Black Bean

Potatoes and black beans synergize nicely in this offbeat salad. The liquid from the artichoke hearts provides plenty of flavor.

Bountiful, easy, and filling, these quesadillas entice with the combination of traditional and offbeat ingredients

Here’s my favorite recipe from this book’s predecessor, Vegetarian Express, now out of print. I just had to bring it forward to this book; it’s one of those dishes that saves the day when you’re low on fresh groceries, since it’s made largely of pantry and freezer staples. It’s also a reliable dish for feeding last-minute company. In this slightly updated version, I’ve added homemade vegan sour cream (which is entirely optional, but adds a big “yum” factor to the dish) and a variation of an added vegetable layer.

Prepared polenta provides an easy way to add variety to the dinner repertoire. I often use it sliced and sautéed as a side dish, but occasionally, it will become an intrinsic part of a recipe, as it is here.

Juicy orange sections and mint add a surprising twist to this hearty dish of black and white beans.

A glory of black beans, in addition to such qualities as their beauty and healthfulness, is that they don’t need to be presoaked: they easily yield to softening when boiled straightaway. Then, they are ready to accept all manner of embellishments, such as sausage, Mexican spices, and sweet-sour-hot chipotle cream.

Serve up these deeply flavored Cuban-style beans with a pile of perfectly cooked white rice. Add a salad or some veggies and you’ve got the Dinosaur vegetarian platter.

Everybody has a tried and true basic lasagne recipe, but occasionally it’s nice to try something different. Somewhere along the way, I decided to replace the meat with beans, and the result was a hit. This lasagne keeps well in the refrigerator, and if you have leftovers, they freeze well. When I was single and living in Nashville, I would cool this lasagne and freeze portions in individual freezer bags. It was perfect to pull one out of the freezer in the morning before I went to work in the studio, then microwave it for a minute or two when I got home in the evening.

What’s great about this salad is that it only involves opening a few cans and layering the veggies with shredded cheese. It’s simple, healthy, and looks pretty in a glass bowl to boot!

Chicken tortilla soup became really popular in restaurants a few years ago, but it was never something I made at home. Garth loves this soup and orders it almost every time he sees it on a menu, so I started studying the different versions at each restaurant and questioning Garth about what he liked and didn’t like about each one. This recipe I finally came up with doesn’t actually taste like any of those we tasted in restaurants, but we love it—and now we can enjoy it whenever we want!

This dip is a perennial hit. The last time I made it guests practically licked the bowl.

On the first morning of the Workshop, participants rise early to pick grapes before the temperature soars. These chefs may labor in hot kitchens every day, but on grape-harvest day, they learn what real work is like. By midday, they are famished. We keep lunch casual, knowing that a big dinner will follow. Typically, we serve Mexican food, like these soft tacos, with from-scratch tortillas prepared outdoors on a comal (Mexican griddle) by winery staffers Brenda Godinez and Virginia Barrera. Rubaiyat, a blend of red varieties, is perfect for the occasion. Note that the beans need to soak overnight.

Dried beans are an inexpensive alternative to canned—once cooked, they also have a better texture and far less sodium. Here the beans are simmered with beets, which infuses them with color and flavor.

To simplify Mexican chiles rellenos—fried, stuffed mild chile peppers—these poblano peppers are filled with a black-bean mixture (without first being roasted and peeled) and then baked in a spicy tomato sauce.

For true Southwestern flavor, squeeze lime juice over each portion of soup just before serving and place tortilla chips alongside. Buy the cooked ham from the deli counter, or leave it out altogether for a vegetarian version.

FLAVOR BOOSTERS Mexican-inspired flavors make these hardy sides hard to resist. Black beans are enlivened by chili powder and lime; peppery watercress is topped with crunchy toasted pepitas and a cuminscented dressing.

SECRET INGREDIENT Each of these little pies has a “crust” made from polenta, a whole-grain, low-fat alternative to buttery doughs. This recipe calls for prepared polenta in a vacuum-wrapped tube, sold at most supermarkets; if you can’t find it, follow the recipe on page 134 to make your own, and cut into small rounds (instead of wedges) with a cookie cutter the same size as the baking dishes.

GOOD TO KNOW You won’t miss the chicken in this meat-free version of the Southwestern favorite; black beans provide plenty of protein. Store-bought tortilla chips make a time-saving alternative to crisping the tortillas yourself; the chips soften in the soup, adding more heft. Save some chips for crumbling over the servings, and hold off on the cheese, sour cream, and other high-fat toppings.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Naturally lean beans and extra vegetables make this a smarter choice than meat-heavy chili. For a creamy garnish, try a dollop of plain low-fat Greek yogurt rather than sour cream.

GOOD TO KNOW Hearty and satisfying, bean soups often simmer for hours; this vegetarian stew tastes as if it did, but uses canned beans and broth as shortcuts. To thicken the soup, mash some of the beans with the back of a spoon during cooking.