Beans & Greens

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Yay! Another recipe post!

Since hubby did up the rest of the accumulated dishes today, I get to cook a nice dinner, right? Actually, this is kind of a one-pot-wonder meal, so I'm not too concerned. I found this recipe in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine. (Dang. All those stinking English classes and I can't remember if I'm supposed to underline the title of a magazine, or put it in italics. Well, in my defense, it's been a few years...) They put the recipe in the Budget Cooking section of the issue. According to their calculations at the time, this comes out to $1.75 per serving. Not too bad.

Of course, after making this about a thousand times since I found the recipe, I've made a few adjustments: I cut back from 2 cans of beans to 1, I use more bacon, (hey, it's bacon...) and, the original recipe was a little soupy for me, so I've cut back on the liquids.

FYI: Kale is is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of protein, Vitamin E , Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. Garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol and are also a good source of fiber, Vitamin B6 and Folate, and a very good source of Manganese. The canned beans are usually high is sodium, though. Make sure you rinse them well, or splurge and buy organic which are usually lower in sodium — check the label!

Cooking Light called it Garbanzo Beans and Greens. I just call it:

Beans & Greens

4 pieces thick cut bacon

1 c chopped carrots

½ c chopped onion

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp paprika

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cumin

1 c chicken broth

½ c water

1 (15-once) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 c chopped fresh kale*

4 “dollops” plain yogurt, for garnish

Cook bacon in a dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and crumble. (Leave the drippings in the pan.) Set bacon aside. If the pan has a lot of yummy bacon-y stuff stuck to the bottom, you can release it by de-glazing the pan. Pour a splash of white wine (or chicken broth, I suppose...) into the pan, and CAREFULLY scrape up the bits.

Add carrots and onions to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, paprika, salt and cumin, stirring constantly. Cook for ½ to 1 minute. Stir in broth, water and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add kale to pan and stir until it starts to wilt a little. Cover pan and simmer 10 minutes or until kale is tender. Ladle into four bowls and top each with a bit of yogurt and ¼ of the bacon. Serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices, if desired.

*The original recipe says you can substitute collards or escarole for the kale if you like. I tried fresh spinach once, in a pinch. If you use that, it will wilt and become tender very quickly.