Tag Archives: Beans

On TV: New Orleans-style Red Beans and Rice

Posted on August 21, 2012 | 2 Comments

This morning I demonstrated how to cook a healthy and budget-friendly version of New Orleans-style Red Beans and Rice on WCNC’s Charlotte Today show.  It was an exercise in resistance.  Typically my preparation of red beans and rice involves some serious cooking using an obscene amount of bacon and andouille sausage.  Today’s recipe involved a shorter cooking time and the substitution of turkey sausage for the pork.  Surprisingly, it was just as delicious.

For those of you who choose to watch the video you’re in for a few laughs.  Paul Schadt hosts a morning show for a country radio station here in Charlotte.  This week he is a guest host on Charlotte Today.  Paul seems like a great guy, but he’s not an adventurous eater.  Imagine my surprise when I realized that he had never tried beans or sausage before!
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White Beans with Sage and Garlic

Posted on September 9, 2011 | 6 Comments

I was recently asked for my favorite convenience food for an article by Kathleen Purvis in The Charlotte Observer newspaper.   I immediately thought of canned beans.  To be fair, as a general rule, beans don’t usually elicit a lot of enthusiasm.  Steaks, oysters, delicious artichokes (I could go on and on) tend to get a lot more attention.   Beans, one might argue, are boring.

I disagree.  Beans are one of humanity’s oldest food sources and for good reason. While they often play a supporting role, beans paired with a grain provide all the protein that you need for a nutritionally complete meatless meal.  Take into the account the facts that beans are economical and in their dried form can be preserved for years (dried beans have been found in Egyptian tombs) and it is easy to see why beans are a staple for so many people around the world.

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Red Bean Ice Cream

Posted on March 17, 2010 | 2 Comments

I vividly remember the first time I tasted red bean ice cream.  My now husband and I were sitting at a sushi bar having just eaten far too much sushi when he suggested we get red bean ice cream to end the evening.  I had never heard of red bean ice cream and was a little wary of it.  I mean, can you blame me?  Ice cream with beans in it doesn’t just scream delicious to me.  But as my husband went on and on about how much he loved it, I decided to give it a try. 

If you’ve never tried red bean ice cream before, the taste is unusual.   When I first tried it, I couldn’t tell if I liked it or not, but found myself going back again and again for one last bite.  Even after scraping up the last bit of ice cream, I was still on the fence and it was only later, when I found myself wishing for another bowl,  that I decided that I actually liked ice cream with beans in it. 

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Gameday Chicken and Three Bean Chili

Posted on November 15, 2009 | 2 Comments

Gameday Chicken and Three Bean Chili

For weeks now, I’ve been meaning to post a recipe for gameday chili.  I’m not a big football fan, but give me a bowl of chili and some cornbread and I’ll cheer for all four quarters (provided you refill my chili bowl!).  To me, chili and football just go together and there are few recipes for chili that I don’t like.  I’ve made and enjoyed a kielbasa and black bean chili, a traditional meat and kidney bean chili, and, of course, the Texas style chili which lacks beans but has plenty of large chunks of beef.  Recently, a friend wrote raving about a chicken and white bean chili that she had enjoyed at a dinner party.  Her suggestion that I include a similar recipe on my blog got me thinking.
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