Black Beans and Polenta

I found this recipe on the back of a Westbrae Natural Organic Black Bean can. The great thing about it is that it's so easy and you probably have everything in your pantry already!

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 can black beans
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes
Polenta (or cornbread, rice or couscous)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add everything except the beans and tomatoes. Saute until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans and heat until bubbly. Serve over slices of pan-grilled polenta (or cornbread or rice.)

Note: I didn't have any dried coriander so I used fresh cilantro instead (which is what coriander is.) I also served it with couscous because my daughter loves it. You can also season it a bit more to taste. So yummy and healthy!

Soft and Chewy Caramel Popcorn

This caramel popcorn is my new obsession! It took me a few tries to get it down right, but now that I can make it as well as my friend who introduced it to me, I'm probably going to put on a few pounds. This makes a ton so be prepared to share it, or spend the next 3 days eating caramel popcorn (that's what I do!).

1 cube butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup corn syrup
2 2/3 cup brown sugar
4-5 bags microwave popcorn (I like to use plain, or light butter) popped with kernals removed

Put popped popcorn in a LARGE bowl and set aside
Combine all other ingredients in a large pot and melt together. Once melted bring to a full boil, stirring constantly and let boil for about 1 minute. You should see the texture and color change a little bit. Turn off heat a pour over popcorn. Mix well, scraping the bottom of the bowl to evenly coat your popcorn. Store in tupperware, or in ziplock bags. YUMMY!