Cuban Black Beans with Kale

It's our last day in Florida and I'm in a mad rush to pack us all up and get out of the condo. But there's something I need to share with you. I wasn't kidding around when I said I was making recipes from Everyday Happy Herbivore on this vacation. These Cuban Black Beans with Kale came about as I made and adapted my fifth recipe from this new cookbook. It was outstanding. The rest of the family (those who came early enough to lunch to score some!) agreed.

This is a great recipe for so many reasons. First, it's delicious. Second, it's easy. And third, I hope that all of these ingredients are now staples in your Plant-strong kitchen, so it's a great weeknight meal. Plus, you can use whatever greens you have on hand, it doesn't have to be kale.

Adapted from the recipe "Skillet Frijoles Negros" from Lindsay S. Nixon's book, Everyday Happy Herbivore.

Cuban Black Beans with Kale

serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish

Printable Recipe

low sodium vegetable broth, a few Tbsp

1 large yellow onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (using a microplaner if you have one)

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 15 ounce cans black beans, undrained

4 cups finely chopped kale or other greens

2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice (whatever you have on hand)

optional: hot sauce, to taste

Place a medium pot over medium-high heat and coat the bottom of the pot with low sodium vegetable broth. When broth is boiling add onion and stir. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Lower heat to medium. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring frequently and adding more broth if necessary to prevent burning.

Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Stir.

Add undrained black beans and stir. Mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher, leaving some of the beans whole.

Add kale and stir. Lower heat to low and let simmer until mixture thickens. Stir in lime or lemon juice and hot sauce (optional) to taste. Cover until ready to serve.

Didn't win a copy of Everyday Happy Herbivore in the giveaway? That's okay, you can get it on Amazon for only $13.57! What a bargain!

If you own a  copy of EHH, what has your favorite recipe been?


A little housekeeping: The winner of the EHH giveaway, Quiltspinner, has not contacted me yet. Please e-mail me at healthygirlskitchen@gmail.com. Thank you!

Crock Pot Eggplant Chick Pea Curry

Thank you for the generous responses to my post about healthy convenience breakfasts. I hope that everyone enjoyed my list of ideas as well as all of your additions in the comment section. It was a true group effort!

A few days ago, Julie Ann over at The Reduction Project was blogging about a recipe from Appetite for Reduction called Eggplant-Chickpea Curry. Imagine my surprise when I read on to find out that she had experimented with turning this normally stove top recipe into a crock pot recipe because she was in a time crunch.

As most of you know, I am currently relying heavily on my crock pot due to our ongoing kitchen renovations. Combine these personal needs with my deep love of anything Indian and I was immediately intrigued by Julie Ann's post.

I would say that the texture I achieved in my crock pot is A+ but the flavor is a B. I'm left wondering how to get that amazing Indian food taste without the ghee (clarified butter). Maybe this is the best it can be without the fat!

But my husband loved it! When I got home from an event at my daughter's school, he was raving about dinner and telling me that he ate three bowls full. He thought the flavor was great.

Crock Pot Eggplant Chick Pea Curry
adapted from a recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz from Appetite for Reduction

2 cups diced onion
3 lbs. eggplant, diced
4 cloves garlic. minced
2 15 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp mild curry powder
1 1/2 tsp hot curry powder (optional)
1 Tbsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp salt (optional)
dash of powdered stevia

2 15 ounce cans chick peas, rinsed and drained

Place all ingredients, except chick peas, into a crock pot on low heat (my lowest setting is 10 hours, 8 hours would be plenty). Let cook all day, stirring once throughout the day if possible, but not necessary. Thirty minutes before serving, add chick peas and stir. Once chick peas are warmed through, the dish is ready.

Serve over brown rice with chutney if you've got it (I really like the Trader Joe's chutneys).

Do you like to make no-added-fat  Indian Curries? Have you ever had a no-added-fat Indian Curry that was as good as Indian food from a restaurant?