Hearty and Healthy Cooking and Recipe Ideas for the Family

Ingredients

• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups cooked farfalle (bow-tie pasta), chilled
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil (2/3 cup = about 1-1/3 oz)
• 1/2 cup diced part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 4 slices fully cooked bacon, heated, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Directions

1. Combine drained tomatoes, pasta, basil, cheese and bacon in large bowl.
2. Add dressing; toss to coat.

Ingredients

• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in blender container. Puree 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.
2. Chill 2 hours before serving. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

Though kale, quinoa and chia may be the most buzzed-about super foods, there’s another secret (and inexpensive) item you’re probably not cooking with enough: Beans. A longtime staple of many cuisines worldwide, beans are a nutritional powerhouse that can — and should! — find a way into your weeknight meals.

What Makes Beans So Healthy?
Loaded with fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium and folic acid, beans play a pivotal role in a healthy diet, with one cup of cooked beans providing approximately 14 to 18 grams of protein, said Vandana Sheth, a CDE, registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Beans are also rich in lignans (a group of chemical compounds found in plants) which are known to play an important role in helping with heart disease, osteoporosis and preventing some types of cancers. While all beans are nutritious, Sheth’s top picks include garbanzo, black and kidney beans.

How to Cook with Beans
Dried beans can be purchased in bulk bins from your local grocery store then soaked in water overnight and prepared on the stovetop in a pot, in a pressure cooker or on a slow cooker (Sheth prefers using her pressure cooker, as it speeds up the process). You can also cook with canned beans by simply draining and rinsing the beans before cooking. To make things easy, consider preparing a large batch of cooked beans then varying the ways you use them.

“Cooked garbanzo beans can be made into hummus, added to a soup, or tossed with herbs and vegetables in a salad,” Sheth says. “You can also make garbanzo bean burgers.”

Ideas for Cooking with Beans
Beans can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and can easily be incorporated into your diet. Use beans whole in salads, soups or casseroles; puree them into dips, such as hummus, or spreads for wraps and sandwiches. Even combining them with Hunt's® Tomato Sauce to create a plethora of delicious chili recipes and sauces! Sheth’s favorite bean-centered recipes include vegetarian chili, bean burgers and bean burritos — all completely different from each other with one central ingredient! Here are some more of our favorites:

• Two-Bean Vegetable Chili—this easy chili uses canned beans and Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes with Sweet Onion as a base for an easy, and hearty, dinner.

• Southwestern Breakfast Burritos—combine black beans, Hunt's® Petite Diced Tomatoes and cilantro with scrambled eggs and cheese for a breakfast wrap with a kick.

• Stuffed Peppers—use a large bell pepper in lieu of a tortilla and fill it with your favorite burrito ingredients, like beans, brown rice, corn and Hunt's® Tomato Sauce.

• White Bean Minestrone Soup—this recipe uses white beans, kale and pasta as ingredients for a classic and comforting soup in just 30-minutes.

 

Ingredients

• PAM® Grilling Spray
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup canned lite coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (14.5 oz each) Hunt's® Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh mango
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp (26/33 count) with tail, thawed if frozen
• 1 tablespoon Pure Wesson® Canola Oil
• 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
• Lime wedges, optional

Directions

1. Spray cold grate of gas grill with grilling spray. Preheat grill for medium heat. Stir together rice, water, coconut milk and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in drained tomatoes, mango and cilantro.
2. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with oil and curry powder in large bowl; set aside. When rice is done, thread shrimp evenly onto metal skewers. Grill shrimp 2 to 3 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink. Serve shrimp and rice with lime wedges, if desired.