Kidney Beans and Chard in Coconut Milk

Posted on | September 19, 2010 | 13 Comments |

Kidney Bean sand Chard

A lot of people I know are under the assumption that dieting is all about sacrificing good food and eating boring meals. Most of these folks can be put in one of two camps – they are either in awe or they feel sorry for me. Then there are the ones who think that dieting is not healthy. In reality I eat better and healthier meals when I am on a strict SBD plan. The amount of vegetables I eat per week when on SBD will easily come to more than my vegetable consumption for a whole month when I am off the diet. And it is not hard to eat this way. You just need a little bit of imagination to come up with some simple and easy vegetarian sides to substitute for the rice or bread that you’ve been used to. All this week I will share some simple vegetarian sides that I eat in place of rice with different proteins for dinner. These should prove that diet food is neither boring nor unhealthy. You might also want to check out a few sides I’ve published before as well.

Beans and legumes are fantastic sources of protein and fiber and are low in glycemic index. The dried ones that you soak and cook yourselves are better but there is nothing like the convenience of canned beans. I tend to stock up on these and just throw some into stir fries and salads on demand, these sure make the meals more filling. Light unsweetened coconut milk is also an allowed phase 1 ingredient that makes a wonderful base for many dishes. I used coconut milk to add some much needed flavor to a simple beans and greens stir fry.

Ingredients

1 can pre-cooked Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large bunch green chard (substitute any greens like spinach, kale etc)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp shallots, thinly sliced
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 small can light, unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
A few fresh basil leaves

Method

Rinse the chard well. Remove the thick stalks and chop those fine. Cut the leaves crosswise into 1 inch strips.

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the shallots till soft. Add the garlic, chili powder, turmeric powder and salt and sauté on low heat till the spices are cooked through.

Add the beans and stir fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chard stalks and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Now stir in the leaves. Add the coconut milk and cook for 4-5 minutes stirring frequently till the chard is cooked through and most of the liquid is evaporated.

Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves and the lemon juice. Serve warm.

Category: For Vegetarians, Phase 1, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

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Comments

13 Responses to “Kidney Beans and Chard in Coconut Milk”

nags
September 20th, 2010 @ 1:35 am
Reply

u totally inspire me to go on the diet Sig! I get excited each time I see a new post that’s SBD friendly. All I need to get over now is the starting trouble
- sig
  September 21st, 2010 @ 8:18 am
  Reply
  
  Starting is the only trouble Nags.. Once you are on it, it is easy to maintain. Good luck!
smitha
September 20th, 2010 @ 8:30 am
Reply

coconut milk is allowed…wow thats just great. today my day 1 starts… wish me luck… i also managed to rope in 2 of my friends ;>
- sig
  September 21st, 2010 @ 8:18 am
  Reply
  
  Good luck Smitha! It is good to do this with someone, to keep each other motivated
Santhiya
September 20th, 2010 @ 1:32 pm
Reply

You forgot the middle ones – the pure lazy ones like me!
- sig
  September 21st, 2010 @ 8:19 am
  Reply
  
  LOL, yes I did. I used to be one of those too…
Miri
September 20th, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
Reply

Hmm…funny that just as I start to post a chain of chicken and fish recipes, you are going to go veggie!

The greens, legumes and coconut milk combination sounds awesome – haven’t tried this before, will do this, sounds like a good weekday dinner!
- sig
  September 21st, 2010 @ 8:19 am
  Reply
  
  Wanted to diversify a little..Will stop by and check out your chicken and fish recipes..
Cynthia Nelson
September 21st, 2010 @ 3:44 pm
Reply

That such a good combo there Sig. I imagine that the coconut milk puts an extra special taste to the flavour and texture.
indosungod
September 22nd, 2010 @ 2:32 pm
Reply

Swiss Chard and beans are great together with some turkey/chicken sausage is a delight. I bet coconut milk should be great in it too.
Anu
September 24th, 2010 @ 9:15 am
Reply

If this is diet food, count me in. So in.
Padhu
November 20th, 2010 @ 3:53 am
Reply

Sounds interesting!!
Amuthis Kitchen
December 22nd, 2012 @ 10:43 pm
Reply

Interesting recipe. Tried at my friend’s home..