I love to cook homemade meals, and what helps me to relax and enjoy a meal even more than I already do is knowing that I don't have a gazillion pots (ok, slight exaggeration) and utensils to clean up afterwards. As the principle pot scrubber, realizing that I won't be spending the next two hours (ok, another slight exaggeration) developing dish pan hands makes me very happy... and I like being happy. Sure beats the alternative don't you think? The other thing that makes me very happy is a recipe that claims to help me "shed pounds" by including ingredients that are high in fibre, making me feel fuller and therefore preventing me from overeating throughout the day (I'm not sure "they" understand the temptations I face on a daily basis and my weakness for all things sweet.) It also claims that by including hot peppers (ie chipotles), this meal will help kick start my metabolism and quell my appetite. Yes, these are some lofty claims. But I do have a wedding to go to in a few weeks and a little black clingy dress to fit in to so I'll buy what their selling, as it makes me happy to believe it. I'm guessing the bag of Doritos I ate last night won't help to kick start my metabolism, even if I can argue that it was "zesty" cheese flavour? Oh well. I think almost anything homemade beats the processed store bought meals hands down in taste along with the obvious health benefits of wholesome ingredients, as long as it's in moderation. You can't go too wrong with real food. This is a very healthy and satisfying meal that takes very little time and talent to prepare - definitely my kind of meal! As I tend to do, I modified the original recipe a tad: I included lentils as I like lentils, I added some extra adobo sauce as I'm getting brave and like the smoky heat, and I added some apricot marmalade in place of orange zest. Honestly, I could not taste the marmalade at all, may be due to the extra adobo sauce I snuck in. But the marmalade/orange zest business aside, I wasn't disappointed in the flavours and textures of this very simple to prepare black bean stew. Not to mention the fact that I have several portions left over that I can put away for healthy lunches, and I have only one, yes you heard me correctly, ONE pot to clean up. As an added bonus, I'm sure that dress will fit just perfectly ... and if not, there is always Spanx. Insert one very long and satisfying sigh of relief and contentment here.
Smoky Black Bean Stew
Adapted from Runner's World December 2012
Ingredients
2 tsps or so of vegetable oil
1 onion, or 3-4 shallots, diced
1 carrot, sliced
2 - 15 ounce cans drained black beans
1 -28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you prefer to be strictly vegetarian)
2 tsps or so of chopped garlic (2-3 cloves)
1/2 cup dried red lentils
1 cup sliced roasted red peppers
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced, plus 2-3 tbsps of the sauce for extra smokiness
1 heaping tsp of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
zest of 1 orange (I used 2 tablespoons of apricot preserve as I didn't have an orange on hand)
1 tbsp fresh thyme (optional)
Serve with 1 diced avocado (optional, but recommended, as I love avocados, and they're good for you, plus they help with the heat of the chipotle.)
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots, garlic and carrots, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the drained black beans, diced tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth, roasted red peppers, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, cumin, and salt and pepper. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in zest of orange (or similar citrus preserve) and 1 tbsp of the fresh thyme. Serve with your choice of sour cream (if feeling decadent), sliced avocado, a slice of rustic crusty bread, or melted cheddar cheese, or all of the above if you're feeling wild and crazy.
Cheers!
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