90 Minute, No Soak Beans

I've been using dried beans for a number of years now.  Quick soak method, over night method, both yielded fine results.  I would make a big batch of beans, then freeze them in can-size portions (about 1 1/2 cups).  But I was forever forgetting to soak them overnight, or remembering to soak and then burning them as they cooked on the stove top.  It got to be a pain and I would procrastinate making beans and then be irritated when there were no beans for a recipe I wanted to make.

I forget how I stumbled onto the 90 minute, no-soak bean method.  But I found it and I love it!  I use my Lodge 6 quart dutch oven for cooking the beans. I've successfully cooked black beans, white beans and pinto beans with this method.  It's as convenient as a slow cooker, once you've got the beans rinsed and the water boiling, you can put the pot in the oven and walk away.

And bonus...it's nice to have the oven on low on these chilly days, warming up my kitchen!

90 Minute, No-Soak Beans

From The Paupered Chef

Rinse beans, remove stones and broken pieces.

Add beans to dutch oven (or a pot with a tight fitting lid) and add enough water to cover by 1 ½ inches.  

Add 2 tsp salt.

Bring the water to a boil on the stovetop while the oven preheats to 275 degrees.  

Cover the pot and put in the oven for 75 minutes.  

Check on the beans after 45 minutes and add boiling water if needed (mine has never needed additional water).  

Check the beans for doneness at 75 minutes. Continue to cook in the oven for 15 minute increments if needed. 

Drain the beans and refrigerate or freeze as desired. 

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Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

I'm becoming less and less enthralled with cooking/handling raw meat.  So anytime I can throw something in a slow cooker with minimal touching, it's a good day.  

This is a frequent Sunday night dinner.  Onion in the bottom, sprinkle spices on the chicken, in the slow cooker it goes, and walk away.  The flavor from the smoked paprika is spectacular.  Though if you want to make it even easier or don't have these spices on hand, you can just sprinkle on salt, pepper and some thyme or rosemary and be done.  Still delicious.

A five pound chicken feeds my family of four and gives me leftovers for another meal or two (stay tuned for white chicken chili).  And today I'm experimenting with making my own chicken broth with the chicken carcass in the slow cooker.  

Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
From 100 Days of Real Food 

2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Coarsely chop the onion and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.


Combine the spices and rub over the chicken. 

Place chicken in the slow cooker and cook on high 4-5 hours.

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Whipped Coconut Cream

All out of cream (we always seem to be...someone uses it all up in homemade egg nog)?  Vegan?  Just looking for something fun and new? 

Whipped coconut cream is one of my favorite toppings...for pancakes, fruit, granola, cocoa, pie.  It takes a little forethought (overnight refrigeration), but other than that it is just as easy as whipping cream. 

Oh She Glows gives plenty of tips and photos on the how-to.  Even though all the bloggers say don't use light coconut milk and you must chill it, I had to try using light coconut milk and not chilling it.  Totally doesn't work.  Just like they said. 

Coconut milk can be prohibitively expensive for me at close to $3 at Meijer (in the international aisle), but Trader Joe's is much cheaper ($1 for light coconut milk, just a bit more for the full fat).  Since I'm in a curry phase, always make coconut rice to go with my curry, AND there is no TJ's on the southside, I generally end up with 10+ cans of coconut milk in my cart when I make it up there.

Adding the sugar is optional.  I think it's fine without the added sugar, but it's up to you.  The vanilla though...add the vanilla. 

Whipped Coconut Cream

From oh she glows

1 can full fat coconut milk

2 tsp powdered sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Refrigerate the can of coconut milk (upside down) overnight. 

Chill the bowl you will use to whip the coconut cream for 5-10 minutes. 

Open the can (still upside down) and pour out the liquid from the top.  (Don't throw away the liquid!  Add it to smoothies or use it in coconut rice).

Dump the hardened coconut milk into a chilled bowl and whip using a hand mixer or stand mixer until it is fluffy.

Add the sugar and vanilla and give it a quick mix.  

Serve over pancakes, waffles, pie, etc.  It stores well in the refrigerator for a week or so, just give it a quick mix to whip it up again when you are ready to use it.

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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

The first time I made these was right before my daughter's fifth birthday. She has a summer birthday, so zucchini was abundant. After her third muffin she said, "MOM! Can I have these for my birthday cupcakes?" 

Muffins generally have enough sugar and oil/butter to make them delicious, though not super healthy. Substituting some wheat flour for white flour, decreasing the sugar a bit, and adding zucchini and applesauce keeps them plenty delicious, but tips the scales back a bit towards the healthy side. 
These muffins freeze well. And as mini muffins they make a great lunch box treat.  

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from In Erika’s Kitchen

3 eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups zucchini, grated
⅓ cup applesauce 
2 cups white wheat flour
1 cup white flour (all purpose, unbleached)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, cocoa powder and vanilla.

Mix in the zucchini and applesauce.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Gently mix with a rubber spatula, being careful not to mix.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups about ¾ full.

Bake about 18 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven until the muffins spring back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean (about 10 minutes for mini muffins).

Remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.  

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Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Slow cooker...big batch of delicious beans...that freeze well.

So many things to love about these beans.  It doesn't take much effort to throw everything into the slow cooker and let it do its work.  It just takes a few minutes at the end to drain and puree the beans in the food processor or with an immersion blender.  A word of the wise...add fresh water or chicken broth to the beans as you puree them to thin out the consistency of the beans.  Don't reserve and use the drained liquid from the cooked beans, you'll have some gastrointestinal difficulties.

And there you go: delicious refried beans without the hassle of 're-frying' and the addition of oil.  Here are my top three refried bean dishes:

1) Seven layer dip: Layer beans, pepperjack cheese, sour cream, salsa and avocado.  Serve with tortilla chips.

2) Baked beans and cheese: Place desired amount of refried beans in a glass baking dish.  Sprinkle beans with a mixture of pepperjack and cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Serve as a side with tacos or fajitas.

3) Burritos: Mix 3 cups of refried beans with a small can of diced green chilies.  Place a few spoonfuls of bean mixture in a tortilla and add some grated cheese.  Roll up the tortilla.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and spray both sides of the burrito with cooking spray.  Cook the burrito in the skillet on both sides until golden brown. 


Slow Cooker Refried Beans
From Six Sisters' Stuff

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, checked for stones and rinsed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 TB minced garlic
3 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
5 cups water
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and stir to combine. 

Set slow cooker to high for 5-6 hours.    

Drain the beans and remove the onion.  

Use a food processor or immersion blender to puree the beans, adding water or chicken/vegetable broth as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Add extra salt if needed.

Refrigerate or freeze in airtight containers.  

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Chocolate (Whole Wheat) Pancakes

Right smack at the end of a lovely two week winter vacation, the winter of all winters hit Indianapolis.  Sunday was really a lovely day, watching 12 inches of snow fall.  We headed out to shovel the driveway right before dark and our kind neighbor stopped over with his snowblower to help us out.  Monday and Tuesday we got the polar vortex in all its glory: below zero temperatures with wind chill down to 30 below.  Schools were closed all week.  I did venture out to work and the grocery store on Thursday, but the roads were still terrible. 

The kids and I had plenty of indoor time, and I decided to resurrect this blog project.  This seemed like a cheerful post to lead off, as it is still quite gloomy out.  I first made these chocolate pancakes for Valentine's Day several years ago, and it remains a favorite breakfast treat of the girls.  I prefer the addition of chocolate chips to the pancake batter.  Go big or go home, right? 

We've tried a variety of toppings.  Whipped cream and strawberries/raspberries/blueberries...maybe a drizzle of chocolate sauce or caramel.  My new favorite topping is coconut cream.  I'll have to post that soon as it is so easy and delicious. 

The recipe calls for a small amount of coffee, which enriches the chocolate flavor.  But water can easily be substituted. 
 
Whole Wheat Chocolate Pancakes
From Alida's Kitchen

1 cup white wheat flour (or wheat pastry flour or white flour)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 TB raw sugar (or granulated sugar)

½ tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup plus 2 TB buttermilk

2 TB brewed coffee (or water)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 TB unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Fruit and whipped cream/coconut cream for topping

In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, coffee, vanilla and butter.

Add buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and gently fold until blended (there may be some lumps).  

Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Let mixture sit for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat non-stick skillet over medium and then spray with cooking spray.  Pour batter in skillet by the 1/4 cup-ful and cook until bubbles appear (about 3 minutes).  

Flip and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).  

Repeat with remaining batter.  

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!

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