Fix-It and Forget-It

There are lots of ways to doctor up canned pork and beans. Here’s a recipe we really like. The sauce is augmented with bacon, onion, and brown sugar, and there’s a nice variety of beans, for a pretty appearance on the plate. (Do you care how your food looks?) Continue Reading...

You know how it is when you try to determine which parent a child most resembles, right? Continue Reading...

Do you ever have days when a simple question like, “What’s for dinner?” throws you into a tailspin? Continue Reading...

Using dried beans instead of canned keeps the sodium count down and lets the bacon flavor shine through. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how far a mere 2 ounces of bacon goes, and your waistline will thank you, too.

Use these delectable beans in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and anything else wrapped in a flour tortilla. They also function nicely as an accompaniment to any Mexican entree. You could even use them as a warm dip for tortilla chips or veggies. The possibilities are endless.

Refried Beans with Bacon
Fix-It and Forget-It Diabetic Cookbook, page 101
Makes 8 servings
Ideal slow cooker size: 4-quart

2 cups dried red, or pinto, beans
6 cups water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 tsp. salt
2 oz. bacon

1. Combine beans, water, garlic, tomato, and salt in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 5 hours, stirring occasionally. When the beans become soft, drain off some liquid.
3. While the beans cook, brown bacon in skillet. Drain, reserving drippings. Crumble bacon. Add half of bacon and 1 ½ Tbsp. drippings to beans. Stir.
4. Mash or puree beans with a food processor. Fry the mashed bean mixture in the remaining bacon drippings. Add more salt to taste.
5. To serve, sprinkle the remaining bacon on top of beans.

Exchange List Values: Starch 1.5, Meat, very lean 1.0, Fat 0.5

You’ll never guess this hearty chili calls for just five ingredients. Continue Reading...

When we consider all the reasons we love slow-cooker recipes, two things always come to the top: they’re easy, and they allow us to have a nutritious meal ready when we want it. Continue Reading...

Let’s be honest, there are a zillion recipes for chili out there and, in the end, no chili is like Mom’s chili. But who has time to stand over a pot and add four different types of beans and an array of spices at varying moments throughout the cooking process? Here’s a quick and easy stove-top recipe for chili. In fact, it’s called Quick and Easy Chili. Don’t worry, we made sure “quick and easy” did not mean “without taste.” Serve it with Lemon Bread and be sure to have a copy of both recipes on hand when Mom asks for them.
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This recipe smells delicious as it cooks. So good, in fact, that when we made it the other day in the office, our co-workers kept stopping by to see what we had slow cooking. The smoky barbeque stew tastes as fantastic as it smells. Even our co-workers who don’t like sweet potatoes had a bite and liked it!

Barbecued Black Beans with Sweet Potatoes
Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook, pg. 219

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2-4 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8 chunks each
15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
9 oz. Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce

1. Place sweet potatoes in slow cooker.

2. Stir in additional ingredients.

3. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours, or on Low 4 hours.