Beans in Coconut Milk

One of the great things about dried beans is the way they can be transformed into so many different dishes with just a variation in seasonings.

I have a dozen varieties of beans in my cupboard at any one time (you can see my current list near the bottom of the column to the right) which gives me a variety of textures and sizes to choose from depending on how I will use them. Bigger ones are good in salads and smaller ones in soups. However, they are all pretty inter-changeable, and can all be made delicious.

The other day I served a standard meal of beans, grains and greens. The beans were pinquitos (small reddish beans native to southern California) cooked in coconut milk; the grain was millet; and the greens were curly kale cooked my usual way.

It's such a simple dinner, yet highly nutritious. Lots of fiber, B vitamins, minerals and protein in a relatively low-fat and low-calorie yet satisfying meal.

Beans in Coconut Milk
1 1/3 cup pinquito beans or other small bean
1 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped
2 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
14 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can coconut milk

Cook the beans in boiling water until tender, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until transparent. Stir in the jalapeño, turmeric, cumin, coriander and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the cooked beans, tomatoes and coconut milk. Lower the heat and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the beans are warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Serves 4-6

Millet and Arugula

I got in from the garden this evening completely uninspired about cooking dinner. But I opened the pantry cupboard and saw millet, and remembered I had arugula in the fridge, and suddenly dinner became easy.

Arugula is a zesty green that adds spice to even boring millet. This recipe can be made with other greens like chard or purple mustard greens, but arugula really is the best.

Lightly toasting the millet before cooking it helps the grains stay separate. Millet is faster to cook than brown rice, so it makes a quick and easy dinner after a busy day.

Millet and Arugula
1 bunch arugula (about 3/4 lb)
3/4 cup millet
1 tbsp oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)

Wash the arugula and chop it coarsely. Set aside.

Toast the millet in a heavy skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. The grains will start to pop slightly as they cook. Remove from heat.

Sauté the onion in the oil for a minute, then add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, another 5 minutes or so.

Stir the arugula and salt into the onion and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Add the millet along with 1 1/2 cups water and the tamari. Stir well, then cover and cook over medium-low heat until the millet is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 3-4

Arugula and Millet

I forgot to take a picture until we had served
ourselves. But with a dish this good, it's hard
to fight off the eaters.

Millet is the one grain that is considered alkaline-forming in the body. All other grains - wheat, corn, rice - are considered acid-forming. Seeing that the body is mainly alkaline, it seems that eating alkaline is a good thing.

Unfortunately, millet is boring. If you buy mixed seed to feed the birds, millet is the grain that the chickadees toss over their shoulders. Budgies like it. But it's round and bland. What to do?

Well, I dress it up with arugula, specifically wild arugula - the peppery kind. Pepper perks up millet.

Of course, you can use other greens in this recipe, but make sure to use some with zest and personality like mustard greens.

Arugula and Millet
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 bunch wild arugula, stems and leaves
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup millet
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

Warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until lightly browned.

Wash the greens and chop coarsely. Add to the pot with 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, covered 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the millet in a cast iron frypan over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. It will pop slightly. Remove from heat and add to the greens along with 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tbsp tamari. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat, until the millet is tender and the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 2-3

Millet and Arugula

I can never resist arugula when I see it at the farmers market.

This zesty spicy green is great with pasta. I recently stirred it into cooked millet, which improved the grain immensely.

Millet is a small round grain that is much enjoyed by budgies. Practitioners of macrobiotics say that it is the least acid-forming of all the grains.

It's a good source of magnesium, so it is a heart-healthy grain. Magnesium is known for lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attack. Millet also contains niacin to lower cholesterol. So it should be one of the grains in the rotation.

I cook it like rice - 1 cup grain to 2 cups water. It cooks in 15-20 minutes.

So it's healthy and fast to cook - it's only downside is that it's a little boring. Arugula perks it right up.

Millet and Arugula
1 tbsp oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 lb arugula
3/4 cup millet
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tamari

Sauté the onion in oil for a minute, then add garlic and cook about 4 minutes until lightly browned.

Wash, trip and coarsely chop the arugula. Stir into the pot with the salt and cook, covered, 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the millet in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. The seeds will pop slightly as they cook.

Add the millet to the arugula along with 1 1/2 cups water and the tamari. Stir well, then cook, covered, over medium-low heat until the millet is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20-30 minutes.

Serves 4