Mini Salsa & White Bean Loaves
An easy and healthy meatless entree that’s bursting with flavor from salsa and cheese!
This week at work I met a woman who had a bad case of meningitis earlier in her life, resulting in the loss of both her vision and her hearing. Remarkably, she came in alone equipped with nothing but a wireless keyboard and a separate handheld computer.
In order to communicate with her I had to type everything I wanted to say on the wireless keyboard which then sent a signal to her handheld computer, activating a small strip of instantaneous brail for her to read as I was typing. Because she had once been able to hear and see, she was still able to speak extremely well considering her current state. But what really surprised me about her was that she exuded confidence, fearlessness, and was even happy enough to break into bits of laughter at any given moment. She was truly amazing.
Sometimes I get wrapped up in my own little world and allow small things to upset me but moments like the one I shared with her remind me how lucky I am to be able to physically drive to work and look out my window at the beautiful blue sky. Or to be able to talk on the phone and hear Brandon’s voice when he is so far away from me. Suddenly all of my problems felt pretty damn miniscule.
What does all of that have to do with these loaves? Absolutely nothing. I just felt like writing what was on my mind today. :)
But these are definitely worth talking about too. They’re easy to throw together, full of healthy protein and are bursting with flavor from the salsa and cheese. And they come out with a beautiful golden crust. They’re sure to be in the regular rotation around here for a while. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Ingredients
2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (I used Great Northern beans)
1 cup salsa (8 ounces)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat Panko crumbs)
1 whole egg, beaten (substitute 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tablespoons ground flax for vegan version)
1/4 cup rolled oats
6 green onions, diced (about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used mild cheddar & Monterey jack)
3 cloves garlic, minced (about one tablespoon)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 400°F and then drain and rinse both cans of beans before pouring them into a large bowl.
- Mash the beans with a fork until a chunky texture is formed. You should still be able to see some shape to the beans, you don’t want to over-mash them.
- Add the diced green onion, minced garlic, garlic salt, pepper, Italian seasonings and fresh herbs (optional) and mix together.
- Then add the breadcrumbs, rolled oats, salsa, beaten egg and shredded cheese and mix everything together until well combined.
- Take about 3/4 cup of the mixture into your hands at a time and shape into four (or more if you like them smaller) mini loaves.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or greased foil) and cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for several minutes before serving.
Notes
Inspired by Iowa Girl Eats
*These can also be made ahead of time and frozen for later on in the week, when life gets too busy.
What do you love most about your job?
Do you like beans?
Wouldn’t that just be awesome if us bloggers could all blog for a living. I always wonder how people can do it, I don’t have anything close to what you would need.
These little loaves look so delicious. I always need new vegetarian eats and these look like they would be perfect.
Nice presentation!! White beans are loaded with protein. Combined with a whole grain such as whole wheat pasta or brown rice. It can lower the Risk of Heart Disease. And I would love to try this recipe.
Thanks Ashley! I do love the health benefits of beans!:)
Aw thanks for sharing that Sarah :). Grant is a freelance graphic designer so he is at home all day and I am so beyond jealous. I know he is busy working all day but just the fact that he gets to do it from home makes me so envious. But at the same time, I love my job. I work in politics so everyday is a crazy day. I get to work with some really amazing (and important) people and I love every second of it!
Your job sounds really interesting! I could see how having your significant other working from home would make you jealous. Sometimes Brandon stays home to work and I’m like, “um…why isn’t the house clean? you’ve been home all day!” ;)
it’s my dream to be a stay at home kitty mom :) These bean loaves look super yummy, but I’m also pretty obsessed with how amazing those potatoes look.
Yum! I dont think I’ve ever seen a recipe like this, but it sounds amazing!
That story is incredible. It makes everything “hard” in my life seem so petty.
Wow, this post was EXACTLY what i needed this morning. I just found out my company is closing in a month in a half, so I need to find a new job. what went through my mind right away- FEAR. but if that woman can get on with her life so courageously and graciously, so can I. what do i WANT to do? blog. ahh why doesnt this pay anything?!
I’m sorry to hear about your job Charlotte. You have every right to be scared. Try to stay positive though, I’m sure it will all work out. And you never know what cool opportunity might come as a result! But it would be nice if blogging paid the bills! ;)
Oh how’d I love to blog for a living! It would be so amazing! Also, love this story. It definitely puts things in perspective.
The bean loves look delish!
Your meals are always so creative and pictures so beautiful! These look and sound really good!
Can a bean loaf be cute? Because I think these are adorable!!! And your story about your patient is so inspiring. It is amazing what we all take for granted that others do without on a daily basis!
Thank you for this reminder. When the little things in life start to get to me I try to remember that it could always be worse. My problem are so silly in comparison to so many others. You are a sweet person, Sarah!
Your questions made me laugh. Do you like beans? and then that funny smiley face. I seriously LOL’d! Yes – I do like beans!
The best part of my job is that I get to work from home which can be a curse and blessing. I get to be home with my sweet pup and kiss and snuggle him anytime I want…but it’s also hard to walk away from work when it’s just in the next room.
I have never worked from home but I can imagine there are both positives and negative aspects. Being able to stay home and cuddle your pup is a pretty nice benefit though! ;)
My job is to stay home with my kids and while I enjoy it(most of the time!!), it still leaves me with little time to get things done, like blog!! As much as I would love to make a living on my blog, I don’t ever see that happening. It just takes so much time, dedication and commitment and in my life, there will always be priorities that come before it.
As for the recipe, that looks so very good!!! We are a family of bean lovers so I think this recipe would go over well in my house. I am putting it on the list for next week!!
I love amazing people who exude confidence and happiness even when life has dealt them a pretty awful card.
Anyway though, these loaves are amazing! I’ve seriously never seen anything like them!
Holy moly, these look unreal! So hearty and clearly bursting with nutritious goodies. Love ’em!
My favourite thing about work is socializing with my co-workers. Ironically, socializing was my favourite thing to do in school as well;) Teachers/bosses don’t care for it too much, though…
And…I love beans! In fact I made an amazing bean salad this week. This loaf is now on my list. I love cheesy, salsa-y dishes.
Blogging for a living = my absolute dream. I probably won’t ever get to that point, but it’s worth trying, right? ;-)
And these look so good! I bet they’d actually satisfy my “meat-at-all-meals” boyfriend.
Beans are awesome, but I’m pretty sure most of my bean consumption is in hummus form!
How did you know that I am currently obsessed with white beans?? These sound SO awesome and are beyond creative. I am loving them :).
Beautiful eats! I’m a sucker for veggie burgers, and I love your blog.
Hmm. I’m actually a student/blogger, so I suppose I am blogging for a living right now. The ease of schedule is great, and lots of wonderful people all around (much like yourself!).
I’m also starting a boutique consulting agency for food bloggers, so that could be a game changer when it comes to job circumstances. We’ll have to see…
Thanks Kelly! Good luck with your consulting agency! :)
Those loaves are just adorable! (couldn’t think of a better word!) They are just so cute and teeny tiny. Love the idea of them.
I love the challenge and variety in my job, but gosh I have dreamed about blogging full time too. Although I think I would probably go stir crazy if I did as I like being around people A LOT which not saying I couldn’t do as a full time blogger but I’d have to probably do volunteer work or something else aswell.
Yes, I would go crazy if I wasn’t able to interact with people on a regular basis too.
What an amazing story…. reading this I felt the same way… I have been in situations in healthcare where compassion just takes over me and I have felt the same way. I am sure the person felt cared for and appreciated your compassion! :) I always imagine myself in the other persons shoes and it’s a wake up call for any minor problem I might be facing. I can tell in your writing and reply’s you post that you’re a super nice person by nature. :)
The bean loaves look wonderful and I bet they are delicious!
T
Working in healthcare may not be glamorous but it certainly changes you for the better. You also seem like a beautiful person Tracey! I definitely have my moments where I’m not so nice (Brandon can confirm) but I try to take good care of my patients. :)
I loved the story….sometimes we need those little reminders to appreciate what we have! Thanks for reminding me :) I do hope you get your dream of blogging full time from home someday though :) How awesome would that be?!
Love the bean loaves…I’m sure they are delish!
Making money from blogging feels like an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish so I’m just trying to have fun with it for now. I think it would be pretty cool to blog full-time, however I would still want to work a few days a week for human interaction!
Such an amazing story! Thank you for sharing, I think we all get caught up in life sometimes and we always need to remember how blessed we truly are! I’ve worked in healthcare since I was in high school and went to college and tech school for 4 degrees and licenses and you get that one patient every so often that truly just touches your heart more so than normal! That’s where the gift is at working with patients!
Ps: That recipe looks divine!
I just discovered your blog right now, and I’m an instant fan! I only started my blog a little while ago, and am finding it hard to get the ball rolling. I’ve been on the hunt for good blogs like yours to inspire me. I love simple recipes like this! I also love beans, salsa, and cheese sooooo…needless to say, I’ll be making these at some point. And I’ll be following you from now on! :)
Thank you so much Jenni! It takes a while to get used to running a blog but as long as you commit to it, you’ll do great. And it’s always fun to meet new people through blogging! :)
This is such a fun idea! I never thought to make meatless meatloaf before, but it actually makes total sense and these look amazing!
Hey Sarah – just wanted to share a healthy living website I think you might like. :)
http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com/
Thanks for sharing Tracey! I read some of Amy’s blog and her story is unbelievable. Working in my field, I see breast cancer pretty frequently and I am shocked at what she went through. The fact that a doctor would straight out tell her without any kind of imaging that the lump was definitely just her normal breast tissue, causing her to put off the ultrasound for an entire summer while her cancer continued to grow. It must have taken all she had to forgive that doctor. She seems like a beautiful person and I’ll enjoy learning more about her so thank you! :)
I know how you feel – the annoyances of a structured, 40 hour a week job, can get to a person! But as a physical therapist I see personal victories in my patients every day that make me love my job. And I LOVE beans!! I’ve been trying to eat less meat lately but it isn’t so easy with a meat-loving husband…these look like something both Marc and I would love!
I think it would be perfect if we could work 2-3days a week at our jobs and then the other 2 on our blogs. Sounds good, right? You still get the best of both worlds without getting burned out.
I’m so glad you LOVE beans! :)
I dream about running my blog for a living and then realize I’m still in high school! :) but if you ever decide to take the plunge, I would support you 100%!
You have plenty of time to work on it if that’s what you really want to do! I always kick myself for not starting mine sooner.
I don’t think that’s a plunge I’ll be taking anytime soon. Not as long as I have bills to pay, at least! But thank you for your support Katherine. You’re so sweet! :)
These are adorable little loaves! And they look so tasty too :)
I would love to blog for a living. Like you mentioned, there would be so much flexibility, which I would love! But it might not be as fun either if it was my job. Oh well, maybe it can be a side job one day!
Thanks Alex!
Yeah, I think I would enjoy it still but we always want what we can’t have so who knows how I would feel if that’s how it turned out. I agree that doing it as a side job seems perfect!
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