Black Bean / Sweet Potato Skillet OXO'ed

This is my Fall/Winter Favorite. We found it here. I'm finding that it tastes better the next day. The cinnamon seems to be more pronounced. Can be served with Couscous, it won't be included in this recipe or nutritional info.

I've also changed this a bit from the original. I can make 1.5x the amount easily in the skillet we have. Those are the weights I've used here.

Black Bean / Sweet Potato Skillet

15 oz Onion Chopped

1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 15oz Cans Black Beans (26oz rinsed weight) rinsed and drained

30 oz Sweet Potatoes Peeled and finely chopped

2.5 cups Vegetable Broth

1 tsp minced chipolte pepper (I used the Tobasco Brand Chipolte Pepper sauce)

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1) IIn a skillet large enough to hold all of the above ingredients. Saute the onion in the oil until tender.

2) Then add the Beans, Potatoes, Broth, Chipolte Pepper, and Cinnamon.

3) Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

4) Uncover and simmer (stirring occasionally) 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are very tender and the mixture has thickened.

Yield 8 cups

I find this stuff tastes better the next day. So much so that I almost think if I make this for someone for the first time, I'd not let them try it until the next day.
Also I keep the chipoltle sauce available when I eat it. Some times I find I want to add a bit more.

Click image to make larger

Repeating some Recipes

We got an OXO food scale. This way I should be able to get more accurate calorie counts for our recipes. My only complaint about the scale is this. It turns itself off too quickly sometimes. That is it's auto-shutoff doesn't allow enough time when I don't have everything ready to go. Don't get me wrong, it stays on plenty long. It's just there are times I wish there was an override to just leave it on.

Also to do a better job with the full nutritional values. I'll be using this website.

I also plan on rewriting many of the recipes to include the weight of the what I've used rather than. "one medium onion". If we can be more exact, why not.

Split Pea Soup

3 cups dry split peas
7 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard

2 cups diced onion
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 potato, thinly sliced
ground pepper to taste
4 tbsp red wine vinegar to taste

place split peas, water, bay leaf, salt and dry mustard in kettle. Bring to boil, lower heat, simmer, partly covered, 20 minutes
Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots and potato, simmer partly covered 40 minutes. stir occasionally.
add black pepper and vinegar to taste
serves 6
per serving: calories 370, total fat 3g, saturated fat 0g, fiber 23g, sodium 420 mg, cholesterol 0 mg, carbohydrate 67g

We typically double this to have plenty left over.

Cinnamon Berry Blast Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 small banana (or 1/2 large) frozen
3/4 cup frozen or fresh pitted cherries
1/2 tsp coconut butter
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup almond milk
3 -4 ice cubes

Optional add-ins: Hemp, rice or pea protein powder, cocoa powder, spirulina, fresh greens.

Blend all ingredients together on high until thick and creamy. Serve with fresh or frozen cherries on top. Recipe makes enough for 1 tall 12-14oz glass/serving.

My Notes:
I omit the coconut butter. I don't want the extra fat and I don't feel it takes away from the flavor.
Otherwise, I have been making this recipe straight up with out any add-ins. It is delicious!

Blueberry Oat Bars (vegan)

For the Bar:
2 cups oat flour (can be made by putting 2cups oats in a food processor)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp agave nectar
1 large, ripe banana
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla

For the Topping:
1/3 cup blueberry preserves (I use Polaner All Fruit)
2 tbsp vegan shortening
3 tbsp rolled oats
3 tbsp natural sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the oat flour, rolled oats, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a food processor (or a bowl with a hand mixer), mix the banana, oil, agave, almond milk and vanilla. Add to wet ingredients to dry and mix well.

3. Spread mixture into a baking pan (8x8 or 9x9 work best) and top with preserves. In food processor, pulse the shortening, oats and sugar into a topping and dot the preserves with it.

4. Bake for 30 - 35 mins - or until top is golden . Let hot preserves cool well before cutting.

My notes:
I spray the pan with a little bit of cooking spray. Bars come out easier.

This is a rather dense bar. I also fold in about 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries into the mixture before spreading in the pan. Gives a little extra moisture and blueberry flavor.

To cut back on the extra fat & sugar (as well as being easier to make), I omit the topping. I spread the blueberry preserves on top of the mixture and sprinkle with a few rolled oats before baking. Still tasted great in my opinion. The photo shows the bars fresh from the oven sans topping - still delicious!

Spaghetti Squash with Moroccan Spices

1 medium spaghetti squash (4 lbs)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash cut side down on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high, uncovered, for 15-18 minutes or until tender.
In a small skillet, saute garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in cumin, salt, cinnamon and pepper sauce. When squash in cool enough to handle, use fork to scoop out and separate strands. Toss with butter mixture and cilantro.

Very easy to make. The spaghetti squash cooks nicely in the microwave with no mess.

Nutrition per Serving:
1 serving = 2/3 cup
104 calories
5g fat (3g saturated)
10mg cholesterol
360mg sodium
15g carbs
3g fiber
2g protein

Black Bean/Blueberry Brownies (Gluten-Free)

1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
3 eggs
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup agave nectar
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
2 Tbsp fat-free (or light) sour cream
2 Tbsp melted buter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all of the above in a blender. Pour mixture in to a small 8x8 pan coated with no-stick spray. Cook at 350degrees for 30-35 mins. Fork or toothpick should come out clean. Let cool before eating and refrigerate leftovers.

Makes a very dense, dark chocolate brownie. Has the same density and texture similar to that of a flourless chocolate cake.

Black Bean Oatmeal Burgers

1 - 15oz can black beans, drained & rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans)
1 - 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 green onions chopped (I used 1/4cup chopped vidalia onion)
2/3cup chopped carrots (I grated the carrot)
1 3/4 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper & brush or spray lightly with oil.

Process the first 8 ingredients until well blended. (I used my hand mixer instead of the blender. It took a little longer & splashed a bit, but worked just fine)
Transfer to a bowl and mix in oats.

Form into 8 patties. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Carefully flip patties with a wide spatula. Place under broiler for another 1-2 minutes each side until browned.
(Be careful not to burn parchment paper under the broiler)

Makes 8 patties. These were easy to mix together and very tasty. They would be good to make ahead and store in the freezer for quick & easy meals for lunches or busy week nights.

Pulled Pork wih Sauerkraut

2 pounds pork tenderloin
(I'm finding that I should pre cut into 3-5" pieces easier to manage once cooked)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage
(don't have thyme or sage? check the ingredients of a poultry seasoning you might have. It works in a pinch)

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1 (14.5-ounce) can sauerkraut (the whole thing) - We use bagged sauerkraut

1 teaspoon caraway seeds- we omit these

8 rolls for serving (optional)

Use a 6-quart slow cooker.
In a mixing bowl or in the crockpot, combine the dried spices: mustard, thyme, sage, paprika, salt, pepper, mix well. Roll the tenderloin in the spices getting as much coverage as possible. Put the seasoned tenderloin into the crockpot.

Put the shredded carrot, sauerkraut, and caraway seeds into the empty bowl, and stir to combine. Then pour all contents on top of the spiced roast.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the meat shreds easily with two forks.

(We've been cooking for about 4 hours on high. I just make sure the pork is fully cooked)

Shred the meat completely, and stir well.
Serve as is in a bowl, or serve on toasted rolls.

Matt found this recipe from this site. He made it for our New Year's Day dinner with my family. It has a great flavor and is super moist (my biggest negative about pork roast). We have made it several times in the past 2 months. Mainly because it's easy prep, tastes great and is relatively low in calories so you can eat a BIG bowlful and not feel guilty! Enjoy!