Balancing Bowls

I made tabbouleh with lentils instead of bulgur, and I haven't gone back since.

Green lentils hold up beautifully in this salad. They absorb the lemon dressing, stay firm, and bring a heartiness that bulgur just doesn't. Fresh parsley, mint, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion round it out the way a classic tabbouleh should.

It's one of those salads that gets better as it sits, which makes it perfect for meal prep. Make it ahead, let the flavors meld, and you've got lunch ready for the week.

https://balancingbowls.com/lentil-tabbouleh-salad-recipe/

This is the full walkthrough for cooking dried black beans on the stovetop, from picking over the beans to ladling them into a bowl.

The process is more hands-off than you’d think. Most of the time is just simmering. You pick over the beans, rinse them, add them to a pot with enough water to cover by about two inches, and stir in a teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil, turn it down, and let them cook low and slow. About 45 minutes in, add the second teaspoon of salt.

If you want a more flavorful broth, drop in a couple of bay leaves, a whole onion, a teaspoon of cumin, a dried ancho chili, or a whole head of garlic with the top sliced off. None of those are required, but they make the broth good enough to eat on its own.

Cook time depends on whether you soaked and how old the beans are. Soaked, younger beans can be tender in about an hour. Unsoaked or older beans may take closer to two. You’ll know they’re done when they’re soft and creamy all the way through, no chalky center.

One pound makes about six cups cooked, roughly four cans worth. Store them in the fridge in their cooking liquid for four to five days, or freeze them in portions.

https://balancingbowls.com/how-to-cook-dried-black-beans/

One sheet pan. Fourteen minutes in the oven. Crispy baked tacos for the whole family.

These baked black bean tacos are filled with homemade chipotle refried beans and shredded Mexican cheese. The refried beans take about ten minutes on the stove (one can of black beans, onion, garlic, cumin, and chipotle peppers in adobo, mashed and simmered until thick). If you’re really short on time, canned refried beans work too.

Spread the beans on 6-inch flour tortillas, add cheese, fold in half. Drizzle olive oil on your parchment, press the tacos into it so the outside gets a light coating, and bake at 450. Seven minutes per side is all it takes. The tortillas crisp up, the cheese melts, and everything comes out of the oven at the same time.

Minimal prep, minimal cleanup, and a satisfying bean-based dinner on the table in about 40 minutes. The full recipe includes the complete chipotle refried bean method plus a canned shortcut option.

https://balancingbowls.com/baked-black-bean-tacos/

Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite cooking strategies for flexible, plant‑forward dinners.

Once you understand the basic formula, you can make endless variations.

I usually start with a bean or lentil.
Add a grain like quinoa, rice, or farro.
Mix in vegetables and some kind of flavorful sauce.
Then tuck everything into a bell pepper and roast it until tender.

These black bean and quinoa stuffed peppers follow that exact idea. I mix together black beans, quinoa, salsa, sautéed onion and garlic, cumin, cayenne, and shredded cheese.

The beans and quinoa bring protein and fiber, and the roasted peppers add a little sweetness that balances everything out.

Once you get comfortable with this method, you can create dozens of variations depending on what you have in your kitchen.

Comment "send" and I will DM you the link.

https://balancingbowls.com/black-bean-stuffed-peppers/

I didn’t have a plan. I had a can of butter beans.

Some nights aren’t for experimenting. They’re for getting dinner on the table without overthinking it. This easy canned butter beans recipe comes together in about 30 minutes with olive oil, onion, garlic, white wine, and lemon.

One can drained. One can with the liquid. Let it simmer until the sauce turns creamy and coats the beans.

No plan. No problem. Just a reliable pantry dinner that works.

https://balancingbowls.com/easy-butter-beans-simply-sauteed/

If you’re looking for one thing to prep on Sunday that gets used all week, make this sauce.

It’s a Mediterranean yogurt sauce with fresh dill, cucumber, garlic, and lemon, made with thick Greek yogurt. I keep a container of it in the fridge and it shows up at almost every meal. On wraps, alongside grilled chicken, over brothy beans, drizzled on roasted vegetables, or just with pita when lunch needs to be fast.

This is not a meal prep project. It takes about fifteen minutes and the flavor gets even better after a day in the fridge.

https://balancingbowls.com/easy-tzatziki-sauce/

Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. That is what separates these refried black beans from every can I have ever opened.

Chipotle peppers are smoked, dried jalapenos packed in a tangy, slightly sweet sauce. You chop them up, stir them into a skillet of black beans with sauteed onion, garlic, and cumin, and the whole thing transforms. The smokiness comes through first, then a warmth that builds, then that tangy depth from the adobo that makes you stop and pay attention.

I use four peppers for a batch, which gives moderate heat (start with two if you are cautious, you can always add more). Do not skip the adobo sauce itself. That is where a lot of the flavor hides.

The rest is two cans of black beans, a potato masher, and twenty-five minutes. Finish with lime juice. These chipotle refried beans are the ones I reach for when I want refried beans that taste like I put thought into them. For the record, barely any thought was required.

https://balancingbowls.com/refried-black-beans-with-chipotle/

These are the kind of meatballs I make at the beginning of the week and end up reaching for over and over again.⁠
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Everything gets mixed in one bowl, rolled out, and baked on a sheet pan. About 30 minutes later, you’ve got a batch of tender chicken meatballs ready for dinners, lunches, or quick bowls throughout the week.⁠
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There’s also a small upgrade built in. A can of mashed white beans gets mixed right into the meat, which keeps them tender and quietly adds fiber without changing the flavor.⁠
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It’s a simple way to make meal prep feel a little more useful without adding any extra steps.⁠
⁠
Comment “send recipe” and I will DM you the link.

https://balancingbowls.com/high-fiber-chicken-meatballs-with-white-beans/

Let’s add a little extra staying power to our cozy bowl of soup.⁠
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These crispy butter bean croutons bring protein, fiber, and that crispy, salty snap that makes a creamy soup feel complete. The outside gets golden and crisp from the Parmesan, while the inside of the butter beans stays soft and creamy.⁠
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It’s a small upgrade that makes dinner feel balanced and satisfying without changing the whole meal.⁠
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Perfect for soup night. Add this to your next bowl.⁠
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Comment “send recipe” and I’ll DM you the link. ⁠

https://balancingbowls.com/roasted-pepper-and-white-bean-soup/

These are the kind of meatballs I make at the beginning of the week and end up reaching for over and over again.

Everything gets mixed in one bowl, rolled out, and baked on a sheet pan. About 30 minutes later, you’ve got a batch of tender chicken meatballs ready for dinners, lunches, or quick bowls throughout the week.

There’s also a small upgrade built in. A can of mashed white beans gets mixed right into the meat, which keeps them tender and quietly adds fiber without changing the flavor.

It’s a simple way to make meal prep feel a little more useful without adding any extra steps.

https://balancingbowls.com/high-fiber-chicken-meatballs-with-white-beans/