Gallo Pinto

A recipe from Costa Rica!

servings: 4-6

* 2 tbsp canola oil
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 cups cooked white rice
* 2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 tsp ground corriander
* 1/2 tsp ground ginger
* 2-3 tbsp vegetarian worcestershire sauce (we substituted Supreme Garlic flavored A1 Steak Sauce because it had many of the same ingredients)
* salt & freshly ground black pepper
* fresh cilantro
* sliced green onion

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add onion & saute until it begins to soften and turn translucent. Add garlic. Saute for 5 more minutes, or until onion is golden.

3. Add spices & worcestershire. Stir.

4. Add the beans & then the rice. Cook until mixture is heated through.

5. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve hot. Garnish with cilantro & green onions.

Baked Quesadillas

Servings: as many as you like!
Time: about 20 minutes

* tortillas
* refried beans, canned (for us, 1 can makes about 4 quesadillas)
* grated cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you like, really)
* anything else you want to add to the quesadillas, for example: sliced bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, onion
* salsa &/or sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Assemble the tortillas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or forget the baking sheet & parchment paper, & just put them on aluminum foil, if you don't mind the bottom tortilla a little soft). Put the tortillas together by spreading the beans onto one tortilla, layering your vegetables over the beans, & sprinkling as much cheese as you like. Then put another tortilla on top, like a sandwich.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes.
4. Serve with salsa & sour cream.


*Note: These are super-easy to make, and really tasty if you add lots of vegetables.

Veggie Black Bean Soup

Prep time: 30 min
Servings: 4

*1/2 small onion, chopped
*1/2 cup chopped carrots
*1/2 cup chopped celery
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/8 black pepper (freshly ground if you're fancy, regular black pepper if you're like me)
*2 cups vegetable broth
*2 cups fresh baby spinach
*14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
*1/3 cup chickpeas (out of a can), rinsed and drained
*1/3 cup low-salt black beans (out of a can), rinsed and drained
*oil or cooking spray

1. Heat a little bit of cooking spray or oil in a large pot. Saute the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, & pepper for 5-7 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
2. Add broth, spinach, tomatoes, chickpeas, & black beans. Bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Calories: 95

Note: Of course, you can adjust the ingredients to your own liking. I usually forgo the onion and celery and put in zucchini and green bell pepper instead. I've tried it with corn, too.

Garbanzo Bean Stew

~ suggested by my friend Taryn! ~

Prep Time: depends... at least 1 hour

Note: Taryn says, "I use dried beans because I think that they taste better, but canned is fine."

* 1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (if using a can, just use the whole can)
* 2 onions, chopped
* 1 head garlic, smashed & chopped
* 1/8 cup olive oil
* water
* 1 potato, chopped
* 1 can of whole tomatoes (Taryn says: We used canned roasted tomatoes. You may need more spices with plain ones.)
* salt & pepper

1. Soak the beans for 24 hours.

2. Fry onion & garlic in oil until translucent.

3. Add beans & enough water to cover. (Taryn says: The less water you cook beans in, the quicker they cook.)

4. Turn the heat down & cover. Check the beans after an hour, but expect them to take up to 4 hours to cook.

5. Add the potato & tomatoes, including juice.

6. When the potato is done, add salt & pepper to taste.

Tortilla Soup

~ suggested by my friend Jen! ~

Prep Time: about 45 min
Servings: about 8

* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 cup corn kernels (frozen/canned), rinsed
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup white hominy, rinsed
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 4 oz can chopped green chile peppers
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 can black beans, rinsed, drained
* 1 tsp dried cumin
* ½ cup chopped cilantro
* 2 cans veggie broth
* 28 oz crushed/diced tomatoes

Optional ingredients (Jen says: I use about 2 tsp lime, a lot of cayenne):
* Lime juice
* Cayenne pepper or tobasco to heat it up
* Sugar- if it gets too sour from all the acid

Garnish options:
* Tortilla chips
* Sliced avocado (Jen says: my favorite)
* Monterey Jack cheese
* Chopped green onions

1. In a medium to large pot, heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion & garlic. Stir in chili powder, cumin, tomatoes, broth. Bring to boil & simmer 10 minutes.

2. Stir in corn, hominy, green chiles, black beans, cilantro. Simmer 10 minutes.

3. Serve with any of the garnishes above.

Beans and Greens Soup

I first made this recipe several years ago when one of my coworkers, knowing that I am a vegetarian, suggested it to me. It's a very hearty and flavorful soup that tastes distinctly southern.
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Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4

* 2 cups chopped onion
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 cups water or vegetable stock
* 1/2 lb collard greens or kale
* 2 cups undrained (16 oz) canned tomato, chopped
* 2 (16 oz) can black-eyed peas
* 1 tbsp white vinegar
* 1 tbsp brown sugar
* pinch of dried thyme
* 1/4 tsp allspice
* a couple of splashes of Tabasco or hot sauce
* 2 cups cooked rice
* salt to taste

1. In soup pot, combine onions & garlic in 2 cups water/stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Cut collards/kale in small pieces.
3. Add greens, tomatoes & their juice, black-eyed peas, the additional cup of water/stock, vinegar, brown sugar, thyme, allspice, & Tabasco/hot sauce to the pot.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Stir in rice & cook for 5 minutes more.
6. Add salt to taste.