Cuban Black Beans

makes 7 cups • active time: 15 min • total time: 1 3/4 hr + soaking

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced medium
2 celery stalks, diced medium
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound dried black beans, soaked according to package instructions and drained
1 dried bay leaf
1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated, stems tied together with kitchen twine and leaves reserved

1 In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Add carrots and cumin and cook until fragrant, 1 minute; season with salt and pepper.

2 Add black beans, 8 cups water, bay leaf, and cilantro stems and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender and liquid is slightly thickened, adding more water to cover if needed, about 1 1/2 hours. (I cooked mine for 3-4 hours on low) Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf and cilantro stems. (To store, refrigerate, up to 5 days, or freeze, up to 6 months; you’ll need 4 cups beans for each of the following recipes.)

per 1 cup: 254 cal; 2 g fat (0 g sat fat); 13 g protein; 44 g carb; 7 g fiber


This recipe came from the Martha Stewart EVERYDAY FOOD magazine

Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

From: Laylita's Recipes (laylita.com)

2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

Avocado salsa

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

3 mild hot peppers, seeded and deveined, diced or sliced

Juice from 2 limes

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix the salt, coriander, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Pre-heat the grill.
3. Combine the avocado, onion, hot peppers, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use.
4. Grill the salmon to desired doneness.
5. Serve the salmon topped with the avocado salsa. 

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 2 medium-sized) eggplant
• Salt
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, seasoned with 1/4 chopped fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup pecorino
• 2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce
• 1 pound ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash and towel dry the eggplant. Slice the eggplant horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices in a large colander, sprinkle with salt and set aside to rest about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggplant and dry on towels.

In a saute pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil until just smoking. Press the drained eggplant pieces into the seasoned bread crumb mixture and saute until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all of the pieces. On a cookie sheet lay out the 4 largest pieces of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce over each piece and place a thin slice of mozzarella on top of each. Sprinkle with Parmigiano and top each with the next smallest piece of eggplant, then sauce then mozzarella. Repeat the layering process until all the ingredients have been used, finishing again with the Parmigiano. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the top of each little stack is golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

By Mario Batali
Food Network
Found Here:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/eggplant-parmesan-parmigiana-di-melanzane-recipe/index.html#

Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

serves 8 • active time: 20 min • total time: 30 min

Refrigerate extra sauce in an airtight container, up to 1 week, or freeze, up to 3 months. These enchiladas would also be great with tomatillo sauce.

2 cups low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
coarse salt and ground pepper
16 corn tortillas
nonstick cooking spray
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large white onion, diced small (1/2 cup reserved for serving)
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 can (15 ounces) tomato purée
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

1 Preheat oven to 350°. In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap stacked corn tortillas in a damp dish towel and microwave until softened, 2 minutes. Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly spray both sides with cooking spray, place 2 rounded tablespoons cottage cheese mixture down center of each, then roll tortilla around filling. Place, seam side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake tortillas until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Whisk in vinegar, tomato purée, and broth; bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a blender and purée until smooth (to allow heat to escape, remove cap from lid, cover lid with a dish towel, and hold down while blending). To serve, divide enchiladas among eight plates, top with 1/3 cup sauce, and sprinkle with onion and cilantro.

per serv: 296 cal; 10 g fat (1 g sat fat); 14 g protein; 39 g carb; 8 g fiber

This recipe came from the Martha Stewart EVERYDAY FOOD magazine iPad app.

Mushroom and Black Bean Casserole

serves 4 • active time: 15 min • total time: 30 min

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 pound cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
coarse salt and ground pepper
reserved cooked black beans from Wednesday, or 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
8 corn tortillas, warmed and halved
2 cups salsa
1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)

1 Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until browned, 7 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Add black beans and stir to combine. Cook until beans are warmed through, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

2 Arrange 5 tortilla halves in a 2-quart baking dish. Top with half the bean mixture and 1/2 cup salsa, then sprinkle with one-third the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortilla halves, bean mixture, salsa, and cheese. Top with remaining tortilla halves, salsa, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake until center is hot and cheese melts, 10 minutes. Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling, 5 minutes.

per serv: 384 cal; 13 g fat (6 g sat fat); 20 g protein; 51 g carb; 12 g fiber

This recipe came from the Martha Stewart EVERYDAY FOOD magazine iPad app

Roasted Salmon with Butter

serves 8 • active time: 5 min • total time: 20 min

“This basic recipe is easy and reliable, and the results taste great. You can use any thick fillet or fish steak in place of salmon—swordfish and halibut are also good.”

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 salmon fillet (2 to 3 pounds), skin on
chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

1 Preheat oven to 475°. Place butter on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Place sheet in oven until butter melts, about 1 minute.

2 Carefully remove sheet from oven and place salmon on top of butter, skin side down; season with salt and pepper. Return sheet to oven.

3 Roast until salmon is just cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes, checking frequently. It will flake easily when done. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

per serv (based on 3-pound fillet): 292 cal; 17 g fat (5 g sat fat); 34 g protein; 0 g carb; 0 g fiber

Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything The Basics, by Mark Bittman (John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; 2012).


This recipe came from the Martha Stewart EVERYDAY FOOD magazine iPad app.

Baked Shrimp

Clean fresh, thawed shrimp by deveining and removing the peel from the shrimp.  Leave tails on.  Coat a cookie sheet with olive oil.  Season shrimp as desired.  (Salt and pepper or other seasonings.  I used Old Bay.)  Bake at 400 for 5 mins. or until pink.  Easy peasy!

Cocktail Sauce experiments in the works.  Recipe to follow soon.