Rosemary-Lemon White Bean Dip

Rosemary-Lemon White Bean Dip
copied from the New York Times

Yield 2 cups

Time 10 minutes using precooked or canned beans

Mark Bittman
Ingredients

* 2 cups cooked white beans, like cannelini, drained but moist
* 1 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled (my note: I used one large garlic clove, and should have used less - although I love garlic, the taste was way too strong in this. Maybe it was the garlic.)
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
* Grated rind of 2 lemons

Method

* 1. Put the beans in the container of a food processor with 1 clove of garlic and a healthy pinch of salt. Turn the machine on, and add the 1/4 cup olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until the mixture is smooth. Taste, and add more garlic if you like; then, puree the mixture again.
* 2. Place the mixture in a bowl, and use a wooden spoon to beat in the rosemary, lemon zest and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Use immediately, or refrigerate for as long as 3 days.

Strangely reminiscent of...

Emmenthaler cheese. That's what I said to Mike after trying Esme's special sauce, which I had copied a while back and just made last night. Folks, this is not a low-fat sauce. It is also very rich, and there is a savory... unctuousness to it. I think in future it will do well as a sauce over veg, such as roasted potatoes, on the side.

Last night, with little interest in cooking and less in trotting 2/3 mile to the store & back (no car - we've not had one for around 4 years now and believe me right now this is not a bad idea), I decided to try this out.

We cooked up some soba noodles, then tossed in a good half-bag of frozen chopped spinach, about a cup of frozen peas (told you we were lazy!) and finally, a can of drained & rinsed cannelini. It went together like that (snaps fingers unsuccessfully - I never could do that well) and in no time at all we were laid back, overstuffed. This is a comfort food. Curry's better (curry is ALWAYS better) but this is fast.

Tostadas!

This was the easiest and nearly the tastiest meal I've had this week! I'd bought some tostadas caseras the other day, and intended to simply cook up black beans with cumin, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and mash'em up a bit, then top with taco toppings of simple guacamole (take 1 avocado, mash), chipotle sauce (mince chipotle, add equal amounts of mayo and sour cream), chopped tomato, onion, lettuce. But I thought I'd look for a recipe for refried vegan beans, first - and I'm so glad I did! The recipe was more complex and makes a wonderful base for the toppings.

Vegetarian Refried Beans (courtesy of The Savvy Vegetarian)

* 1 cup dry pinto or black beans (my note: the ratio is 1 c. dried = 3 c. cooked. We used 1 can and halved the recipe for everything, perfect for 2)
* 3 -4 Tbls ghee or olive oil
* 2 tsp. gr. cumin
* 2 tsp gr. coriander
* pinch cayenne
* 1/2 tsp dried ginger
* 1/2 tsp gr. fennel seeds
* 1 tsp paprika
* pinch of garlic salt OR asoefetida (My note - we used asefoetida. Always great to find a way to use this wonderful spice!)
* 1 tsp salt (My note: this could have stayed out. Braggs is already plenty salty)
* pepper to taste
* 1 Tblsp Braggs liquid aminos, or soy sauce

Directions:

1. To cook beans:* soak 3 or more hours, rinse, cover with cold water (no salt). Bring to boil, skim foam, cover and simmer 1 - 2 hrs, until tender. Drain and reserve the liquid. (My note: if using canned beans, drain & rinse well, then run through food processer. Add 2-3 T water)
2. Mash the beans with a potato masher, in a food mill, or food processor. Add enough liquid to make a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil or ghee on low in a 2 qt. saucepan. Add spices and heat for 5 minutes. Add the bean paste and blend with the spices. Add Braggs or soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

The Toppings

1 avocado, cubed & mashed
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 small onion, minced
1 tomato, diced (we were out of the good ones so I used about 1/2 c of canned diced tomatoes, drained)
(about) 1/3 c. nutritional yeast
enough vegan mayo to combine everything, about 1/3 c
(about) 2 T adobo sauce or 1 minced chipotle
1/4 c. or more cilantro, chopped

Combine everything, adding enough nutritional yeast to thicken the mix to spreading consistency.

What else is needed: chopped lettuce, good salsa. vegan sour cream, if you have it (I'm out, and didn't really miss it)

Putting it together: Spread the refried bean mix, top with the avocado mix,then lettuce and salsa. Eat and repeat. Enjoy! We'll make this again - super easy (or did I say that already?

Black beans & rice with sweet potatoes

Oh man was this good! I think next time I'll add lime quarters to squeeze over everything. We had steamed collards on the side, from frozen - these turned out to be a perfect foil to the juicy, slightly spicy dish. Don't skimp on the heat, either - or the vegan sour cream. It's all part of the taste.

http://veggie-terrain.blogspot.com/2007/12/black-beans-rice-w-sweet-potato-cubes.html

Lunch!

Checking out 2 new recipes at once for lunch, reports to follow!

1. Smoky Miso Tofu
Notes:
- Coating the thin slices of tufu worked best for me by dipping them in the marinade and turning to coat - use your fingers!
- I ended up having to turn the heat up to 450F, turning the tofu pieces over gently. I also had to cook these for about 3 times as long. I wonder if the oven rack was too high? It's possible that having my baking stone and my cast iron skillet beneath the cookie sheet these were baking on may have necessitated the change in cooking time.
- This is really good, room temp or cold, with vegan mayo and lettuce and mustard on a bun.

2. Pinto Bean & Brown Rice Cakelets
Notes:
- I discovered at the last minute (Mike had gone to the store without his phone) that I had no canned pinto beans, so subbed a can of cannelini beans. Otherwise, this came together very easily even though I did have to make some brown rice (I used basmati).
- I wonder if these will need a dipping sauce, and I'm wondering if baking would work as opposed to frying.
- The recipe makes a LOT so I'm wondering if I can make the patties and freeze them (or cook them partway and then cool & freeze). I will be trying to do this as there is no way two of us will eat all this for lunch!
- I didn't add salt and they do need it (though there is plenty in the soy).

followup note: these cakelets were good, but not good enough to warrant the fat content.

why do I get the feeling we will be too stuffed for dinner?

Black Beans with Mango

1 tablespoon canola or mild olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1 bell pepper (any color, but red is nice) diced
1 mango, peeled and diced (you could also use frozen mango chunks)
one small fresh, minced and seeded hot pepper or 4-6 slices pickled jalepeno pepper (optional)
½ cup frozen corn
1 15-ounce can black beans, undrained (or drained, and add ~1/2 cup of water)
Dash of salt

Saute the onion and bell pepper in oil until they are soft and fragrant. Add the mango and jalapeno, and cook until the mango has softened. Add the beans and corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Add a dash of salt to taste. Serve over rice.

copied from http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2008/06/vegan_and_you_dont_even_know_i.html?hpid=smartliving

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

posted by Damzifly at the PPK
Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes - from Women's Health

My note: this is delicious! Easy, super-tasty, a real top favorite in this house.

Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed
juice of one lime
2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions
1. Place quinoa in a small-mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet (be sure you have a tight-fitting lid for the skillet).
3. Add sweet potato, scallion, and chile and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Add quinoa; toast for 2 minutes.
5. Add water and salt.
6. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cover. Simmer until quinoa and sweet potato are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
7. If liquid remains unabsorbed in the pan, raise heat to high and cook for 2 minutes until it boils off.
8. Stir in black beans and lime juice and cilantro.
9. Serve warm or chilled.

Quinoa-black bean salad

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• Juice of one lime, plus about 1/4 tsp. lime zest
• 1 1/2 tsp. chipotle paste (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp. chile powder
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cumin
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1 14.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 
  
• Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

• In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice and zest, chipotle paste, chile powder, salt, cumin, and olive oil. Add scallions, red peppers and black beans. Stir in the quinoa and cilantro and toss well to combine. Garnish with additional cilantro and lime zest, if desired.

• Recipe is from Chronic in the Kitchen