Brothy, Smoky Beans

These brothy, smoky beans are just great as a side to grilled meats, pulled chicken and pork or even smoked meatloaf. They can be a whole meal if leftover bbq meats are added! I discovered that they are at their tastiest best when left to sit in their seasonings for at least a while before they are  heated up. I’m a big fan of using time saving canned beans and broth. I’d love to know if anyone makes these easy and yummy beans; send me an email at yatesyummies@gmail.com.

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans
1 cup beef broth
1/4 teaspoon Chilean merken spice mix (or sub 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika, pinch cayenne pepper)
Limes for serving

Prepare this the night before- or at least the morning of- (but don’t cook it until ready to serve) to make it the most flavorful .

Drain and rinse the black beans and place in a smallish bowl. Sprinkle the lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt, garlic powder and pepper. Give the beans a good stir, cover, and store in refrigerator.

Drain and rinse the two cans of pinto beans. Place beans in medium large bowl. And the remaining 1/4 Kosher salt and the merken (or use substitute spices above). Give it a stir and pour in the beef broth.
Place in the refrigerator.

When ready to cook, add the black beans to the pintos.  Either heat the beans in a pot by bringing to a boil and then turning the heat down- or, just heat in the microwave for 5 to 7 minutes until hot.

Serve with lime slices for squeezing.

Eggplant in Miso Seasoned Sauce & White Beans and Sausage with Chimichurri Sauce on Toast

Eggplant in Miso Seasoned Sauce

Ingredients and Directions for Four Servings

2 medium sized eggplants *

2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more for brushing eggplant

Garlic salt, for sprinkling on the eggplant slices

1 white or yellow onion, peeled and sliced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and put through a press

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons white miso

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons soy type sauce such as tamari, Maggi or reduced sodium

Optional: Greek yogurt and parsley for serving

Wash, dry and cut the ends off the eggplants. Slice about 1/4 inch thick and brush each side with a little oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Either grill over medium heat about 5 to 7 minutes a side or bake in a 375 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.

While eggplant is cooking, saute the onion slices in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until tender - about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pressed garlic and continue to cook for 30 more seconds. Pour in the beef broth. Whisk in the miso, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Cut the cooked eggplant slices into fourths and add to the miso broth mixture. Gently toss. Serve with a swoosh of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of parsley if desired.

*In the photo above, I used a combination of regular and baby eggplants.

White Beans and Sausage with Chimichurri Sauce on Toast

Ingredients and Directions for Two Servings

2 to 4 slices of good quality bread, toasted
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 (15 oz.) can of white beans such as Great Northern or cannelloni
1 medium tomato, diced
1 tablespoon diced red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking sausage
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Drain and rinse the beans. In a bowl, gently mix together beans, diced tomatoes, diced red onions, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Place the toast on a serving plate. Ladle the bean mixture and browned sausage slices between the two servings of toast. Top each serving with a tablespoon or two of chimichurri sauce.

Messy, Yummy Cuban Sandwich with Rice and Black Beans

The weather in January never seems to be very good - no matter where someone is. At the beginning of the month, Jenn and Allison left the Northern Hemisphere for another round of adventure, so Roy and I traveled down to the Florida Keys. I know I shouldn't complain, but I would say we saw a lot more rain that sunshine. The great thing was, since we couldn't hike or bike ride, we went out to lunch a lot. As a result, I got hooked on Cuban Sandwiches as well as Cuban Rice and Beans. Of course I had to try and make them myself and the recipes posted here are the culminations of my experiments. Some restaurants served the beans and rice separately in "Moros y Cristianos" (Moors and Christian) style, but my favorite was when the ingredients were combined together and perfectly spiced. I had a hard time getting the seasoning right until I finally added a teaspoon of Old Bay powder. It dawned on me that since I was eating the dish in places that served seafood, maybe the restaurant kitchens were adding it to the rice as well as their main dishes. Well, it seemed to do the trick and I finally got a nod of approval from Roy. Another couple things turned out to be key; I substituted beef broth for water and did not drain the liquid from the beans. That seemed to add flavor and gave the rice the color I was looking for. As for the sandwich - what a meal! It's a really delicious combination and a great use for leftover shredded pork and ham slices. 

Cuban Marinade Ingredients for a Two Pound Pork Shoulder:

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

4 gloves garlic, minced or put through a press

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions for Cooking the Pork

Whirl all the marinade ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. Set aside and refrigerate 1/3 cup of the marinade to use when serving. (It is especially good on a Cuban Sandwich!)  Pour the rest of the marinade over the pork. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Then, place the meat in an oven safe pan. Pour the liquid it was marinating around it. Bake covered in a preheated 324 degree oven for 4 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove the meat from the pan and place on a serving platter. Shred the meat using two forks.   Enjoy the meat with a drizzle of the set aside 1/3 cup marinade. Use the left overs in a Cuban sandwich - see below.

Ingredients and Directions for Cuban Rice and Black Beans

1 cup uncooked white rice (I used Uncle Ben's)
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, including the liquid
2 cups beef broth
1 large onion, skinned and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced or put through a press
2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano

Saute the diced onion in the olive oil until tender. Add all the rest of the ingredients and cook according to the rice package instructions. When done, all the liquid will be absorbed and the rice will be tender. I have also cooked this in a crock pot for 2 1/2 hours on low and the result was perfect.

To Assemble a Cuban Sandwich:

For each sandwich slice open some kind of crusty bread that is soft inside such as Cuban bread, French bread, or a Mexican bolillo shown above. Slather on side with yellow mustard. On the other side, put a healthy amount of mayonnaise. Lay some sliced ham on the mustard side. The shredded pork goes on top of the ham. Drizzle some of reserved marinade over the pork.  The cheese goes right next to the mayonnaise. Put the sandwich together and brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Grill each side so that a nice crust appears and the cheese melts. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and dill pickles.