shredded in ribbons
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon sunflower seeds, hulled, dry roasted, unsalted
2T chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano and basil)
1 fresh minced clove garlic

Preparation...I cook beans. I love them. My favorite are these Pueblo beans called Mortgage Lifters.  If you've never made beans before, you can see the basic class information in the Beans 101 Notes . Or, you can just buy a can of cooked white beans or garbanzo beans.  We call garbanzo beans Gonzo beans at my house. Seriously. Don't ask me where that started. I think it was because we'd eat them so fast that they'd be gone-zo-fast...but I think it is because my husband Ace likes the Muppet's and Gonzo was such a lovable bear...who never cooked beans.  Like I say. Don't ask me where that name started.  After the funeral we had a lot of ham and I always have a lot of beans. So, I cooked up a pot of Mortgage Lifters with a good amount of ham and some lovely carrots. Random side note...if organic carrots are on sale at your local farmer's market and your kids put 5 bags in your cart...just buy them. It was the best dollar I ever spent. 

 Combine greens, beans, onion, and carrot in a large bowl. I like to use my vegetable peeler for the carrots and shred them like ribbons. They just give me a good crunch. 

 Blend lemon juice in a small bowl with herbs and garlic. Drizzle over salad. I recommend chopping the herbs first. 

 Sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Hey, did you know that 2T of sunflower seeds has 9 grams of fat and 81 calories?  I know right? That's something to watch when you go to a salad bar. 

This is what the finished salad looks like. For under 300 calories I had a full plate of happy, 12 grams of fiber, 11grams of protein and 29 net carbs. Happy girl. Happy dance around the test kitchen. Are we seeing a trend here on the dancing around the Tess kitchen?  

Nutrition Facts: Yield 1 serving
Calories 290, Calories from Fat 90, Total Fat 10 g, Total Carbohydrate 41 g, Dietary Fiber 12 g
Protein 11 g, Vitamin A 380%, Vitamin C 70%, Calcium 10%, Iron 20%

Onward and upward my darlings! There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Healthy Carrot Cake cooked in a Slow Cooker

It's Cooking with Food Storage Monday!

When I was at the radio station on Saturday, I got to try some of my friend Jan D'Atri's Crock-Pot Carrot Cake.

Photo courtesy of Jan D'Atri.com 

It was remarkable and moist and just a really cool way to cook a carrot cake. I especially loved the concept of being able to bake a cake anywhere with a crock pot instead of having to have an oven! This opens up a lot of capabilities for catering and off-site cooking! For more information, read  more about Jan's cake here.

 Jan issued the challenge on the radio show to me to make a healthy variation of the cake, and I'm going to share that with you here today. Anyone who knows of my affection for  carrot cake and carrot cake pancakes will understand my logic in wanting to make this new recipe from Jan into something I can eat without feeling guilty. The weight-loss challenge is ever in my mind and I'm not about to give up. By the way, it isn't just to "look good", obtaining a healthy weight is just a remarkable step toward long-lasting good health. 

To make it a healthier version this is what I did:

• In place of a big portion of the fat with  dehydrated refried bean flakes (this also added fiber and protein to help with blood sugar levels and digestion). Refried Beans glycemic load is a low 13.

•  I replaced  small portion of the oil with organic coconut oil to add succulence.
• I used cholesterol free eggs in the form of powdered egg white for heart health.

• I used organic non-gmo whole grain Kamut ® flour, and because it is whole grain I needed a lot less flour for a rich cake. By adding this, and knowing that it is a higher protein flour I normally use for bread, I did keep the mixing to a minimum. Over-mixing this batter can make it tough. Thus the addition of the coconut oil as well, it will aid in keeping the cake tender. The Wheat flour glycemic load is a low 44! That's great for keeping things regulated!

•  I eliminated the sugar and replaced it with natural granular erythritol, eliminating a big portion of the calories!

Chef Tess' Healthy Carrot Cake in a Slow Cooker
yield 8 servings
1 cup dehydrated refried bean flakes
1 cup hot water water
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1 cup natural granular erythritol or sugar-free alternative
2T powdered egg white
1 cup Kamut ® flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Chef Tess Wise Woman of the East Cinnamon and Spice blend
2 cups grated carrot ( nutritional facts on carrots)
2 tsp pure natural Madagascar vanilla-bean paste or Princess cake and cookie emulsion

Combine bean flakes with hot water. Hydrate 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well, but being careful not to over-mix. About 50 turns. 

 Place in greased 6 quart crock pot.  I have a Nesco Electric-Programmable pressure cooker  that has a "slow cooker" setting. The good thing about that, is that it replaced my crock-pot, pressure cooker and electric pot.  I use it twice a week or more!  Now...with cake!  Cover and cook on high 2 1/2-3 hours, leaving covered the full time.Take care and watch carefully since every crock-pot has a different temperatures and it can burn around the edges. It is possible to be done in 2 hours instead of 3. 

 Mine was done in 2 hours flat.   Allow the cake to cool 20 minutes in the pan. 

 Remove cake with spatula or invert it onto a serving tray. If you greased you crock correctly, it will come out just fine. I love that my cooker has a metal removable insert so it is actually as close to a cake pan as I could have ever asked to have! Cool completely.

 Serve with fresh whip cream or fruit if desired. 
Nutritional information without cream:
serving size, 1 slice. Serving per recipe, 8. 
per slice: 218 calories, 14 g fat, 19 carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 5 g protein (14 net carbohydrate)

There you go!
Always My Very Best, 
Your Friend Chef Tess

No-cook Pinto Bean Fudge

I taught a bean cooking class today. Pinto beans were on the menu...but let's just be honest. When you see a picture of pinto beans, you don't ever think of creamy chocolate fudge. Ever. When I usually teach a bean class, the pintos are a savory dish.  In fact, when I talk pinto I usually think of that horrid news-station report of "the latest breaking news on the toddler who put 12 beans up their nose and is now in critical condition as the beans sprout..." but if you're like me you don't think of fudge. Right? Because if you think of fudge, well, you're just not normal. I said it.

That being said, when a friend of mine started gushing the phrase , "Tess you should try making pinto bean fudge!" I thought to myself, "yeah, that will happen..." 

Well. Something froze over. I decided it didn't sound that crazy when I read this no-cook super simple recipe for pinto bean fudge. In all honesty, I thought, "well, I'd only be out a little sugar and some beans if it totally stinks." So, I decided to stop being a kill-joy and try something new.  Granted, I also had to change it a bit to make it set better and give it some unique Chef-like twists, but I'm confessing right now...it is evil in a very creamy, very delicious kind of way.  The beans lend a perfectly smooth texture if you puree or mash them really well. In all honesty, it is still fudge. The addition of the pinto beans seems to be more of a novelty than anything...but it does make a really delicious fudge.  Confession. I'm now joining the ranks of the not-normal pinto thinkers. (shh. I know you've thought, "This girl isn't even close to normal!" Now you have proof...)

Tess' Version of Pinto Bean Fudge (don't knock it until you try it)
Ingredients
1 cup of cooked pinto beans ( mashed or puree until smooth)
1 cup of melted butter (no substitutions)

10 oz melted dark chocolate
1 Tbsp vanilla

1 tsp rum flavor
1 cup natural baking cocoa
2 lb powdered sugar (7 cups)

1/2 tsp Chef Tess Wise Woman of the East blend

dash of cayanne pepper

1 cup toasted walnuts (if desired but I think this is the only way to have fudge)
Directions:
First, mash the beans. I use a food processor so you can get them real smooth ( the one cup measure is before mashing).
Then, combine the mashed beans with the melted butter, melted chocolate, vanilla, and cocoa in a heavy  mixer with a paddle attachment. After that’s all combined, add the powdered sugar. Add nuts.
Blend well 3-4 minutes until smooth.

Spread the fudge mixture into an 8 by 8 inch pan lined with non-stick foil or parchment. Set 2-3 hours. Remove the paper or foil. 
Slice with a sharp knife. Keep chilled.

There you go. Pinto beans can be made into fudge. Who know?  Seriously love. Try not to think about the other uses for pinto beans. Think fudge instead of sprouts. I know I will. 


Do you want to hear about these adventures as they unfold? Join me on My Facebook Page.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Cajun Red Beans, Sausage and Rice Meal in a Jar (The 52 method continues)

Welcome to another food storage Monday!

By and far the most requested meal in a jar to date has been a good recipe for Red Beans, Sausage and Rice. You know...the basic Cajun dish that is used as a staple all over the southern USA...a basic.  Gourmet we do...basic...we do every single day. It wasn't a surprise when I posted the Louisiana Gumbo Meal in a Jar  recipe that the requests for the RB&R started pouring into the e-mail. So, I've heard your cries. I've gone with a basic recipe description from one of my friends here on the blog. She described her recipe as follows:

"The basic recipe I use has a pound of sausage (I use all beef kielbasa since Andoui is hard to find here in the wilds of West Texas), the trinity of onions, celery and bell peppers, and cajun seasoning. I saute the veggies in the fat leftover from cooking the sausage - don't know how you'd get around that in a 52 method recipe. Then I add a can (or two depending on how many I'm feeding) of red beans and the cajun seasonings. I do the rice separately. I have a favorite brand of red beans that I use and wondered if I could just dehydrate those since I like their flavor. I use the "goop" and all since it's flavored too."

All right. Here's what I came up with. Sausage being the main issue as far as I'm concerned it will be as close as you can get without using sausage in casing, but using the same seasoning as andouille sausage  in the beans. This is also a lower fat recipe the the typical pork sausage traditionally used in this dish.  You may need more spicy-heat or to tweak it as desired to your family's likes, but so far so good!  We have kids, so we have to make it a little milder than I think a few of you may be used to doing. Make it your own and enjoy! I get my ingredients for this dish from two sources.

• Special thanks to Chef Tess Thrive Life for the freeze-dried sausage, dehydrated celery, quick cook beans, rice and dehydrated celery. 
• Special thanks goes out to my friends at Firehousepantrystore.com for the special powdered ingredients and dehydrated bell peppers and minced garlic.

Cajun Red Beans,Sausage, and Rice

Bean mixture:

1/2 cup freeze-dried sausage  

1 ½ tsp dehydrated minced garlic

½ tsp black pepper

 2 tsp Hot Sauce Powder

1/2  tsp thyme

1 tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp  dry rubbed sage

1/4 tsp Hickory Smoke Powder

1/3  cup dehydrated onion
1/2 cup dehydrated diced bell pepper

¼ cup dehydrated celery

1 cup quick cook red beans

1 tsp No MSG Chicken bouillon (autolyzed yeast extract is used)

Rice baggie (if you want to cook the rice separate from the beans):

1 cup long grain rice

2 T  Powdered butter (optional)

1 tsp salt

Jar directions:
Combine the sausage, garlic, pepper, hot sauce powder, thyme, paprika, sage, smoke powder, onion, bell pepper, celery, beans and bouillon in a quart jar. Top with a oxygen absorbers (learn all about oxygen absorbers) or seal with a Food Saver Vacuum Packing Jar Attachment).

Product details:
Firehousepantrystore.com has been a really great company to work with on getting specialty powdered items I can't find anywhere else. If I list something here on the blog for meals in a jar and you can't find it anywhere else, you can usually find it from them. They ship really fast as well!

 Chef Tess Thrive Life  is my favorite for bulk items.  Their quick cook red beans cook in 20 minutes and have an outstanding 10-15 year shelf life.

I prefer using the real freeze-dried sausage  .

I like to use the dehydrated celery in this meal. The price is right and the longer simmer gives it enough time to hydrate correctly. 

The find of the week has been this awesome Hot Sauce Powder! I also love sprinkling it on popcorn and homemade potato chips...but I digress. 

To prepare: Combine bean ingredients with 3 1/2 cups water and simmer on low 20-25 minutes until cooked and tender. In a separate pan combine rice ingredients with 2 cups water and simmer low, covered pan 20-25 minutes. OR if you cook the whole thing together, omit the use of the bag for the rice. Cook all ingredients together with 5 1/2 cups water for 20-25 minutes over low heat, covered. 

There you go. Our family's favorite red beans and rice.  Adjust as needed for your family's favorite flavor.




Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans (52 Method Continues)

 Today I'm sharing my newest recipe for Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken baked beans.  The original recipe on my blog is here ( using the solar oven to bake them).   The jar recipe is different. It cooks on the stove in 20-25 minutes and looks and tastes um...(what's the word?)...pretty! Colorful! Delightful! It has a sweet, sour, tangy, luscious, slightly peppery sauce. I love the sweet chunks of pineapple with the fresh taste of the peppers, garlic and onions. The chicken is chunky and firm. The beans are perfectly tender. Serve it over rice and it's a "topper" or serve it with a chunk of sweet homemade Maori Bread. 

My 52 jar method Meals in a jar will be new all week! So, if you like what you  see, plan on visiting all week. I'll try to have at least 4 new posts up this week with new recipes and some that I've revised to be more natural and user-friendly. If you are new to the meals in a jar, go here and get some details on how the meals are done as well as the basic safety guidelines. If your scroll through the rest of the 52 jar method posts, there are a lot more recipes, ideas, and helpful tips when making the meals. I answer a lot of questions in the comment sections as well. If I had to re-cap each detail in each new post, it would take a lot of time and space. So. That being said there are a few things I will always re-cap in each post.

1. You will be using a method some have called "dry pack canning" but it's actually called Vacuum packing. No liquid or pressure canning is necessary. If you opt to use the freeze dried meat in the recipes  NOTE: The repacking of Freeze Dried Meat must be done within 24-48 hours of opening the can and must be done in a dry environment. Once repacked you must use an oxygen absorber to make sure there is a vacuum oxygen free environment. I recommend using a 300 cc oxygen absorber for each jar. This will make the vacuum packing effective. You can use a food Saver with a jar attachment for this in place of the oxygen absorber, but will need to make sure your machine is designed to be used with the jar attachment. Some of the food Savers are called "meal savers" and are actually not designed to use with the attachment. I called the FoodSaver company myself to be sure that the attachment I had was right for the machine I was using. Thanks Mom (yes my mother bought me one!) for the big FoodSaver! I love it!! It's shiny and silver and fun, fun, fun! Yes. I'm planning on doing a tutorial on making the jars with one! 

2. You can also pack in mylar bags (the ones that are silver-colored), but again need to use the oxygen absorber. This size I use is designed to absorb a gallon size amount of air, but I'd rather err on the side of over-vacuum than not enough. No. You can't use the foodSaver clear plastic bags for long term storage. They are not designed for that purpose. When I say "long term" I'm talking 3-5 years. 

3. Enjoy. Share these recipes with your friend! Get the word out that they are here!  PLEASE...make sure my name stays with the recipes.  Try to think how it would feel if you had worked on the recipes yourself. You'd want not only the credit, but also a way for people to contact you if they had questions. I ask you to please be mindful of that. Plus, they are my copy-written work and that is just the law. Thanks. 

Preparing Wisely in Mesa, AZ had these quick cook Whole navy beans in the store. I was so excited to see them and use them! I bought two cans of them a week ago and have enjoyed playing with them in my recipes. I'm totally impressed with how firm and perfect the little beans turn out when cooked. Yes, they also only take 20 minutes to cook so they're perfect for the meal-in-a-jar scenario. 

 When I  the white beans to make the Polynesian sweet and sour chicken baked beans...they looked awesome. They tasted awesome. I'm a fan. 

 I got a few new things to play with for my meals in a jar too.  dehydrated Jalapeno, dehydrated minced garlic,   Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder and   NOH terriyaki powder in a bulk bag. I also use ultra gel and dehydrated honey in this recipe. Honeyville  carries the ultra gel and dehydrated honey in their retail stores but not their online store. 

Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans in a Jar 

2 cups Quick Cook Red Beans or Quick cook Navy Beans

1 cup Freeze Dried Chicken OR Freeze Dried Turkey 

1/4 cup Dehydrated onion 

1/2 Cup freeze dried  bell peppers Freeze Dried Bell Peppers

1/2 cup Freeze Dried Pineapple

1/4 cup  NOH terriyaki powder ( get packets here OR 1/4 cup seasoning from the bulk bag)

2T  Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder

1/4 cup dehydrated honey 

1 tsp dehydrated Jalapeno (optional)

1T  dehydrated minced garlic

2T Ultra gel OR cornstarch

Jar Directions: Put ingredients in a WIDE mouth quart jar, shaking the powdered ingredients in before adding the bell pepper and pineapple. Top with a 300 cc oxygen absorber and a new canning lid.  

The re-use of canning lids from wet packed goods like jams and fruit is not recommended by the jar companies, as a vacuum seal can't be guaranteed. I actually asked the experts at our local extension office about that! They said that anywhere we wanted to ensure a good seal, to NEVER re-use the lids from wet canned items. Again, if you use a FoodSaver with the jar attachment, make sure it is for the jar you are using and that the machine is not a "mealsaver" but the actual FoodSaver machine with the attachment port.  This meal will be shelf stable 5-7 years. 

To prepare the meal: 

Add 5 cups of water and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Solar cooker, same amount of time in direct sunlight.

There you go! 
Make sure my name stays with the picture if you do decide to share it or  

Come back soon for more! I'll be here all week. 

Always My Very Best, 

Your Friend Chef Tess

If you share, be sure you have my name in the description when you .