Pickled Green Beans

A couple years ago, I bought some green bean seeds to plant in my garden. It seemed wise, until my first picking of beans when I realized neither of us really loves beans.

Not one to give up, I planted a bunch more from the same packet this year. I have a new garden space, and it's huge, so I sort of planted everything I had. As a result, I have many green beans and no end in sight. My houseguests enjoyed a few good meals, but even with that, they got ahead of me.

Enter the solution: pickles. I haven't eaten any yet, as they need to sit a couple of weeks, but I like pickles of all varieties and expect these to be great. I used this recipe: Crisp Pickled Green Beans. I don't mess around with canning recipes, but pickles are a really safe beginner project if you're not too confident. The vinegar kills everything, so you are unlikely to food poison yourself.

I gave one jar to my mom, and will likely continue to spread the dilly bean love once they're ready to eat.

No-Tahini Hummus

My cupboards are already bursting with odds and ends of specialty cooking ingredients. Many kinds of spices and herbs and sauces are stashed away, waiting for their own little obscure calling. When I can, I try to avoid shelling out for yet another ingredient I need only a little of. This recipe works well to avoid buying tahini - providing, of course, that you have sesame seeds already. For some reason, I do. Sesame seeds may also be easier to find if you're not near a store which caters to ethnic ingredients.

No Tahini Hummus

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 15-20 oz. can chickpeas, drained - reserve juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon (or lime) juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
pepper to taste (optional)
finely chopped parsley (optional)

Toast sesame seeds, either in a small frying pan over med-high heat or in a hot air popcorn popper. (Some did escape the popper on me, but it still beat trying to keep them in motion on my own.) Dump everything in a food processor or blender. Puree well, stirring to mix everything to a spot where it is blended. If it won't quite mix, use some of the reserved chickpea juice to thin it a bit. Taste, adjust as you like.

I used a blender - it did work, but took some stirring to get it all down to the bottom where it would mush together. A food processor would make this easier, without a doubt.

From Canadian Living

Black Bean Quesadillas

Serve with: Garden salad.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped 1 sweetgreenpepper, diced 1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup (250 mL) salsa 1/2 cup (125 mL) cornkernels 4 large flourtortillas 2 cups (500 mL) shredded cheddarcheese 1/2 cup (125 mL) light sour cream 1/4 cup (50 mL) diced fresh or pickled jalape?eppers (optional)

Preparation:

In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, green pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper until softened, about 8 minutes. Add black beans, salsa and corn; cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 5 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate until chilled. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)
Evenly spoon bean mixture over half of each tortilla; sprinkle with cheese. Fold uncovered half over top and press lightly. Place on large rimmed baking sheet; bake in 425°F (220°C) oven, turning once, until golden, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream, and jalapeno peppers (if using).

These were great! The prep was really fast - I actually omitted the green pepper and used onion powder in place of the onion. They were ready for the oven in about 5 minutes, and ready to eat in well under half an hour. Plus, they were quite delicious and very healthy.  Again, I failed to photograph, but the original website has one if you need convincing. It was too good not to post the recipe despite no photo.

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken Chili

Adapted from Amazing Hawaiian Chicken Chili

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken Chili
6 servings

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2)
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1 tsp onion powder (or half an onion, chopped)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle powder, optional
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 can pineapple chunks
1 can black beans or kidney beans, or half of each (15 oz total) (drained and rinsed)
1/2 jar salsa (1 1/2 cups)

1. Chop raw chicken into bite-sized pieces. Put into crockpot.
2. Add spices, beans, pineapple juice, and salsa. Reserve pineapple.
3. Cook 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Add pineapple and cook until warm (about 15 min on high).
4. Serve with buns or cornbread.

This was more reminiscent of baked beans than chili, somehow. Rather on the sweet-and-sour (or rather, sweet-and-spicy) side. We enjoyed it, and I have a feeling the leftovers will be even better than the meal. It would freeze very well. It could, of course, easily be stewed on the stovetop. Add a little more liquid (about a cup of tomato sauce, or more salsa) and simmer for 30 min (or until chicken is cooked through). I think it does benefit from cooking all day and really melding the flavours in the crockpot, though.