One Pot Crispy Steamed Rice and Lentils

Dear Turkey,

I adore my rice

Cooker, but you should have this

In your repertoire

Quick Vegan Pumpkin Dal

Dear Turkey,

If you could smell my

House right now, you would want to

Make this right away

Black Beans, Green Peas, and Yellow Tomatoes

Dear Turkey,

A Mexican lunch

Was cancelled; I took matters

Into my own hands

White Bean, Artichoke, and Olive Paella

Dear Turkey,

This paella is

Tied with the Mark Bittman one

As my favorite

Amazing Rice Cooker One Pot Beans and Rice

Dear Turkey,

I can't believe I

Never thought of this before --

It is so easy

White Bean and Lemon Crostini

Dear Turkey,

What's a crostini?

I think it's bread that you toast

With some stuff on it?

Cheesy and Garlic-y One Pot Baked Beans

Dear Turkey,

This is so easy

You don't even have to peel

Onions or garlic

Green Rice and Red Beans

Dear Turkey,

Green rice and red beans

This is truly a match made

In cooking heaven

Winter Comfort Food Beans and Rice

Dear Turkey,

Get out a few cans,

Add some dried spices and bulbs:

A nice winter meal

BBQ Beans and Onion Feta Risotto

Dear Turkey,

Two classics, from the

Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites,

Are great together

Garden-Fresh Greens and Beans

Dear Turkey,

It takes a lot for

Me to really like beet greens

But this one did it

Super Easy and Saucy Rice Bowls

Dear Turkey,

This takes ten minutes

And you'll feel like you're at a

Really good lunch place

Leek Fried Rice

Dear Turkey,

When someone offers

You a leek, don't ever say

No, just make this rice

Creamy Pumpkin Mexican Beans and Rice

Dear Turkey,

When I invent a

New kind of beans and rice, I

Get so excited

Beans and Gnocchi

Dear Turkey,

I love beans and I love gnocchi. But sometimes when I combine them, I am faced with the quandary of going "Mexican" or "Italian." This dish is a light, garlic-y compromise. I made it for lunch and ate the rest for dinner (meaning, I ate a whole package of gnocchi and a whole can of beans in 6 hours -- go me).

I used whole wheat gnocchi and I really liked how it's not quite as chewy as regular gnocchi, but you could use regular gnocchi, too. If this looks boring (it's not!) you could add a can of tomatoes or some fresh ones.

Beans and Bulgur

Dear Turkey,

Due to my ongoing interest in different beans and rices, I was inspired to make beans and bulgur. I knew that bulgur is awesome, cheap, healthy, and good for tabbouleh. So I figured that it would be good for beans, too. The best part is, you don't even have to cook it! I know!

I soaked my bulgur until it was just past al dente. It provides a great contrast to the soft/sweet/salty/saucy beans. Or, if you're bored, you can add some salt/lemon/bbq sauce/whatever to the bulgur, too.

Boston Beans and Rice

Dear Turkey,

Being a country girl, I haven't been to Boston since 2005. But if this is how beans and rice rolls there, then lucky them. I adapted this recipe from The Moosewood, and I'm guessing they called it "Boston" because the molasses makes it taste like baked beans, but way more interesting.

I was really excited by this recipe because I am always trying to expand my bean repertoire. These beans don't have anything spicy (although that can be remedied at time of eating by some Garlic Tabasco Sauce), but they do have mustard and tamari. And if that's not salty enough, you can serve them with rice pilaf from a box like I did.

Baked Beans and Rice

Dear Turkey,

I always have potential beans and rice recipes floating around in my head. Sometimes they come to me in dreams. True story.

Since I love beans and I love baking, I have been wanting to make baked beans for a while. And while I truly love the baked beans from the can, I was thinking of something more Mexican-y. I was also attracted to the put-it-in-the-oven-and-leave-it concept.

These baked beans turned out really easy and tasty. They have that extra sweet and savory depth that comes from baking (and roasted garlic), but they still have that Mexican punch. I loved finding big chunks of roasted garlic and smashing them around in my rice; if you think that's weird, slice the garlic.

Black Bean Brownies!

Dear Turkey,

Last weekend, one of our friends told me that she had just made black bean brownies. To me, black beans + brownies is more intriguing than whole wheat + cookies. Then, she made it even more exciting by telling me that she couldn't tell if they were good. He husband hated them. "I think they are good," she said, "but maybe it's just because I made them." I can relate.

I knew that I had to try them. I tasted the batter and I was concerned. It kind of tasted like chocolate black bean dip, but not in a good, mole, way. But then I baked them. They were good, like a flourless chocolate cake (although they do have flour). All that weird bean-i-ness was gone. They were even better the next day. I think that if you hide the bean can, people would not be able to guess the secret ingredient.

Amazingly Good Black Bean Brownines  Flourless Chocolate Cake

Mom, Stop Giving Me Tomatoes (until tomorrow)

Dear Turkey,

Does your mom never stop giving you tomatoes? When you say you have enough, does she sneak five or ten more in your tupperware (so that it won't close) and then get mad when you refuse to take them home? Have you eaten so many tomatoes that your lips are starting to get sores on them and you have perma-heartburn (oh, that's just me?)?

In case you forgot, here is an awesome way to use up tomatoes (no, not the custard, you have to scroll down). I really improved it this time, too. First I broiled tomatoes, chilies, garlic, and shallots, with some salt and just enough oil so they didn't stick:

You can see that I really increased the amount of "other stuff":tomatoes. That was crucial. I broiled them until they were really getting black on top. Then I blended it up with more salt, and a few t of lemon juice and sugar (crucial). Last time I added water and I think that was a mistake:

I served this on some beans and rice. I wanted to make it a little more interesting than usual because I didn't have any cheese. One piece of advice: if you don't have cheese, put lots of butter in the rice and nobody will notice. For the beans, I used the usual suspects (no, not banana bread, scroll down):

For dessert, Happle Muffins. We love happles at our house (you know, you pick them at the Happle Farm). However, some of my constituents don't like big pieces of happle in their muffins, so I grated them. I took less than one story on NPR, and it was totally worth it.  

Happle Muffins:
(makes 24)

Combine:

3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c ground flaxseed
5 t baking powder
1.5 t salt
1.5 t cinnamon
2 eggs or 1/2 c sour cream
1.5 c milk of your choice (not breastmilk)
2/3 c oil
1/2 c sugar + 2T brown sugar
2 apples, grated (don't peel them on my account) (I really wanted to write "happles," here, but then when you try to search for this recipe later, and you forgot that I said "happles," you will get no results)
cornmeal, for dusting, optional

Mix but don't overmix. Bake at 400 degrees, 20-25 mins. Use muffin papers.

Enjoy,
Tofu