Black beans and rice is one of the first meals that I learned to make when I was in college. All culinary exploration in college began with the following prerequisites…

• Super easy
• Super cheap
• (if you’re a nutrition major) Super healthy

I started off my freshman year with a hot pot and an entire drawer full of ramen noodles so graduating to beans and rice was a pretty big day for me. After 13 years, beans and rice is still one of my faithful dinner staples.

Meal Planning Tip:

Make a list of 10 easy, cheap, and healthy meals that you can make in under 30 minutes. Stick the list on your fridge so that you’ll have some inspiration when mealtimes sneak up on you. It’s easier to make a healthy choice when you have some healthy options to choose from.

Recipe: Black Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

• 1/4 small white onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 cup carrots diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 red pepper rinsed, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 green pepper rinsed, seeded and diced
• 1 can (15 oz) of organic black beans with liquid (alternatively you can rinse the beans to remove excess sodium and replace the liquid with 1/4 cup of water)
• Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)
• Spices: today I used curry powder, paprika, chili powder, and celery salt. I like to experiment with spices so what I use this time I might not use again. This happened to be a nice combination but I missed the cumin (I ran out).
• Garnishes: scallions, diced red onion, cilantro and some raw diced red and green peppers. You could also add diced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, etc.

Directions:

1. In a medium size sauce pan heat olive oil over medium/high heat until sizzling. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant.
2. Add carrots and saute with onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until texture of carrots softens slightly (about 2-3 minutes)
3. Add peppers and saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Next, add can of black beans and stir.
5. Add spices and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with white rice, brown rice, or as a topping for nacho chips
7. Makes about 2 adult size portions.

I used white rice today. Brown rice is certainly healthier alternative to white rice.  It takes a little longer to cook and has a slightly different texture, but it has more fiber and has a lower glycemic index.

Personal Fact: Scallions and other members of the onion family are some of my very favorite vegetables. I have been known to fry up an entire onion and eat it with my breakfast. Look out.

Which recipes are on your top 10?

Red Quinoa Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 cup of organic red quinoa
• 2 cups of water
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 package of extra firm tofu, chopped into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 red pepper, rinsed, seeded, and sliced
• 1 yellow pepper, rinsed, seeded, and sliced
• 1 cup of pea pods
• 1/2 cup edamame, shelled and defrosted
• sesame seeds (for decoration)
• soy sauce or stir fry sauce (to taste)

Directions

1. In a medium size sauce pan on medium/high heat, bring the water and quinoa to a rolling boil.
2. Turn to low, cover, and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
3. In a large saute pan or wok, heat the oil on medium/high heat and then cook the tofu until golden brown on each side.
4. Remove the cooked tofu from the pan and set aside.
5. Add the onion, carrots, peppers, pea pods, and edamame. Saute on medium/high heat until tender and bright in color.
6. Add the soy sauce or stir fry sauce to the vegetable mix.
7. Serve the vegetable mix on top of the cooked red quinoa and sprinkle sesame seeds on top for decoration.
8. Enjoy!

The best part about making this recipe is having leftovers for lunch the next day.

This chunky chili is pretty chunky. I have a feeling you won’t miss the meat.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon each used to season the onions)
• 5 carrots (rinsed, peeled, and sliced chunky)
• 5 celery stalks (rinsed and sliced)
• 1 green bell pepper (rinsed and diced)
• 1 zucchini (rinsed and diced)
• 1 cup of corn kernels
• 1 can (15 oz) of organic kidney beans
• 1 can (15 oz) of organic black beans
• 1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes (no added seasonings)
• 1 small can (6 oz) of tomato paste (optional)
• 1 can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup of mushrooms (rinsed and sliced)
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of freshly cracker black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• Toppings (scallions, shredded cheddar cheese, low-fat sour cream)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan with a lid, cook the onions in the olive oil (about 5 minutes until slightly translucent and brown around the edges), and then add the salt and pepper.
2. Add the carrots and celery, and then cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until celery and carrots become softer (cook with the lid on), medium-high heat.
3. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, corn, beans and diced tomatoes with the liquid from the can. Stir to blend all ingredients together and then cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste along with the mushrooms and spices.
5. Allow the soup to come to a complete boil and then turn the temperature to low-medium heat and continue to cook for 20 minutes.
6. Serve the soup topped with shredded cheddar cheese, scallions, diced red onion, and sour cream.
7. This recipe make a bunch of chili….maybe 15+ (8 oz) servings. It is perfect for freezing in individual containers.

How do you make your chili?

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