Category: Vegan Beans and Legumes

by betsy

Vegan Canellini Bean and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Marrakesh Mania Vinaigrette

Cannelini Bean and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Marrakesh Mania Vinaigrette 2Yield: 4 servings

An indoor grill works perfectly for this salad which would make an deliciously different side for your Memorial Day spread.

A meal in itself, the light Moroccan-inspired dressing binds together cannellini beans and baby or chopped kale with a spring bounty of grilled asparagus, grilled spring onions, and grilled radishes.  Grilling totally transforms the flavor of grilled radishes almost creating a new vegetable.  If radishes aren’t a favorite, it’s probably because you’ve never had them grilled!

 

Marrakesh Mania Dressing (recipe follows)

1-15.5 ounce can canellini beans, rinsed and drained

6 spring onions, green part trimmed to fit in grill pan, lightly salted, and grilled over medium-high for about 5 minutes on the first side, and 3 on the second, or until lightly charred/caramelized; cut into 1/2-inch pieces

8 walnut-size radishes, sliced about 1/3-inch thick, lightly salted, and grilled over medium-high for about 5 minutes on the first side, and 3 on the second, or until lightly charred/caramelized

1 bunch asparagus spears (approximately 3/4 pound), trimmed, lightly salted and grilled over medium-high for about 5 minutes on the first side, and 3 on the second, or until lightly charred/caramelized; slice into 1-inch pieces

2 cups fairly firmly packed baby kale or stemmed, chopped kale (feel free to substitute Swiss chard)

 

Make dressing; add beans and all vegetables, except kale, and gently toss to combine.  Add kale, microwave on high for 1 minute so that the kale barely starts to wilt, toss altogether and serve chilled or at room temperature.

 

Marrakesh Mania Dressing:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white balsamic (or any mild, light colored vinegar)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon curry powder (I like a mild and fruity variety)

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground sumac (optional but with a distinctive earthy and slightly lemon-y flavor; available in Middle Eastern markets)

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

Sea salt to taste (avoid skimping!–don’t give yourself hypertension, but home cooks tend to underseason!)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Whisk together all ingredient in a large, non-reactive, microwave-safe bowl and set aside.

 

 

 

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by betsy

Vegan Sunny Souk Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad

Sunny Souk Chickpea and Sweet Potato Salad

Yield: 4 servings

 

“Sunny” because of this salad’s golden color and bright pop of citrus, and “souk” because it is redolent of an Arab marketplace, you will love Sunny Souk Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad however you choose to enjoy it: over greens, stuffed in a wrap or pita pocket, scooped with veggie chips and more!  It is even veg(etarian) teenager approved!

*2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1-15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 pound cooked sweet potato, peeled and diced (I microwave the potato, allow it to cool a few minutes, remove skin–feed to dogs!–and dice)

1/2 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

Zest of 1/2 large lemon (don’t omit this little bit ‘o brightness!)

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and garlic powder.  Add chickpeas, sweet potato, and red bell pepper.  Toss lightly to distribute dressing.  Add lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and toss one final time.  Serve immediately or chill, covered, until serving time.

*I have just discovered a delicious brand of vegan mayo not advertised as vegan but as “egg free” at Whole Foods called “Just Mayo” that I highly recommend.  I also love Veganaise and my own Blooming Platter Mayo (in my cookbook).

 

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by betsy

Vegan Cannelini Bean, Sweet Potato and Turnip Green Soup

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Turnip Green SoupYield: 4 to 6 servings

We are snowed in here under 10 inches in VA Beach!  And this soup was the perfect, warming lunch yesterday.  However, even if you aren’t blanketed in snow, you will love this beautiful nourishing soup.

4 cups vegetable stock (or 4 cups water + 4 veggie or “no-chicken” bouillon cubes)

2 bay leaves

1 large sweet potato, cubed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

6 cups chopped turnip greens

1-15.5 ounce can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained

3-5 inch stems fresh dill

3-5 inch stems fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

2 tablespoons non-dairy creamer (I use So Delicious coconut milk creamer)

In a covered 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock and sweet potato cubes to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook potatoes for 10 minutes.   Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper, and saute about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently until beginning to turn golden brown.  Add garlic, and continue sauteeing, stirring continually, for another minute or two.  Stir into sweet potato and stock mixture, along with turnip greens.  Simmer, stirring continually, until greens have wilted.  Stir in beans, dill, tarragon and nutritional yeast, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.  Stir in non-dairy creamer, remove bay leaves, dill and tarragon, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve immediately.  Note: Avoid boiling soup after creamer has been added to prevent curdling.

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by betsy

Sliced Cucumber Canapes (or Crostini) with Dill-Scented White Beans and Dried Fig, Olive, and Pine Nut Tapenade (A Yummy Food Blog-Canarias Recipe Competition Entry)

Dill-Scented White Beans with Fig, Olive and Pine Nut Tapenade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For our 10th anniversary, my husband and I took a Mediterranean Cruise, one of a number of life-changing trips to that magnetic part of the world from where his family hails (specifically, the Abruzzo region of of Italy).  I fell in love repeatedly, including with Santorini.

My dish, created especially for the Yummy Food-Canarias Recipe Competition, is an ode to one of the most memorable and simplest “meals” I have ever eaten.  We had spent the morning touring an ancient archeological dig on the island and had stopped at a cliffside vineyard overlooking  the stunning atoll.  There, in the wind-whipped courtyard, we were served wine, of course, accompanied by crisp fresh cucumber, olives and tomatoes.  That was it. Simple perfection.

Since it is January and tomatoes are not in season, I chose instead to celebrate the cucumber and the olives, adding my beloved figs and pine nuts plus a little lemony brightness along with herby dill-scented cannelini beans for protein .  The result is a simple little Mediterranean-infused bite-size meal.

Yield: 24 canapes or 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

1-15.5 ounce can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup loosely packed finely chopped fresh dill

16 dried Calmyra or Mission figs, stems removed, halved (I like to use 8 of each)

1/4 cup brine-cured pitted black and green olives, drained (I like some that are a little spicy)

3 ounces toasted pine nuts

1 teaspoon tamarind syrup (you may substitute pomegranate syrup or agave nectar)

Zest of 1/2 large lemon

Garnish: fresh dill sprigs

Cucumber slices (or toasted bread rounds/crackers)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper and saute, stirring frequently, until onion begins to turn golden, about 8 to 9 minutes.  Reduce heat if necessary to prevent scorching.  Add garlic and saute, stirring constantly, for another minute.  Stir in beans and remaining tablespoon of olive oil, partially mashing the beans with the back of the spoon.  Add dill and remove from heat.

Process figs in a food processor, pulsing until coarsely chopped.  Add olives, and continue pulsing until both are finely chopped.  Add pine nuts and pulse a few more times or until all ingredients are very finely chopped.  Add syrup, lemon zest, and additional salt and pepper if desired, and pulse just to combine.

Serve a spoonful of the beans topped with a spoonful of the tapenade on cucumber slices, toasted bread or crackers.  Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill.

Alternative serving suggestion: spread the beans into a 1/2-inch thick disk on a serving plate, spread the tapenade over the top, garnish, and serve with cucumber slices (or toasted bread/crackers).

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by betsy

Flaky Vegan White Bean Biscuits with Rosemary Butter

Yield: 18 biscuits

(These would be delicious with my Vegan Tempeh and Turnip Green Soup!)

White Bean Biscuits with Rosemary Butter

These savory biscuits will be a welcome addition to your breadbasket any time an easy, but extra-special, bread is the order of the day…or night!

 

 

With a can of white beans in the pantry, but not in the mood for anything I could think of to make with them—and craving some comfort food due to gray, drizzly weather—I set about brainstorming.  I love sweet potato biscuits and it occurred to me that pureed white beans would be a very similar consistency to mashed sweet potato.

 

 

So I jumped online hoping that I wouldn’t find that someone had beaten me to the punch.  I may have missed something, but all I could find were recipes for white bean cookies and cakes.  Eureka!

 

 

To create my dough, I combined recipes for my favorite vegan biscuits and a recipe for sweet potato biscuits, though I think the latter can be a bit too heavy.  So I manipulated the proportions a bit.  The results are meltingly tender and the biscuits pull apart in luscious flaky layers!  I attribute this, in part, to the inclusion of both vegetable shortening and (vegan) butter—frozen!— but also to my folding method which mimics that of making puff pastry.  Like folding a business letter, my method is much simpler than puff pastry, as no butter is distributed between the layers.

The rosemary butter topping is optional, but delicious, making these biscuits a to-die-for breakfast item or accompaniment to a meal.  Be forewarned, though, they might overshadow the main dish!

1-15.5 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour + about 5 tablespoons more (for rolling out)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk (or milk)
1/4 cup frozen vegetable shortening, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup frozen vegan butter, cut into 1-inch chunks + 3 additional tablespoons (or butter)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place white beans in a food processor and process until smooth.  Add 2 cups flour, sea salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Pulse just until mixture is well combined.   Add frozen shortening and 1/4 cup frozen butter, and pulse until uniformly distributed and about the size of small peas.  Drizzle in soymilk and pulse a few more times until the dough comes together.   Dough will be a bit sticky. (See below for hand-mixing directions.)


Dust a bread board or other pastry surface (including your countertop!) with a couple of tablespoons of flour, transfer dough onto it, and knead the flour into it, adding a couple more tablespoons as necessary.  Dust board with about 1 tablespoon more flour if necessary and pat out dough into a rectangle about 3/4-inch thick.   Fold like a business letter or puff pastry by folding in one short side 2/3 of the way across the surface, and then folding the opposite short side back across.  Pat out the dough into a 3/4-inch thick rectangle again, turn a quarter turn and repeat the folds.  Repeat the entire folding and patting process about 4 times.  After patting out the dough for the last time, cut with a 2-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, gently combining and re-rolling scraps.

 


Meanwhile, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a large cast-iron skillet.  Pour off all but about a tablespoon and reserve in a small cup or bowl.  Add chopped rosemary to the reserved butter and set aside.  Lay each biscuit into the skillet and then flip it in order to butter both sides, leaving each biscuit in the skillet and placing them close together.  Bake for 12 minutes, brush the tops with reserved rosemary butter, and bake for an additional 3 minutes.  Serve immediately.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Reheat for a few minutes at 350 degrees, wrapped in foil.

 

 

Hand-mixing directions: if you prefer to mix the dough by hand, mash the beans with a potato masher until smooth.  Then spray a box grater with non-stick spray and grate both the shortening and the butter into the flour mixture so that it is still very cold when you incorporate it.  As you fold and pat the dough, be sure not to let the warmth of your hands melt the frozen shortening and butter.

 


Serving note: if you were admiring the “bread bag” in the photo, all of the credit belongs to Emily Crell, owner of the former Forbidden City in VA Beach.  She made some out of solid fabric for her daughter and son-in-law’s new restaurant, Braise, (in partnership with Chef Bobby Huber) and when I admired them, she made me a set of four “just because.”  What is so ingenious about the design is a little flat removable pouch filled with dried rice that sits at the bottom.  You simply remove it, heat it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, replace, and pile breads or biscuits on top to stay warm at the table.  Just as remarkable is the fact that she has never seen our house nor asked about color and style, yet she picked a mid-century modern-inspired pattern (my favorite period in design) in the exact palette of our home!

 

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by betsy

Countdown to Thanksgiving–Day #5: Vegan Fresh Pumpkin, Pecan and White Bean Shooters (or Dip or Spread)

Pumpkin, Pecan, and White Bean SpreadThis is the perfect little nibble to stave off I-don’t-think-I -can-wait-any-longer pre-Thanksgiving Feast hunger pains!

I recently created this dip or spread and love serving it as a “shooter” with tiny little spoons a friend brought me back from a trip to India.  But any small spoon will do–or mini-spreader with a side of crostini.  My serving secret?  My “glasses” are actually votive holders!

Food  just doesn’t get much more delectably fall-like than this simple spread, so it is perfect for Thanksgiving.  You really can taste the contribution of each autumnal ingredient: fresh(!) pumpkin, pecans, white beans and sage.  Be sure to cook the pumpkin ahead of time so it’s cooled and ready to go when you are.  (See my easy microwave directions below.)

Bind it all together with your favorite vegan creaminess–sour cream, mayo, or unflavored cashew cream–and you have a fabulously flexible shooter, dip for raw veggies or crackers, spread for a bagel, or even a filling for non-traditional quesadillas, stuffed peppers, etc.

(Where’s Minnie?  Can anyone spot our female brindle Dane who is never far away when food is out?)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup pecan pieces

Sea salt

1 cup diced onion

2 large cloves garlic minced

2 tablespoon dry rubbed sage

2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup diced cooked fresh pumpkin (see super simple microwave directions below)

4 to 5 tablespoons vegan sour cream, mayo, or cashew cream

Accompaniments: raw vegetable strips or slices or crackers

Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add pecans and a pinch of salt, and toast, stirring continually, for a couple of minutes.  Add onion and a pinch more salt, and continue sauteing and stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add garlic and sage and continue for another minute.  Stir in beans, pumpkin and vegan sour cream or mayo and heat through, stirring continually.  Serve warm with the accompaniment of your choice.

How to Microwave a Fresh Pumpkin (The Time-Pressed Woman’s Way)

1-2 pound pumpkin

Wash your pumpkin, pierce several times all-over with a sharp knife, place on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for about 7 -10 minutes.  Check for tenderness, by piercing with a knife.  It if goes in easily, the pumpkin is ready.  Allow to cool, then slip off the skin, ct in half, and remove seeds and pulp.  If you prefer, you can halve and deseed the pumpkin first, but I find it puts up more resistance that way.

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by betsy

Vegan Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale (with Sweet Potato Stack Option!)

Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale (with Sweet Potato Stack Option)Yield: 6 servings

This Indian stew-like melange is so flavorful and satisfying that it is absolutely divine on its own, perhaps served with basmati rice, some cashews and maybe a little fresh cilantro.  However, I can attest to it being luscious eaten cold right out of a carton!

For an exquisite–but super-easy presentation–use it as the filling in my Sweet Potato Stack.  Though drizzling an Indian dish with maple syrup may seem out of character, there is something about the hint of maple combined with the other ingredients that is absolute autumnal perfection!

Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale :

6 cups water

Sea salt

2 cups mung beans (rinse, pick over, bring to a boil, let sit for 30 minutes and then simmer 45 minutes more)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, and leaves torn into bite size pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon Amchur (dried mango) powder (optional; you may substitute lemon zest, but it’s not quite the same)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (or mace)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 large Roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup thick coconut milk

In a covered 4-quart saucepan, bring water and salt to simmering over medium-high heat.  Add mung beans, turn off heat, let sit for 30 minutes, and then return heat to medium-high, place lid ajar, and simmer beans for about 45 minutes or until almost all of liquid is evaporated, but beans are still very moist.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes.  Add kale by handfuls, stirring and sauteeing until slightly wilted before adding the next handful.  Stir in garlic and all remaining ingredients except tomatoes and coconut milk and saute, stirring, until heated through.  Stir this mixture thoroughly into the mung beans followed by tomatoes and coconut milk.  Heat through, stirring often, and serve immediately as is or in the Sweet Potato Stack.

 

Sweet Potato Stack:

Yield: 4 appetizer servings of 2 stack per person

2 slender sweet potatoes, baked (in a conventional oven or microwaved), cooled enough to handle, skin removed, and each sliced into about 8 1/2-inch slices

Generous 1/2 cup Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale, heated

4 teaspoons maple syrup

Garnish: 4 tablespoons chutney or the topping of your choice (I used 4 teaspoons prepared mint chutney plus 8 teaspoons chopped grilled apples because I had both on hand)

Optional: tiny pinches of sea salt as a “finishing salt”

Place 2 sweet potato slices on each plate.  Top with rounded tablespoons of mung bean mixture and remaining 8 sweet potato slices.  Drizzle each stack with about 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup and then top with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of chutney or 1/2 teaspoon of prepared mint chutney and a teaspoon of chopped grilled apples as in the photograph.

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by betsy

Vegan Savory Mexican Black Bean Cupcakes with Sweet Potato Frosting Made Go Dairy Free’s “Big List of Ghoulishly Good Dairy-Free Halloween Recipes” for 2013!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI am so excited for my Vegan Savory Mexican Black Bean Cupcakes with Sweet Potato Frosting to have made “The Big List of Ghoulishly Good Dairy-Free Halloween Recipes” for 2013 on the Go Dairy Free website!

I created this recipe last Halloween and I’ve never run across anything else like it before or since.  Beautiful, but simple, these savory cupcakes are like eating your deliciously moist sides and bread all in one festive little package.

For the rest of the list of beverages, snacks, savories, and sweets, click HERE.

Happy Halloween!

 

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by betsy

Vegan Szechuan String Beans with Chinese Black Bean Sauce and Cashews

DSCN2025Yield: 2 servings (easily doubles)

This quick, vibrant colored and flavored dish becomes a meal with the addition of tofu or tempeh cubes added during the last two to three minutes of cooking.

It’s my homemade version of one of my favorite dishes in Chinese restaurants.  My secret ingredient?  Chinese Black Bean Sauce!

1/2 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, lightly salted, and grilled over medium high in a grill pan for about 15 minute, turning periodically, or until lightly charred all over and very tender

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce (I use a “lite” variety for less sodium)

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sake (or mirin)

2 tablespoons Chinese Black Bean Sauce (available on international aisle of most grocery stores)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup lightly roasted and salted cashews (or halves and pieces) + a few more for garnish

While green beans are grilling, heat oil in a cast iron skillet (or wok) over medium-high.  Add ginger, and stir fry for about 1 medium, stirring continually, just to soften and turn slightly more golden.  Lower heat if cooking to fast.  Add garlic, and stir fry for 30 seconds, still stirring continually.  Add remaining ingredients except green beans and cashews and cook, stirring continually until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add green beans and cook another 2 to 3 minutes or until beans are well coated and have absorbed some of the sauce.  Avoid over-cooking or the sauce will become too syrupy and tar-like.  During the last minute, stir in 1/4 cup cashews.  Transfer to a platter or a shallow bowl and serve with additional cashews for garnish.  This dish is fun and quite easy to enjoy with chopsticks.

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