Recipe(tried): Fat Tuesday's Skinny Red Beans with Almost Fat-Free Cornbread

This cookbook (Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites) has been a big help with my eating change. Although the bean recipe calls for sauteing the onions & garlic in olive oil, I substituted some homemade veggie broth for the oil. Tasted great! If you use fresh herbs in place of dried, add them when you add the tomatoes and beans. I have also been using this cornbread for desserts, drizzled with a bit of pure maple syrup, a cut-up banana and a bit of vanilla soy milk. Yum! It makes a very dense, somewhat heavy cornbread, better for topping with things as opposed to eating plain.

Fat Tuesday's Skinny Red Beans
Servings: 4 to 6

2 cups chopped onions
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup veggie broth (recipe calls for 2 teaspoons olive oil)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped bell peppers (red, green, yellow, or orange, or a combination)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (I used a heaping Tablespoon of fresh)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (I used a teaspoon of fresh)
1 teaspoon dried basil (I didn't have any)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram (I used a bit of ground)
pinch of cayenne, or more to taste
3 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (28 oz. can)
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned kidney beans (15 oz. can, drained) I increased this to 2 cans of light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used spicy brown)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen sliced okra (optional) I didn't have any
salt and ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley or minced scallions

Combine the onions, garlic and vegetable broth in a soup pot. Cover and saute on medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened.

Add the carrots, celery, bell peppers, oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram and cayenne. Cover and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.

When the vegetables are just tender, stir in the tomatoes, kidney beans, mustard, brown sugar and okra if desired. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with parsley or scallions. I served this over the following cornbread:

Almost Fat-Free Cornbread
Makes one 8-inch square or 9-inch round cornbread

2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 egg whites*
3/4 cup non fat yogurt or buttermilk
1/2 cup pureed cooked pumpkin, sweet potato or winter squash (note in the recipe says you can use a 4 -4 1/2 oz. can of baby food squash or sweet potato puree. If you have to open a larger can of pumpkin, you can freeze the leftover puree in a tightly sealed container for at least a month.)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached white flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8 inch square or 9 inch round baking pan with cooking spray or very lightly coat it with oil. Set it aside.

In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar, egg whites, yogurt or buttermilk and pumpkin (or sweet potato or squash) until frothy.

Sift the cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder into the mixing bowl. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed. Pour the batter into the oiled pan.

Bake uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot or at room temperature.

*Note also says for a low fat version with a lighter texture than this nonfat version, add 1/4 cup of canola oil and 1 egg yolk to the wet ingredients and follow the rest of the recipe as above.

Source: Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites