Tomato and Cheese Bean Bake

I have been on the hunt for dry cannellini beans for weeks now but with no luck. Even the canned ones have been hard to come by although I did eventually find those. I normally don't mind canned beans as a great shortcut but I find that white beans remain a little too tough from a can. But, we all need to make do these days so I found a way to make the canned version work.

Southwestern Black Bean Salad with Sweet Potato Wedges

Happy New Year, friends! I have to say that I love when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. I mean, I'm all for resolutions and new beginnings and all that. But to go from chugging a bottle of champagne (I admit nothing) to presenting yourself at the gym the next morning on a bowl of high fiber, whole grain cereal, is a little daunting. By which I mean, it ain't happening. So this way, we kind of get a bridge day to get it together.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad and the Art of Parties

This past week, the New York Times Sunday Magazine ran a lighthearted article that looked into the typical refrigerator contents of a few chefs and it made me consider what's always in mine.  Eggs, butter, yogurt, milk and cheese are the constant and, interestingly, was for them as well.  Although the article didn't glance into their pantries, I would hope it included chickpeas.  The NYT asked the chefs if they could pull together a meal for an unexpected guest and most said yes with those ingredients.  I could, too, and while chickpeas would probably form the base, the cheese would elevate it and that holds true whether I have a surprise dinner guest or invited party guests.

Chickpea Burger with Israeli Salad

For the past few days I've had the biggest craving for some Middle Eastern food. Hummus, falafel, tahini...I love them all. Chickpea burgers combine a lot of those flavors and are wonderful, versatile foods. Apart from the basic ingredients, you can customize them by adding in whatever you have on hand. Grated carrot, zucchini, peppers or mushrooms would all be great. The chickpeas are also loaded with protein and fiber and I just love it when healthy food is so delicious.

A Trio of Spiced Chickpeas

Can a healthy snack taste really, really good? Yup, and this one definitely does. If you're not already eating chickpeas than you're missing out on 6 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber and heaps of deliciousness. The downside is that on their own, the little garbanzo beans are pretty mild tasting...and pretty boring. But the good news is that it's very easy to add a ton of flavor with very little work.

Lima Beans with Sautéed Onions

When I was growing up, my mother frequently served wonderful lima beans and I've loved them ever since. She rightly believed that adding sautéed onions to foods usually made them taste good and I often follow that philosophy and prepare the beans much as my mother did.

White Beans with Garlic and Rosemary

It occurs to us as we're writing this that this recipe should begin by telling you to get some dry beans and soak them overnight and then cook them with some aromatics and never, ever use those evil canned beans (horrors!) But, are you really going to do that? You are? That's great! Oh, you'll maybe do that? Hmm, we see... Oh, you say you'll put that on your long, long list of things to do? Yeah, that's what we thought.