Ratatouille with Black Beans and Zucchini – A Healthy Choice as a Side Dish or Main

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Black Beans, main dish, onion, Ratatouille, side dish, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

It’s that time of year here in California where the zucchini is in great form and is plentiful! I had some beautiful, organic zucchini and wanted to do something a little different with it. I decided to make something with beans rather than the typical potato, rice or pasta side dish. This ratatouille like dish that I threw together hit the spot! It had a variety of flavors highlighted by fresh, organic veggies and herbs. It was the perfect side dish to our barbecued chicken. 

You could also make it with a little more sauce and serve it over rice or pasta as a vegetarian main dish. Leave out the Parmesan cheese and you have a satisfying Vegan dish!

Ratatouille with Black Beans and Zucchini

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (Tip: Fresh cooked beans would taste the best or you can go the quick route and use canned, like I did. To reduce the salt in canned beans, be sure to rinse them well.)

3 zucchini, sliced

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 medium red onion, diced

3 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or you can use dried)

1 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 tbsp garlic infused olive oil (or use regular olive oil and add a clove of fresh garlic to the mixture.)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Add olive oil to large saute pan or wok. Heat over medium heat. Add all ingredients and saute until onions and zucchini soften. I like my zucchini more on the al dente side. Top with Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash – A Delicious and Beautiful Vegetarian Entree

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Black Beans, Cilantro, Cooking, Food, recipe, Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash, vegan, vegetarian

  
I know I shared a link to this recipe a while back, but last night I actually made it myself. Now I can truly attest to how delicious this dish is!!! If you love southwestern flavors and would like a vegetarian (even vegan) entree, this is for you! The mild flavor of the spaghetti squash is jazzed up with black beans, red bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño. I wasn’t shy with the jalapeño, so my dish had a little kick to it! And the lime juice and cilantro add tang and freshness to the wealth of flavor here. This dish is very healthy, but never fear it’s a hearty one too!

While this dish does take some time to bake the squash (about 45 minutes), the preparation is pretty simple. The results are very impressive though. Put on a beautiful platter, this would be a great dish to serve to guests. And if you leave off the cheese, it easily becomes a delicious vegan dish. I love cheese, but this dish would be just as good without it.

To shorten the cook time a bit, I did not cook the squash whole. I cut it in half lengthwise and baked in a pan line with foil for 45 minutes. I also cleaned out the seeds prior to baking. I also added sliced black olives to mine. If you don’t like spicy, you could easily substitute diced green chilies for the jalapeño. 

Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/10/southwestern-stuffed-spaghetti-squash.html 

Stewed Black Beans – Super Easy, Make Ahead Dish!

Tags

Black Beans, Cooking, Food, healthy, low-fat, side dish, slow cook, slow cooker, vegan, vegetaria

  

A week or so ago, I posted a recipe for Mexican Spiced Chicken with a Tomatillo Salsa. Along with that meal, I had made some Stewed Black Beans and they turned out great, so I wanted to share that recipe with my food blog friends. These were really easy to make and very lowfat. Plus, they are a great vegetarian/vegan dish!

A little over a year ago, my oldest daughter got married and even though she lives locally it was a difficult adjustment for me. I have missed not having my baby girl in the house to talk to and watch over. One of the things I did was to establish a weekly family dinner, so every Sunday evening my daughter and her husband come for dinner. Hey! I love to cook and they love to eat, so everyone is happy! This was something I remember from my childhood. Every Sunday, my mom would have a roast slow cooking in the oven or something simmering in the slow cooker while we were at church and then my older brother and sister, along with their spouses and children, would come over for Sunday dinner. Even my grandma would join us some weeks. It was a great family memory!

While the kids are over on Sunday evenings, we usually have some TV shows that we watch together. I try and get a lot of the cooking done before they arrive, so I can enjoy the visit with them. Loading something into the slow cooker is a great way to do early prep and have something ready to go at dinner time. For this particular dinner, I had a Mexican theme of sorts going, so I thought I would make some beans. I didn’t start with a recipe. I just took a look at the ingredients I had on hand and started throwing stuff in the pot and the beans came out great! I hope you and your family enjoy them as well!

Stewed Black Beans

3 – 15 oz cans black beans, undrained

1/2 – 15 oz can kidney beans (I just had this in my fridge, so threw it in. You could leave it out or add a whole can)

1 – 8 oz can diced green chilies

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients in slow cooker pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.