Bean Cakes, a Versatile Classic

Bean cakes — or croquettes, if you want to get all French about it — are a wonderfully versatile dish. They work equally well as a side at breakfast, as an appetizer with a dipping sauce, on a sandwich or in a tortilla. Use any kind of beans you like, and vary the flavorings to [...]

Black Bean Salsa

Oscar night usually lends itself well to fun menus — movie-themed snack foods that can be eaten in front of the TV while ultra-thin stars parade down the red carpet. But this year I just wasn’t inspired. What kind of menu can you build around something called The Departed? I hadn’t even seen any of [...]

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos

Burritos are probably the easiest weekday dinner to throw together, and are especially good for using up bits and pieces hanging around the kitchen, such as the stray vegetable, chile, bit of cheese and leftover beans. I try to make healthier burritos than the kind you get in Mexican restaurants, with many more vegetables and [...]

Hearty Three-Bean Soup

A Nor’easter is blowing through our area, just in time for Thanksgiving travel. It’s cold, windy and rainy — a perfect night for soup.
As you may have noticed, I make a lot of soups and pasta dishes at home. We go out to eat one to three times a week, and we really enjoy discovering [...]

Not Really Refried Beans

It is really useful to have a recipe for refried beans in your repertoire. Not only is this a good way to use up leftover cooked beans, but it also works fine with canned beans. Refried beans make a tasty side dish but can also be used to stuff burritos, as a filling for a [...]

Sausage, Beans & Greens Stew

Sausage and beans, beans and greens — both are classic combinations. This simple, one-pot, weeknight supper combines them all. This dish took less than 30 minutes to make and was a big hit at the table.
Sausage, Beans and Greens Stew
Serves: 2
Time to make: ~30 minutes
What you need:

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, [...]