What about Beans?!

[serious crayons]

My latest meal involving beans is a turkey tortilla soup. It is a delicious mixture of black beans, corn, shredded turkey, Rotel tomatoes and chili, chicken broth, onions, garlic, and potatoes with garnishes of sour cream, green onion, and crisped tortilla strips.

I use roughly those ingredients to make what Minnesotans call a hotdish. My folks was Iowan, so I used to call it a casserole like normal people do, but in recent years I've embraced hotdish as part of my MN identity.

Anyway, I use similar ingredients except the broth and potatoes, typically using chicken rather than turkey, whole tortillas rather than strips, and adding red peppers. I layer everything with shredded cheese and splash with enchilada sauce, serve with sour cream.

[Jeff Wrangler]

What do you mean? It sounds healthy to me.

Well, I have to use canned chili and canned beans, and canned things, I think, are frequently loaded with salt. The cheese probably isn't very healthy either.

Maybe some day I'll learn to make my own.

[serious crayons]

Maybe some day I'll learn to make my own.

They are extremely easy. As you know from your mother's preparation, you just rinse them, throw them in a pot of water to sit overnight, drain off the water and add fresh water or broth, put on a burner or in a crockpot and voila.

Of course, you can also add seasonings, chopped onion or pepper, tomato sauce, ham, etc. That means slightly more work but the actual cooking of the beans is pretty easy.