Beans & Crabby Kale Stew

I'm eating this now.  It's a lazy, easy dish.  Just put it on the stove in the morning and leave it alone to cook until it's ready for lunch!  Also, it's fat-free.  Not on purpose or anything.  That's just how this recipe rolls, yo.



Soak beans (pinto, black, or black-eyed) overnight.  Drain.

Boil a pot of water with beans, coarsely chopped onion, and my Crabby Cajun Blend (recipe follows) to pot.

You want to boil everything for as long as it takes for the liquid in the pot to get nice and thick and opaque.  The beans should soften and start to crumble.  Once they are crumbly, it is safe to add soy sauce or salt.  Do NOT add salt before the beans are soft or they will NEVER get soft.  (This also seems to apply with tinned tomatoes.  I mean, the beans won't get soft, the tomatoes already are.)

Stir in some chopped kale.  Let it wilt and get a little less tough (you still want it to be chewy -- well, at least I do).


Big Momma's Crabby Cajun Blend:

• Jalapeño or chili pepper of your choice
• Bay leaf
• Fresh sprigs of thyme
• Equal parts garlic and ginger  (I just put in a whole clove (or more) of garlic and after an hour or so, smoosh them to smithereens with the back of a spoon)
  
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Chili Powder
• Oregano
• Dash Turmeric

You can apply this spice, beans, and greens* combo in a ton of other ways.  Use greens instead of kale and add a cup of coconut milk for a tasty dish.  Add a tin of tomatoes!  Stir in some rice and make burritos.  Add more water for soup and less water for dip or burrito fillings.  Forget the greens and add sliced bell peppers.  Add chopped okra and make a gumbo.  Go crazy.  Add potatoes.  Eat it with nachos.  You get my drift.

 


*I like to do a little chant for my toddler to get him enthusiastic about food.  Okay, he already is, I'm just a ham:

Rice, beans, and greens, everybody!
Rice, beans, and greens, come on!
Rice, beans, and greens, everybody!
Rice, beans, and greens, come on!
--We got the rice,
--We got the greens,
--We got the beans and all the in-betweens!
I said-a-rice, beans, and greens, everybody!
Rice, beans, and greens, a-come on!

ad infinitum.