Beans And Other Grains

catapault

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Over in My Feral and Rescued Cats thread in Caring for Strays and Ferals there was a digression that started with eating peanut butter and morphed into low cost nutritious food - for humans, I hasten to add.

I added my 25 cents (cost of everything has gone up, you know, 2 cents no longer adequate) and wrote the following:
"If you're looking for low cost protein there's nothing better than beans and corn, eaten together. They have complementary amino acids so between the two have all 9 amino acids that we cannot manufacture in our bodies. That makes them an inexpensive source for complete protein.

I just cooked a batch of Goya small red beans. Turned some into soup (puree some of the cooked beans, add to broth with more beans, carrots, celery, etc) and serve with homemade cornmeal muffins.

Corn and Beans_2019-02_cornmeal muffins and bean soup.jpg


Or make chili with beans and a small amount of meat, and serve with corn tortillas."

Any other suggestions?
 

leechi

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That looks delicious. Don't be worried about eating beans or corn by themselves though, you'll still get all the essential amino acids. It's a myth that plant proteins need to be combined to be "complete". :)
 
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catapault

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Beans and corn don't actually have to be eaten at the same meal as long as they are eaten the same day. It's just that it is easy to do and they taste good together. Many recipes from indigenous peoples combine these pairing of beans and corn OR beans and rice because they provide adequate nutrition. Cuban Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) is a black bean / white rice combination. Succotash (lima beans, tomatoes, corn) is pretty good. Lentils. Buckwheat. I enjoy them all, and I'm an omnivore, not even a vegetarian or vegan.
 
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catapault

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Another grain I like to cook is buckwheat. You may find it in the ethnic / kosher section of your supermarket, where it may be called kasha. Actually, in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, kasha refers to a porridge made from any kind of grains boiled in water or milk. But I digress.

Kasha varnikas
Thoroughly beat an egg. Add coarse or medium ground kasha and stir until well mixed and all the grains are coated. Cook in dry pan over medium heat until the grains are dry and separated. Set aside.
Add oil to pan and toss in coarsely diced onion. Stir over medium heat until onions have softened and just begun to brown. Add diced mushrooms. Stir while cooking until mushrooms have softened. Return kasha to pan. Add broth (or water) and cook, covered, over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes until kasha is done.
Add pasta, cooked separately. I like farfallini, little bowties. Some people use noodles, broken into pieces before cooking.
 
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rubysmama

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Just spotted this thread. Don't have time to post much now, but wanted to post something so I'll be subscribed to the thread and will see any future replies.
 
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catapault

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A couple of days ago I made chicken cacciatore, using Cosco chicken thighs that someone mentioned in another thread. Used the Marcella Hazan recipe that is so good. Cacciatore is a slow braise with onion (I used a leek this time), carrots, celery, chopped tomato, some wine. So there's this yummy gloppy stuff too.

I always plan on making extra because of how good it is and any leftovers are welcome. Typically I'll coarsely dice the chicken, rewarm it with the vegetables and braising liquids, then serve it over rice or pasta.

But tonight I wanted something different, and used pearled barley. Delicious! You are probably familiar with barley in beef and vegetable soup. But it is a wonderful grain to use like this, or in a pilaf. Has anyone here ever used it like that?
 

rubysmama

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I just cooked a batch of Goya small red beans. Turned some into soup (puree some of the cooked beans, add to broth with more beans, carrots, celery, etc) and serve with homemade cornmeal muffins.
I love any soup with beans and veggies. But, I'm weird, and don't like thick soups, so no pureeing beans for me.

Or make chili with beans and a small amount of meat, and serve with corn tortillas."
You don't even need the meat, you know, if you're vegetarian/vegan. ;)

Many recipes from indigenous peoples combine these pairing of beans and corn OR beans and rice because they provide adequate nutrition.
Plus growing beans and corn helped to enrich the soil. The ancient civilizations knew a lot more than we might have thought they did.

Succotash (lima beans, tomatoes, corn) is pretty good. Lentils. Buckwheat. I enjoy them all, and I'm an omnivore, not even a vegetarian or vegan.
I've been vegetarian just over 10 years, and still haven't made Succotash. Must make it soon. I like lentils, though never had them till I became vegetarian. Haven't ever tried Buckwheat.

Vegetarian chili is my favorite food. The only problem is that I have IBSD and I have to be careful when and how often I eat it.
I like vegetarian chili. I make one using quinoa in place of the meat.

But tonight I wanted something different, and used pearled barley. Delicious! You are probably familiar with barley in beef and vegetable soup. But it is a wonderful grain to use like this, or in a pilaf. Has anyone here ever used it like that?
I made something with barley once. Didn't care for it.

C catapault : Great thread, btw. We also have What's For Dinner? - 2019 which is more active.
 
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catapault

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Glad you are enjoying this thread rubysmama rubysmama . But since I'm an omnivore and dinner includes meat I thought a thread dedicated to beans and other grains (with some meat, such as the barley & leftover chicken) might be appropriate / suitable / welcome for the vegetarians and vegans.

Beans, corn, and squash are the Three Sisters, planted by the Iroquois.
 

rubysmama

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C catapault : Yes, this is a useful thread. Even for me, as there's many different grains I've never tried. In fact, I mostly eat beans and rice. Occasionally I use quinoa. And sometimes couscous. So I'm open to learning about the other grains.
 
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catapault

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Couscous is a type of pasta, small balls of durum wheat. The hard part of the wheat berry that resists grinding (semolina) is sprinkled with water and rolled to form small pellets, sprinkled with dry flour to keep them separate, and then sieved. The pellets are dried, and last very well before they are cooked and eaten. The couscous you find in the supermarket is pre-cooked (think instant rice) and cooks in about 5 minutes.
 
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catapault

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There was a garden club meeting in January. A talk about flower arranging, a clear-out-your-closets white elephant event, and a pot luck. With 40 members attending, if everyone brings 6 servings of something there will be ample opportunity to sample a diversity of food.

I made braised lentils, using the little greenish brown de Puy lentils, a couple of days before the meeting. Just as easy to make extra. Dice and saute a mirepoix of carrots, onion, and celery. Add lentils, toss with vegetables and oil to coat. Add vegetable stock (I made up some Better Than Boullion), simmer gently in covered pot until done.

While they were cooking I prepared a beet - cut off top and root, then peel and cut in wedges. Tossed with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Baked in toaster oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes or until tender. Place in bowl and add juice of one orange, toss, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Whip 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small food processor for about a minute. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To plate up (I used small clear plastic bowls for the pot luck): arrange a fresh radicchio leaf (Chiogga, the round head, not the long Trevisio type) in the bowl. Partly fill with braised lentils. Top with spoonful of whipped ricotta cheese. Arrange a wedge of hard boiled egg to one side of the whipped ricotta cheese. Arrange wedge of roasted beet, outside the filled radicchio leaf. Add two thin slices of radish. Top ricotta with a sprinkle of micro planed orange peel.

Cooking_2019-01_de Puy lentils, roasted beet, whipped ricotta.jpg

I seem to be the only one posting recipes. People are reading them, which is nice. It's kind of boring for me. Anyone else want to jump in with recipes?
 
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catapault

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The lentil dish was for the garden club event so of course I "put on the Ritz!"
 
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catapault

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Oatmeal is a wonderful grain that all too often don't get no respect.

The best porridge I ever had was in Ireland. Wonderful stuff! I do use steel cut oats, using 50:50 whole milk and water. Quite good, but not the same.

Oatmeal_2019-02_uncooked steel cut oatmeal.jpg


Quaker Oats traditional flake style is O.K. when I have time constraints (steel cut take 30 minutes to cook unless I remember to soak overnight in refrigerator which shaves 10 minutes off.) And Quaker Oats are good in the summer, with yogurt and fruit.

Or, make your own muesli with oat, barley, wheat flakes, dried fruit, nuts, then add fresh fruit and milk when ready to eat.

I feel sorry for people who eat instant oatmeal - more like instant glue.

But there's more to oatmeal than porridge. Oatmeal raisin cookies are wonderful. Add to bread recipes. Oatmeal muffins with raisins, dates, and walnuts.

There's even a drink - Atholl Brose. Apparently it is a Scottish drink obtained by mixing oatmeal brose, honey, whisky, and sometimes cream. In the interest of full disclosure not only have I never made this, I've never had it.

Anything to add? I hope so.
 
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catapault

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A resurrection! I had sort of forgotten about this thread I started almost two years ago! There were some bean dishes I put on What's For Dinner but I don't know if it is acceptable to cross-link. Anyhow

I have some small rutabagas and decided that tonight I will try this recipe that's been running through my mind. Seems O.K. when I think about it.

Slice top and bottom off small rutabaga. Peel off waxy coating. Slice and dice, toss with olive oil, roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes.

Drain a can of red beans. Put in pot, add a little bouillon, simmer to warm. Add cavolo nero, torn off mid-rib and shredded. Simmer, lid on pot, until tender. While that's minding it's own business cook some small pasta - little shells, maybe, or instead some ditalini - see what I find in the pantry. Add rutabaga. Mix everything together. Himself will have his with leftover broiled chicken added in. I'll have broiled sausage, sliced and mixed in.

Let you know how it turns out.

UPDATE: I used mini-farfalle for the pasta and it came out very nice. Kale has a strong flavor, so does sausage (mine) and the chicken (his) while red beans, pasta, and rutabaga are milder in flavor. Good balance.
 
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catapault

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For dinner tonight I will be broiling tilapia. Was planing on asparagus and white rice. Thinking through the menu, though, tilapia and rice, both white? Don't think so. Too pallid. So I'll prepare some little black Beluga lentils, and mix half / half with the rice. Better, visually. And taste-wise too.
 
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