Black Bean Salad with a Mint-Lemon Dressing

This is a recipe I frequently make and definitely one of my favorites. It’s a wholesome salad with a perfect combination of textures. The creamy black beans and crunchy vegetables, with fresh herbs and lemon makes this a flavor packed, quick and easy to make salad.

1 32oz can, cooked black beans (drained and washed)
1 small onion
1/2 cup tightly packed fresh mint
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro
1 serrano chili (substitute:jalapeno)
1 large tomato, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
juice from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lime
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp salt

Finely chop the mint, cilantro, serrano chilli and onion together. I used a manual chopper, but use whatever you have. In a mixing bowl, add the rinsed black beans, tomato and the herb onion mixture. Sprinkle salt, lemon zest and toss together.

Add the chopped carrots, green peppers, lemon+lime juice and mix well. I like to serve these in lettuce cups with my favorite rye baguette, makes for a great lunch. It can also be served as a side with entrees.

Leftover Makeover – Vegetarian Burrito

The leftover black bean-cilantro pilaf made a great base for  this easy to assemble burrito. I made a simple grilled onion and green pepper mixture to make the filling.

You will need :

1 cup guacamole
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
1 cup black bean pilaf
2 cups shredded cheese, I used a mixture of  pepper jack, monterey jack and cheddar
2 green peppers, sliced lengthwise
1 large red onion, sliced lengthwise
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, sliced thin lengthwise
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
4 tortillas

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapenos. Fry for a minute and add the sliced onions. Cook until they soften and start browning. Add the green bell peppers and salt. Saute for 5-6 more minutes just until the peppers soften. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Here’s a little assembly line I made to make things easy. A bowl of mildly spic salsa, a bowl of guacamole, a bowl of sour cream, a bowl of leftover black bean cilantro pilaf, the grilled onions and peppers, the mixed shredded cheese and the tortilla. Warm the tortillas for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before you make the burrito.

Sprinkle an even layer of cheese on the tortilla. lay a dollop of the salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Top with the black bean pilaf.

Add the onion-green pepper mixture and top off with more cheese. Fold over the right and left edges and fold the top and bottom flap over it like a package.

Line them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven for 5-8 minutes just until the tortilla is slightly crisped and the inside is hot, cheesy and melted. Serve with more sour cream, salsa and guacamole if needed.

Black Bean-Cilantro Pilaf

1 cup Basmati Rice
3 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
1 green pepper, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained well ( I used canned cooked beans)
1 red onion, sliced thin lengthwise
1 cup vegetable stock (if you can’t find vegetable stock, you could use all water)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt

In a large non-stick pan melt the butter over medium and add the chopped jalapeno and garlic. Stir for a minute and add in the onions. Cook until onions soften and start to slightly brown.

Add green and red peppers. Cook for 5 minutes until peppers just start softening. Add in the 2 cups raw rice and stir until the rice turns opaque. Add the black beans and salt and mix well.

After about 5 minutes of stirring the rice, add in the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, check to see if all water is absorbed. As soon as the bottom of the pan doesn’t have any stock remaining when you stir the rice, turn off heat and let rice sit about 10 minutes.

Then remove lid and add the lemon juice and cilantro, fluff the rice with a fork and serve hot.

Black Bean Salad – Leftover Makeover

I made a really easy black bean salad, with beans leftover from making the Black bean Tortilla rolls. For this salad I used carrots, red onions, green and red bell peppers all giving a variety of flavors all that compliment black beans really well.
To tie it all together, I simply added salt, lemon juice and cilantro for freshness.

Who says healthy can’t be tasty?

1/2 cup black beans
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced ( If red onions are too intense for you, substitute with scallions/green onions or chives)
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, toss well and serve.

(Did that even need directions?!)

Spicy Black Bean Tortilla Rolls

I am very excited to post my new mexican inspired creation. I love black beans and its combination with cheese and cilantro. This recipe combines my two favorite flavors : Spicy and Cheesy.

6-7 flour tortillas
1  15 oz. can cooked black beans
1/2 large red onion
3 garlic cloves
3 large jalapenos, minced including seeds and all (This is what makes this dish spicy, use 1 jalapeno for a miler version)
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups cheese, shredded ( I use a mixture of monterey jack, cheddar and pepper jack)
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small pot bring the black beans and 2-3 tbsps water to a boil with 1/4 tsp salt over medium-high. Cook for 7-8 minutes until the water is absorbed and the black beans are soft and easy for mashing. Transfer the cooked beans in a bowl. In the meanwhile mince the garlic, onion and jalapenos.

Heat canola oil in a pan and the minced onion, garlic and jalapenos. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions soften and slightly brown. Add the cooked beans that you set aside to this onion mixture, add 2 more tbsps of water and start mashing with the back of a ladle or a spoon while on medium-low heat. Mash until it is almost smooth with a few rustic pieces of black beans remaining. Add the lemon juice, remaining salt and stir in 1 cup of the cheese and mix well till it the cheeses melt and incorporate with the mixture.

Grease a cookie sheet or a baking pan with non stick cooking spray.

Warm up the tortilla(microwave for 10-20 seconds) and they are ready for filling and rolling. Place 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons of the black bean mixture on the tortilla and spread evenly around. Roll the tortilla gently and place it in the cookie sheet. Roll up the rest of the tortillas until all the filling is used up.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake for 10 minutes until the tortilla is warm and the cheese on top has melted.

Top with cilantro and serve warm.

I am entering this recipe for the My Legume Love Affair : MLLA Sixth Helping : Hot & Spicy event hosted by Tasty Palettes. For more on the future line-up of this event visit Susan’s event page.

I am sending this to Culinarty’s Original Recipes.

Fusili with Roasted red peppers in Tomato-Basil sauce

Here’s another one of my easy weeknight dinners. I call this my kitchen sink pasta. I threw in a few things that I had in my pantry and it turned out quite well! The only comment I have is that the next I try it, I will probably use fresh jalapenos instead of pickled. I personally felt the lime juice and pickled jalapenos made it too tangy. I would go for one or the other.

1 pound fusili pasta
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, thinly sliced (I used store bought)
3 tbsp pickled jalapenos, finely chopped (I used store bought)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and washed
1 tbsp basil pesto (I used store bought pesto)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce (I used store bought marinara with onions and herbs)
1 tbsp mint, finely chopped

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fusili pasta and cook until al dente(around 8-9 minutes). Drain and pour into a large serving bowl.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and garlic, fry for a couple of seconds and add in the washed and drained black beans. Sautee for another minute. Pour in the tomato sauce, add the jalapenos and heat it through for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil pesto, lime juice, roasted red peppers and sautee for 5-7 more minutes.

 Remove from heat and pour it over the pasta. Mix the pasta and top with mint and serve.

I have sent this recipe to Culinarty’s Original Recipes.