Recipes

Creamy Butterbeans
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pound of butterbeans
  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease or butter
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1/3 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup diced carrot
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped smoked ham
  • 2 ham hocks
  • 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS
  • Place butterbeans in a stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with 1-inch of water. Bring to a boil. Place lid on pot and remove from heat. Let sit 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat bacon fat over medium heat. 
  • Add onion, celery, and carrots and saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add ham, ham hocks, chicken broth, water, bay leaves, garlic powder, thyme, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.
  • Once beans have been sitting for an hour, drain them.
  • Add beans, butter, and Cajun or Creole seasoning to the chicken broth mixture after it has simmered for 1 hour. Continue to simmer for 60 to 90 minutes. If liquid level gets too low (ie not all the beans are submerged), add more water.
  • Remove ham hocks. Let cool slightly and then remove any meat from the bone, chop it up and return it to the pot.
  • Serve as is for a side dish or serve over rice with a side of cornbread for a main dish.

Feel Better Chicken Sweet Potato Soup INGREDIENTS
¾ lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs ⅓ cup jasmine rice, rinsed 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 2" piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced Kosher salt 2 small sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½"-thick rounds 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. soy sauce ½ bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped Freshly ground black pepper

RECIPE PREPARATION Bring chicken, rice, garlic, ginger, and 5 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add a big pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until rice has swelled and chicken is firm, 10–12 minutes. Add potatoes to pan and cook over medium-low heat, still uncovered and stirring occasionally, until soup is thickened and potatoes and rice are tender, 15–20 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a bowl and shred with 2 forks, then return to pot. Stir in lemon juice and soy sauce; taste soup and season with salt if needed. Divide soup among bowls. Top with cilantro and lots of black pepper.

Heart Healthy Pork Chops
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons reduced-fat Italian salad dressing, divided
  • 4 small potatoes (about 1-1/2 pounds)
  • 1/2 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  • Place pork chops and 1/2 cup salad dressing in a large bowl; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Refrigerate remaining salad dressing.
  • Preheat oven to 400°. Cut each potato lengthwise into 12 wedges. Arrange potatoes and Brussels sprouts in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle vegetables with remaining salad dressing; toss to coat. Roast 20 minutes.
  • Drain pork, discarding marinade. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Stir vegetables; place pork chops over top. Roast 15-20 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted in pork reads 145°. Preheat broiler.
  • In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper; stir in butter. Top pork with crumb mixture. Broil 4-6 in. from heat 1-2 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes.
Butterbean or Pea Recipe

Ingredients:
Fresh Shelled or Frozen Butterbeans (Call store for availability) 
1 Pack Goya Ham Seasoning or Ham/Bacon trimmings
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
1) If they are fresh vegetables that you just purchased then wash the vegetables at least 2 times to insure that they are clean and any trash is picked out of them.  (If they are already blanched and frozen then let them thaw and skip to Step 2. )
2) Place them in a pot and add water to at least cover the vegetables and then place them on the stove at med-high heat for at least 30 minutes to an hour (depends on variety).  Lady fingers, sadandy, white acres and other young/green peas need to cook longer than any other varieties. 
3) Add your flavoring.  That can be olive oil with salt and pepper, Goya seasoning, or a piece of ham or bacon.   Season them to your personal tastes. 
4) Once they are finished cooking, remove them from the heat and serve.  They should be tender and not hard or crunchy. 
Pumpkin-Pecan Cobbler
For the Cobbler
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
For the ToppingINSTRUCTIONS
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices. Set aside.
  • In a smaller bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, melted butter and vanilla together to combine. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to create a thick batter. Pour into a small 8-inch casserole dish with high sides.
  • In a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar and pecans together. Spread over the top of the batter evenly. Pour hot water over the entire thing {WITHOUT STIRRING A THING!} and bake for 40 minutes or once the middle is set. {Be sure to place on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over.} Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with more pecans and vanilla ice cream.