Most of you know that my rice cooker is one of my most precious counter kitchen appliances. I use it about 2-3 times per week at least since we eat tons of rice. However, yesterday was the first time I actually used my rice cooker to make a complete rice meal rather than just plain old rice.

I have partner with Della Rice to be one of the members of Create a Stir Campaign.  For this campaign armed with my kitchen appliance and ingredients I was able to create this Caribbean rice and beans recipe that not only worked perfectly in the rice cooker but it was easy, delicious, and healthy which means,  there would be more rice cooker meals coming your way!

For this recipes I used Della Basmati light brown rice. I love this rice because it cooks in just about 20 minutes, it has more fiber and minerals and has the nutritional value of regular brown rice. I love Della Rice because not only they have many different type of rices but they all cook in 20 minutes, which being a busy mom it comes in handy. We all know we don’t want to spend hours cooking in the kitchen.

Della Rice is also available at ShopRite stores and grocery stores across the U.S.  Find a store near you here

For this Caribbean rice and beans recipe I kept it vegetarian. Next time I will add some cooked chicken pieces. If you like to add the chicken, add it to the rice cooker together with all the ingredients before turning it on. I also opted for using plain water rather than using vegetable or chicken stock. My reason for using water is that I want to have total control of the sodium content in my recipe as well as the flavor… and lets no forget water is cheaper!

Here you can see the ingredients in the rice cooker. All you have to do is add the 4 cups of water and turn on the rice cooker. The meal will be done in just 20 minutes.

My friends at Della Rice are giving away 50 rice cookers. Go below to enter. You will love having this in your kitchen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here are other StirMaker recipes that you may want to try:

• Souffle Bombay’s Asian Lettuce Wraps Rice Bowl Stir:  http://dellarice.com/lets-stir-up-dinner-with-asian-lettuce-wrap-rice-bowls/
• Healthy Green Kitchen’s Pan-Fried Tofu with Red-Peanut Curry Stir:  http://dellarice.com/stir-alert-pan-fried-tofu-with-red-peanut-curry-sauce-via-healthy-green-kitchen/
• The Chirping Moms Build Your Own Taco Stir:  http://dellarice.com/the-chirping-moms-stir-up-a-taco-rice-bowl-createastir/
• Eat. Sleep. Be.’s Turkey Taco Rice Bowl Stir:  http://dellarice.com/eat-sleep-be-blogger-creates-a-turkey-tex-mex-rice-bowl-stir-recipe/

Or if you are more visual and would like to see a video and the steps on how to create a stir with Della Rice here is a link.

I hope you like this Caribbean rice and beans recipe. It only takes 20 minutes to make, it is super delicious, easy, and healthy.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Della Rice. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own and I speak from personal experience. The end :-)

Caribbean rice and beans

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Della Rice brown rice
• 1 15 oz can red beans, drained
• 1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp celtic salt
• 4 cups hot water

Directions:

In a small skillet add the garlic and oil and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add all the ingredients to the rice cooker and cook until done. I pressed the white rice bottom in my rice cooker.

Serve immediately.

The post Caribbean rice and beans appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I love making recipes on my slow cooker. Ever since I discovered to cook on a slow cooker I like taking advantage of this piece of equipment. It is so easy to to use and most of the recipes I have done in them have been excellent, case in point this slow cooker orca bean soup.

I have never used orca beans before but I know it will not be my last. Orca beans, also known as calypso beans, are a small and tasty heirloom bean, gorgeously dappled in black and white. High in fiber and iron, orca beans are terrific in salads, soups and side dishes. Unlike many beautiful beans, Orca beans hold their lovely markings after cooking, making them a lovely addition to your dishes. Our orca beans are grown in Moses Lake, Washington, exclusively for Bob’s Red Mill.

If you like to purchase some they are now 25% off on their site.

I like using spices with most of my soup recipes. This is what gives them distinctive flavors. I used cumin for my recipe but If you don’t like it you can use any other type of spice of your choice. Basil, oregano and garlic powder will work really good as well. I also like to use tomato paste because it gives my soups a thicker consistency and body.

I hope you like this slow cooker orca bean soup. I have some leftover in the freezer right now which I will keep for my busy days ahead and have when ever I need something comforting, and healthy.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own and I speak from personal experience. The end :-)

Slow cooker orca bean soup

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 lb dried Bob's Red Mill Orca beans, soaked overnight
• 8 oz organic frozen corn
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 12 oz fresh kale
• 48 fl oz vegetable stock or water (1.5 liters)
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp pepper

 

Directions:

Add all the ingredients, except the corn and kale into the slow cooker and cook for 3 30 minutes on high or until beans are almost tender. At this time add the kale and corn and cook on high for another 30 minutes. If you like the soup to be more liquid like you may add more water or vegetable stock if you like.

Keep soup warm or serve immediately. You can add some grated cheese over each serving if you like. You can also freeze leftovers covered on glass hermetic containers for up 3 months.

The post Slow cooker orca bean soup appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have never used farro to make vegetarian burgers but after making these farro bean burgers I know it will not be my last. I have mentioned before that I cook most of my grains, except pasta, on my rice cooker and so I did farro as well.

I have quite a few kitchen counter appliance and my rice cooker, besides my blender, are the ones that get the most use. Between cooking rice and quinoa, which we eat pretty often at my house, I don’t know what I would do without it. It is a very inexpensive piece of equipment so if you cook these items often I highly suggested. It is super easy to cook such things in it including farro.

When I cooked the farro in the rice cooker it didn’t turn out mushy. I like my grains sort of tender so I just doubled the amount of water for what I had for farro and it turned out perfect. Cooking in the stove top maybe slightly different. I would suggest at least doubling the amount of water for farro used and cover the pan you are cooking it in.

These farro bean burgers were a super hit. I will probably be making them again very soon. They are super healthy, easy to make and filling.

For the farro bean burger recipe visit at Nuts.com and don’t forget to check their amazing products!

Enjoy!

The post Farro bean burgers appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I am finding myself using my crock pot quite often lately. Given the fact that it is so convenient and easy I take it out from storage at least twice a week.

For this sweet and sour recipe I almost doubled my batch. If you have been reading my other recipes you will know that more often than not I tend to double my recipe so that I can have leftovers to use for the days ahead. This way I don’t have to cook every single day since we  don’t mind leftovers!

Also, for this recipe, I used dried white beans but you can use any other beans of your choice. I think red beans or even a mixture of them will be good as well. If you like you can also add some other veggies as well as some sort of protein. Lean ground turkey, chicken or beef will complement the beans and veggies rather well. I just left my version vegetarian though.

I cooked the beans on a high setting but if you have more time you can cook it on low for longer. I don’t think that should be a problem. Also, if you like, you can freeze part of the beans and used later on. Beans freeze very well.

On another note, how cold it is where you are? We are experiencing a rather cold winter, however, I think some other parts of the country as well as Canada are way worse than here in NJ. I think I need to move to a hotter area with a warmer climate. It is way too cold for me here.

I leave you with this recipe that I hope you will enjoy.

Slow cooker Sweet and sour beans

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, gluten free
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp unrefined sugar
• 1 tbs dried marjoram
• 1 tbs dried thyme
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 lb white beans, soaked over night
• 3 potatoes, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder, or corn starch

Directions:

In your crock pot, place the first 10 ingredients and mix through with a whisk. Add the vegetable broth and beans and cook on high setting for one hour.

Add the diced carrots and potatoes and cook further on high for 4 hours. When the 4 hours have gone by dissolve the arrowroot powder in some of the bean broth and incorporate to the soup. Cook for another 15 minutes or so until the broth thickens.

At this stage you can add some celtic salt if you like. Serve while warm.

Recipe adapted from the Slow Cooking Book

The post Slow cooker Sweet and sour beans appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I have been using my slow cooker quite often lately. I have actually made this Slow cooker bean and quinoa chili  twice this week not only because it is super easy to put together but because it is actually very nutritious and delicious.

For this time around, I kept my chili version vegetarian but if you like you can add some organic ground beef or turkey.

I also used a couple of different types of beans for my chili. You can do the same or just make it with one kind of beans. The end result will still be good and not that much different from mine.

Adding the quinoa was genius in my opinion. If you don’t like quinoa you can certainly omitted, I just thought it went well with the chili. Also, I made quite a large quantity because I normally freeze half of it for future meals since it freezes quite well. I like to have a few meals where I can just freeze and have a week or two after making it. It sure helps me with my super busy schedule.

Anyhow, there is not much that I can elaborate on this slow cooker bean and quinoa chili  . Feel free to add any other veggies or protein to it like I mentioned above.

Enjoy!

Slow cooker bean and quinoa chili

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Total Time: 6 hours

Ingredients:

• 16 oz dried red beans, pre-soaked overnight
• 8 oz dried black beans, pre-soaked overnight
• 28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp natural taco seasoning
• 10 oz frozen organic corn
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 tbsp organic tomato puree
• 2 tsp Celtic salt
• 6 cups hot water

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients except corn and quinoa to the slow cooker. Set on high for 5-6 hours.

After the time has past, check to see if you need to add more liquid and how tender the beans are. If they are still too hard cook further for another hour otherwise add the quinoa and corn and cook further for 30 minutes. Leave slow cooker on warm setting until ready to serve.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 6 servings.

The post Slow cooker bean and quinoa chili appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

Why haven’t I made these Dark chocolate black bean brownies before? OH MY….these are just sensational. I will tell you that the texture may be a little bit different from the real brownie counterpart but nonetheless nothing that can not be handle. I will be making these for years to come, I am glad I got multiple cans of black beans :-)

Now I must worn you. I found two things that you have to be aware off when making these Dark chocolate black bean brownies:

1. Make sure you grease and flour the 8×8 baking pan really well. These brownies stick to the pan like crazy. Mine did and it was not fun taking them out. Use parchment paper instead of the butter and flour to make sure your brownies don’t stick. It works much much better!!

2. Make sure you cut the brownies and get them out of the pan when they are completely cooled down. I didn’t wait and the brownies crumbled quite a bit. Not that I cared much, they got eaten either way!!

Now, after making these I want to improve my own chocolate brownie version and make them healthier. Will see what I can come up with.

Anyhow, I highly suggest you try these Dark chocolate black bean brownies. Next time I will add a 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and see how that affects the spongy consistency of the brownies.

Enjoy!!

You just need to place all of the ingredients, except chocolate chips and walnuts in the food processor and you are good to go. Just make sure you super duper grease and flour the baking pan so that you can remove the brownies easy. Mine got stuck up a bit even though I did greased and floured the pan :-(

According to my husband these are the best brownies I have made so far. Now I feel bad and I want to improve my own brownie chocolate version :-)

These are moist, taste like chocolate, and not black beans, and are a lot better for you than many versions out there :-) I am so glad I made these!!

Dark chocolate black bean brownies

Yield: 10-12 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, thoroughly rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unrefined sugar
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped, optional
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, more if you like

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper in the bottom of an 8×8″ baking pan. Grease the parchment paper. This will be your security blanket to make sure the brownies don't stick to the pan!!

Place all the ingredients except chocolate chips and walnuts in a food processor or blender and pulse thoroughly until smooth and well combined.

Pour batter in the baking dish. Top with nuts and chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is dry and edges begin to pull away from the baking dish. Cool completely before cutting.

Adapted from all recipes

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 12 servings. It does give a bit more :-)

The post Dark chocolate black bean brownies appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.