Can these beans be meal prepped ahead of time?

Yes! This has actually been a regular meal I’ve been making recently. I’ll prep the beans, cool them then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. For the sauce, place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How can I make this meal higher in plant-protein?

There are a couple of ways to increase the protein in this meal. You can stir in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast into the beans or herb sauce. You may also want to consider adding in some TVP. If adding TVP, I would adjust the amount of vegetable broth depending on how much you choose to add. When serving, you can give a little protein bump by swapping the white rice for some quinoa.

How do you make beans easier for your gut to handle?

If you deal with gas when adding beans to your meal it is important to assess your current tolerance. Some people feel that they tolerate beans a lot better if those beans are well cooked and rinsed and drained really well. For others, your body might not be used to eating higher fiber items like beans. So first, ask yourself how often do you consume things like beans? If it’s infrequent, you may need to start with much smaller portions that you tolerate with no problem (think like 2 tbsp of beans to start with) then slowly add more beans as your tolerance improves. With any gut health issues or dietary changes, it helps to meet with a dietitian that can help work with you individually to achieve your goals.

Chipotle Lime Black Bean Bowls

Description

These Chipotle Lime Black Bean Bowls have the right amount of smoky flavor mixed with citrus for the perfect bite. Cooks in less than 30 minutes and great to meal prep ahead of the week.

Ingredients

Scale

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks cilantro, stems finely minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/2 tsp dry oregano
2 chipotle peppers, finely minced
2, 15oz cans of black beans, mostly drained
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar, optional
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
Kosher salt

Sauce

1/2 cup unsweetened plant-based yogurt
1/2 ripe medium avocado
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lime
1 clove garlic, grated
Handful chives
1/3 cup cilantro, stems removed
1/2 tsp dry oregano
1/4 cup water

For serving: baked plantains, cooked Jasmine rice, extra diced onion and peppers, sliced chives for garnish

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Instructions

Heat up the oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Once hot, add the onions and a pinch of salt and sauté until softened. Stir in the bell pepper and sauté again for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and cilantro stems, stirring well until fragrant then stir in the spices until well combined.
To the pan, add the chipotle peppers, black beans and vegetable broth. Stir to combine then bring everything to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Using the back of your cooking spatula or spoon, lightly mash 1/3 of the beans and stir again to combine. This will help thicken the stew.
Remove the pan from heat, stir in the maple syrup, lime juice and lime zest. Once combined, taste and adjust salt as desired.
For the sauce place the yogurt, avocado, vinegar, lime juice and zest, garlic, fresh and dry herbs, a pinch of salt, and water in a blender cup and blend until smooth. If too thick stir in 1-2 tbsp of water at a time until the sauce is at your desired consistency.
When ready to enjoy, serve the beans over rice and top with the avocado cilantro sauce.

Notes

Adjust the spice. If not a big fan of spicy food, replace the chipotle peppers with some tomato paste and an extra 1-2 tsp smoked paprika. Sauté the paste when added, giving it a few minutes to caramelize in the pan as needed before adding the beans and broth.

To better absorb the iron from the beans, include vitamin C with your meal. You get vitamin C from both the peppers and lime juice in this recipe. If I have extra bell pepper, I will sprinkle some fresh diced bell pepper on top when serving to help maximize on that vitamin C.

Adjust the consistency of your sauce. If making the sauce, do note that the blended consistency may vary depending on the thickness of your sauce. To fix this, after blending, add 1-2 tbsp of water to the sauce and blend again to see if it’s more to your liking.