Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad

So, now you've rehydrated those black beans and they are ready to use - what should you make with them.  Well here is one recipe that my family really enjoys. . .

Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (still frozen)

1 cup mesquite marinade (or any southwest flavor)

1 bunch  red leaf lettuce, rinsed, drained, and chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup black beans

1 cup cooked corn

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Kraft Honey Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1. Earlier in the day place frozen chicken breasts in a crock pot and pour marinade over.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  You could also marinade the chicken overnight and then grill.  Allow chicken to cool and then slice into 1/4 inch strips.

2. To assemble salads:  Divide lettuce between 6 large bowls.  Divide remaining ingredients among the bowls layering cilantro, black beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes, chicken, and chips.  Drizzle lightly with barbecue sauce then top with ranch dressing.  Serve immediately.

Tips

1.  You can use a can of black beans drained and rinsed, or I like to buy my beans dried and soak and cook them (find out how here).  I then drain and divide them into quart size freezer ziplock bags and freeze until needed.  They can be quickly defrosted in the microwave if you forget to get them out earlier.  This is much more economical (1 pound of dried beans is $1 and this makes about 4-6 cans worth).

2.  My husband prefers to use salsa and ranch for his dressing.

Dried Black Beans - An All Around Winner

Dried beans are a wonderful and inexpensive staple.  They are also full of nutrition and easy to store long term in #10 cans.  For years I have used canned black beans whenever I needed black beans in a recipe.  When the cost of these cans of beans kept increasing, I looked for an alternative.  I noticed that I could buy a one pound bag of dried black beans for the same price as a can of beans, but my dilemma was how to turn those dry beans into what I was already used to using "prepared" in the can.  It is so simple (although it does take a few hours) and a one pound bag yields the equivalent of 4-5 cans.  When I'm done I just place them in freezer quart ziplocks and freeze until needed.

First, put your dry beans in a pan and sort out any rocks (I almost always find a rock or two, but not today) and any odd looking beans.

Then rinse the beans and cover them with about 6 cups of warm water. Now the beans need to soak. There are 2 methods for this 1.  You can let them sit in the pan overnight or 2.  Bring the water to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, then remove them from the heat, cover and let sit for an hour.  I almost always use the second method, because it's quicker and requires less planning ahead!

   

                    

After your beans have soaked, drain off the water.  You now need to cook the beans.  So cover them with water, again, and put them back on the stove.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1-2 hours.  The older the beans, the longer they'll need to cook.  I start checking the texture of the beans after 45 minutes, and then I check every 15 minutes until they have the mouth feel I am looking for.

                    

Then drain off most of the water.  I leave some water in the pan and bag it with the beans in case I need some "bean juice" in my recipe.

Ok, so now you just need to let them cool and bag 'em up.  I put over a cup and a half of beans in each bag - I'm pretty sure thats way more than would come out of the can.  Just look at how much more you get for the same amount of money!

Use however much you need and freeze the rest. When you need to use one of the frozen bags, just defrost on the counter for an hour or two or in the fridge overnight.  If you need them quicker pop the bag in the microwave for 1 minute on defrost (60% power), and you're off and running!