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These tacos are a beautiful way to serve black beans, which contain at least eight different flavonoids — phytonutrients with anti-oxidant properties. One caution, though: canned beans may contain high levels of sodium, which usually can be reduced by rinsing the beans in water. These black beans can’t be rinsed, of course, and in fact will be reduced. Avoid the temptation to add salt to this recipe.

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

2 cans black beans, with liquid

8 corn tortillas

1 cup fresh or bottled salsa*

2 ounces queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled

*Some jalapeño and serrano peppers from Mexico were implicated in the recent salmonella outbreak, so be sure to check the source if you use fresh salsa.

1. Heat the canola oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet on medium-high, and add the chili powder and ground cumin. Allow the spices to sizzle for a half-minute, then stir in the black beans and 1/2 cup water. Mashing the beans with the back of your spoon, cook for 10 to15 minutes, until thick and fragrant. As a crust develops on the bottom of the pan, mix the crust into the beans. If they seem too dry, add more water. Remove from the heat.

2. Heat the tortillas, two or three at a time, in a dry skillet on medium-high, or in a microwave. Top with the black beans, about two rounded tablespoons for each tortilla. Spoon on some salsa and sprinkle on the cheese. Fold the filled tortillas in half and serve.

Advance preparation: The refried black beans will keep for three days in the refrigerator. You will have to moisten and thin them with water when reheating.

Yield: Eight tacos

Source - http://www.nytimes.com

This thick, hearty soup is adapted from a more complex Algerian dish that includes several kinds of beans and a spherical type of couscous called muhammas, for which I substitute vermicelli.

1 cup chick peas, picked over and soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water

1 bunch cilantro

1 dried red chili pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, diced

4 plump garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with juice

1 1/2 quarts water

Salt to taste

1/2 pound winter squash, peeled and diced

1 to 2 teaspoons harissa or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup vermicelli

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

1. Drain the soaked chick peas and set aside. Tie half the cilantro sprigs into a bundle with the dried red chili, and chop the rest. Set aside the chopped cilantro.

2. Heat the oil in a large bean pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the garlic, paprika, and turmeric. Stir together for about a minute, until fragrant, and add the tomatoes, and their juice. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and the mixture is fragrant. Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Add the cilantro bundle, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the squash, a generous amount of salt, and the harissa or cayenne, and continue to simmer for another hour. Taste and adjust salt. Add the vermicelli and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the cilantro bundle. Stir in the remaining cilantro and the mint, adjust salt and serve. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Advance preparation: This gets better overnight, but don’t add the pasta or the fresh chopped cilantro and mint until shortly before serving. You may need to thin out with water. It will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.

Variation: In spring and summer, substitute 1/2 pound diced zucchini for the squash. Simmer the zucchini for no longer than 30 minutes.

Source - http://www.nytimes.com

Many of my vegetarian dishes were inspired by the savory, brothy black beans I lived on one summer in Oaxaca, Mexico. Today, when I yearn for Mexican food, I know I am really pining for black beans. If you’ve spent time in Central and Southern Mexico, in Guatemala or in Brazil, you know how wonderful a bowl of black beans can be if properly cooked.

Beans are nature’s health food. They have an exceptionally high fiber content, and they’re a fine source of protein, as well as calcium, iron, folic acid and potassium. Black beans stand out because in that shiny black coating, there are at least eight different flavonoids, which are antioxidants. Called anthocyanins, they’re found in red grapes and red wine, red cabbage and other dark red fruits and vegetables. Black beans also contain small amounts of omega-3 fats, three times as much as other legumes provide.

Any successful dish made with black beans begins with a great pot of beans, sufficiently seasoned and slowly simmered with lots of onion and garlic until the beans are soft pillows suspended in a thick, inky, savory broth. There’s no comparison between that pot of black beans and the black beans that come in a can. Canned beans lack both flavor and nutrients.

Simmered Black Beans

The key to a great pot of black beans is using enough onion, garlic and salt for seasoning, and then cooking the beans for a long time at a slow simmer. In Mexico, a sprig of epazote or a few dried avocado leaves are usually added to the pot. Those ingredients aren’t as easy to find as cilantro, which is what I routinely use to season the beans.

1 pound black beans, washed and picked over for stones

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon canola oil or extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus additional for garnish if desired

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

1. Soak the beans in the water for at least six hours. If they will be soaking for a long time in warm weather, put them in the refrigerator.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Add the beans and soaking water. The beans should be covered by at least an inch of water. Add more as necessary, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and skim off any foam that rises. Cover and simmer one hour.

3. Add the salt, remaining garlic and cilantro. Continue to simmer another hour, until the beans are quite soft and the broth is thick and fragrant. Taste. Is there enough salt? Does it need more garlic? Add if necessary. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator for the best flavor.

Note: If you can get hold of a sprig of fresh epazote, add it to the beans in step 3.

Yield: Serves six

Advance preparation: The cooked beans will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator and will freeze well.

Source - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/health/nutrition/09recipehealth.html

Healthy Bodybuilding Recipes - The Best Vegetarian Meatballs Ever!

Obviously if you want meat you can substitute any meat you want into this recipe for the soy crumbles.Ingredients 

•  2 (12 ounce) bags of boca brand soy crumbles
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup dry oats
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon of your favorite dried Italian herb seasoning (I used oregano 1 tsp parsley 1 tsp basil)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 
• Thoroughly defrost veggie crumbles in skillet with a little cooking oil spray.
• Remove from heat and combine all ingredients in a big bowl.
• Form mixture into 24 small meatballs
• Bake in an oiled mini muffin pan (or on an oiled cookie sheet) for about 15 mins or until firm. (I use low fat cooking spray to grease the pans for less fat.)

Source - JamesYourPersonalTrainer.com

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Healthy Recipes - Caribbean Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

2 cups water
sprigs (optional) cilantro
or white wine, for sauteeing vegetable broth
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 minced (seeded for a milder “hot”) or 1/4 tsp cayenne fresh chile
3 cups diced, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes sweet potatoes
2 cups fresh or frozen, sliced okra
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
chopped (optional) peanuts
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups undrained, fresh or canned tomatoes
to taste salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
 
Preparation:

In a nonreactive pot, saute the onions in the broth/wine on medium heat for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and the chile or cayenne and continue to saute, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the grated ginger andthe water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and simmer for 5 or 6 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender. Add the tomatoes, okra, and lime juice. Simmer until all of the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and add more salt to taste. Sprinkle the stew with chopped peanuts. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro, if you like.

Recipe Source - JamesYourPersonalTrainer.com

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