I grew up on Old Fashioned Three Bean Salad and if you’re from the Midwest, I bet you did, too! There’s just nothing like fresh garden beans soaking up all the sweet, tangy marinade!
Old Fashioned Three Bean Salad
It’s a perfect summer salad for a potluck or to have on hand to fill out dinners or lunches. On a hot day, Old Fashioned Three Bean Salad is so cool and refreshing!
Ok, so what kind of blogger/friend would I be if I posted my homemade Mexican Pinto Bean Spice and then didn’t follow up with a recipe for my Spicy Pinto Beans Instant Pot or Stovetop? So here it is, and you can make these the old-fashioned way by simmering on the stove or the quicker newfangled Instant Pot version. I vote for quicker, but I have an Instant Pot and an issue with delaying gratification.
Spicy Pinto Beans Instant Pot or Stovetop
My favorite way to cook pinto beans is with a ham hock or some bacon, maybe a little broth, but that’s because I just love the flavors of Mexican beans just as they are. They’re like a delicious foil for everything else that probably IS spicy on my plate. But everyone I know seems to like to spice up their beans, so I’ve come up with this fun Mexican Pinto Bean Spice.
Mexican Pinto Bean Spice
A bit of cooked Barley was the “by-product” of my Healthy Lemon Ginger Barley Water recipe awhile back. Well, if you know me, you know I try to waste nothing, and sure didn’t want to waste a morsel of wonderful, chewy, nutty Barley. (I love it, and so should you, btw! It’s really good for you!) And so I went on a quest and that quest ended in this Salad with Smoky Sheet Tray Roasted Vegetables & Barley. It’s a lot to use a cup of Barley, huh?!
Salad with Smoky Sheet Tray Roasted Vegetables & Barley
I know it’s summer, mid-July, but I just had to do Barbecue Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot with some of the Honey Barbecue Pulled Pork I made the other day. No Instant Pot? No worries. The stovetop instructions for Barbecue Chicken Chili are here, too.
Barbecue Chicken Chili
I know I’ve been posting a few “basic” recipes lately (hiya hard-boiled eggs) but I’m fixin’ (sorry) to cook up a big old pot of my Cheer’s Boston Baked Beans & thought this would be the perfect time to talk about Brining Beans Traditional or Instant Pot Methods. You’ll see I’ve been hoarding pics of beans soaked using different methods from the last few times I’ve made beans.
Unsoaked and Uncooked Navy Beans
One of the most frugal sides you can make for any casual gathering is Boston Baked Beans. Best of all, one of the most delicious sides you can make is Boston Baked Beans. Isn’t it nice when the universe aligns like that? Especially when the Boston Baked Beans are from the Bull & Finch, Cheers Boston Baked Beans Instant Pot or Not.
From the Bull & the Finch, Cheers Boston Baked Beans Instant Pot or Not
If you follow me, by now you’ve probably noticed I have a passion for Mexican food. And maybe you do, too? So when I started thinking about Cinco de Mayo coming up and Mother’s day right after, I couldn’t help but think of the classic Huevos Rancheros. Make that Huevos Rancheros! With an explanation mark!
Classic Huevos Rancheros
I recently posted a Black-Eyed Pea & Rice Salad (I loooove that salad!) so I thought today would be a great day to talk about Black-Eyed Peas, how to shop for them and how to cook them.
Black Eyed Pea & Rice Salad
When was the last time you had Black-Eyed Peas? And how about the last time you had Black-Eyed Pea & Rice Salad? If you only think about Black-Eyed Peas on New Years (they’re lucky) or as the strange little bean in Cowboy Caviar, think again.
Black Eyed Pea & Rice Salad
It could very well be that I’m in denial! I am astonished each time it snows! I do live in Minnesota, and it IS November, but really? Snow twice last week and again the other day. But snow to me = soup, so soup it is. Again. 🙂 And what a soup this is. Smoked Sausage & White Bean Soup – Instant Pot or Stove-top.
When I lived in the Southwest, I used to miss “Baked Beans.” It seemed that anytime I ate out and ordered beans as a side, they were either Cowboy Beans Frijoles Charros or some kind of Barbecued Baked Beans. Now that I’m in the Midwest, I miss those Cowboy Beans. Go figure, huh? Not anymore, though!
Frijoles Charros or Cowboy Beans
I don’t know about you, but I love, love, love me some Chicken Tortilla Soup. Or some Turkey Tortilla Soup. Or probably ANY Tortilla Soup. Just put it in front of me and I’ll eat it – no questions asked.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
This Creamy White Chicken Chili is creamy & cheesy with a hint of heat and a touch of smokiness.
Creamy White Chicken Chili
Talk about good down-home plain cooking, I make black eyed peas from time to time, and with New Year’s coming up (and a bag of peas I’ve been meaning to use up) now is the time~!
Traditional Black Eyed Peas
I wasn’t just going on and on about the Chickpea in previous post for the fun of it! 🙂 I am absolutely enamoured by this main dish salad. It’s full of fantastic good for you ingredients: Spinach, Chickpeas, Olives and Oven Roasted Cauliflower and is set off beautifully by the home-made dressing.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad
The chickpea, sometimes called the Garbanzo bean has been around since Man began cultivating and is a main staple of many diets, yet the lowly chickpea has often been relegated to not much more than a hummus ingredient here in the States.
Chickpeas with Bay Leaves and Herbs
I just recently learned the history of Cowboy Caviar – along with the original recipe. The earliest recipes were basically pickled black-eyed peas with a bit of onion and garlic! While we’ve come a long way since then with all kinds of additions, bottled salad dressing just isn’t one I approve of! But then you probably already knew that if you’re a regular reader! Simple dressings like this are so easy and inexpensive to make at home and there are no worries about strange additives.
Cowboy Caviar Salad
Refried beans are so often misunderstood – unless you’ve had great ones! That’s another post but in the meantime, don’t be afraid to pick up can. Get the right brand and use this top-secret method to doctor Canned Refried Beans into creamy goodness just like a restaurant’s in minutes.
Hummus, here in the US, is often spelled as shown, but I suspect this is a phonetic rendering and in most areas of the world is spelled just like Elaine over at Foodbod does, Homous. See, Elaine and I got to talking about Hummus/Homous after Ginger from Ginger & Bread and I did dual posts about her Viennese Schnitzel compared to my Iowa Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.
Hummus bi Tahini
When Oven Roasted Chickpeas appeared on my radar last year, I fell immediately in love with the idea. I tried them but I just couldn’t hang. They’d be crispy out of the oven – for a few minutes, and a few minutes only. Well, these are not those chickpeas!
Oven Roasted Chickpeas – Just do a spritz with a little olive oil and toss with a spice mix.
There was a time when the most popular Chili used to be quite a bit different than the trendy varieties of today. A time when it was made with simpler ingredients and was served as a family meal, not a culinary adventure. A time when it was saucy enough to add a few crackers – and saucy enough that one HAD to use a spoon. I miss that chili.
Old Fashioned American Chili
This gorgeous salad is a great summer side and the black beans and quinoa provide enough protein to justify serving it as a vegetarian main dish meal. Lime, garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes make this a fresh, fragrant and (I always smile when I say this word) zesty dish.
Southwestern Quinoa Salad
White Bean Dip is such a great dip to have in your reprotoire. It’s such a classic and can be made at the drop of a hat. And of course, it’s not only fabulously frugal, it’s one of the healthier dips.
White Bean Dip on Home-made Pita Chips
There’s salad, and then there’s SALAD – you know, the one that shouts rather than whispers? The one you want MORE of…the salad that has that little something extra to take it over the top. What is it about salty, sweet, tart that makes you want to take another bite and another and another…
Spinach Quinoa Salad with Candied Pecans
I can’t remember the last time I had Falafel – college maybe? It seems there is always some wonderful place near a college in every city I’ve lived in…but who wants to take a drive just to have the experience? Surprisingly easy to make at home, you can customize them just the way you’d like.
Falafel Sandwiches – customizable at home!
You’ll know the living is easy when you try this Tuna with Green Bean and Tomato Salad, served up with White Beans for a little extra protein and substance.This is the answer for those who think Nicoise looks good, but might be afraid their picky eaters would turn up their noses. There’s nothing unfamiliar here, but the bright, lemony dressing transforms these simple ingredients.
Tuna with Beans & Tomatoes
I miss the show Mad Hungry. Lucinda Scalla Quinn seemed to have her finger on the pulse of how America cooks. While I haven’t picked up her book, her recipes on the show spanned the simple to complex, healthy to decadent, cultural specialties and heritage recipes. Kind of like the recipe box of everyone I know.
White Bean & Kale Soup
