AngelFish’s Chicken Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Stew

AngelFish’s Chicken Sausage, White Bean, and Kale Stew

Nutrition facts for 8 bowls

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 pound ground Italian seasoned chicken sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 green bell pepper, deveined, deseeded, and chopped

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, do not drain

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, blended smooth

1 t dried oregano

1 t Italian seasoning

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup white wine

10 ounces lacinato kale, rinsed and torn

Graeme’s Lentil Soup

Sometimes simple is best and this soup is proof. Enjoy with a slice of dense chewy bread and a deliciously colorful salad.

The nutrition facts for this wonderful soup were created at Calorie Count.

made with red lentils

Graeme’s Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils

1 small carrot, grated

1 medium onion, grated

Water

Salt to taste

Directions:

Rinse lentils in a colander and put into a large soup pot.

Add one small grated carrot, and one medium grated onion.

Add about 3 to 4 times more water than lentils.

Add desired amount of salt.

Bring to a boil and simmer (on the lowest possible setting) for 3 to 4 hours, making sure you stir a LOT.

If you do not stir enough, you will end up with burned soup on the bottom of the soup pot.

The soup is done when it has reduced significantly, and the fragrance in the house will not allow you to wait another minute before you eat some of the soup! 

Enjoy!

Kathe's Lentil-Carrot Soup

Fans of this mighty soup hounded Kathe night and day for her recipe - and she entrusted it to CC Palate! Many thanks! 

The nutrition facts were designed at Calorie Count!

Adapted from a dog-eared Chatelaine recipe, take as many liberties as you choose with the ingredients. Make it yours and make it tomorrow!

Lentil-Carrot Soup

About 1 1/2 cups of red lentils
About 6 cups of stock or water - I usually use V8 for part of this
Ginger and garlic to taste - I use a couple of tsps. full of the mixed G&G paste, a brand called Aki - fresh is fine, of course
Spices: cumin, curry powder
A couple of bay leaves
A couple of onions, chopped
3 or 4 good-sized carrots, cut into uniform pieces
1 red pepper, cut into uniform pieces
A couple of stalks of celery, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a big soup pot, simmer the lentils in the stock/water/V8 with the ginger and garlic and spices for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop onions, carrots, red peppers and celery. Add to soup pot.

Simmer the whole lot for half an hour or so, until vegetables are tender and lentils have somewhat disappeared into the stock. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Soup freezes beautifully, so I often make a double batch. Easy to reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Crazypotato98’s Bean and Veggie Chili

Easy, delicious, and very nutritious!

Nutrition facts for eight large servings were designed at Calorie Count!

Crazypotato98’s Bean and Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon pure olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped

2 chili peppers, chopped - your choice of variety, hot or mild

1 cup zucchini, shredded

½ cup carrot, shredded

8 oz mushrooms, finely chopped – your choice of type

2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef, lean

2 T chili powder blend – your favorite brand

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup cilantro or parsley (or both), rinsed and chopped

3 (15 oz) cans of your favorite beans, rinsed and drained – good choices: pinto, cannellini, great northern, and black beans – but any type will be just fine.

3 cups vegetable stock, low salt

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan and add onion, red pepper, chilis and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded carrot and zucchini, sauté for another three minutes,

Add turkey, cumin and chili powder, cook, stirring til incorporated over med-high heat til turkey is browned.

Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are soft and have given up their liquid. If you used a type that holds a great deal of liquid, just reduce the stock a bit later. Don’t drain that lovely vitamin rich mushroom juice!

Stir in the flour and then the tomato paste.

Add cilantro, beans, and enough stock to get the consistency you prefer. 

Simmer 20 minutes or so, taste, and adjust the seasonings. 

Notes:

Like it hotter? Add Tabasco or use hot chilis.

Like it mild? Reduce the chili powder to 1 tablespoon and add more if needed when you adjust the seasonings.

Other seasonings you may like in this: basil, smoky paprika, black pepper, and white pepper

Used to salt? Wait til it's cooked and decide how much to add, better still - get used to food without the salt! After a while you will not miss it.

Love beans? Add more! 

Poetnw’s Beef Yam Kidney Bean Stew

You don't have to go shopping to make a one-pot stew. Poetnw just took advantage of the things she happened to have on hand and the result was pure deliciousness. Included in the directions are the optional just because she had it on hand ingredients. The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count.

Poetnw’s Beef Yam Kidney Bean Stew

Ingredients:

1 pound cubed stew beef 

1 onion, sliced

1 yam, cubed

2 cups sliced cabbage

Left over hot pickle juice from a recently emptied jar

3 cubes beef bullion

other seasonings of your choice

1 recipe of Betty Crocker's dumplings (white flour changed to wheat)

Directions:

Cube the beef and put it in a pot with a little water - just a couple cups will do to start. Simmer covered for about an hour. Add the onions, and yam. Cover and allow to simmer a little more until the veggies are tender. Add the cabbage, a good slurp of pickle juice, beef bullion cubes. Add a little water if the concoction is getting too dry. Simmer covered about 15 minutes. Taste, and season as you wish - black pepper or thyme are good choices.

Mix the dumpling mixture and plop by large spoonfuls on top of the simmering stew. Cook 10 minutes with the lid off. Then cover and cook another 10 minutes or until the dumplings are done - touch the top and if they feel firm, call the kids in for dinner and enjoy.

Options:

Add any veggies you have that need to be used up soon!

Sharpshootinstar's Vegetable Lentil Dal

This is a delicious and simple hearty vegetable stew that gets a decent dose of protein from lentils.  I also used it as a way to get rid of some of my abundant zucchini crop. Even more delicious when there's a chill in the air!

The nutrition facts were created at Calorie Count!

Lentils!

Vegetable Lentil Dal

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dry lentils

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

4 cups zucchini, chopped

1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry blend of your choice.  I prefer S&B Oriental Curry Powder for this. It's a sweeter yellow blend that works very well with most vegetable dishes, and is found in the asian foods section of the grocery store.

Directions:

To prepare the lentils, soak them in water for twenty minutes to half an hour, drain and rinse, set aside.

Set a large pot over medium-high heat and add your oil.  Next add all your veggies.  You don't really want to saute them, but sweat them.  Allow them to cook in the oil for ten to fifteen minutes, then sprinkle on your desired amount of curry powder, add the lentils, and carefully pour in the stock.  Give it a stir to combine, then cover and bring to a boil.  Once you've reached a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour on low, stirring once in a while. 

I like this served over chunks of roasted sweet potatoes.  Enjoy!

Crazypotato98's Vegi Soup with Bob's Red Mill Mix

Made with a nice little dry mixture of green split peas, yellow split peas, barley, lentils and vegetable pasta (semolina wheat flour, dehydrated spinach and tomato - no added salt!). Keep a pack of Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix in your pantry and you will be ready to create a new soup using any season's vegetables.

The nutrition facts for this simply delicious soup were designed at Calorie Count.

Vegi Soup with Bob's Red Mill Mix

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix

7 cups water

4 cubes Knorr tomato bouillon

1/2 lb frozen green beans

12 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

5 oz broccoli slaw

Directions:

Dump it all in a pot, simmer an hour, and enjoy!

4jskmmom's Bean Salad

I've listed some recommended amounts below in order to get the nutrition facts set for this delicious bean salad.  If you choose low or fat free dressing, the calories will be even lower. Feel free to change the proportions as you wish for anything in this very flexible recipe!

Bean Salad

Ingredients:

15 oz can black beans, rinse and drain

15 oz can black eyed peas, rinse and drain

12 oz white or yellow corn, drain

3 petite diced tomatoes

1/4 cup cilantro - chopped (if you don't like cilantro, can leave it out)

1 jalepeno, diced

1/4 cup Italian dressing

Directions:

combine and mix thoroughly - store in fridge.

*I make very large batches as it keeps a long time - but can adjust the ratio to however you like it. YUMM!

Claire’s Curried Lentil Soup

Absolutely delicious – and this low calorie soup gets an A on Calorie Count’s nutrition analysis!

Claire’s Curried Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

(Makes 3 servings)

1/2 cup dry lentils

1 carrot, grated

3 cups cauliflower

1 red bell pepper

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp black mustard seeds, toasted

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp asafetida

1 dried chile pepper

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

5 cups water

Directions:

Grate the carrot. Chop up the cauliflower, onion, pepper. Mince the garlic.

Put everything but the garam masala and salt into a pot and simmer until tender.

Remove the hot chile pepper and puree everything with an immersion blender.

Stir in garam masala and salt to taste and serve.

Janice's Vegetarian Beans and Rice

A delicious and colorful celebration of vegetables in a one dish meal.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Vegetarian Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice

Veggie stock

2 t olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup corn, canned, frozen or fresh

1 jalapeno or serrano pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 t cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup salsa (your favorite brand and heat level)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Optional for Non-Vegans:

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Optional for Bean Lovers: 

Add two cans of beans and increase the salsa and seasonings.

Directions:

Cook the rice per package directions but use veggie stock instead of water.

When the rice is done and resting with the lid on, place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and saute the onion, celery, and red pepper in the olive oil until softened.

Add garlic and saute two minutes. Add the corn, jalapeno, and other seasonings and simmer five minutes.

Add the salsa, then the beans and vinegar and stir.

Stir in the rice and heat together. Add more salsa if it seems too dry. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Like it hot? Add more chopped jalapenos or hot red pepper flakes.

Meganr’s Italian Chickpea Soup

The nutrition facts for this simple and delicious soup can be found at Calorie Count!

Italian Chickpea Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

3 cups garbanzo beans

1 large sweet potato, diced small

1 stalk celery

1 tbsp mustard

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a heavy stockpot and sauté the onion for 5 minutes.

Add broth, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cayenne and bring to a boil in the stockpot over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add chickpeas, sweet potatoes, celery and mustard and simmer 20 minutes more or until vegetables are very soft.

Mash vegetables and chickpeas to a chunky puree with potato masher or spoon. (Chickpeas will remain mostly whole.)

Stir in parsley, and season with pepper.

Megnar's Black Bean Casserole

The nutrition facts for this delicious vegetarian casserole can be found at Calorie Count!

Black Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

6  corn tortillas

1 ½ cups  black beans

10  tomatillos

3  zucchinis, chopped

3  tomatoes, chopped

2 cup  onion, chopped

3 cloves  garlic, minced

1 tbsp  olive oil

1 cup  red bell pepper, chopped

¼  cup nutritional yeast

3 tsp  Mexican seasoning

Directions:

Peel off the tomatillo skins.

Fill a large sauce pan with water and set to boil. When boiling drop in the peeled tomatillos and cook for 5 - 7 minutes until they start to soften. Drain the tomatillos.

Add the tomatillos, 1 garlic clove and 1/2 cup of the chopped onion into a blender and liquefy.

Chop all the remaining vegetables. Heat up the oil and sauté the onion and red bell pepper 5 minutes. Add the zucchinis and sauté till just tender. Add the black beans (drain and rinse if they are canned), chopped tomatoes and the nutritional yeast and sauté another few minutes.

Put about 1/4 of the tomatillo sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish. Layer half of the corn tortillas on top of the sauce. Put in the sautéed veggies. Layer the rest of the corn tortillas and the remainder of the sauce.

Stick in 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until hot.

LlThomas43's Low Sodium Black Bean Soup

Yes, you can enjoy flavorful broth rich dishes even on a low sodium diet! The nutrition facts for this easy soup are at Calorie Count!

Low Sodium Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups dried black beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked overnight (drain the water from the beans before adding to the crock-pot)
6 cups unsalted non fat chicken broth  or low sodium vegetable broth (Progresso is good, so is Pacific Organic low sodium vegetable broth)
1/2 c chopped onion
4 large baby carrots, chopped (or one small regular carrot)
14.5 oz can Hunt's stewed tomatoes, no salt added
2 large stalks celery with leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
Mrs Dash Extra Spicy seasoning (I use about a teaspoon, please adjust this to suit your tastes)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a crock-pot and mix well.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Delicious with a slice of whole grain bread.

Makes 8 hearty servings

Claire's Lentil Soup

Simple and delicious. The nutrition facts for this healthy soup can be found at Calorie Count!

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup lentils, dry

½ cup carrot, diced

½ cup celery, chopped

½ cup onion, diced

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

8 cups water

Directions:

Put everything into a soup pot.

Bring to a boil.

Reduce to a slow simmer.

Cover and cook for 1 hour.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Janice's Fast Hoppin' John

This is the New Years Day luck providing meal of choice for many people in the southern United States. There are a lot of variations on the theme and I'd be interested in hearing what you do that's different. The following is a basic low country meatless version done on the quick with canned black-eyed peas. It is easily jazzed up to be a more substantial dish. Also, to increase the lucky factor exponentially, add a side of "greens" such as collards or cabbage.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Fast Hoppin' John

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped - include the leaves
2 T pure olive oil
2 t fresh crushed garlic

2 jalapenos or 1 serrano, deseeded and minced
2 15 oz cans Black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 chopped tomatoes (about 1/2 - 1 cup the amount is to taste)
1 T Paul Prudhomme's Magic seasoning*

*I like either the pork or the "meat" seasoning for this. He also makes a great salt free generic seasoning that is very good indeed and is my choice when sodium is a concern. Personally, I like Prudhomme's seasoning better than Tony Chacheres - which I find way too salty. But if you like that better, use it. Watch how much you use though as his seasonings have way more salt.

Directions:

In a medium sized pot, heat the oil and then saute the chopped celery and onion until both are softened - about 5 minutes or more as you prefer. Add the garlic and pepper; saute another minute or two. Stir in the drained and rinsed black-eyed peas, chopped tomatoes, and seasoning. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve over rice...since this is Fast Hoppin' John, use quick cook brown rice.

Optional Things:

Use dried black-eyed peas (soak overnight, drain, cook, and add the rest).
Cut well rinsed Collard Greens into long strips - add with the tomatoes.
Use more tomatoes - or a can or two of diced tomatoes or Rotelle tomatoes with chilis.
Add cooked sausage - either fresh that is cooked and browned or smoked
Add Smokey Chipotle Tabasco - or more peppers.
Turn it into a black-eyed pea and rice soup with some stock and greens and more seasonings.

Claire's Hot Bean Dip

There is nothing simpler to prepare than Claire's Hot Bean Dip. The ingredients are common pantry and fridge items. What a fantastic treat to mix up for even surprise guests!

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Hot Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked pinto beans (drain and rinse from a can)
1/2 cup prepared salsa
2 T minced green pepper (or jalapeno)
2 T minced red onion
1/4 t hot sauce
3 T cheese (such as cheddar or Monterrey Jack)


Directions:

Mash the pinto beans with the tines of a fork. Stir in the pepper, onion, salsa and hot sauce. Spread the cheese on top. Microwave for one minute. Serve with tortillas or raw vegetables.

Janice's Green Beans with Tomato and Caramelized Onion

Caramelized onions, seasoned brown sugar enriched tomato paste, and green beans...all for only 131 calories per generous serving? Absolutely! This is a perfect "company's coming" side dish or really, anytime you want something just a little fancy.

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Green Beans with Tomato and Caramelized Onion

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds green beans
1/4 cup pure olive oil
1/2 t salt
1 yellow onion
3 T tomato paste
1 t dark brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 t fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Grammie Vee's Chili

Grammie says - This actually sounds like more work than it really is - much of it can be started the night before so all you have to do is mix it all together in the morning. I have been making chili like this for over 40 years and everyone that eats it loves it. The recipe makes a lot of chili so make sure to freeze or can it for quick meals later!

The nutrition facts are at Calorie Count!

Grammie Vee's Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds dry beans (you can use your favorite or a combination of varieties).
1 Quart beef broth or stock
2 32 oz cans diced tomatoes
4 Medium to large yellow onions (what we call cooking onions) diced
1 Garlic head seperated and finely chopped
3 Packages 6 Gun Chili Mix
2-3 Pounds extra lean ground beef or extra lean beef (like round steak) cut in small cubes. I usually just use the ground beef because it is easier.
1-2 T Cumin or to taste
Johnny's Seasoning Salt to taste

Options:

Peppers - hot or sweet chopped up
Olives
Celery
Anything else you think of you like in chili

Directions:

I usually set the beans to soak the night before I plan to start the cooking (i.e. if going to cook the chili on Saturday, I will start the soaking Thursday night then wash and rinse Friday morning and put to cook Friday night).

Open all three packages of the chili mix and throw the package with the directions on it away.

Soak the beans for a day rinsing and washing about every 8-12 hours.

In VERY LARGE crockpot (I have a 7 quart and usually run it over) put in soaked, washed and rinsed beans, the beef broth/stock (add enough water so beans are well covered - you may need to add more water before going to bed as the beans will absorbe a lot of it), 1/2 the garlic, 1 Tablespoon Johnny's Seasoning Salt, 1-2 Tablespoons cumin (I love cumin and usually make a well rounded tablespoon full) and all three red packages from one of the chili mix package. The littlest red package is cayenne and gives the chili just a little bit of a "back taste" but not that bad. For people that can't take even that much heat sour cream and cheese will tone it down. If you do not want any heat at all, just don't use any of the littlest packages. The only cayanne I use is what I put in the beans, I don't use the other two little packages of cayenne. Some of the guys will add to the other two little packages to their personal bowls or other foods; so it doesn't go to waste. Turn on high for 2-3 hours until bedtime. At bedtime turn down to low.

I usually get my meat mixture ready the night before so I can just throw it in before going out the door to work. Brown the beef with a little salt (not too much though as the seasoning packet has salt), add in the balance of the garlic and all four chopped onions and countinue to brown until onions are nice and carmelized. Add in the two larger red packages from the other two chili mix packages (total 4 red packets) and stir to distribute evenly. Then add all three white packets (masa) and stir until evenly distributed.

Assembly - The best thing to do is use a HUGE roaster pan or steel bowl to mix everything up. Pour in the beans, stir in the meat mixture, then empty the two cans of diced tomatoes in and stir until well mixed. Refill the crockpot as much as you can and put the balance into a container with a lid and refrigerate until after your dinner. After you and your family have eaten 1/2 the pot for dinner, you can add the reserved chili cook for an hour or two more then put into a covered container and refrigerate. OR... If you are going to can your chili, you can just go straight from this point into the jars and pressure canner. The chili also freezes quite well.

Richard's Black Bean & Corn Relish

I've had Richard's terrific relish a number of times and finally got him to share the recipe for his simple but fantastic relish! I love it scooped with chips, but it is also awesome as a condiment or side dish. In fact, I think it would make a great starting point for a Southwestern Pasta Sauce...or under polenta...infinite possibilities.

Make it as hot or mild as you like and enjoy it often. The nutrition facts can be found at Calorie Count.

Black Bean & Corn Relish

Ingredients:

2 cans Bush's Black Beans - well drained
2 cans Green Giant Shoepeg Corn - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoe3s with Lime Juice and Cilantro - well drained
1 can RoTel Diced Tomatoes with Habaneros - well drained
1 large bunch of fresh cilantro - chopped



Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

CRITICAL: Let sit over-nite in the refrigerator. Stir from time to time. The "aging" really lets all the flavors mature and mingle. This relish is better the second day, or even the third day!

Notes:

Make it hotter or milder by using either 2 cans of hot RoTel or 2 cans of the regular RoTel. Also you can change the amount of cilantro to suit your tastes.

This makes a big batch. The extra amounts beyond party dipping use we serve as a side dish with meals for a couple of days after or just go back and snack on it some more.

Michael's Speckled Puppy Beans

Speckled puppies or speckled beans? Ok, make this great dish with speckled beans and pet the speckled puppy on that cute belly.

Speckled Puppy Beans

12 servings

1 lb. dried navy beans, sorted and rinsed
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
1-14 oz. can low sodium chicken stock
1-10.5 oz. can cream of celery soup
4 oz. good white wine
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups diced Canadian bacon or smoked ham
2 cups white or gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2” squares
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground thyme
1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 or 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
salt, to taste

Speckled Beans using smoked sausage instead of ham

Place sorted beans and peas into a large pot. Add chicken stock, wine, butter, and cover well with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to warm. Add ground pepper, cayenne, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Cover and let sit for an hour or so until beans begin to swell. Add water as necessary, but do NOT over-water.

When the beans and peas begin to soften, add all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer until the beans are tender. Serve with warm cornbread or on top of long grained brown rice.

Notes:

If you don't want to use the Canadian bacon, GOYA makes a ham-flavored bouillon that's quite good. Use two or three packets of that, about a tsp. each.