It's time for Tricks, Tips and a Treat. Today you'll learn a tip, a trick and you'll get a great recipe to try it out with. Isn't that great?
Today's focus is on BLACK BEANS
Here's a TIP:
Canned beans can contain too much sodium so making them from scratch is best and cheapest. The solution to the long cooking time is to wash and soak the whole bag of dried beans overnight as soon as you get home from the grocery store. The next morning, scoop them up into freezer quality bags, mark how much you put in there (1 cup for example) and the date. Freeze till ready to use. Your cooking time will be much less! You can also go ahead and cook them all rather than freeze then, and THEN scoop the cooked beans into marked freezer bags and you have some quick meals just about ready to go in your freezer!
Here's a TRICK:
The more color in your bean, the higher the antioxidants and phytonutrients. This is good to know when you’re thinking of making burritos! Make them with black beans or pintos. Both get high marks in the nutrition department.
And your TREAT:
Black Bean Corn Salsa Quesadillas
Serves 6
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 3 cups chopped plum (Roma) tomatoes
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 20 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas (whole wheat, if available)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- *Salsa
- 1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 chopped red onion
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare salsa: Combine all salsa ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil; cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside in a serving bowl.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic and sauté until slightly softened (DO NOT ALLOW IT TO BROWN!). Stir in tomatoes, cilantro and beans; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
Slightly warm each tortilla in the microwave (just to soften). Evenly divide bean mixture on each warmed tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and fold in half to make quesadillas.
Wipe the skillet with a paper towel. Place each quesadilla in the skillet and heat to melt the cheese, turning once; remove from skillet and cut quesadillas into wedges; serve with salsa.
SERVING SUGGESTION: A big salad is all you really need.
NUTRITION per serving: 491 Calories; 16g Fat; 19g Protein; 69g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 20mg Cholesterol; 765mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Grain (Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat. Points: 10
SavingDinner.com image credit
Loading ...
Thank you for this tip – and the trick! Such great stuff to know! I do find it very helpful! We love beans here at my house and I think I would save so much money if I used dry beans instead of canned. Question: how do you actually cook them after they've been soaked?
Oh I love this! Wonderful.
I like your bean freezing idea. Can it be done with any dried bean? I like black bean and corn salsa – great recipe.
Great tips and the recipe sounds fantastic – can't wait to try it! I once heard you can cut the sodium of canned beans by straining them of the liquid they are canned in and giving them a good, long rinse. Is there any truth to that?