Recipe Time: Meat is expensive. What are your favorite family recipes that use very little to no meat? Do you use substitutes for meat?

 

 

I have a husband for whom a meal without meat just isn't a meal.  That being said, through trial and error I have discovered a few things.  First of all, a lasagna stuffed with all kinds of vegetables (although delicious!) doesn't satisfy him.  I have to put at least a little bit of meat in there somewhere.  But beans, in all their many forms, do.  And luckily, beans - especially when you buy them dry and rehydrate and cook them yourself - are some of the cheapest protein options out there, so today's recipes will focus on some of my favorite ways to use beans.

*One thing I haven't tried, but have been meaning to: making my own gluten paste and using it as a meat alternative.  I'll admit that I'm a little hesitant, but when I try it out, I'll let you know how it goes!

Canned beans are so quick and convenient, but with just a little bit of preparation, dried beans can be just as easy to use.  Here's my stand-by method of prepping dried beans:

COOKING DRIED BEANS
Just before bed, I dump out a bag or two of beans into a really large bowl or pot.  If you haven't done this before, you will probably be surprised by how large your container has to be - maybe four times the volume of your beans (if you don't put enough water in there, your beans will not rehydrate enough and won't cook well the next day).  Sort through them quickly as you pour; sometimes a little piece of rock or a wood chip can sneak in there.  Then fill your bowl to the top with water.  Let it sit like that, overnight.

In the morning, pour off the soaking water.  If you want to save the cooking for later, you can freeze them now: a cup or two (or more) into each ziploc bag, label and pop them into the freezer for later cooking.  To make things REALLY easy on yourself later, cook them all now, then freeze them all ready-to-use!

To cook your beans, put them in either a large pot with a lid, or a crockpot.  If stovetop cooking, fill your pot with water, put the lid on, and set it to med/low.  You'll need to check on your beans every hour or two throughout the day to check on them and add water if necessary - they need to stay covered with water.  If you use a crockpot, it's super simple: put the beans in the crock, fill it with water, set it to high, and come back 4-6 hours later.  Either way, let the beans cool a little, put them into ziploc bags or freezer containers (include some of the cooking liquid to keep them from drying out in the freezer, and to preserve the nutrients as well), and freeze!  Next time you are making a recipe that calls for a can of beans (around 1 1/2 c cooked beans), instead of opening a can, reach into your freezer and enjoy the good taste and the savings.

Now, on to a few of my favorite recipes!

REFRIED BEANS
lard, or vegetable shortening for frying
1/4 to 1/2 onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp (or to taste) salt
3 - 4 c cooked pinto beans

Cook the onion and garlic in the fat until they're browned and kind of burned-looking.  Add a cup or so of beans, along with some of the cooking liquid, and mash the beans as they cook.  Continue to add beans and liquid until all of the beans are mashed, then add the salt.  Adding the cooking liquid is crucial to having yummy, moist, refried beans, and also for the nutrients and flavor that are in there.  You can cook the mashed beans in additional lard/shortening like a pancake, making a fried and crusty outside layer, or you can eat them as soon as they are all mashed.  Either way, YUM!

These are great as a side dish, a burrito/taco filling, or even a dip.  One of my family's favorite ways to eat refried beans is to make bean and cheese quesadillas.  And if you butter the outsides of the tortillas before cooking (think grilled cheese sandwiches), they are to die for!

CROCKPOT BAKED BEANS
1 lb navy beans, presoaked and cooked
3/4 c ketchup
3/4 - 1 c brown sugar (I like it sweet!)
1 c water
1 tsp dried mustard
2 TB molasses
1 yellow onion, chopped
5-8 strips of bacon, cut into 1" pieces (or I just use leftover ham if I have it - cheaper than bacon although not as strong a flavor)

Put everything into your crockpot and mix.  Cover and cook: Low for 7-8 hours, High for 3-4 hours.  Check a couple of hours before they're done and add water if necessary, to keep them from burning - the sugar in the beans can burn if you don't watch them.

Baked beans are usually considered a side dish, but these make a great main dish if you pour them into a baking dish, cover with shredded cheese, and bake at 350 until the cheese is bubbly and getting crispy on the edges.  We also eat these beans over bread, sort of like an open-face sandwich.

BEANS AND RICE
Presoak and cook your favorite kind(s) of beans.  Black and pinto are our favorites for this one.  Add some powdered garlic and onion, whatever you like.  Hot sauce, seasoning salt, the sky's the limit.

Cook some rice, at least one cup per member of your family.

Layer the rice, then the beans, then shredded cheese.  That's it!  When you serve it, add some sour cream or chips, if you want.  Or not.  This is the epitome of the simple and easy (and cheap!) dinner.

MINESTRONE SOUP
This is one of those recipes where you really just throw everything you have into a pot and it pretty much always turns out delicious.  My husband says I'm pulling out the Italian Mama in me when I do this.  Because of this flexibility, this recipe doesn't have required amounts of most ingredients, just a list of possibilities you can choose from, based on what's in your pantry and fridge, and what your family likes.  This is one of the few recipes I make that takes longer than 20 min, but it takes relatively little of your time standing over it, so it's okay.

2 TB oil or butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced

Cook until onions are clear.

Add: 6 c water or broth
1/4 c tomato paste
2 tsp dried basil
1 TB dried parsley
3-4 tomatoes, chopped (or large can of diced tomatoes with juice)

Slice or Dice and Add: any of these, or whatever's in your fridge drawer :)
2-3 stalks celery
1 c cabbage
2-3 carrots
2 large potatoes
a handful of green beans
1-2 c squash
any green leaf: kale is a good one

Cook til vegetables are tender.  Probably 30 minutes.

Add:
2 c presoaked and cooked white beans
1 c presoaked and cooked garbanzo beans
1 c uncooked small-sized pasta (small shells and ditalini are our favorites, but anything that isn't too big for a spoon is fine)

Cook for 20 minutes more.  Taste and add salt if you want to.  Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Enjoy!

Kate