We three beans (recipes that is)

After feasting on Thanksgiving food and three rounds of leftovers, you might need a break from indulgence (for both your pocketbook and wallet). Below are three healthful (or mostly healthful - I'm looking at you enchiladas!) dishes incorporating affordable dried beans. It's time to get creative!

I want to know - what's your favorite find in the bulk department of your grocer?

Chicken and White Bean Soup with Kale

2 cups dry white beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken legs (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
6-8 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bunch kale, chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

Put beans in a sauce pan and cover with 2 inches water. Bring it to a boil, let boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let sit 1 hour. Drain.

When beans are almost done, warm a dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and let warm. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in dutch oven and sear on all sides. Remove from pot and set on a place. Add onion, garlic and carrot and saute 5 minutes. Add chicken back to the pot, beans, chicken broth (use 8 cups for a very brothy soup, 6 cups for less) and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes until beans are fully cooked through. Remove rosemary stems and add in kale. Stir to let wilt - about 2 minutes. Serve in bowls with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

Rosemary Baked White Beans

1 pound white beans (I used cannellini)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 sprigs rosemary, tied together with kitchen twine
1 Parmigiano Reggiano rind (several Whole Foods Market stores sell the rinds separately. I always save mine in the freezer when I'm done to add flavor to soups)
2 teaspoons kosher salt

 Preheat oven to 325. Place beans in a large dutch oven and cover with 1 inch of water. Add in garlic, rosemary, parmesan rind and salt. Bake with the lid on for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, or until soft. Add additional salt to taste. Bonus, with any leftover beans, mash with a fork and a bit of olive oil for an easy spread or hummus replacement.

I served these with my own spin of the Smitten Kitchen's Mushroom Bourguignon. 

Butternut and White Bean Enchiladas

2 cups light sour cream
3 chipotles in adobo plus 2 tablespoons sauce
1 lime
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup cooked white beans
1 cup roasted butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups white cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, add sour cream, chipotles and sauce, lime and broth and pulse until smooth. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Then, spread 1/4 cup sour cream mixture evenly across the bottom.

Next, stir white beans, squash and salt and pepper in a bowl.

Next, spread 1 tablespoon sour cream sauce across the middle of a tortilla. Add 1/4 cup of white bean mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese and roll tightly; place in pan. Continue with remaining 7 tortillas until tightly fitted in pan. Spread remaining sour cream sauce evenly across tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 30 minutes until sauce is bubbling.

Not much to look at, but delicious!