Cuban Black Beans

While I am a huge fan of soaking and cooking my own beans I will admit that I always make this this family recipe for frijoles negros (black beans) with canned beans. In part because my mother insists Goya brand black beans are the absolute best and in part because it's easier when making this quick weeknight staple. 

BLACK BEANS

• 1 x 28oz can of black beans
• 1 x 8oz can of tomato sauce (not pasta sauce, not tomato paste but tomato sauce) 
• 1 medium onion
• 1/3 green pepper
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 cups water
• 1 tsp white vinegar

For the sofrito finely chop the onion, garlic and green pepper. Saute over medium heat until the onion is translucent but before it begins to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the black beans well. Add the beans to the sofrito in a medium size pot along with the water and bay leaves. Season well with salt. Cook over medium low for at least 15 minutes then add the vinegar. The longer the beans cook the richer the flavor will be. Serve over rice. 

Simple Sesame Noodles

Comforting and cozy, healthy and easy, what these noodles lack in authenticity they make up for in pure simple deliciousness. An "unrecipe" really, I go back to this time and again for a quick lunch, or for a dinner with added protein like crispy tofu, sautéed ground turkey or pork with soy sauce and chili. The key to this recipe is using tahini, which I always have in my cupboard, instead of the traditional mix of Chinese style sesame paste and a myriad of other ingredients.

SESAME NOODLES

• 2 cups of sliced crunchy vegetables bokchoy, cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, brussel sprouts, snap peas
• 2 handfuls of rice noodles about 1/2 a pack any shape will work, or you can use pretty much any noodle you have, even spaghetti
• 1-2 tbsp organic tahini
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or gluten free tamari
• Optional: sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, crispy tofu or sautéed ground pork or turkey

Bring a pot of water to boil, and add a pinch of salt once boiling. Thinly slice your vegetables of choice, 1-2 different types work well. Heat a pan over high heat, add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and sauté your veggies until just cooked (softened with a little bite) in the last seconds of cooking add the tbsp of soy sauce (or just a few splashes, I don't really measure) and mix. Remove from the heat and add to a large bowl.

While the vegetables are cooking, add the rice noodles to the boiling water, stir often especially right as they go into the pot, to avoid sticking, and cook until tender. The noodle should have a gentle bite but no hardness at the center. Strain and rinse off the extra starch, shake to get most of the water off (no need to be completely dry) and add to the cooked vegetables.

Start by adding 1 tbsp of tahini, or eyeball some on top, and mix the whole thing, it'll be a little sticky, if too sticky add a splash of water. A light creamy sauce should form. This is the unrecipe part, as you'll want to add a little more tahini if necessary until everything is coated, but not heavy with sauce. Taste and add a little more soy sauce if you think it needs it.

Feel free to eat right away, or pack away for lunches, this also works well as a side dish, and can be eaten cold or room temp.

purple cabbage + bokchoy

Easy Protein

Throwing together nourishing meals quickly can be a challenge. The aspect that I find often takes the most thought, mess, and time is protein, especially if you do eat meat. One easy fix for this is making a batch of meat patties which can take just a few ingredients, be ready in under 30 minutes and store perfectly in the fridge (or freezer) to be thrown on salads, roasted vegetables, grain + herbs, or noodle bowls, to create a filling meal. The top are lamb, but I also make them with ground turkey, chicken, pork and bison.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb of ground lamb (turkey, chicken, pork, bison)
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley and/ or cilantro
• salt + pepper to taste (start with 1/4 tsp)
• Olive Oil for frying

The recipe is simply the ground meat mixed with dijon, finely chopped herbs, mustard and salt. Form the meat mixture into small balls and flatten slightly. Set a pan on medium high heat, and add a small amount of olive oil. Once shimmering place the patties down. They should sizzle, once a browned crust forms flip them and continue cooking.

While I would offer lengths of time, it can really be so dependent on your pan, and the heat, so you'll have to keep an eye. The patties are done when they offer resistance to being poked. Remove them from the heat and let rest for a few minutes and check doneness again by cutting one open and ensuring the juices run clear. If your patties aren't fully cooked you can also place them in a 350 F degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

I've also entirely baked them, which wont offer as nice of a crust, but works just fine. And will likely take about 15-20 minutes, one indicator is when juices start to flow out clear.

This is the most basic template (you could even make them without herbs in a pinch), but you can also add on, for example, adding a tsp of sumac to the lamb for a middle eastern flavor great with hummus and greek salad, asian 5 spice to ground turkey for a Vietnamese rice noodle and slaw bowl, or cumin to ground chicken for a burrito bowl.