"BlackBeans" news and stories

Pork is a must-have food for the holidays. Heck, it's a must-have meat for the home cook. Below are two pork recipes for those with little time to cook, especially families, during the holiday rush.

This Tex-Mex-inspired dish is the easier of the two and adapted from a recipe by the blogger's mother-in-law, Robin Ringland. Since she doesn't have all day to spend in the kitchen, she gets the dish going first thing in the morning. By the time she returns home beat from the corporate grind, it's practically ready to eat.

Black baked beans. Photo: Jennifer Iserloh.

Beans are one of the foods I crave. No matter if it's black bean soup with tons of fresh lime, refried beans, chili or summer barbecues -- I make a beeline to the baked beans.

I have a passion for Moros y Cristianos, gorgeous black beans and rice cooked with green peppers, fresh cilantro, savory spices and a little ham. I treat myself to this whenever I visit the very authentic Cuban restaurant, La Isla, in Hoboken, N.J.

My version of black baked beans is a nod to some of the flavors you'll find in a plate of their moros. The recipe is after the jump.

After learning about the possible health benefits of chickpeas today, I thought I'd share one of my favorite, easy salads. This bean salad contains lots of chickpeas, is super-easy to make, and ridiculously healthy. There's no oil, but that's okay because the fresh ingredients offer all the flavor you need.

To make the salad, just combine drained cans of chickpeas, black beans, and corn nibblets in a bowl, add some diced veggies like celery and red onion, and then mix in a lot of chopped fresh dill and the juice of 3 limes and 1 lemon. Mix it together and serve. It's perfect for eating right away, and also travels well if you want to take it to a party, or on a last-minute picnic before winter.

My apologies on the blurry photo. It's the only one I have of the salad.

Walking home for lunch today, I mentally reviewed the contents of my fridge. I knew that there was a lot of lettuce in there, as well as radishes, garlic scapes, broccoli and a dozen local eggs. However, I wasn't thrilled by the idea of a salad with an egg (or a salad with half a can of tuna fish). When I walked into the apartment, I was feeling discouraged by the options but still went directly to the kitchen and took a full turn (not a long trip in my tiny galley kitchen), trying to find something that would satisfy and still be quick enough that I could prepare it and eat in my remaining 45 minutes.

Opening the refrigerator, I spotted an avocado I had balanced on top of a jar of jam a day or two ago, when it had started to get too soft. My eyes then noticed the bag of baked tortilla chips tucked on top of the radio and they inspired me to search for a can of black beans. Grabbing half an onion out of the fridge, I diced up a tiny amount and started to sauté it in a small pan with a little olive oil. I added a minced clove of garlic and the rinsed beans, smashing them with the back of a wooden spoon as they started to heat up. I mashed half the avocado with a squirt of lemon juice and some salt.

When I was done, I had a plate that had a pile of half-smashed beans (onion, garlic, salt and pepper), a small mound of fresh guacamole and a big pile of torn romaine lettuce. Grabbing the bag of chips, I settled down at the dining room table with a book and ate this quick, special, delicious lunch. It was particularly satisfying because I had initially felt like I was heading towards an apartment devoid of anything good to eat.

What are some of the treasures you've discovered when you thought your larder was bare?