Clean Eating "Bite You Back" Black Bean and Brown Rice Soup

Market days always give me inspiration to get in the kitchen. There is something about gathering fresh ingredients that makes me feel like I am doing my best to nourish my family. I think about the verses in Proverbs 31:14-15 which say,

"She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants."

 

My children may argue that they are the servants :-).  Though most of the items at the market are not from far off, it does take some effort to go out of the way each week, but it is well worth it.

 

While I love to cook, I don't like to be pinned down to an exact recipe, simply because I like to work with what is on hand. If you do not have these exact ingredients, don't fret, just allow this to give you a little inspiration and make your tummy rumble...

 

This is where I began:

 

12 oz. pk. of dried Black Beans (soak overnight) ~ or begin with 3 16oz cans of black beans, rinsed

1 can of Rotel tomatoes

1 cup of brown rice

4 carrots

2 celery ribs

1 onion

1 red pepper

5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

4 green onions

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

2 shakes of black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2/3 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

You will add water to this recipe as you go along

 

 

If you have never used dried beans before, know that black beans are one of the more hard beans when they are dried. They need to be soaked overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse them thoroughly. Then put them in a stock pot with enough water to cover them about 2 inches deep in the pot. Place a lid on it, bring it to a boil, and then allow it to simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours. This can also be done in a crock pot, beginning on high until it is boiling, and then reduce to low for at least 2 hours.

 

*** Know that this recipe will work easily with 3 16oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed. The dried beans are more economical, and have no added sodium, but feel free to do what works for you.

 

 

 

 

This recipe does not use premade vegetable stock, so we are going to make some of our own. Begin by chopping the onions, carrots, celery and red pepper.

 

 

In a skillet, or shallow sauce pan, place the cumin, crushed red pepper, tomato paste, olive oil, and use a garlic press for the garlic cloves. Turn the heat to just under medium. As the pan warms, you will begin to smell the cumin. Stir the cumin and the red pepper around to completely toast (it only takes about 30 seconds once the pan is warm. Begin to stir all of the ingredients together. The tomato paste will become more rich in flavor with the heat and the garlic will soften. Work this around for just 1 minute and incorporate 1/2 cup water. This is the base for which you will sauté the vegetables in. Go ahead and add the chopped veggies and turn the heat up slightly above medium. Allow this to cook for about 5 minutes or more. If it becomes too thick, add water by 1/2 cup increments just so that the mixture looks about like this:

 

It doesn't look like much, but I could eat these by themselves. They are so full of flavor! Check for tenderness. You should be able to easily bite into the carrots.

Now we are going to do the "hidden veggie" thing...

 

 

Do you have a Ninja? This is my kitchen workhorse! I use it to make smoothies, puree veggies for soup, or to hide ingredients that unsuspecting eyes may pick out if it were staring at them in the face.

 

I really like this particular model because in addition to the 72oz pitcher, it has the single serve blenders work well for making on-the-go smoothies, as well as the processer bowl and blade set, which is perfect for making salsa in! The instructions say that the processor bowl can be used to make dough as well (can you say pizza night?)

Ok, where was I? Right, first put the fresh oregano in (if you have dried, you may add it directly to the pot of beans). Pour the sautéed vegetables into the Ninja and puree until there are no visible chunks.

 

 



Before you add the veggies, go ahead and add the Rotel tomatoes and the sea salt. If you have begun with canned beans, you may want to scale back on the salt, as there will be some in the beans already.
Add the veggies and as much water as you need to make the soup stir easily and to your desired thickness. Simmer on medium low.

Now on to the brown rice...

 

Brown rice is becoming a regular household item, but I find some folks are still having difficulty cooking it. I have been using this Martha Stewart method for the last few years and it comes out great. The key is to leave the lid on (no peaking!) and just allow it to do it's thing. While your black bean soup is simmering, go ahead and cook up 1 cup (dry) brown rice, and when it is done, the soup should be perfect as well.

 

 

This is what you should have when it is all done... yummy goodness..

I added the rice directly into the soup and turned the heat off.

You may choose to keep your brown rice separate.

 

 





 

You can chop the green onions, adding the white/core section of the onions directly to the soup and using the green tops to garnish.

 I added a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt to compliment the spicy heat and to add some protein to this flavorful rendition of Black Bean Soup. The crushed red pepper steps things up a notch and makes this a festive bowl-full.

 

Beans and brown rice are both great sources of fiber and when they are combined, they give you a great complimentary source of protein. Eating whole foods is the way to go!

 

 "I love you once, I love you twice, I love you more than beans and rice"

 

Recipe By Tasha Brickhouse

Homemakers Are Priceless...

When you think of

:{Homemaking}:

What is the first thing that you think of?

Just like you, my family is my heartbeat.  When I think about my life's aspirations, to have a happy, healthy household ranks at the very top of my list.  The investment in my home and those who dwell in it is the type of investment that multiplies.  Somehow the hours translate into character building opportunities and the source of joy emanates through one another. 

To me, homemaking is building the structure in which a household can grow and flourish in a stable and strong environment.  The precious souls that make up our homes depend on us to mold and shape their worlds.  

:{Homemaking is among the greatest callings

to which we will ever answer}: 

No one can ever replace the homemaker.  A homemaker's value is not measured by a rate-per-hour.  Do you ever wonder why? Because the homemaker is PRICELESS!  A homemaker can not be hired.  There is a miraculous thing that happens when a homemaker takes steps into her role.  There is an ownership mechanism that takes place and it unveils a creative side in this woman that she never even saw.  She is able to breath life into her home that would otherwise seem like hollow collection of 2x4's & drywall.  Suddenly she discovers her love for her home and all those who visit.  This love takes wings and carries us over every sleepless night and through every unanswered challenge. You are PRICELESS!

:{Tasha Brickhouse}:



Welcome the The Brick House!

Make yourself at home here!
For those who have not had a chance to come in and make yourself comfortable, I urge you to grab a cup of coffee and let's get to know each other!

At The Brick House, we will learn from each other about taking care of our families while we grow in the Light of Christ.  Some of the areas that we will talk about are faith, families, childrearing, cooking, strategic shopping (on a shoestring), crafts, housekeeping, friendships and many more!  If I come acrossed a great deal or a something new, you will be the next to know!  A passion for all thing home and family has led me to this great world of blogging and now to you! Will you join me?  Find us on Facebook and you will never miss a post!

God Bless you!
Tasha Brickhouse
thebrickhousebunch.blogspot.com
altacompanyphotographygallery.blogspot.com



What's On The Stove?

This weather makes me want to break out the chopping block and
Cook Away! 

Today's recipe is one of my simple & healthy favorites!

Lentil Soup

For starters, the basic 4:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed with flat side of the knife and coursely chopped
• 2 celery stalk, chopped (I include the leaves for flavor)
• 2 carrots, sliced

Get these things sauteing over med-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil.

While that is going, rinse your dry lentils and make sure there is no debris. After about 3-4 minutes, slowly add:

• 1 carton of beef or chicken stock
• 2 cups of water
• lentels

Allow this to simmer (covered) on medium or just below for about 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

Lentils are the best vegetable source of iron and are high in fiber and protein and are on the low glycemic load index. Not to mention, easy on the wallet! There are so many things that can be done with lentils: in soups, salads and as a meat replacement in many meals.

I just tried something new! I went here to find out the nutritional data for this recipe! Pretty cool!



Homemade Pizza Dough

Since I've been in "Ultimate Cheapskate Mode", I've been on the hunt for pizza dough that I can freeze. At the grocery store you can normally buy it for about $2, but I was hoping to make a large quantity for under $1 each.  I think that is easily done with the following recipe.  This not only looks super easy, but it can be played with a bit to incorporate some whole wheat flour and such as you get the hang of it. Check it out!

Compliments of MoneySavingMom

 Pizza Crust:

 

• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups flour

 

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix (I have a KitchenAide with a dough hook).

 

Dump onto a floured surface .

 

Knead into a smooth dough (five minutes or so).

 

Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan.

 

Add toppings. (Have fun and be creative with this! Our favorite variety is
salsa or barbecue sauce, diced cooked chicken, and cheese.)

 

Bake at 450 degrees F. for around 12-15 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned.

 

By the way, you can make up a double or triple batch of the pizza crust
dough and freeze the extras if you don't need it. This speeds up the
preparation even more as all you have to do is pull out a bag of dough
and a bag of chopped cooked chicken in the morning and then put the
pizza together right before you're ready to eat. You can also freeze
the pizzas already cooked but I doubt it would ever stay uneaten long
enough to make it to the freezer around here!

 

A Few Shortcuts...

Your maiden voyage to the grocery store with your passel of coupons can be a little nerve-wracking if you are not sure if you planned it out completely.  Just remember, any money saved is worth the time invested.  Your first trip, you may discover that there are items that you misapply the coupons to, or perhaps, didn't apply enough coupons to, but count it all as a part of the learning process and shortly you will become a coupon pro!

Take a look at the previous posts which contain my shopping lists for this week.  Be sure to gather your coupons and your list before you leave for the store.  Here is my little hint: I use a clear page protector to put my list in as well as any applicable coupons, rewards bucks, etc. so that when I get to the register I am not fishing for my coupons from my pocket, purse or what-have-you.  I carry a coupon binder/file into the store with a page protector for each store (Winn Dixie, Publix, CVS, Walgreens, etc.).  Everything has a place and I can put my hands on everything quickly.

What is your favorite method of organizing your coupons when you go to the store?

Classic Meat Loaf Cooking Club of America

Classic Meat Loaf Cooking Club of America

This is the meat loaf to make when you long for a nostalgic taste of the foods of your childhood. It’s moist, and the combination of beef, veal and pork gives it a rich, meaty flavor. It’s equally good served warm from the oven or cold in sandwiches the next day.


MEAT LOAF
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
2/3 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck
1/4 lb. ground veal
1/4 lb. ground pork



GLAZE
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Place in large bowl; cool to room temperature.

2. Whisk eggs into onion mixture. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, milk, 2 tablespoons mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Add ground beef, ground veal and ground pork; mix together by hand or with large fork until evenly blended. Press into 9x5-inch loaf pan or place freeform loaf in shallow baking pan. To prevent glaze from dripping off pan during baking, mound meat in center with sloping sides.

3. In small bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients. Brush 1/4 cup of the glaze over top of loaf. Bake 45 minutes; remove pan from oven. Brush top of loaf with remaining 1/4 cup glaze. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until meat loaf is firm and juices run clear. Loosely cover with foil; let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

8 servings

PER SERVING: 330 calories, 18.5 g total fat (6.5 g saturated fat), 24.5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 125 mg cholesterol, 585 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Couponing Your Way to a Healthy Diet!

Fresh Express Artisanal $1off Coupon

Play game for a chance to win an IPAD + Get a $.50 or $1.00 coupon for Fresh Express!

 

$1.00 off Fresh Express Coupon

$1off Hidden Valley Salad Kit at the bottom of the blog (Zip 32738)

$.75 Crunchmaster Coupon at the bottom of the blog (Zip 32738)

See, you can stay on track while you are saving some cha-ching, bada-bing! 

Don't forget about the $1 off Produce at Target from yesterday's post!

Great Holiday Serving Plate!

Isn't this the coolest serving plate! Great for the Fall Holiday Season!

Pursuing Hospitality from Our Daily Bread

Pursuing Hospitality

Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les LambornRead: Romans 12:3-13

Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. —1 Peter 4:9

The Greek word translated “hospitality” means “love of strangers.” When Paul speaks of being “given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13), he is calling us to pursue relationships with people who are in need. It is not an easy task.

Writer Henri Nouwen likens it to reaching out to those we meet on our way through life—people who may be estranged from their culture, country, friends, family, or even from God. Nouwen writes: “Hospitality, therefore, means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”

Whether we inhabit a home, a college dorm, a prison cell, or a military barracks, we can welcome others as a way of showing our love for them and for Christ. Hospitality is making room for people in need.

Reaching out to needy people,

Showing them our love and care, is one way that God can use us to bring hope to their despair. —Sper

Hospitality can fill the emptiness of a lonely heart.

Whatsoever your hand…{Part 2}

The second thing that I’ve gotten my hands into lately is couponing. Before you completely shut down this blog, give me just a few minutes to demystify some of the wildly popular misconceptions about couponing. Also, let me just add that I am not one to be able to spout off what coupons that I have right off the top of my head and be on the lookout for sales to use them at. That is what I leave to the experts! Can I also tell you, I HATE TO SHOP! –But I love to find a great deal! The deals are what keep me going.


Strategic shopping seems much more impressive than ‘couponing’. Strategy is exactly what makes coupons work for you! If you like games, this is definitely up your alley… (Did I mention that I hate games…But I love to find a great deal!) What I hope to accomplish is to point you in the direction of some great resources and get you on the road to cutting your grocery bill! If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Sometimes there is a learning curve to matching coupons and scoring the best deals. Give yourself a good month of regularly strategic shopping and you will be pleasantly surprised.


First step, get to know the types of coupons that are out there.


• Manufacturer Coupons
• Store Coupons
• Rewards Bucks(CVS)/Register Rewards (Walgreens)
• Mail In Rebates


Here are how these measure up. Manufacture coupons are put out by the product manufacturers to give you an incentive to buy their products. Store Coupons are provided by the Store for specific item or brand. These come in flyers placed in the stores, in your newspaper or in the mail. In general, those coupons are meant to be used at that particular store, however, in our area, Publix takes all competitors coupons. This is a golden opportunity. Rewards Bucks and Register Rewards are offered by the store after you have purchased a certain product during their promotional dates. These rewards are good for your next purchase at that store. They are meant to be used only at that store, however, Publix does accept them. Mail-In-Rebates are offered by Manufacturers as a bonus for buying their product.


Next step that I suggest is to watch the Southernsavers.com tutorials http://www.southernsavers.com/tutorials/  
Get familiar with the southernsavers.com website. It is a comprehensive resource for any of the stores in our area. This website will help build your shopping lists based on what is on sale, what you should have coupons for (or can get them by printing them off of the internet) as well as any additional mail in rebates. They do all of the homework for you. I have no idea how they compile their database, but they have it going on! Once you have been clipping coupons for a while, you will see that you probably have the coupons for items that go on sale!


As you are preparing to plunge into strategic shopping, make note of these coupon tricks:


• Purchase 2 Sunday newspapers. Many products go on sale ‘buy 1 get 1’ regularly. The stores allow you to use a coupon for each of those items, essentially doubling your coupon value! You can easily make up the cost of your newspaper by catching 1 b1g1 sale.


• Clip coupons that you would possibly buy if the price was just pocket change (because inevitably you will find the product on sale or clearance and kick yourself for not clipping it!


• Coupons that say Buy 1 Get 1 free are GOLDEN! If you stash that coupon until you see a Buy 1 Get 1 free sale, you will get BOTH ITEMS FREE! The coupon covers the item that you are supposed to pay for (within the monetary limit that the coupon states).


• Publix allows for the combination of a store coupon (even if it is not their own) and a manufacturer’s coupon. I do not know of another store around this area that does this. What this means is, If you catch Kelloggs cereal on sale b1g1, you can use a manufacturer’s coupon for each box of cereal and a store coupon for each box.


Another great video tutorial is couponmom.com. She has tons of youtube videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/CouponMom .


http://www.iheartpublix.com is another must have resource. Southersavers.com does a good job reviewing the Publix ads but I have found additional coupons and resources on iheartpublix, especially the page http://www.iheartpublix.com/index.php/weekly-ad and click on the mega deals link.


So now that you have all of these coupons, what do you do with them all? Well, I started out with a little accordion file, and then I realized that I was out growing that system so I switched over to a very primitive envelope style. Today, I officially moved up to a coupon binder. Many coupon sites show people building coupon binders and using baseball card protector sheets to hold the coupons. Being the frugalista that I am, I was determined to find something that I already had that could work. In my homeschool stash, I had tons of CD binder sleeves, so I went to work making a binder using this pretty little layout http://thekrazycouponlady.com/kclcouponbinder.pdf by http://thekrazycouponlady.com . I love her tagline :-).

The internet has a wealth of information that I have yet to conquer, and by no means do I feel like I have the supreme knowledge on the topic of couponing, but I love to share great opportunities with other and hope that you may have great success with your Strategic Shopping.


I leave you with a picture of my mega deal of the week…this keeps me couponing!

You've got it!  I paid $.92 for all this! Just peanuts (pardon the pun) :-)

Word of the Day | Tenacious

Words mean a great deal to me, the Word of God being the most important of all.  When it feels like the Lord gives me a word of inspiration, many times it is just that, a word.  As I sat in church last week listening to Pastor preach about increasing our faith and commitment during our 40 Days of Fire revival, the word  "Tenacious" came to mind. Though I've used this word in many ways, I immediately I jotted it down to look up the official meaning.

te·na·cious [tuh-ney-shuhs]
–adjective

1. holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often fol. by of ): a tenacious grip on my arm; tenacious of old habits.
2. highly retentive: a tenacious memory.
3. pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, or obstinate.
4. adhesive or sticky; viscous or glutinous.
5. holding together; cohesive; not easily pulled asunder; tough. 

And then I saw on #3 the word PERTINACIOUS.  On the hunt again...

per·ti·na·cious  [pur-tn-ey-shuhs]
–adjective


1. holding tenaciously to a purpose, course of action, or opinion; resolute.
 
That is it! So clearly, I could see how God was redirecting my attention to THE PURPOSE of all that I do.  So many times, the discouragements of the day or the frustrations of family life can leave us feeling like we should be doing something else or that we have gotten ourselves wrapped up in stuff that has led us away from what is our true purpose.  He was telling me loud and clear that I need to  "Hold tenaciously to a purpose"...not just any purpose, but His purpose for my life, as one of his daughters, a wife, a mother, a business person as a tool in His hand for the greater good of all creation...