We would like to thank WISHTV for letting us be a part of their Indy Style show last Monday. Chef Wendell Fowler and Lisa Hurst were on air to educate viewers on the many health benefits of cooking with lentils, and also to promote the upcoming Orchard in Bloom garden show here in Indianapolis. Hurst Beans is a long time sponsor of the annual event. (Click image above for video)

This holiday weekend, millions of people across the country will be enjoying a traditional Easter ham on Sunday. It’s the perfect time to pick up a bag of Hurst’s HamBeens® and use that leftover ham bone in the best way possible. Try some of these great recipes and you will have enough ham ‘n beans for several meals next week.

Honey Ham and Beans

Senate Bean Soup

Split Pea and Asparagus Soup

Happy Easter!

Followed the recipe right on the bag and used a spoon to smash some of the beans after cooking… Helps thicken the soup perfectly. Serve over long-grain rice with sour cream and Cajun hot sauce!

Check out this month’s Hurst Family Harvest recipe from Carol Kicinski @ Simply Gluten Free ! The smooth texture of cooked split peas allows her to remove the usual addition of heavy cream all together, while the included Hickory Smoked Seasoning was a perfect substitute for a huge portion of bacon. Final dish is a lot lower in fat and cholesterol, but still great flavor!

Gluten Free Low Fat Split Soup Recipe
by Carol Kicinski

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
2 – 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package Hurst Family Harvest Split Pea Soup Mix
7 cups water
5 – 6 dashes hot sauce (like Tabasco)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper if needed
4 strips bacon
4 green onions, sliced thinly

Directions

Heat olive oil in a soup pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Rinse and drain the split peas and add to the pot along with the seasoning packet and 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Add lemon juice, hot sauce and some salt a pepper to taste if needed. Cook for 10 more minutes.

While the soup is cooking, cut the bacon into small, ¼ inch pieces. Put into a cold frying pan; turn on the heat to medium and cook, stirring often until the bacon is very browned and crispy. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and drain well.

Serve soup garnished with bacon bits and green onion slices.

Serves 6.

SiriusXM Hurst Beans (Click to listen)

ESPN 1660 Waco, TX

SiriusXM NFL Radio

Shows from across the country were excited to hear of the donation, but really enjoyed the bowls of hot bean soup Hurst delivered! Recipes were created in honor of the two cities playing, and while everyone raved about both, the NYC Reuben Bean Soup was the clear favorite over the Boston Baked Beans.

Rick Hurst and Tarik Glenn

Thanks Tarik for helping out, it was an awesome week for the N.K. Hurst Co. and the city of Indianapolis!

Preparations for next week are in full swing!

With the “Big Game” just over a week away, the N.K. Hurst Co. is proud to partner with The Greater Boston Food Bank and Food Bank For New York City  to announce that we will be donating 46,000 meals to the food bank in the winning teams’ city! Stay tuned for more details, and please join us in donating to these great causes!

The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is a nearly $65 million-a-year charitable business distributing more than 36.7 million pounds of food and grocery products annually to approximately 550 member hunger-relief agencies. In addition, we have 30 direct service programs throughout eastern Massachusetts to end hunger in our region. (More Info)

Food Bank For New York City recognizes 29 years as the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end food poverty throughout the five boroughs. As one of the country’s largest food banks, our mission is to end hunger in New York City by organizing food, information and support for community survival and dignity. As the city’s hub for integrated food poverty assistance, the Food Bank tackles the hunger issue on three fronts — food distribution, income support  and nutrition education — all strategically guided by its research. (More Info)

Happy New Year! For anyone still recovering from their weekend celebrations, here’s an easy recipe from guest blogger Carol Kicinski to throw on the stove and by dinner time, you will be all set to enjoy a delicious pot of bean soup. Enjoy!

from Carol Kicinski @ Simply Gluten Free:

“…I love this hearty gluten free soup recipe – it is filling and wholesome, packed with fiber and nutrients (as well as flavor) and it is a real budget saver. After all the turkey was already paid for, I use Hurst Family Harvest’s Black Bean Chipotle Lime Black Bean Soup Mix which cost about the same as 2 cans of black beans (but feeds a whole lot more) and has a tasty gluten free flavor packet included and the rest of the ingredients are just some pantry staples. If you don’t happen to have any leftover turkey hanging around you can use some leftover chicken or shred up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Or just leave out the turkey, use dairy free sour cream and you have yourself a fabulous vegan main course soup...”

Ingredients

1 package Hurst Family Harvest Chipotle Lime Black Bean Soup Mix
1 onion, diced
1 – 1 pound bag frozen corn kernels
1 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 – 4 ounce can diced mild green chilies
1 bunch green onions, sliced
½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 cups cooked turkey or chicken, shredded (omit for vegan)
Chipotle Lime Sour Cream – recipe follows
Handful of cilantro leaves

Directions

Remove the flavor packet from the beans and save. Place the beans in a large soup pot and cover with water. Let sit, covered, overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain the water from the beans. Place back in the pot and add 8 cups of cold water along with the reserved flavor packet. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Add the corn, tomatoes, chilies, green onions, salt, pepper, garlic powder and turkey and heat through, 5 – 10 minutes.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with Chipotle Lime Sour Cream and cilantro for garnish.

Chipotle Lime Sour Cream

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream or dairy free sour cream
*1 – 3 teaspoons pureed chipotle in adobo depending on heat level you like
juice and zest of 1 lime – zest finely grated

Directions

Stir together the ingredients and let sit covered in the refrigerator until time to serve.
*I take one can of chipotle in adobo sauce, puree it in the blender and store in a covered jar in the refrigerator, that way I can use as much or as little whenever I want. Or you can take one of the peppers from the can with some of the sauce and mince finely.

A gluten free recipe that serves 10 – 12 people.

Thanksgiving is only 2 days away! Last year we gave you a great Lentil & Wild Rice Pilaf that has been one of our most searched recipes all year. This time around we have another delicious recipe that will be a perfect side dish for all of your holiday gatherings.

This Sausage and Lentil Stuffing is a simple recipe to follow and produces a delicious blend of sweet and savory flavors. It can be made ahead of time and re-heated on the day of your feast, but is also quick enough to be a “day-of” dish as well. Smother it with a few ladles of turkey gravy and you will have a perfect leftover meal as well!

What you need:

• 1- Package Hurst’s Garlic and Herb Lentils
• 1 lb. ground sausage w/ sage (breakfast sausage)
• 1- cup diced onion
• 1- cup diced celery
• 2- cups diced apple
• 1- 12 oz. bag of your favorite stuffing mix
• 6.5- cups water

1. In a large stock pot, brown the sausage over medium-high heat for roughly 5 minutes. Add in the copped onion and pepper and continue to sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Add water and lentils (not seasoning packet yet) and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the lentils for 25 minutes (covered).

2. Remove the lid and check lentils for tenderness. If done stir in Hurst’s garlic and herb seasoning packet. Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to cool uncovered for 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375˚ while waiting. After 15 minutes, add in the bag/box of stuffing mix and the diced apple, then fold together to combine. The mixture should be fairly moist.

3. Scoop the entire mixture into a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish and bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes. Garnish with some fresh sage leaves and enjoy!

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Last Sunday in the Hurst Bean Field we hosted our 5th annual Hurst Bean Cook-off. Every year our season pass holders showcase their best bean recipes in hopes of taking home the grand prize: Next years’ HBF Colts season pass! As always, there were some amazingly delicious and creative entries. We’d like to congratulate Matt and Brandy Fultz on their awesome “Hurst Bean Shepherds Pie” which had incredible flavor and is definitely one of the best tasting dishes ever submitted at the cook-off (recipe below!). Some of the other highlights included the Dugan’s “Italian White Bean Egg-rolls”, and our runner-up Jen Tudor’s “White Bean & Sweet Corn Queso”. See below for some pictures from the event or click HERE to view them all on our Flickr page.

Beanfield Tailgate Bake (Shepherd’s Pie)

(The wonderful thing about a Shepherd’s Pie type dish is you can combine just about anything you have available around the kitchen.  For this recipe, we decided to combine some of our favorite tailgating ingredients (sausage, beer and cheese) purchased from local retailers.)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb garlic sausage purchased from Smoking Goose  (http://www.smokinggoose.com/)
• 3 shallots or half a small onion, chopped
• 2 C corn
• 2 C Hurst white beans
• Beer cheese sauce (Welsh rarebit) – recipe below
• 3 lb potatoes (I prefer golden flesh potatoes) for mashed potatoes
• Favorite biscuit, crust or canned biscuits – enough for about 2-3 biscuits
• Salt, pepper, milk, butter to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a 2 ½ qt casserole dish with cooking spray.  Firmly press and spread the biscuits on the bottom of the casserole dish, forming a thin layer on the bottom.  Place in oven for 5-7 minutes until almost done.

In a separate saucepan, boil the potatoes and drain.  Once cooked, smash and add the butter, milk, salt, pepper and/or your favorite mashed potato ingredients.  Set aside.

Remove sausage from casings and crumble the sausage in a skillet to cook.  When the sausage is almost thoroughly cooked, add the chopped onions and cook until translucent.   Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.

Layer the corn, beans, sausage, and pour the cheese sauce over the entire dish.  Finish with a layer of mashed potatoes (you may have some mashed potatoes leftover, depending on your preference for how much to add.)

(If you prefer a little more liquid, you may add some chicken or vegetable stock prior to finishing with the mashed potatoes; however, I have found with this recipe, it isn’t needed.)

Place in oven and cook about 25-30 minutes until the edges begin to brown and the sides become bubbly.  It may be easier, and less messy, to cook on a cookie sheet.  You can also make this dish in separate ramekins or smaller casserole dishes, varying the ingredients to individual taste.  I prefer to serve and eat this dish immediately.

Beer Cheese Sauce (Welsh Rarebit) Recipe

(Adapted from an Alton Brown recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbl unsalted butter
• 2 Tbl all purpose flour
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tso freshly ground black pepper
• ½ C porter or stout beer (We used Bier Brewery’s award winning stout – http://www.bierbrewery.com/)
• ¾ C heavy cream
• 7 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese (Let the folks from Goose the Market guide you towards a delicious cheese – http://goosethemarket.com/)

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.  Cook, whisking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the flour.  Whisk in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until smooth.  Add beer and whisk to combine.  Pour in cream and whisk until well combined and smooth.  Gradually add cheese, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth, which will take about 4-5 minutes.