This is a once a week favorite. Try it with different beans and pastas. Always satisfying. Great with a poached egg on top. (Revised March 2025)

Ingredients:
One can (drained and rinsed) of cannelloni, red or black beans
One pint container of cherry tomatoes, halved (around 10 to 12 oz.) You can use an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. Just add it  with the beans after the onions and garlic are done.
One yellow onion
Three or four cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried pasta, medium shells, penne, cellentani or similar,
One half teaspoon salt, more to taste
Ground pepper
Optional ground hot pepper flakes, cayenne, or your favorite chili paste
Chunk of Parmesan for grating
One cup chopped cilantro or parley

Directions:
Saute the onions and garlic, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper (and pepper flakes) and cook covered on low until the tomatoes dissolve, about 10 minutes or a little more. Add the beans, and cook another ten minutes. Check and stir every 5 minutes or so to be sure the tomato mixture does not stick to the pan. Add a little water if needed.
Turn off the heat, and when you  are ready, start the pasta.
Cook the pasta al dente, add to the tomato and beans. cook, stir, turn off the heat and mix in most of the cilantro.

Serve with cilantro garnish and grated Parmesan. We like Parmigiano Reggiano. Adding a poached egg makes this dish super.

A Hungarian friend suggested this. Easy as can be, and for such simple ingredients, awfully good.
We made it with rice as a side.

Ingredients:
3 Yellow bell peppers ( or little more than a pound of sweet banana peppers if you can find them)
2 Large yellow onions, about a pound
28oz. can whole peeled tomatoes (just use the tomatoes)
3 cloves garlic, crushed or diced
2 Teaspoons sweet Paprika (as fresh as possible, it's important)
1 Teaspoon salt, fresh pepper

Directions:
Slice the onions fairly thin, and cut the peppers into bite size chunks, (or slice them).
Saute the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, add the peppers and garlic, cook until the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes. Squeeze the tomatoes by hand, drop them in, add the paprika, salt and pepper,
Cook/simmer for 15 minutes. You should have a stew-like consistency. Serve hot.

Another nice surprise made from a modified Rose Shulman recipe. The garlic rubbed baguette toast is boffo. (Updated November 2024)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 cans of chickpeas, drained
6 oz. baby spinach
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved, about 5 to 6 ounces. (Or same amount of cut up fresh tomatoes)
1 largish yellow onion
3 or 4 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin seed, pan toasted briefly (or ground cumin if that's what is on hand)
Thick sliced french baguette bread, toasted, rubbed with cut cloves of garlic, and drizzled with olive oil. Or, use your garlic press and make a slurry of olive oil to brush on the bread.
Some fresh lemon slices

Directions:
Toast the cumin seed and then grind it in your mortar and pestle with the salt, pepper and cayenne.
In your large saucepan/pot saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes or so, add the tomatoes and simmer a few minutes until the tomatoes dissolve. Add the ground spices, stock or water, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water or stock if the mix is too dry. It should be slightly soupy. Turn off the heat. Relax. When you are ready,  toast the bread and prepare as above.
Put your toasted bread in your serving  bowls. Turn the heat back on the chickpea mix, add the spinach and stir and cook until just wilted. Serve on the toast, and add some lemon squeezes while eating.

This is fun to make and fun to eat, and easy once you have the ingredients. We discovered this in Boston at Moxie's in the seaport district, and I had to try to recreate it.
It's my favorite celebration meal now. (Revised 1/12/2025 to use dried mushrooms instead of fresh.)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
One sheet of Kombu, a kind of seaweed used in Japanese cooking

For the marinated mushrooms:
2 ounces dried, sliced, Shitake mushrooms. Get the best you can.
1/4 cup real soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 cups water

For the broth:
4 Tablespoons white or red miso paste
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Garlic/chili sauce to taste, around one teaspoon, or more
1/2 teaspoon white (or black) pepper
1 Tablespoon Shitake mushroom powder ( handy for a lot of dishes)
3 cups water

Other:
Around 10 oz dry ramen noodles. Get good ones.
4 oz baby spinach as bed for noodles
Three or four leaves of Napa cabbage cut into strips
1 bunch scallions, bulbs discarded and stems cut diagonally.
Two teaspoons sesame seeds, roasted in a small fry pan until brownish.

Directions:
Take two eggs out of fridge and let come to room temperature while you make the mushrooms and stock.

Mushrooms: This is best made beforehand, in the morning or the day before. Use a small pot to marinate the mushrooms. Bring the ingredients to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 1/2 hour. Pour into small Pyrex bowl, cover, Let sit until you are ready to use. Stir every once in a while.
 In your soup pot, use the 3 cups water to simmer a sheet of Kombu for a half hour. ( You can skip the Kombu, but what the hell.)

Broth: Put all the broth ingredients except the water into  a Pyrex measuring cup or small bowl. Set aside.
Discard the seaweed when it is done, then add some of the hot  seaweed broth to the Pyrex cup of ingredients. Mix until the miso is smooth. Take care to dissolve lumps of miso.
Now pour your Pyrex cup of ingredients into the Kombu water. Simple. Add the marinated mushrooms and the marinade. Reheat when you are ready to eat.

To make the eggs: Put the eggs in boiling water for 6 1/2 minutes. Quickly put into an ice water bath.
When cooled, peel and slice in half.

When everything is ready, cook your noodles (usually around 2 to 4 minutes), strain and place on top of your two bowls of spinach leaves. Ladle the broth on top, arrange the cabbage, scallions and eggs, and top with sesame seeds.
Or just go to Moxie's, have a nice night out.

This recipe may be the fastest, goodest, easiest of all the FastGoodEasy recipes so far. One pot too. My sister in law introduced me to a boil only version. I was a skeptic.
It is worthwhile finding a good source for Farro. We use a pearled variety that is packaged well and cooks in 25 minutes.

Ingredients:
One cup Farro, rinsed.
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Cloves garlic, minced or squeezed
One medium onion, chopped coarsely
8 to 10 ounces ripe tomato, cherry or other size, halved or chopped very coarsely
6 ounces or so of spinach, bite size
One teaspoon salt, fresh pepper
2 Cups water or broth


Directions:
Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil, add the tomatoes, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes dissolve, about 10 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, farro and water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, only a few seconds.
Serve with Parmesan, hot pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Another sturdy combination of pasta and beans that could be the poster child for FastGoodEasy.
A delicious cold weather choice, but good anytime. One pot too.
Inexpensive, nutritious, simple. (Revised July, 2024)

Ingredients:
One can chickpeas, drained
One cup ditalini or other small pasta, about 4 to 5 oz. Ditalini seems to work best.
8 oz. fresh tomatoes
One medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Sprinkle of hot pepper flakes
6 oz of chopped spinach, more if it suits you
2 1/2 cups water. Adjust as needed for stew-like consistency
Teaspoon or more salt, fresh ground pepper. Adjust the salt at the end.
Olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Saute the onion, garlic and pepper flakes a few minutes. Cut the tomatoes up a little, add them to the pot with the salt and pepper,  lower the heat and cook covered until dissolved, about ten minutes. Add a little of the water and the chickpeas, and use your potato masher to squash about half the chickpeas. Add the rest of the water. Turn off the heat until you are ready to go.
Then heat to a boil, add the pasta, cook until al dente. You might have to stir a little if the stew is thick.
Add the spinach and cook just until wilted, a few seconds.
Serve with Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

Try it. A real surprise combination of pasta and potatoes. This Southwest breakfast favorite is an excellent casual dinner. Just substitute a glass of wine for the cup of coffee. (Revised July,2024)

Ingredients:
One pound Russet potatoes, cut into 3/4 " chunks
One cup or a little more dry small pasta. I like Mezzi Rigatoni, about 3.5 oz.
One large red onion, chopped
One medium green bell pepper, chopped
One medium red bell pepper, chopped
One Jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped fine, or chopped pickled hot jalapeno (optional)
One teaspoon salt, fresh black pepper
Four Tablespoons olive oil
Four eggs
Cilantro or parsley to garnish

Directions:
This is very much a no panic meal. You can take your time, It just needs to be heated right before the poached eggs go on.
In a large pan saute/cook the onion, peppers, jalapeno, salt and pepper in the olive oil until the onion is becoming transparent, a few minutes.  Cover, turn off the heat.
Cook the potatoes and pasta in the same pot. Boil the potatoes in with extra water for 25 to 30 minutes, then add the pasta and cook until the pasta is done. Then drain the potato/pasta in a colander and add them to your vegetables.
Poke, push and prod the mixture until the potatoes lose a little of themselves to the other ingredients.

When you are ready to go, get the eggs poaching and reheat and remix the potato/pepper/pasta.
Divide into two bowls, slide the eggs on, and sprinkle on a little cayenne and black pepper.
Garnish with cilantro or parsley.

Now my vice of choice. A coconut variation of the 666er. (Revised 5/2024).
The coconut helps prevent breaking a tooth if you are eating them frozen. And delicious, of course. I have these every night.
If you were in shape you could hold your breath for as long as it takes to make them.

Ingredients:
Ghiradelli 60% dark chocolate baking chips
Baker's sweet coconut flakes,
Maybe a little coarse salt.

Directions:
Put about an ounce of chips in as many silicone baking cups as you like, put the cups on a plate and microwave for two or three minutes, until just melted (All microwaves are different)
Take out. Use  a toothpick to stir between a pinch and a gob of coconut flakes into each cup. Add a little coarse salt if you like.
Cool. Despair.

 '
Fast and fun, and close enough to the real thing.  It's good with the eggs, but you can do without. Only try it if you have really fresh sprouts. (Edited May, 2024)

Ingredients:
Half pound of angel hair pasta ( I break the package in half to make the pieces manageable)
2 small limes. Use one or the sauce and cut other into wedges for squeezing.
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/3 cup peanuts, crushed in your mortar and pestle
3 scallions, white parts sliced fine, green parts 1" long.
One carrot,  grated
2 Cups or more of Mung Bean sprouts. If they are packaged, make sure they should be white and crisp. (We just started sprouting our own from seed so we could be sure of freshness.)

Sauce: Mix together the juice of the lime, two tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons good soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or a squirt of Sriracha sauce.

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in your wok or deep saucepan, crack the eggs on the oil, turn off the heat, and just let them sit there. They should partially cook with nice white edges. Relax.
When you are ready, cook the pasta. Drain and put directly on the eggs. Then turn on the heat,  medium high, and stir and cook just a minute or two until the eggs are done. Then turn off the heat, add the vegetables and the sauce, combine everything well, and serve with the crushed peanuts and lime wedges, which are important.

 Corn cut from the cob, and a lime/yogurt dressing make this a great summer dinner salad. Find your freshest corn and ripest cherry tomatoes. This makes a lot of salad, so maybe a lunch too. (Updated June 2023 to simplify ingredients)

Ingredients:
3 pieces corn on cob,  Slice the kernels off the cobs.
One can black or red beans, drained and rinsed. We like the small red beans.
1/2 pound chunky pasta, shells or similar
Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Red bell pepper, sliced or chopped
Small head or four or five leaves of Romaine lettuce, chopped, or a couple handfuls of baby spinach
One lime for the dressing, and plain Greek whole milk or 2% Greek yogurt. We like Fage because of the consistency.

Dressing:
To half a cup of plain Greek yogurt add one clove finely chopped garlic, the juice of one lime, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, three tablespoons olive oil, fresh ground pepper and a half teaspoon salt. Add a little cayenne if you are feeling frisky.
Whisk with a fork.

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients is a large bowl. Serve in separate bowls and garnish with a dollop of dressing, with extra dressing on the side. Sprinkle with ground pepper or cayenne for color.

This is a kind of wonderful alchemy from Rose Shulman of the NYT. The marinade is cold, the pasta is hot, and the result is startling. A little hard to believe something so simple and so easy to make, is so good. You can serve it hot or room temperature. (Revised June 2021)

Ingredients:
3/4 pound fusille, orecchiette, or other pasta.
One pint of ripe cherry tomatoes, or about 10 oz Compari tomatoes. They should be ripe and juicy for this recipe.
2 small or one large garlic clove, minced fine
1 cup firmly packed arugula
3 or 4 basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper
Parmesan for grating.

Direction
Quarter the tomatoes, chop the arugula, "sliver" or finely chop the basil, mince the garlic, and put in a large bowl with the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix and let marinate for 20 minutes or more. Stir the mixture a few times while it sits.
There is no hurry. When you are ready, cook the pasta and add it to the bowl, mix together and serve with the Parmesan. It is good hot, warm or room temperature.

 A delicious stew flavored with Korean Gochujang (goh-choo-jang) sauce. Deeply spicy, salty, sweet, and with Umami to spare.
Make it with kale or spinach. If you use kale, add it for the last ten minutes of cooking. For spinach, just submerge it in the hot liquid until it wilts, just a few seconds.

Ingredients:
One pound new potatoes, halved
One can white (cannellini) beans, drained. Use two cans if you love white beans. We do.
One large red onion, chopped coarsely
A large carrot is a nice addition. Chopped or sliced.
6 garlic cloves, chopped
Around 6 oz. of spinach or kale (stems removed)
3 or 4 Tablespoons of Gochujang paste (supermarkets, Amazon). Test for level of heat.
2 Tablespoons real soy sauce, not low sodium
One teaspoon of brown sugar for luck
Three cups of water or vegetable broth

Directions:
Mix the sugar, soy sauce and Gochujang in a cup, to save time
Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil a few minutes. Add the water and all ingredients except the spinach or kale
Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 30 minutes. (If using kale, add it for the last ten minutes). Turn off the heat, add the spinach, cook a few seconds until it wilts.
Serve with more sauce on the side.

You can use Farro or Barley too, just adjust the cook times. Make it as spicy and salty you like. An excellent way to get that extraordinary miso taste.

Ingredients:
One pound of mushrooms, tough stems removed, very coarsely chopped.
One cup brown rice, farro or barley
3 tablespoons Red or White Miso, more at the table. Mix the miso and soy with some hot soup water before adding it to the pot. This will dissolve the miso clumps.
2 tablespoons real soy sauce
6 oz. baby spinach
One small bunch of scallions, chopped
Hot pepper flakes, sriracha, or other hot pepper sauce to taste.
6 cups water, some olive oil.

Directions:
In your soup pot cook the mushrooms, scallions (and pepper flakes) in 3 tablespoons olive oil until the mushrooms  have reduced and lost their moisture to the pot. Add the brown rice and water, and cook 40 minutes. Adjust time if using farro or barley.  Add more water if needed. When done, add the dissolved miso and soy then add the spinach. Cook just a few seconds more until the spinach is wilted.
Serve with a sprinkle of fresh black pepper and with additional dissolved miso and hot sauce on your dinner table.

Sometimes potatoes just hit the spot.  It's great when something unassuming like this works.
Serve it with or without the poached egg. It is good without the egg, but great with it. (Revised February 2024)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs. baby potatoes cut in half. An assortment works great, pretty and tasty.
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
I cup water or vegetable stock
1 cup cilantro or parsley chopped coarsely
6 small or three large scallions, white and green parts sliced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Grind the spices together in your mortar and pestle. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion well, add the ground spices, potatoes and chickpeas, and stir to coat everything. Add the stock or water, heat to just boiling, turn heat down to a simmer, cover, cook 15 minutes, stir, cover, cook another 15 minutes.
Most of the liquid will have been absorbed. Turn off the heat, add the scallions and most of the cilantro. Poach the eggs, plate the potatoes and add the poached eggs. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

This is spicy, and fun to eat: Requires deft spoonwork. A little sour cream, a little tortilla...
Even better the next day. (Revised February 2024)
 
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups red lentils
4 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock
2  Chipotle peppers, chopped, (or 1 for less heat) and a little sauce from canned Chipolte peppers, ("Embasa", or "Goya" for example). You can freeze the extra peppers in individual snack bags.
1  14 oz.can of diced  tomatoes, undrained. I like "Fire Roasted"
1 teaspoon of cumin seed, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper (ground together in a  mortar and pestle)
Garnish: sour cream/ Greek yogurt mixture, cilantro or parsley and toasted tortilla chips (there are a lot of fun flavored snack packs to choose from).

Directions:
Saute the onion, garlic and bell peppers in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, a few minutes. Add the spices, lentils, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and water, bring to a simmer, and cook at least 30 minutes. Use your stick blender to consolidate the ingredients.
The soup should be thick, but add a little more water if needed for the right consistency.
When done, garnish with broken tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, and the sour cream/Greek yogurt mix. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper for color.

I make this a lot when I am on my own. I used to cook the eggs separately, but this is simpler. (Updated October 2023)

Ingredients:
5 eggs
One cup of uncooked white rice (you can use brown rice too)
Scallions, about one cup chopped (* or half an onion) Save some scallions for garnish
3 Tablespoons olive oil
Hot chili paste (optional)
 
Directions:
Cook the rice.
When the rice is done, in a large pan or wok (non stick works best) saute the scallions in the olive oil, add the eggs, break them up and stir until almost done, add the rice, stir to combine. (I add hot chili paste to the oil before starting to cook)
Top with scallions and serve with real soy sauce. Kikkoman is very good.
Halve the recipe for a single portion, use two or three eggs, same amount of olive oil.

Canned white beans and fried eggs. Delicious. You could just poach the eggs, but the chewy edges of the fried eggs are tasty. And just enough hocus pocus to make you feel like a real cook.

Ingredients:
2 cans white beans, undrained
4 eggs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
Fresh lime
Hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper

Directions:
In your skillet cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until slightly browned, several minutes. Add the beans and cook until the liquid is thickened. Turn off the heat, and use a potato masher or large spoon to mash the beans. Add fresh pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover to keep warm.
In a large saucepan heat 4 tablespoons olive oil until glistening, then slide the pre-cracked eggs onto the oil. When the egg whites start to brown, turn off the heat, add pepper flakes, then tilt the pan so you can use a large spoon to ladle hot oil over the egg whites to finish cooking.
Serve the eggs over the beans with a squeeze of lime on each. (You can use lemon or vinegar too.)

 A street food from Shaanxi province in China. In the authentic version hot oil is poured over the spices, but here I made it easier and with less oil.
This is something you would want after the bar closes. A new favorite. (Revised July 2023)

Ingredients:
12oz. wide pasta. Fettuccine or linguine work well. I break them into quarters. Also egg noodles. Pictured above are Chinese "hand cut noodles".
6 to 10 oz. baby spinach or Bok Choy
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon fiery "roasted chili pepper paste".
4 to 6 cloves minced garlic, or more. (Don't crush them)
4 small or 2 large scallions sliced thinly
1/4 cup minced cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon full strength soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark or mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (Chinese black vinegar if you have it)
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Mix the soy sauces and vinegar in a small bowl. Put the pepper flakes, scallions, garlic and cilantro on a small plate.
Cut the greens into preferred shape and size. Spinach is OK uncut.
Have your wok ready with the oil.  While you are boiling the pasta (in salted water), heat the oil to just about smoking, then quickly dump the scallions etc. into the oil, and stir the sizzling pieces for 10 seconds. Add the soy mixture and stir for another 10 seconds. Turn off heat.
When the noodles are just about done, add the greens and submerge them in the cooking water with the noodles until they wilt, 30 seconds or less.
Drain the noodles and greens, pour them into your wok, and mix.

Cold pasta for hot days. You can use most any vegetable you like. If you have a dinner party, serve the vegetables and sauce on the side in separate bowls so your guests can build their own meals. The recipe is easy to scale up. (Revised May 2023)

Ingredients:
12 oz. pasta. I like Linguini or Fettuccine. (To make the pasta easier to cook and eat, you can break the pieces in half by bending the box over the counter. Be sure to stir the pasta when you first put it in the boiling water to stop the pieces from sticking together).
5 or 6 leaves or small heart of Romaine lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
Handful of pea pods, bite size
Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, de-seeded and sliced 1/4 inch
Half of a red onion, sliced thinly, optional
One tablespoon toasted sesame oil to mix with cold cooked pasta

Directions:
Cook the pasta in salted water per directions, drain and rinse in cold water, put in your serving bowl and mix with the tablespoon of sesame oil. Refrigerate until well chilled.
When ready, mix the vegetables with the pasta and serve with the sauce on the side.

Peanut Butter Sauce:
Beat together three large spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter (around 1/3 to 1/2 cup) with one tablespoon sugar, two tablespoons real soy sauce, two tablespoons lime juice, two tablespoons rice vinegar , 2 cloves finely minced garlic and a sprinkle or more of cayenne pepper. Add water to blend to the consistency of heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. (You can use less peanut butter, it will just make the  sauce a little thinner, but will still taste great.)
If you have an easy to clean jar with a lid, use that to get the peanut butter to mix easily. Just shake it until you have a good consistency.

Fun and fast to put together, and a family favorite. You can use any short pasta. (Revised 4/13/23)

Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1/2 pound small pasta
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 of 9 oz bag of baby spinach
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin, optional (sometimes the onion can be harsh)
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives (bulk baby olives from Amazon save you a ton)
1/2 of a 6 oz block of feta cheese, approx. 3 oz, crumbled. (It is still good without the cheese.)

Directions:
Make the dressing first: Combine 4 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or  red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon each of salt, sugar, Dijon mustard and 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Whisk together with a fork. Let it sit while you make the salad.

Cook the pasta al dente, drain and rinse with cold water
Cut off ends of cucumber, peel and slice it lengthwise.Use a spoon to remove the seeds. Stack the halves and cut into 1/4" slices.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half
Cut red onion into thin slices
Roughly chop the Kalamata olives
Put all the above in a large bowl with the spinach, crumble the feta on top, add the dressing and toss well.

 Here's a fun quick one. Black beans with spices, soy sauce and vinegar topped with cheese, cabbage and salsa. We are having this a lot.
I am using 9 1/2" "Burrito Grande" now. The recipe makes 2 of these, and I eat it like a pizza, but with a fork.

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans, drained but not rinsed
8" soft flour or corn tortillas,  (This recipe made three tacos, one each and one we split. Plenty.)
1 Teaspoon smoked Paprika
1 Teaspoon chili powder
1 small bunch of scallions, chopped, bulb ends discarded.
2 Tablespoons real soy sauce
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water

Toppings:
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Shredded cabbage (bagged cole slaw works) or chopped spinach or romaine
Salsa of choice, we like green for this
Chopped hot cherry peppers


Directions:
Add the soy sauce and vinegar to the half cup water, set aside.
Put the scallions, Paprika and chili powder on a small plate, set aside.
Heat the oil until hot, add the dish of scallions and spices, stir ten seconds, add the beans and water mixture, cook while using your potato masher to mush the beans and flavorings. Cook until hot, turn off the heat.
When ready, put a tortilla on a plate, top with beans and cheese, put in microwave for 30 seconds to a minute (until cheese melts and taco is hot), take out and top with cabbage and salsa, and some hot peppers if you feel feisty.

 Black beans, a few spices, raw onion and vinegar.  Hard to beat. Serve it with Cuban Bread and you have greatness.

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
One 8 oz, can tomato sauce
One small yellow onion, chopped
One small green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each cumin seed, oregano, cayenne pepper and one teaspoon salt ground together in a mortar and pestle
1 1/4 cups water or vegetable stock, maybe a little more
Toppings: Chopped red onion, sour cream/Greek yogurt mixture, red wine vinegar

Directions:
In your soup pot saute the onion, garlic and green pepper in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans and water, ground spices, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the beans begin to fall apart, 30 to 45 minutes.
Turn heat off and use a potato masher to thicken the soup into almost a puree.
Serve with the sour cream and red onions, and sprinkle liberally with red wine vinegar as you eat. It is hard to overdo it.

 From James Beard to Craig Claiborne to here. No offense, but you have not lived until this bread comes out of the oven and settles down next to your Black Bean soup. A little under ten minutes of actual work to go from plain flour to greatness. Try it with Cuban Black Bean Soup. Heaven.
(Revised February 2023)

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons packaged dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 to 4 cups all purpose flour (buy a small 2 pound bag)

Directions:
Use hot tap water to warm a mixing bowl ( I use a 9" Pyrex) for a few minutes.
When you are ready to start, turn the oven on "Keep Warm" and set the timer for 10 minutes.
Put one cup warm water in the warmed mixing bowl, add the sugar and salt, stir, add the yeast, stir,
then start adding flour straight from the bag, mixing with a wooden spoon.
Add flour and stir until the dough starts to form a ball and pulls away from the bowl. Use your floured hands to pull the dough off the spoon and start forming the dough into a ball, adding more flour as you need it.
Add a layer of flour to your cutting board/countertop, drop the ball of flour on it  and start to push and pull the dough until you have a kind springy ball about the size of a small grapefruit. You will be adding sprinklings of flour while you knead. Don't overdo the flour, add just enough to form a ball.
Leave the ball of flour on the counter while you clean the bowl. Dry the bowl out, put a little olive oil in the bowl, spread it around with your fingers, put the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat with the olive oil.
Put a damp towel over the bowl.
The oven timer should go off about now. The oven needs to be warm , but not hot. You need a warm place (optimum temp is 80 to 85 degrees) to let the yeast work.  Open the oven the whole way to let the hottest air out, put the bowl in the oven, shut the door, and wait one hour.
OK. When you open the oven an hour later, the dough should have about doubled in size. If so, dump it onto your floured surface,  mold it a little, cut it in two, and shape the dough into round loaves or longish rolls, like French bread.
Put them on a parchment lined or cornmeal dusted baking sheet, and let them rise for five minutes. Then slash the tops crosswise two or three times, and using a brush or paper towel, gently coat the tops with water.
Slip the baking pan into the cold oven, turn to 400 degrees, and wait 40 to 45 minute until the bread is crusty and brown. Take it out and serve it as soon as you can handle the loaves, only a few minutes.
If ever butter was put to better use, I'd like to know.

Yellow split peas have a delicious distinct flavor. They just take a long time to cook. This is easy and nutritious, but not fast. Have it with a salad and it is all you need.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup yellow split peas
1/2 pound potatoes, cut into bite size pieces. I like Russet
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, fresh ground black pepper
5 cups water
1 cup or so chopped parsley
Sour cream or whole Greek yogurt

Directions:
In your deep pot saute the onion, bell pepper and carrot in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until soft, add the split peas, potatoes, cumin, salt and pepper and water. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and cook for 50 minutes to an hour. ( I like to pre=soak the peas in a Pyrex bowl with 3 cups of boiling water, then just add the extra 2 cups of water when cooking)
The peas should not be crunchy. Use your stick blender to smooth everything out.
Add the parsley, stir, and serve with the sour cream or yogurt. Maybe some cayenne on top for looks.

A very good lunch. Could be a dinner too. Farro is one of the ancient "super" grains with a wonderful texture.

Ingredients:
One cup of pearled farro, plus water per directions, usually 2 cups
One or two eggs per serving
Pat of butter optional
Good soy sauce
Black pepper

Directions:
Cook the farro until just chewy, drain excess water by tilting the pot while holding the lid on. Cook the eggs. Put the hot farro in bowls, add a pat of butter, add the egg(s), grind some pepper and add good soy sauce