Sauteed Beans

yellow beans, ends trimmed
flat green broad beans (or use snow peas), trimmed and cut into small lengths

Heat a little oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the yellow beans and saute until they begin to blister and color. Add the green beans and a dab of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the green beans develop some color. Pour in a little vegetable stock, turn the heat down and simmer the beats until tender.

Pan searing adds some caramelization to the vegetables and simmering them finishes cooking them.
Butter adds some flavor as does cooking the beans in veg stock.
Salt and pepper are the simplest of seasonings and can easily be supplemented with more herbs and spices.
Small amounts cook very quickly in a pan, larger quantities should be cooked in a large flat pan or spread among several pans.

Poached Bass with Beans, Potatoes, and Citrus Cream Cheese

• Striped Bass poached in court bouillon (white wine, fish stock, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, herbs and spices)
• Pan-sauteed yellow string beans and green broad beans
• Baby red potatoes roasted in garlic, thyme, parsley, paprika, and olive oil
• Citrus cream cheese sauce
• Purple basil

Pickled Bean Salad

I know, I know, I post abut bean salad a lot; but I also eat bean salad a lot and I always make different kinds of bean salad. This one features a mix of beans as well as a whole lot of pickles - pickled cucumber, pickled red onion, pickled mustard seeds, and pickled bell peppers. This makes for a colorful, flavorful, and nutritious bean salad all in one. The Vitamin C from the pickled peppers helps the body absorb more of the iron from the beans.

Bean Salad

You've heard of three bean salad. Well this is one of my combination of beans salad. I think it includes white navy beans, turtle beans, orange lentils, green mung beans, and split peas. Along with that, I put in chopped yellow, red, and orange bell peppers, pickled cucumber, pickled red onion, pickled mustard seeds, and some green curry seasoning. 

Sweet Baked Beans

A few key techniques to some great baked beans? Lots of sugar (molasses ketchup, brown sugar, etc.), a long and slow cooking time to tenderize them, blend flavors, and make the beans piping hot, and a great mix of beans. Here is white navy beans, turtle beans. black beans, and red lentils. 

Vegan Lunch

This is a lunch my coworkers made for me one day. We all take turns making kunch for the day. Usually the main items are not vegan but they are very good at making a tasty alternative for me. Featured here is a delicious warm bean salad, crisp pita bread, and spicy dipping sauce, and salad. The rest of them has pizza today and although vegan pizza would have been an easy possibility, I really appreciated this combination oif foods that went really well together. The 'pita' bread is really the dough from the piza crust brushed with vegan margarine.

Meatless Stuffed Peppers

Meatless Stuffed Peppers
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups water
salt
4 large bell peppers, I used one green, one red, one orange, and one yellow for variety
1 package (250 grams/8 ounces) white button mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 can (398mL) beans, I like to use a mixed bean blend
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce of choice, I used herb and garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper - start with one teaspoon each and add more as desired

Place the rice, water, and salt to taste in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat until liquid is absorbed and rice is just tender. You want separate, individual grains of cooked rice and you want it to be slightly al dente as it will cook more in the oven. Cool. 

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise, leaving the stems intact. Scoop out the sides and white part. Blanch the peppers just until the skin begins to soften, then shock in cold water to cool quickly, and drain well.

Mix the remaining ingredients together with the rice. Lay the peppers out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or baking dish. Stuff with the rice mixture, filling the peppers completely. You may still have some filling leftover, but that's fine - it's great heated up and eaten as is. 

Now you may either pop the peppers in the oven at 350◦F until piping hot, or place the dish in the freezer, freeze the peppers until firm, then transfer to a container or bag to have on hand for a quick supper. To serve as an hors d'oeuvre, cut each pepper half in to to three pieces. Buying mini peppers and using them is also a great option, though mini peppers can be more expensive and hard to find, not to mention tedious to stuff.

Vegetable Bean Dip

Vegetable Bean Dip
roasted eggplant pieces, peeled and cooled
cooked or canned chickpeas
tahnini paste
diced red pepper
diced tomato
diced onion or red onion
diced cucumber
garlic cloves
fresh lemon juice
olive oil
minced parsley/cilantro/chives
spices - paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, etc.
salt and pepper

Purée all together until smooth, taste and add more of whatever you wish, then adjust seasonings. Make it as smooth or as chunky as you like.

Another idea is to simply combine several all ready prepared condiments (either boughten or homemade), such as hummus, salsa, baba ganoush, pesto, and tzatziki. 

This is simply a quick dip I came up with to use leftovers - just blend everything together. It works!

Mung Bean Cake

Mung Bean Cake
1 cup mung beans
1 liter water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 large eggs, beaten
oil
1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon pure grated cane sugar
salt and pepper

In a small saucepan, bring the beans and water to a boil, cook for about 40 minutes until softened enough to purée and almost all the water is absorbed. If water runs out before beans are soft, add more. Purée until smooth.
Meanwhile, beat together the milk and sugar. Beat in the beans, then the eggs. Return to the saucepan and cook over low heat until mixture begins to thicken. Pour batter into an 8x8 inch square pan. Bake at 350◦F for 20 minutes, then at 450◦F for 25 minutes more. 
Meanwhile, sauté the shallots in the oil until soft and caramelized, add the cane sugar, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the baked cake. Cool, then cut.

You wouldn't even know there are beans in this cake! The texture is softer and different, but the cake is sweet and tasty, You could definitely reduce the amount of sugar if you want a more savory cake. 

Chinese Moon Cakes

They aren't too many Chinese desserts and they tend to be either quite simple, or quite tricky. I opted to attempt a tricky one, and I was very pleased with the results. I made my own sweet bean paste for the filling, and because salted, preserved duck eggs were not available, I did a quicker version of a preserved chicken egg. I didn't have a moon cake press, so I just formed the cakes, so they don't look as pretty as the traditional ones, but they are incredibly tasty and a not too sweet dessert. 

Chinese Moon Cakes
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cool
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup coconut milk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
sweet red bean paste
salted duck egg yolks
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 375◦F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light. Beat in the sugar for a few minutes until very light and fluffy. Beat in the butter and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, milk powder, baking powder, and salt together. Stir into the egg mixture. Knead dough lightly until it comes together into a smooth ball. Wrap and chill for at least an hour. 
Divide dough into 24 pieces. Roll each into a three inch circle, making the edges slightly thinner than the center. 
Spread some of the bean filling on each piece of dough, place an egg yolk in the center and cover with more bean paste, completely enclosing the yolk. Enclose the dough around this and roll into a ball. 
At this point, a moon cake press should be used, but I didn't have one. So I simply used a cookie cutter to make a little pattern on top. 
Place on the baking sheet, spaced slightly apart. Beat together the egg and water and use to brush each moon cake. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp. 

Note: I made a successful gluten-free version by simply substituting a gluten-free flour blend for the flour. Baking time will be slightly left as they crisp up more quickly, and they may be a little less tender, but still quite tasty. 

Steamed Dumplings

Steamed Dumplings
5 Tablespoons boiling water
5 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
sweet black sesame bean paste or sweet azuki bean paste (you can make your own of either of these)

Dissolve the sugar in the water. Cool and mix in the flour and baking powder to form a soft dough. Cover and allow to rest for thirty minutes.
Knead dough briefly. Cut into twelve pieces. Flatten each to a one inch disk. Place a teaspoon or so of bean paste in the center of each, then wrap the dumpling around it.
Steam in a bamboo or metal steaming basket for about ten minutes.

This is the first time I ever made steamed dumplings. This is a Japanese recipe; any kind of bean paste can be used for the filling but keep in mind the sweet sesame or azuki bean will make sweeter dumplings. The dough is also slightly sweet, so if you would like to use a savory or spicy bean paste, keep this in mind. I used the sesame paste as I could not find azuki beans. I also tried to make a gluten free version of these dumplings using rice flour, however it was unsuccessful - the dough was not thin enough. I am sure there is a way to make a gluten free version though.

Cocoa Pumpkin Bean Energy Bars

This is a healthy, sneaky energy bar recipe. It contains all good things and tastes sort of like a fudgey brownie. I added in cranberries and walnuts for more texture. The base of these bars is a puréed can of beans, providing protein and fiber, along with pumpkin (which you can't taste) and peanut butter. Honey and applesauce add sweetness and cinnamon and ginger add spice. You can indulge in these tasty treats that are easy to make.

Cocoa Pumpkin Bean Energy Bars
1 can (540mL) white beans
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats (processed, if desired, for a smoother texture)
2 Tablespoons unsweetned cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, process the beans until smooth. Add in the oats if desired for a smoother texture. Blend in the remaining ingredients in the order given. Mix well. Bake for about 30 minutes until bars are set. They will still be soft. Cool completely and refrigerate before cutting.

Spiced Pumpkin Bean Dip

Hummus is delicious, there is absolutely no doubt about that. I can, and often do, eat it by the spoonful. But plain old hummus can be a little bland. This is a hummus-inspired dish, except I used a can of mixed beans instead of simply chickpeas because that's what I had on hand and also I wanted to add a bit more flavor, color, and texture. I added pumpkin, which added a burst of color and gave a nice consistency, without imparting too strong of a pumpkin flavor. The flavor really comes from the dressing - which adds more color and texture and really makes flavors pop. I used onion salt to season because it adds a bit more flavor, as does the paprika and pepper, and the acidity from the vinegar gives that extra bite and smooths out the consistency a bit. 

Spiced Pumpkin Bean Dip
one can (540mL) mixed beans (includes red kidney beans, white kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, romano beans, baby lima beans), drained and rinsed
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing (homemade or bottled)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
onion salt, paprika, and ground black pepper, to taste

Purée the beans in a food processor. Then blend in remaining ingredients either in the processor or by hand. Taste and adjust seasoning and consistency as desired. Refrigerate to allow flavors to blend. Keeps well for at least a week. 

This is great to use just like hummus, or as a dip for crackers and vegetables. It is also good as a condiment for sandwiches and veggie burgers.

Faux Baked Beans

Faux Baked Beans
one can (540mL) mixed beans (includes red kidney beans, white kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, romano beans, baby lima beans)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
10 large dates, chopped
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together, taste, and adjust seasonings. The beans are now ready as is, but if you would like to eat them warm, gently warm them in a saucepan or in the microwave. Store in the fridge, flavors will blend and be better the next day, the beans can even be eaten cold. Makes two hearty servings, serve with some whole grain toast.

This is a fake baked bean recipe, much quicker and easier to make than the traditional version, but quite a tasty alternative. This is a vegetarian version, but bacon or wieners could be added if desired. 

Apple Mixed Bean Dip

Beans and apples. Apples and beans. Not really a typical combination, but one that certainly works with this dip. Reminiscent of hummus, this dip can be made as thick or as thin as you wish by adjusting the amount of apple cider vinegar and applesauce, both of which provide a subtle apple flavor. The vinegar adds a nice hit of acidity, and the applesauce provides some sweetness. 

Apple Mixed Bean Dip
one can (540mL) mixed beans (includes red kidney beans, white kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, romano beans, baby lima beans)
2-3 cloves garlic
2-3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Purée all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and well blended. Use as a dip for veggies or crackers, or as a spread like hummus.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Bean Bisque

Lately I have been really enjoying a wide variety of soups. I don't know if it is the cold weather or my grandmother's influence, but soups have become one of my new favorite appetizers/entrées/sides. I have also learned how to make some great soups. One important technique is to sweat the mirepoix (diced vegetables, usually 50% onions, 25% celery, and 25% carrots used to provide flavor) first, without adding color, which allows the vegetables to lend their flavors better in the soup. Traditionally bisques were thickened with rice, but today roux is often used to avoid the grainy texture. Puréed vegetable soups nowadays are also referred to as bisques, as this soup is.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Bean Bisque
oil
1/2 white onion, small dice
3 coves garlic, minced
1 small stalk celery, small dice
1/2 carrot, small dice
1 small jar (120mL) sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
1 can (590mL) red kidney beans with liquid
vegetable broth or water
bay leaf
paprika
rosemary
ground pepper
kosher salt

Heat a little oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, celery, and carrot and sweat for a few minutes until the onion turns translucent, do not brown. Stir in the tomatoes and beans. Simmer for 20 minutes or so until vegetables are cooked and tender, but not mushy. Add broth or water as needed to thin soup out to desired consistency. You may make it as thick or thin as you like, I kept mine fairly thick. Season to taste, then purée all, some, or none of the soup, depending on what type of texture you would like to achieve. I coarsely puréed all of mine. Bring back to a simmer and adjust consistency and seasonings.

Note: The liquid from the beans provides most of the necessary liquid for this soup. If you would prefer not to use this salty liquid, use water and season to taste or a vegetable stock or broth. Any type of stock or broth may be used if there is no need for the soup to be vegetarian/vegan-friendly. 

Mushroom Black Bean 'Meat'loaf

In my cooking adventures, I like to try healthier options and vegan and vegetarian options. I also like to try to pass these creations off as 'normal', so I can receive unbiased comments and people will actually try them. This is a 'meat'loaf recipe I developed that has no meat, yet the color and appearance is just like meatloaf. The texture may be slightly softer, depending on what type of meatloaf you are use to. The mushrooms provide the dark color and meaty texture and the beans provide the protein. The other vegetables and sauce are added for extra nutrition, flavor, and moistness, and the oats are used as a binder and for texture. The result? This meatloaf is anything but dry, but may be a bit too moist for meat lovers. The flavor is good too, but doesn't exactly mimic beef. In the end, it is a good, healthy meatloaf alternative.

Mushroom Black Bean 'Meat'loaf
1 small carrot, very finely diced or shredded
1 small onion, very finely diced or shredded
2 packages (250grams/8ounces each) white button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (590mL) black beans, well-drained
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
2 large egg whites (or substitute flax eggs or extra sauce for a vegan version)
1 cup tomato sauce of choice
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the carrot, onion, mushrooms, and garlic until just tender, about ten minutes or so. The vegetables can be finely chopped in a food processor (or by hand) either before or after cooking - they will cook much faster if chopped first.
Transfer vegetables to a food processor and chop if needed, then add the beans and process until well combined. Add the oats and egg whites just until mixture comes together. Then stir in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and seasonings by hand.
Preheat oven to 375◦F. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
Spread the mixture evenly in prepared pan, it may seem wet but will firm up in the oven. Bake for about an hour, broiling for the last few minutes if a crispy top crust is desired. Heat the remaining 1/2 cup sauce and pour over top. Serve as you would meatloaf!

I forgot to get a picture of an individual slice of it before we dug in...

Tofu, Green Beans, and Potato Chips

Well, I was attempting to be creative, pretty, and precise with this plating. This caused me to realize why all the really intricate, professional-looking, fancy plates are always so small of portions - it is easier to arrange less food to look pretty. Since I was making this plate of food for myself for my dinner, I wanted enough food to keep me going, so the plating may have become a little clunky, but it is a start!

The inspiration for this dish, as with many of my recent dishes, came from what I found in the refrigerator and cupboards. I wanted a quick, nutritious meal for myself. I began by lining the plate with fresh, crisp green beans. If I really wanted to be tedious in plating, I would have cut the green beans to ensure they were all the same length, but personally I think that is a waste of food for just myself consuming it. Next, I stir-fried one small sliced onion and two cloves of chopped garlic in a little oil with some cubed (or irregularly chopped) pieces of tofu, along with some paprika and seasoning. Meanwhile, I thinly sliced a medium-sized potato and fried it in some oil to obtain some quick potato chips.

I arranged the tofu mixture over the green beans, and used the potato chips to line the edges of the plate. This was a tasty, well-balanced dish with some variety in color and texture. 

Tighe

This is a bean dish my grandmother often makes with the summer's fresh bean harvest, and freezes to enjoy all winter long. She gave the recipe to my father, who made this batch shown here. She calls it tighe or "tiggy" which I think is probably an Italian word, though I am not sure exactly what it means. The recipe basically involves fresh wax beans, yellow, green, or a combination of both. You could also add in some other beans, dried or canned, such as garbonzo, chickpeas, or navy beans. Add some chopped onion, and cook it up in tomato sauce. A little seasoning, and that's basically it. If you have a lot of beans and a little sauce, this makes delicious sauced beans. If you have a lot of sauce and a little beans, this makes a delicious bean sauce. Either way, enjoy it hot or cold, as a side dish or a condiment, it is a yummy way to eat your beans! 

Beans and Grits

Recipe for a really quick, easy, and well-balanced meal on a budget:

1. Sauté some chopped onion in a little oil in a small frying pan until softened.
2. Add in some precooked beans. If you have a little bit of leftover bean salad on hand, that is even better. I used a mixture of six beans along with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and sliced black olives.
3. Move this to the edges of the pan and crack an egg in the center. Cook until desired softness.
4. Meanwhile, cook a bowl of oat bran in the microwave. 
5. Serve the mixture in the frying pan over the oat bran, with desired seasonings - I recommend some salt and freshly ground black pepper, but if you are more adventurous, try some more exotic herbs and spices. 

If your egg is runny (surprisingly, my new favorite) it creates a delicious sauce for the beans and oat bran. This is an easier spin-off on a dish of beans and grits, which would be cornmeal.