Healthy and Easy Black Bean Salad

Today I made this very easy and healthy Black Bean Salad for lunch!

You can add an organic egg on the side, for some extra protein and nutrients if you like...here's how I made the salad by tossing all the following ingredients together...

1 can Goya Black Beans (Low-Sodium), which I rinsed and drained;
1/2 Red Bell Pepper;
2 Scallions;
1 Roma Tomato;
Cilantro, chopped up;
Freshly-ground Black Pepper;
Just a dash of my fav low-fat Italian Dressing.

After everything was mixed together, I let it sit in the fridge for about one hour covered in plastic wrap, so that all the flavors could meld together nicely!  

It came out yummy!

Healthy and Delicious!

  

Turkey and Black Bean Chili with Corn Cakes

I decided today was a good day to make Chili...Turkey Chili, using ground turkey breast and Black Beans.  Ooh LaLa.  LOL

Shredded cheese added on top, starting to melt...Yum,
with Corn Cake on the side...Double Yum!

The first step was to saute the ground turkey in a bit of olive oil.  When the turkey seems cooked through and just slightly brown, I added the following ingredients, diced up...yellow bell pepper, Vidalia onion, scallions, tomato and cilantro.  I mixed everything thoroughly and then added fresh-ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and some garlic powder.  

I took some help from a small packet of McCormick Chili seasoning (1.25 oz.), which I added to the above and let simmer for about 20 minutes with a bit of water added also.  I like to use this ready made seasoning packet because it's basically all the spices you need for Chili, and McCormick doesn't add msg or any artificial flavorings.

While everything was simmering, I added half a can of rinsed black beans.

All the ingredients simmering together nicely...

For the Corn Cakes, I used PAN Brand yellow Corn Meal.  It's finely ground and imported from Colombia.  They are famous for their corn cakes, which are called "Arepas".  
Please e-mail me if you want the recipe for the corn cakes.  As you can see by the finished product, below, I made one giant corn cake and then cut it up into smaller portions.  They are really delicious and go nicely with the Chili! 

Happy Chili making!