BLACK BEANS AND RHUBARB

You might ask yourself, what is the connection between black beans and rhubarb. There isn't, plain and simple, except for one common factor. I made both these recipes this week. I took pictures of the two dishes that I made. I know I never will make it as a food stylist but you should know that this is what the recipes actually look like, with no air brushing done. I did some tweaking to both recipes and will provide those details after each of the recipes. The recipes are from http://allrecipes.com. This is a great site and provides an array of different kinds of recipes - from healthy eating to slow cooking to vegetarian to full fat and sugar.

I made these recipes this week for several reasons. I still have rhubarb in the garden and picked an armful yesterday. I like rhubarb and you can make a number of different things with it. I have been trying to eat more beans on a regular basis and in fact I have quite the selection of dry beans that I have bought over the years. Some of these beans, stored in glass jars, haven't been used very often. I am trying to eat more plant protein as it is a good source of protein, fiber and vitamins and has less fat than meat. My favorite beans include chick peas and black beans. For some reason black beans are not really gaseous and that can make life a lot easier depending on where you will be a few hours after you consume them.

RHUBARB BOUNCE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

4 cups diced rhubarb

1/2 cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour. Add rhubarb and toss to coat; set aside.

Melt the butter in a 2 quart casserole dish or other deep baking dish as the oven preheats. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of flour, 1 cup sugar, and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Pour the batter over the melted butter and spread gently so that butter stays on the bottom. Arrange the rhubarb in an even layer on top of the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven until batter has risen up through the fruit and the top is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a long skewer to see if cake is cooked through.

My adjustments to the recipe was that I used splenda instead of the sugar. I also doubled the recipe because I had a lot of rhubarb. This recipe reminds me of cinnamon rolls as the bottom of this dish is caramelized. I will make this recipe again.

BLACK BEAN AND RICE SALAD

INGREDIENTS

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, minced

1/4 – ½ cup lemon juice

1 1/4 teaspoons dried cilantro

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn; drain

1 (15 ounce) can black beans; drain

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups instant brown rice

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, cilantro, basil, red pepper flakes, corn, and beans. Stir to combine the vegetables, then set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil at a medium-low heat. Add onions and saute until they are translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Pour in rice and toss to coat. Add reserved liquid from the corn and beans, along with any additional liquid as directed on the rice box. Cook the rice to package specifications. Let the rice cool slightly.

Combine the rice and vegetable mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

I made several changes to this recipe. I didn't add the tomatoes, I was worried it might get too watery or mushy if kept in the fridge for several days. I didn't have jalapeno peppers so I added hot chili sauce. I chopped up fresh parsley and added that instead of cilantro. I didn't use canned black beans but instead cooked up dry black beans in advance and used 2 cups. I don't have canned corn in my cupboards but do have frozen corn so I added 2 cups of frozen corn that I had heated in the microwave for 3 minutes. I don't have instant brown rice in my cupboards so I made brown basmati rice in my rice cooker and added 2 cups of cooked brown rice. I skipped the part where you saute the onion in the oil and then add the rice. I used some chopped green onions instead and threw everything into one big mixing bowl. I enjoyed this salad and had it for lunch several times. I will make it again.

Bon appetit. Until next time......