It was Monday. We got home that Sunday night from a trip – well, when I say “Sunday night” I mean really early Monday morning. I think I fell asleep around 01:30, & got up at 06:00. Did I feel like cooking dinner? Not really. Did I feel like I needed to eat healthy? Oh, yes! This is one of my go-to recipes for Meatless Monday when I either don’t feel like cooking or am returning to eating sensibly & don’t want to be hungry an hour after dinner. This time it was both! I was just cooking for two, so I made the whole recipe but with just two spuds. The leftover bean & corn mixture makes a great lunch for later in the week. This recipe is easy to double or treble if you’ve more people to feed.

“But, wait!” you’re thinking, “What’s she doing talking about eating sensibly while showing a massive heap of food? With a hefty dollop of sour cream, no less!” Yep, the huge pile in the pic is for one person! But check out the nutrition info at the bottom of the page. You won’t believe how full you can get on 537 calories. Well, a little more than that – that number doesn’t include the Fresh Winter Salsa I served them with or that dollop of “sour cream.” It’s not much more than 537, mind you, because salsa is low-cal, and that’s not really sour cream! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Use plain Greek yogurt, preferably Fage. Nobody you’re feeding will know you made a substitution, but your cardiologist will!

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup (~100 g) chopped onion

1 bell pepper, seeded & chopped (red or green, either is fine)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1¾ – 2 cups (420 – 480g) Cooked Dried Black Beans, or 1 can rinsed and drained

1½ cups (250 g) fresh or frozen whole-kernel corn

½ cup (1 ounce, or 28 g) reduced-fat shredded cheddar-Jack cheese

¼ cup (4 g) chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)

Preparation:

1.) Preheat oven to 400º F (204º C). Lightly rub potatoes with a little butter – less than a teaspoon for 4 spuds. I do this by putting the butter in a plastic bag, then dropping the spuds in one at a time & rolling them around in there until they’re coated. Place them directly on the middle rack of the oven. Set a timer for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your spuds. (You can certainly cook them in your microwave instead, but I like the slightly crispy skin that the oven makes.)

2.) About 15 minutes before the potatoes should be done, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, & chili powder; sauté just until vegetables soften – about 3 minutes.

3.) Reduce heat to low. Add beans & corn; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm until spuds are ready.

4.) When potatoes are done, split them lengthwise about halfway through. Squeeze in from the ends to fluff up the middle.

5.) Spoon ¼ of the bean mixture over each potato. Top each serving evenly with cheese and cilantro. Serve with fresh salsa and a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt.