I took our love for beans, especially pizza beans, and gave them a taco twist. They were such a hit – especially with our littlest eater. The toppings and customization make it easy for a win.
Taco Beans: Ingredients: (serves 4) 2, 15-oz cans of seasoned black beans (or see alternative below) 1 cup corn 1/2 chicken breast (optional) 1 avocado cilantro cheese pickled onions any condiments: salsa, hot sauce, salsa con queso, sour cream chips
Directions: Warm the beans through, over low heat for ~10 minutes. (Alternative if using plain canned beans: drain, rinse, and add to a pot with 1/2 cup veggie broth and a sprinkle of cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste). While beans are cooking, slice the avocado, chop cilantro, and prepare all the toppings Assemble bowls with beans and any toppings, as you wish. Enjoy!
Mr. J and I went with almost all the toppings, but the kids loved their beans with cheese, avocado, sour cream, and salsa.
I’m deep in the lasagna world through my volunteerism with Lasagna Love and wanted to share an option for a dairy-free/vegan lasagna. This is not the only or best way to make a cheese-less ricotta substitute, but it is likely the cheapest and easiest to source. Let’s turn white beans and summer squash into “ricotta”.
This wouldn’t be a fake-out for those who normally eat cheese, but some cheeseless options are costly or difficult. A popular option for “ricotta” is bulk buying raw cashews which is expensive, and sometimes using an unfamiliar ingredient – like tofu, or sourcing dairy-free options can be tough for some people or in some stores. I find that this white bean & squash mixture is a solid substitute for ricotta amongst sauce and noodles and some herbs.
Dairy-free Lasagna Ingredients: (serves ~4) 9 lasagna noodles 1 can white beans (drained but liquid reserved) 1 small summer squash/yellow squash/or pealed zucchini 1 teaspoon dried basil/oregano/Italian seasoning 1-2 cups of dairy-free shredded mozzarella ~2 cups of tomato sauce
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350-degrees and chop the squash. Saute or steam the squash until cooked through. Drain the beans but reserve the liquid and add the beans into a food processor with the cooked squash (my photos are of a double batch).
Blend together adding ~1/2 the bean liquid, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Scrape down the sides and blend until smooth. Add more liquid (or water) if desired. Stir in herbs.
Cook the noodles until totally pliable. Assemble the lasagna – I did 9 roll ups so I didn’t have to trim noodles for a few servings, but this could be a 9×9 pan too as a more traditional layered lasagna. Lay the noodles out, spread on the ricotta-substitute and sprinkle with dairy-free cheese and roll up.
Spray the pan with non-stick spray, add some sauce to the bottom, and lay the rolls into the pan. Top with more sauce.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil, top with remaining “mozzarella”, and bake for another 5-10 until the cheese melts. The broiler may help as dairy-free cheese doesn’t melt exactly the same. Enjoy!
I liked it! I made a double batch to have some in the freezer. This is a thin & minimal use here, but I think it gives the impression of ricotta. I will use the remainder for my next dairy-free lasagna request or, maybe I’d mix some 1:1 with ricotta for a protein boost, or with a dollop of pesto. It also could thicken a chowder or add some nutrition to alfredo.
We love a lettuce-less salad. Beans are a hit at our house and while chickpeas are the expected, these white beans are the unexpected. It was handy to make it quickly or it could be prepped ahead of time too.
We had this with grilled chicken and some orzo. Make it with falafal or it can be a light meal solo!
Greek Bean Salad Ingredients: 1 can white beans 1 cucumber 1 cup grape tomatoes 6-10 mint leaves 2-3 tablespoons pickled onions (or red onions) 1/4 cup feta 1/8 cup Italian dressing
Directions: Drain and rinse the beans.
Chop the cucumber, slice the tomatoes, chiffonade the mint. Stir everything together with the dressing and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or until serving. Enjoy!
This would be a welcome side at a potluck or BBQ. It is a great one to make in advance- though I’d add the mint just before serving so it doesn’t wilt too much.
Does this leave you with leftover feta? Make some tacos and mix up some Street Corn to serve on the side using the feta for a totally different feel.
These sesame noodle bowls get all the toppings to take it from a side of noodles to a balanced and customizable meal. We have peanut sesame noodles with dumplings or edamame but these bowls were a slight variation with a few choices of toppings or on the side.
We regularly have pasta so variety keeps us on own toes. If just one kid is home I try to think of what they’d be more into than the other. The little guy likes long noodles more than little sister.
Directions: Boil salted water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Whisk, or shake together in a jar, the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sriracha. Pan sear the pulled pork until warmed through and crispy. Cook and shell the edamame, and chop the green onions.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss it in the sauce to cook for another minute or two. Top with pork, edamame, avocado, and any toppings.
Enjoy!
I like the salty and sesame flavors and all the textures. The edamame pop and the avocado is creamy. I wished for pickled onions- we actually had onion but alas, no red wine vinegar.
If just one kid is home I try to think of what they’d be more into than the other. The little guy likes long noodles more than little sister though he’d rather the pulled pork be in bbq sauce.
April was such a whirlwind. We had the upstairs floors refinished then we got reset and back to normal and the main floor is happening this very minute. It is like moving! School vacation was fun and we are so glad for more outside time. Baseball started back up and Easter was a very nice day.
In the kitchen, I did a month of Chicken, Bacon, Ranch!
It started with a pickle & ranch salad. I had it loaded with pickle flavor inspired by a salad kit, but the kids were happy for salad and ranch, minus pickles.
Dill Pickle Ranch Salad
May will bring a dance recital, reunion weekend at work, and some fun stuff – maybe ask me again when the floor-refinishing is done. I’m envisioning some quick or packable meals for the baseball sidelines.
The big kid: So many birthday parties – almost all at the trampoline place. He loved the school vacation break with some fun days and other days to just be home. Baseball started back up and they’re more coordinated than last year. He’s been less bothered by a meal that isn’t something he’d vote for which has been my goal all along but if it were up to him, it’d be pasta every night. I think he’s just usually hungry at the moment so maybe that makes him more flexible than in the winter.
The little one: She had some fear-of-missing-out when it came time on Sunday mornings to get ready for dance class. We re-strategized and it went much more smoothly. I’m seeing her take on some spice – she knew that one of the cheese-of-the-month was spicy (it was sriracha gouda) and she kept eating it on multiple occasions. She’s too funny. She loved gnocchi and was more into hot-dogs than I remember from last year.
Goals: Year of workwear! I tried some dresses but think they’re both going back. Salads or side-dishes: Pickle salad! prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: being out of our space and normal routines has meant some regular occurrences and some spontaneity Monthly dates: With all the sleepovers during floor refinishing and us each having a doozy of a cold, we didn’t add it anything else. Declutter/cleaning: As we move all the stuff off the floors, we’ve cleaned, gotten rid of a good amount. Workouts as a routine: Ehh. I did a few quick runs but got derailed with a cold that went through most of us. What I’m reading: I read a lot! I muscled through this memoir – (it might be better as audio) Unfollow: A Journey from Hatred to Hope. Then I read The House in the Cerulean Sea, which was from a blind-book-swap with bookclub. I never read fantasy and ended up being really into it. I always love Taylor Jenkins Reid and I breezed through Carrie Soto is Back. Rock, Paper, Scissors was a quick suspense one I liked but absolutely don’t endorse being a movie/mini-series.