The Health Benefits of Red Beans and Rice

The Health Benefits of Red Beans and Rice

Whenever one thinks of New Orleans one thinks of Red Beans and Rice and that is about it!

According to legend, the Cajun dish combining red beans and rice was served on washday because the dry beans could be simmered on the stove all day while attention was devoted to doing laundry.

Those days have changed because we now have canned beans and the nutritional benefits of this dish can be obtained quickly and easily any day of the week because  any kind of beans and rice are a great source of complete protein, minerals and dietary fiber.

But once you take red beans and rice, kidney beans (red beans) are combined with vegetables (onions, carrots, bell peppers, celery) and ham, bacon or smoked sausage it just gets better.

I don’t eat a lot of meat any more but when I make red beans and rice simmered in chicken broth and seasoned with cayenne pepper and garlic, the cooked bean mixture is served over white rice. Adding meat (if you are a meat eater) and vegetables contributes to the overall nutrition.

Also in my old age I have stream lined our original recipe by using canned kidney beans and eliminating the entire soaking etc. thus reducing many hours off this recipe and it is still good.

Here is Home Farm Herbery’s original favorite Red Beans and Rice recipe with meat.

Ingredients:

2 cups of dried kidney beans

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of Tasso (a highly spiced, cured and smoked pork shoulder) or chopped ham

1-1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup of diced bell pepper

3/4 cup of chopped celery

5 Tablespoons Red Beans and Rice Seasoning  

1 lb of andouille sausage

4-1/2 cups of chicken stock

2 cups of cooked rice.

Directions:

Add the beans to a large bowl and cover with water by 2 inches.

Soak the beans for about 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Add the Tasso or chopped ham and cook, stirring (about 1 minute).

Add the onions, celery and bell peppers to the pot.

Season with about 2-3 tablespoons of Red Beans and Rice Seasoning and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft (about 4 minutes).

Add another 1-2 tablespoons of Red Beans and Rice Seasoning and the andouille sausage and cook, stirring to brown the sausage (about 4 minutes).

Add the beans and chicken stock, stir well and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and start to thicken (about 2 hours).

If the beans begin to dry out or become too thick, add more chicken stock, approximately 1/4 cup at a time.

Remove from the heat and with the back of a heavy spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot.

Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy (about another 15 to 20 minutes).

Spoon rice into bowls and top with bean mixture.

May the Creative Force be with you

Arlene Wright-Correll 

Home Farm Herbery

Spatchcock Chicken with Za’atar

Spatchcock Chicken with Za’atar

Here is another great recipe using Za’atar.  At Home Farm Herbery we just love this delicious seasoning and it is great on chicken.

Spatchcock basically means to butterfly the chicken so that it lays flat and cooks more evenly over indirect heat on the grill.

When we choose our chicken, we use either a roasting or frying chicken. They are both young chickens and can weigh anywhere from 2-5 pounds. If you get a larger or smaller bird, you may have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

When using the grill, cooking times may vary depending on how hot your grill gets.  If we use the grill in the winter we get a different cooking temperature than in the summer. It's tempting to lift the lid often to check on the food, but try not to lift it too often, it reduces the temperature of the grill each time you do. Just make sure your bird is not over the flame or hottest part of the grill or you may end up with a burned bird. Always use a thermometer to check the internal temperature to determine doneness.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized roasting or frying chicken about 3Lbs

2 red onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder 

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 1/2 teaspoon Ground Allspice 

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 Tablespoon Sumac  

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 cup chicken stock or water (We have no problem using canned or packaged chicken stock)

1 teaspoon Sea Salt  

1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Za'atar 

Directions:

Prepare the chicken by removing the backbone and laying the whole chicken out flat.

Put the chicken in a large zip bag or container that will allow chicken to be completely covered with marinade.

In a large bowl, onions, Granulated Garlic, olive oil, Ground Allspice, Cinnamon, lemons, chicken stock or water, salt and pepper.

Pour the spice mixture into the bag or container and fully submerge the chicken in the marinade.

Place chicken in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

When you are ready to prepare the chicken, preheat the grill. If it is a gas grill, turn off one side of the burner or if charcoal, move the hot coals to one side of the grill to create indirect heat cooking.

Remove the chicken from the marinade pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the chicken on both sides with the Za'atar. Discard the marinade.

Lightly oil the grill grate and place breast side up on the coolest part of the grill.

Close the grill lid and let chicken cook about 30-40 minutes before turning over and cooking until the internal temperature is at least 155-160 degrees. Remove from heat and let chicken rest about 10 minutes until the internal chicken temperature is 165 degrees.

Serves: 6

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

How to use Za’atar

How to use Za’atar

Someone asked me the other day what was Za’atar and how to use it. 

First of let me say that Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend commonly used with oil for dipping pita or flatbreads or as a main ingredient in hummus. 

At Home Farm Herbery we make this seasoning and we this delightful seasoning to flavor some of our own food fusion cuisine and I used it to enhance and spice up chicken, fish and vegetables.   We make this seasoning with several herbs and spices but we only use Sea Salt.

We love trying something new here at Home Farm Herbery and you should expand your own and your families horizons because like music food and recipes are universal.

One of my favorite recipes is Za'atar Spiced Meatballs.

Za'atar Spiced Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lamb or turkey (I used 99% ground turkey breast)

3 tablespoons bread crumbs

7 teaspoons Za'atar, divided 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º F

In a medium bowl thoroughly mix bread crumbs and 6 teaspoons Za'atar into ground meat. 

Cover a baking sheet or a cookie sheet with aluminum foil

Make 10 golf ball sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium/high heat

Place meatballs in skillet and brown each side of the meatballs, 2 minutes per side

Place meatballs back on baking sheets and sprinkle with remaining Za'atar 

Bake 6 minutes

Serve with couscous (I used 4 cups cooked)  In the event you don’t like couscous you could exchange it for rice.

Serves: 4

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

Ground Beef with Tomatoes and Zucchini

Ground Beef with Tomatoes and Zucchini

The gardens are being thought of and we are planting tomatoes and zucchini at Home Farm Herbery.  So we look forward to fixing this recipe.  So should you.  However, it is just as good without the beef if you are off beef, can’t get organic, free range beef or are a vegetarian.  If you do use beef buy some 96% fat free beef.   If you want you can substitute Venison.

However, one does not need to wait until their garden produces to make this easy great recipe that you family will love.  You can make this anytime of the year.

This certainly is not a spicy beef dish but it is a super quick and easy dinner (as long as you prepare the rice a head of time). We loved this dish because it was filling, low in sodium, high in protein and stuffed with healthy nutrients (especially vitamins b6, b12 and c and also zinc, manganese, and selenium). This did have some Trans fat per serving.

Ingredients:

1 lb 96% lean ground beef

1 large zucchini, sliced

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 teaspoons dried garlicflakes 

2 teaspoons dried basil 

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat a non stick pan over medium-high heat.

Brown ground meat for about 3 minutes until cooked through.

Add the zucchini, onions and stir fry 8-10 minutes until vegetables are browned.

Add tomato and cook 3-4 minutes

Stir in garlic flakes, basil, olive oil and pepper

Serve over 1/2 cup prepared rice

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

Cooking with Chervil, Try it You will Love it

In our Home Farm Herbery kitchen Chervil is another herb that we'd really like to use more often.  It is thought to be mostly used in French cooking but that is not really true.

It looks like parsley and tastes like mild basil, but its flavor has a tendency to evaporate into thin air in a lot of dishes.   

Many people including cooks and gardeners do not realize that Chervil comes from the carrot family along with dill, parsley, and fennel. It does look incredibly similar to parsley, except the leaves are smaller, lacier, and paler in color. We grow Chervil here at Home Farm Herbery and we like the fact that it shares one of the same aromatic compounds as tarragon. Chervil has a very delicate anise aroma and flavor.

This comes out especially when we dry it and chop it up very fine for our customers who realize any amount of cooking just destroys the flavor of chervil. It is so tender to begin with it that we toss it into dishes at the very last second.  

Chervil is fantastic with eggs! We like to sprinkle a little over the tops of omelets right before serving or stir minced leaves into gently cooked eggs encocotte. We chop the leaves very finely and mix them into butter to use with steamed vegetables, fish, and grilled meats. The residual heat from the food amplifies the aroma of the chervil without destroying its flavor.

If you are not familiar with this great herb then give yourself a treat and order some today. Of course it would be nice if you grew it, but many people don’t because they think they have neither the time nor the space.

We have great Chervil heirloom seeds at this link and we have the best dried chervil at  this link.

Here is one of Home Farm Herbery’s favorite recipes using many of our dried ingredients.

SAUTEED SHRIMP and SCALLOPS over Linguini 

Ingredients:

2 tsp. of our roasted minced garlic flakes 

6 tsp. of our dried onions  

1/2 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp

1/2 lb. fresh bay scallops

½ cup of our dried chopped shallots 

1/4 c. chopped dried parsley 

3 tbsp. butter

2 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves 

1/2 tsp. dried tarragon 

1/2 tsp. dried chervil

1/4 tsp. dried thyme 

1/2 c. dry white wine

freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Clean the fibrous portion from the scallops; wash briefly in cold water and drain. Clean or thaw the shrimp and cut into scallop-size segments.

Sauté the scallions and shallots in butter and add the garlic and dried herbs.

Add the wine and stir. Sauce can then be reduced by half (unless you're making soup).

Add the shrimp, scallops, parsley and black pepper. Sauté for no more than 10 minutes (less if the scallops are small).

You can serve them over linguini. 

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery