This recipe gets it’s name from the addition of the creamy avocado. It is filled with delicious summer vegetables. Make sure you have your pasta ready because this recipe cooks up in around 5 minutes! Serves 4
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, stem removed and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-15oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 large tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
4 servings of cooked pasta of your choice (I like linguine)
Heat a saute pan with a cover over medium. Add olive oil and garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the kale, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the white beans, tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using) salt and pepper and toss everything together.
Add the pasta, avocado, olives, lemon juice and toss to coat.
I have actually been doing a lot of cooking lately however I have failed at making much that I deem “blog worthy”. Last week was a lot of quinoa and veggie bowls with salad, Saturday morning we had tofu scramble with homefries and yesterday for lunch I made a mac and cheese with gluten free pasta that turned out too dry. I did find last nights dinner to be successful and I took the time to actually grab a photo of what I made.
Since we get our CSA on Wednesday’s Sunday until Tuesday usually ends up being unplanned meals because we never know how much of things we are going to receive. Last night I decided to use up the remaining potatoes, bright lights chard, dill and a cayenne pepper. I also found one carrot, one beet and half an onion that all needed to be used, and so they were.
Garlicky Chard, Creamy White Beans and a Dilly Root Veg Mash
Garlicky Chard
Makes 2-4 servings
1 bunch bright lights chard (or any kind of swiss chard you like)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the chard and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve!
Creamy White Beans
Serves 4-6
Two 15oz cans of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons white wine, vegetable broth or water
1 cayenne chili, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
3 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
salt and pepper
In a medium pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the beans and white wine, cook until liquid is gone. Add in the chili, dill, cream cheese and salt and pepper, stir until combined. Serve!
Dilly Root Veg Mash
Serves 2-4
3-4 medium sized new potatoes, washed and quartered
1 large red beet, peeled, washed and quartered
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
2 heaping tablespoons chopped dill
salt and pepper to taste
Place the potatoes, beet and carrot in a pot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot; add the remaining ingredients mash together to combine. Serve!
Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying.
Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are known for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.
Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.
Recipe of the Month: Easy Beans and Greens
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
1 can black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)
Whole grains are an excellent source of nutrition, as they contain iron, dietary fiber and vitamin E and B Vitamins. They are also absorbed slowly providing sustained and high-quality energy. To aid in digestion it is best to soak grains prior to cooking*; soaking helps to eliminate phytic acid which is what causes gas.
Beans can be a great source of fiber, protein and folic acid. For more information on beans and how to make them more digestible you can refer to this post – Beans, Beans, The Magical Fruit…
Greens are a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A, C, E and K; as well as fiber and folic acid. Some of the benefits of eating dark leafy greens are:
-Blood purification
-Cancer prevention
-Improved circulation
-Strengthened immune system
The best choices for greens are bok choy, napa cabbage, kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe and dandelion. Other good options are green cabbage, arugula, endive, chicory, lettuce, mesclun and wild greens. Spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens are good as well but should be eaten in moderation because they are high in oxalic acid, which depletes calcium from the bones and teeth; best eaten with tofu, seeds, nuts, beams, or oil to balance the effects of the oxalic acid.
*Whole Wheat Couscous is technically not a grain but rather a pasta product made from wheat and doesn’t require soaking.
Tonight I decided to try some new heirloom beans that I picked up at the health food store; I boiled them until tender and the sauteed them with garlic, shallot, olive oil and cremini mushrooms tossed with a little nutritional yeast and Braggs. I placed the beans on top of a bed of lettuce and a scoop of whole wheat couscous and topped with a little avocado.
I have made other spinach and artichoke dips in the past using sour supreme, vegan mayo and/or vegan cream cheese and I have been wanting to create something a little healthier but still just as tasty. This recipe replaces the vegan dairy/mayo alternatives with navy beans.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups baby spinach
1 (6oz) jar of marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
10 sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, sliced
1 (14oz) can of navy beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven 350F
In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat; add in the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from the stove and place in a bowl; set to the side.
In a food processor or blender process the beans with the vegetable broth until smooth.
To the bowl of spinach add the artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, nutritional yeast and pureed beans; stir to combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This is a super easy, no fuss recipe. It is great for nights when you need something quick, easy and nutritious to eat.
Ingredients:
For the Cheeze Sauce:
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup arrowroot, cornstarch or flour
1 clove garlic, minced
1t olive oil
1/8t tumeric
1/4t dried thyme
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper
a few dashes of hot sauce
For the Mashed Potatoes:
4-6 red or purple potatoes
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2t nutritional yeast
salt and pepper
For the Broccoli Base:
2 cups frozen broccoli
1/2 cup frozen peas
1(15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a medium casserole dish toss together the beans, peas and broccoli; set aside.
Potato topping: Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain and then mash with the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper.
Cheeze sauce: Whisk together the arrowroot and vegetable broth. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat the oil and garlic for 1 minute. Stir in the tumeric and thyme. Slow whisk in the vegetable broth mixture. The whisk in the nutritional yeast, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer until thickened. Pour over the broccoli base.
Top the broccoli cheeze base with the potatoes and if you would like dust the top with nutritional yeast. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned.
Beans, beans the magical fruit the more you eat the more you…..okay you know how the rhyme goes. Beans are a great source of protein and nutrients but for many people eating beans does a real number on their stomachs. The cause of the gas is from a sugar in the beans and it is easily preventable. Here are a few ways to make beans give you less gas:
1. Make sure if you are using dry beans to soak them for at least 8 hours and then make sure when you do cook them that they are cooked in fresh water until soft. Do not add salt to the water. Alternatively for canned beans make sure to rinse them to remove all the salt and then I recommend cooking them in a little vegetable broth for 10 minutes.
2. Refried beans, not the healthiest; these beans that have been cooked once and then cooked a second time with some sort of fat weather margarine, oil or vegetable shortening. The fat helps to balance that sugar causing gas.
3. Do not eat fruit with beans such as tomatoes.
4. Eat rice and beans- whole grains and beans are a great combination and civilizations have been pairing these two things for hundreds of years- this is proof that they are a wonderful combination.
5. My favorite thing to do is add seaweed, specifically kombu to my beans when I am either boiling them from dry or even with canned when I do a second mini cook. Additionally adding seaweed will provide a number of essential minerals and is a great detoxifier; I also love to add it to my grains (don’t worry if it makes you squeamish you don’t have to eat it to get the benefits and it doesn’t make your grains or beans taste funny).
I would recommend that if you shy away from beans because of their “magical properties” that you test out these 5 easy tips and see how your body feels. Everyone’s body is different so if one suggestion doesn’t work for you move on to the next.
Below are a few of my favorite bean recipes:
Three Bean Burgers
2 cups of black eyed peas, kidney beans, and chickpeas
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/2-3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2t chili powder
1/2t cumin
1/4t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1T hot sauce (I used VT Pepperworks Chocolate Chipotle)
Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mash the beans up and add in the spices, chickpea flour, panko breadcrumbs and hot sauce. Form the patties into 1/4 cup patties and bake for 10 minutes on each side.
Creamy Mashed White Beans
2 cans Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
8-10 oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped small
5 scallions, chopped small
3T vegan cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1t garlic powder
Add all ingredients to a pan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher. Mix everything together and then heat until warmed
I have made other spinach and artichoke dips in the past using sour supreme, vegan mayo and/or vegan cream cheese and I have been wanting to create something a little healthier but still just as tasty. This recipe replaces the vegan dairy/mayo alternatives with navy beans.
