Great Tasting, Low-Fat, Budget Friendly Comfort Food

Yep, that title definitely sums up good, old-fashioned Beans and Rice.

Growing up in Michigan, beans (pinto, navy, black, etc) rarely showed up at our house. If they did, it was in the form of baked beans. Then I moved to Texas where beans, usually pinto, are a staple. Not only in barbecue restaurants, but in many kitchens. Why? Because they're cheap. But, lo and behold, they're actually good for you. Low in fat (depending on how you cook them), loaded with fiber and they're a good source of lean protein. And everything you need to make them is probably in your pantry.

But how does one cook beans? Low and slow. Although, nowadays, you can cook them much quicker in an Instant Pot, which I've done once, but I wasn't pleased with the result, so that's a work-in-progress. That said, one of my favorite things about beans is that I can put them on to cook early in the day and, pretty much, ignore them until it's time to eat.

Now, a lot of people soak their beans. This is something I have never been able to remember to do. Probably because I don't plan that far ahead. So I use a quick-soak method. Simply put the dried beans in the bottom of a large Dutch oven and cover with an inch or so of water. I used a one pound bag of pinto beans.

Put on the stove over high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium to medium-high and continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain in a colander. 

Return beans to pot and add:

• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

Next, add 1 - 14 oz can diced tomatoes. If I have them, I like to use the variety with celery, onion and bell pepper added.

Pour in 2 - 32 oz containers low-sodium chicken broth. Or you can do one carton chicken broth and one vegetable broth. If you want to keep it vegetarian, use all vegetable broth. Cooking the beans in broth versus water and a ham hock keeps them low in fat, but still loaded with flavor.

Then add your seasonings:

• 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon salt (I know this seems like a lot, but as with most proteins, beans need extra salt)
• 1/2 Tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin

Stir to combine.

Cook over high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. You want them to cook at just above a simmer. Continue to cook 5 to 6 hours (or more, if you like) until beans are tender.

You can eat the beans alone, as a soup or serve them over cooked rice.

You can even add some smoked sausage.

This is one of my husband's favorite meals. And I like that I can make it in advance. So it's a win-win all around.

While I waiting for the rice to cook, I saw the most lovely sunset. Something we don't often get to see with all of the trees. But here it's illuminating the lake.

What's the weather doing in your part of the world? Were you hit by Harper? Are you buried under snow or ice? Wouldn't a steaming hot bowl of beans hit the spot?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

The Great Dining Room Experiment

Downton Abbey started up again this week. I caught the promos and was reminded a lot of the action occurs in the Abbey's dining room. The dining room with the big long table that seats fourteen on a quiet night and more with added leaves. Come to think of it, the servants table fits at least that many.

Yep, I was more interested in the dining room than the plot. Mainly because one of ManO's Christmas gifts was my promise to serve dinner in the dining room, starting with the new year. We eat breakfast in the kitchen nook and family dinners there too (not as many breakables for kidlets). But our empty nest dinner time had dissolved into catch as catch can in front of the television. Never good.

Most of my friends have turned their dining rooms into something else, like a sitting room or library...sigh. But we have a lot of heirloom family pictures and furniture. It's more of a museum really. But ManO loves it and loves eating in a formal space. Maybe he's got a title and hasn't told me he's really upper crust.

Regardless of whether he has been hiding that he's an earl or a lord or even a baron, I decided, after our tough 2014,  I would do more things to make him happy and this is a big one. Eating in the dining room. We are going to give it a go for one month to start and I'll report on what we've learned.

Excuse the naked table. The cloth is getting washed. The table was ManO's parents first table.

ManO is doing things to make me happy in the new year too. We're going back to separate offices and hobby spaces. Some of my friends share very successfully but many thought I was nuts to share in the first place. Movers are coming in to flip our furniture and create two separate spaces out of our current study downstairs and hobby room upstairs...using only the furniture we have to create a better ergonomic space for me and a temporary space for him until we add the infamous train room. Thank goodness I am married to an engineer.

Every complicated change needs a plan. De-cluttering rooms of furniture is tough.

With the house turning upside down, I needed an easy way to get through the week meal-wise. I settled on turkey meatballs. ManO and I swore off ground beef after one fast food lunch included grease dripping down our arms as we ate our hamburgers. Grease ISN'T the word...a la the musical...in our house anymore.  The great thing about turkey meatballs is they are easy, can be frozen and are versatile.

Turkey meatballs

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt , to taste
1/2 teaspoon sage

Form into balls using a cookie dough scoop

Space on foil lined pan or broiler pan

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, turn, and cook for ten more minutes until browned. You can serve them right away or cool, freeze them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, then pop them in a freezer bag until ready to use. I cook the frozen balls straight from the freezer at 400 until thoroughly heated.

Meal #1: The first night I fixed Turkey Meatballs with spinach and garnished with Parmesan cheese. Just sauteed the spinach, plopped on the meatballs and sprinkled with a bit of cheese. Flavorful, low carb and easy.

Meal #2: The meatballs were covered with spaghetti sauce and served on black bean spaghetti.

Meal #3: I'm ready for the next blast of cold air with meatball soup. All it takes is chicken or turkey broth (one cup per serving), veggies and appropriate spices.  It's a toss up for me about if I want to go Asian or Italian inspired. If I go with the first, I will add bok choy and bean sprouts along with a dash of ginger and gluten free soy sauce. If I go with the second, I'll use spinach, canellini beans and Italian seasoning.

That should get us through moving day on Thursday. I am so glad we are just going between floors and not having to move outside. It's going to be cold!

So, are you making changes in the new year in your home or in your diet? Do you use your dining room or do you even have one?

What Makes A Man (or at least ManO) Happy and Healthy

Poor ManO. We get back from his business trip to Hawaii just in time for his birthday and for him to have skin cancer surgery.  PSA: USE SUNSCREEN and check any strange bumps or moles. Head to the doc ASAP.

This baby face has had it rough over the years.

Yep, it's been a fun month, a fun year. So I decided I needed to make him an extra special birthday dinner. I even planned ahead. But it had to be a healthier version. No excuses.

The main dish: ManO loves meatloaf but it had to be healthier.

But meat loaf and healthy don't go together! Yes they can.

Going low carb? Substitute in sauteed celery and onions for bread crumbs. I use about a half onion and a half of a bunch of celery. Put it in the food processor and pulse down. Be sure to saute it with a little olive oil and let cool before adding to your other ingredients. Cooking the veggies will keep them from drawing moisture away from the meat. The things you learn!


Dropping that cholesterol count? Use lean meat and substitute half of your beef with turkey.

Watching out for heart stress and bloating? Don't use a lot of salt. Put a little bit bacon on top. Bacon makes everything better. We didn't even miss the salt. You can also use any number of spices.

And most of all, serve smaller portions!



The side: ManO loves scalloped potatoes but they had to be quick and less fattening.

Going low carb?  I went with Yukon potatoes this one birthday celebration. This foods to reconsider article in our local paper made me feel better about a not so orange potato being served.


Dropping that cholesterol count? Instead of cream, I used lowfat milk with one pat of butter and a dash of salt for flavor.

Strapped for time? I discovered pre-cooking in the microwave saves a lot of time. I just cooked my yukon taters, sliced them and laid them in my baking dish. I just baked them the last thirty minutes while the meatloaf was cooking.

Again, serve smaller portions. 

Veggie: ManO loves green veggies. A shocking turn of events. So sauteed spinach it was! 

Dessert?  Jetlag sent me down the street to our French bakery. I got their brownies, made of Ghardelli chocolate and very little flour but cut them into small bites. No whole brownies for us any more.  Again, per that newspaper story, the infamous they have shown that folks who cut out indulgences totally are doomed to failure. And smaller portions are plain and simple cheaper!!!

So, we've talked a lot about programs and ideas that lead us to healthier eating. What is the once a year indulgence you can't give up? Have you had success with remade recipes and your family's reaction to them?