Orange Apricot Sweet and Spicy Beans And Rice

Despite my typical rule for not buying canned beans due to the high salt content and my using dried beans for the last 5 years about 98% of the time I broke down and bought 8 cans of black beans, My local Angelo Captuos Priduc Market was selling La Preferida Beans for 79 Cents, I found coupons on the La Preferida web site for 40 cents and I was able to print 8 coupons, they expire this month so I used them all at one.
Here is the link below in case you want to take advantage of the coupon at your own local store, of course you might not catch them on sale for 79 cents but you will still have a nice coupon to use.

http://www.lapreferida.com/couponspromotions/

One 6 Quart Stainless Steel Dutch Oven This is My Go To Pot to Cook Just About Everything In
I have Werever which was about $30 with taxes. I do not see a reason to buy $250-350 Dutch Oven.


One 15 Ounce Can of Black Beans Triple Rinsed & Drained
If they have low Sodium Get Them and Then Triple Rinse & Drain Them As Well
16 Ounces Brown Rice Triple Rinsed, Drained, Steamed Without Salt And Drained Again
1-2 TBSP Smucker's Low Sugar Sweet Orange Marmalade or Like Brand
1-2 TBSP Smucker's Low Sugar Apricot Preserves or Like Brand
http://www.smuckers.com/products/category.aspx?groupId=1&categoryId=7
1-3 TBSP Frank's Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce
http://www.franksredhot.com/products/sweet-chili-sauce/nutrition/info
1/8 Canola Oil

Heat Oil on Medium High Heat
Add in Everything to Dutch Oven
Simmer on Low for 20 Minutes With Cover On

Healthy Vegan Protein Saute

Welcome to 2013, Hope it has started off for all of you well and continues to be a Healthy, Happy & Wealthy Year. Hard to believe that I have not posted since 11/17/12, I can't really say the Holidays were my primary reason for being such a slug in posting, more a combination of battling a long term sinus infection, being treated with a Steroid Med and then an Antibiotic, food poisoning from an outing at a Restaurant I prefer never to go to again, and having lots of medical tests done.

I received more gift cards this year then I expected so I have been able to go to several different stores for foods that I would normally not ever be able to buy. I still have some money left on two gift cards to get food at. On the plus side I did not have to go to the Food Bank for food in December and I will not have to go for the month of January for food. I'll have to see how the next few months shape up for me financially and whether I need to go again or not. I do have twenty photos to post of recipes to add here. Do to being sick I did not create as many new recipes as I would have during this same time period previously. I also had some meals out over the holidays which provided left overs and no cooking for me.

For January I have been picking up lots of Free Meals from Restaurants who have email, loyalty and rewards programs that I belong too due to my upcoming 50th Birthday 1/22/2013. These Restautants send out coupons for Free Meals, Desert, Appetizers, or Add The Meals to a Reward Card for you to use during your Birth Month. I also have been taking advantage of lots of opportunities to receive free samples through Facebook and get coupons for Free Products for Organic & Natural Vendors as well.

Now back to the purpose of showing you recipes and PICs of them.

One 10 Inch Skillet, This is Just an Example of one Commercial One to Use



1 TBSP Canola Oil
1 14.5 Ounce Can No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
10 Ounce Box of Frozen Chopped Spinach, Steamed, Drained and Patted Dry
1 Bunch of Kale Cleaned, Soaked Overnight With Sea Salt, & Drained
One Diced Onion
1-2 TBSP Minced Garlic
8 Ounces Portebella Mushrooms, Cleaned, Drained, Patted Dry, & Sliced
2 TBSP Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/4 TSP Ground Black Pepper
1/4 TSP Corriander
1/4 TSP Dill
1 Pkage House of Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles, Triple Rinsed, Drained, Boiled in Microwave 3 Minutes
This link below is to an explanation of what they are. I buy mine at my local Meijer Grocery Store.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/shiratakinoodle.htm

Heat Oil On Medium High High Heat
Add in Everthing & Saute Until Onions, Garlic are Opague and Kale is Wiled as well As Spinach

Mexican Chili Lime Swai

There is a famous saying that "Variety is the Spice of Life", this is me when I am sick of eating ground chicken, need to switch it up a bit and have fish or steak or veggies. I consider Swai to be a great replacement for the Overfished Tilapia, and low in Mercury Content compared to its United States Cousin the Catfish. Super Target has these for a great low everyday price in the freezer section and then Target.com runs coupons for frozen fish so then I stock up. Normally I like to cook fish in the broiler which is fast & healthy, but other times I will saute it or bake it for a change. I am always looking for new flavors & ways of eating the same food.

One 10 Inch Skillet
1 TBSP Canola Oil
12 Ounces of Frozen Swai Thawed
1-2 TBSP of The Spice Hunter Salt Free Mexican Seasoning
http://www.spicehunter.com/search_results.asp?q=mexican%20seasoning
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
Juice of 1 Fresh Lime
1-2 TBSP Franks Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce
http://www.franksredhot.com/products/sweet-chili-sauce

Heat Oil on Medium High
Add in Fish
Add in Mexican Seasoning, Garlic, & Lime Juice
Cook About 10-15 Minutes or Until Fish Flakes Easily
Top With Some Chili Sauce & Then Serve

Ready to Cook

Ready to Eat

Ground Chicken Chili Okra Tomato Soup

With Super Target continuing to sell Gold & Plump Chicken for 99 Cents or $1.50 after my coupons that I find for the Gold n Plumb brand on the commonkindness website I will keep making new recipes with Ground Chicken.

1 6 Quart Dutch Oven (Mine is Stainless Steel) Look for One Like This.



1 TBSP Canola Oil
1 LB Ground Chicken  90/10 or 95/5
1 Diced Onion
2 TBSP Minced Garlic
4 Cups of Very Low or Low Sodium Organic Chicken Broth
 
These Two Brands I have Found To Have Less Sodium Then Many Other Brands & No MSG!
One 12 Ounce Package of Frozen Chopped Okra
1 14.5 Ounce Can of No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
One 10 Ounce Box of Frozen Chopped Spinach Steamed, Drained, & Patted Dry
1/8 TSP Sea Salt
1/4 TSP Ground Black Pepper
1/4 TSP Chopped or Freeze Dried Dill Weed

1-2 TBSP Frank's Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce
http://www.franksredhot.com/products/sweet-chili-sauce

Heat Oil on Medium High in Dutch Oven
Add in Chicken, Onion, & Garlic & Saute Until Done
Drain Oil
Add in Chicken Broth & Everything Else
Simmer on Low With Cover for 30-40 Minutes

Ground Chicken Garlic Okra Kale Spinach Chili

Chili and soup are just so easy to make during the fall & winter that I tend to become lazy with creating new recipes. Perhaps the reason I create so many new recipes and constantly experiment is because I get bored eating something the same way and I am trying to cook close to the seasons and with what is available at a lower price? I try to buy as much as I can with coupons and I am always able to find coupons online for the brand Gold N Plump so I keep buying their Ground Chicken on Sale really cheap at Super Target and using my coupons to get a 1 Pound Package for 99 Cents to $1.50, I have 4 or 5 packages in my freezer right now.

1 Dutch Oven (Go With a Stainless Steal One)


1 TBSP Canola Oil
1 LB Ground Chicken 90% Lean & 10% Fat or 95% Lean & 5% Fat
1 Diced Onion
1 TBSP Minced Garlic

1 TBSP Ground Cumin
1-2 TBSP Ground Corriander
1 TBSP Onion Powder
1/4 TSP Garlic Powder
1 TBSP Smoked Paprika

1 14.5 Ounce Can of Diced Tomatoes With Cilantro & Lime Juice
If you can't find these Crush Your Own Tomatoes & Add in 1/4 TSP Dried Cilantro & 1 TBSP Lime Juice
10 Ounces of Frozen Chopped Spinach Steamed, Drained and Patted Dry
6 Ounces of Frozen Chopped Okra Steamed And Drained
6 Ounces of Kale Chopped, Steamed, & Drained

Heat Oil on Medium High
Add in Chicken & Start to Brown
Add In Onion, Garlic, & All Dried Spices & Continuing Browning Chicken
Add in Everything Else & Simmer on Low for 30-45 Minutes

New Salad With Double Leftovers

Living on a fixed income & very tight budget I do not throw out any foods or beverages unless I absolutely have to. I can always come up with another meal or two/three from a leftover or leftovers. The easiest for leftover is to throw in all in my Vitamix and make a soup, next a smoothie, then in a saute, or over a salad. This recipe combines by previous days Beans Rice and Chili meal, as well as my leftover Mango Cajun Swai .

1 Bowl For Salad
2-3 Spoons of Leftover Beans & Rice
http://mycontinuingthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/11/garlic-sesame-chili-beans-and-rice.html
2-3 Spoons of Leftover Mango Cajun Swai
http://mycontinuingthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/08/baked-mango-cajun-swai.html
1-2 Cups of Romaine or Leaf Lettuce in Bite Sized Pieces
One Diced Pear
One Diced Apple
1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-4 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar

Empty Lettuce into Bowl
Warm up leftovers, then add to salad
Add in Fruit
Add in Oil & Vinegar & Mix Everything Together

Garlic Sesame Chili Beans And Rice

Despite the recent warnings on Arsenic & Brown Rice, I am not abandoning eating brown rice nor I am switching to white rice now or in the near future. I always find Brown Rice Coupons and Sales and they have have brown rice at the local Food Pantries when I need to go there.

This recipe use a 6 Quart Dutch Oven, the one I have is Stainless Steel made By Wearever, the primary reason being is, that I can't lift the Cast Iron or Porcelain Enamel Ones because of my Arthritis, Neuropathy, & hand weakness, nor can I afford them either. This is a link to just one brand of Stainless Steel Ones. Mine was under $30, no reason to spend hundreds of dollars when you get one that will last just as long or longer for much less money. You could also use one 12 Inch Skillet, 3 Separate Small Saucepan, & the Microwave to make this meal. I find it easier just to use one pot & the Microwave.

One 6 Quart Dutch Oven
All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless-Steel Dutch Oven with Lid, 5-1/2 quart - 5 (Google Affiliate Ad)
1 TBSP Sesame Oil
1-2 TBSP Minced Garlic
16 Ounces Brown Rice Steamed
One Can Each of No Salt Added Black Beans & Light Red Kidney Beans Triple Rinsed
2-4 TBSP or More of Franks Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce
http://www.franksredhot.com/products/sweet-chili-sauce

Add Oil to Dutch Oven
Heat Oil on Medium
Add in Garlic, Brown Rice, Beans & Frank's Sauce
Cook for 10-15 Minutes