Rapini With Spiced Turtle Beans, Tuscan Beans With Kale And Craisins, Bean-Stuffed Squash, Oven-Baked Tofu

RAPINI WITH SPICED TURTLE BEANS

Way back when, I posted a variation on the bean recipe HERE - using back then soy beans rather than the turtle (or black) beans pictured here. I may have added a few extra little bits of this and that for interest, but the idea is the same: spicy hot (but not too hot) beans gently simmered with a sweetener (maple syrup works nicely, as does agave nectar, but I like organic molasses for this one to go with the rich taste of this kind of bean.) along with various spices (see recipe) to produce a delicious bean dish that keeps well in the refrigerator and can be used for a variety of dishes.

In this case, I served rapini (broccoli rabe), lightly done with a little garlic, to complete the Beans 'n' Greens meal. The contrast of the slight bitterness of the rapini with the beans is sensational.



TUSCAN BEANS WITH KALE AND CRAISINS

This is an old favourite, but I can't resist adding it in here. The recipe I have posted before, as HERE, although I, like most of people reading this blog, don't follow the recipe slavishly. Using lightly cooked shredded kale steamed with a touch of onion or garlic and some dried cranberries (craisins) not only looks wonderful and is good for us, but the slight sweetness of the cranberries turns the kale into something even more special than usual. As you will have gathered by now, I love putting slightly sweet dried fruit with 'cabbage-like' vegetables. One could used chopped dried apricots here, or raisins, currants - whatever. Again, it's Beans 'n' Greens in a simple but not boring way.




BEAN-STUFFED SQUASH

Now this was nearly a disaster. I used the photo to make the point that either of these bean recipes would be good, if there are any leftovers, in all sorts of ways - on toast, on a split baked potato, etc. Our preferred way is to stuff them into a small pre-baked squash (you choose your fave) and serve with whatever other leftovers or salad seem appropriate. In this case, I had some tofu that needed to be used quickly, the baked squash and the beans (and a green salad - always have the makings of a green salad here). But it was indeed nearly or perhaps actually a disaster. I left them in the oven that bit too long and the tofu, which was also marinated and then baked, got too much heat and the edge of the squash turned a little darker than was aesthetically desirable. Wanna see my disaster in the uncropped version? Here ya go:



Not a dish I am proud of! I actually can bake tofu successfully, however (and usually don't scorch my squash). Later in the week I made tofu to go with greens (much more sensible than adding it to beans, but as I say it needed to be used) and managed bake my marinated fingers of tofu enough to get just the right degree of colour and texture.




OVEN-BAKED TOFU

So simple, but it is easy to answer the phone and let it over-do. This was frozen tofu (makes a different texture) lightly squeezed to removed excess liquid after defrosting, then marinated in minced garlic (you can used the dried flakes if you are in a rush), ginger (powdered is a different taste, but it works for heat), crushed or powdered chilies - totally optional - a little mirin or other sweetener (just about half a tsp, but to taste), a shake of Bragg Liquid Amino/All-Purpose Seasoning, and a little water to help it not be too strong. Marinate in a flat dish and turn a couple of times while you're preparing something else, then put in a 375 F oven for as long as it takes - it depends on how thick you have cut the tofu strips or logs or fingers - turning once. You can used a light spray of oil on an oven tray or cookie sheet or put it all on top of a sheet of parchment paper. I find the spray of oil works better.

Serve hot with a drizzle of whatever you fancy and decorate according to your whimsy. Leftovers make great additions to a wrap or, cubed, a salad. We rarely have leftovers. *sigh*

Bean-Stuffed Acorn Squash, Mexican-Spiced Veg on Beans, Faux Chikken Dinner

BEAN-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH BRAISED KALE

Right now I am enjoying eating the mostly greens and beans way (with some apologies to Dr Joel Fuhrman since I do enjoy my spices and other condiments). I had found a lovely little organic acorn squash at the market, had some home-cooked black beans (unseasoned) in the freezer and a lovely bunch of dinosaur kale in the crisper. This had to make a good meal.

First the squash, which I simply halved and baked, face down and lightly covered, at 350 degrees for around half an hour. While this was happening, I tossed a little onion and garlic into a pan to get the onions to a translucent state (using a little water to sautee, as usual, although I have been known to 'cheat' and use a teaspoon of oil), and added a chopped tomato. In went the black turtle) beans, about 1-1/2 cups, along with a tablespoon of tomato paste from a tube, a tablespoon of organic pure maple syrup, a squirt of Bragg liquid aminos/all-purpose seasoning, a shake or two of thyme and oregano, a sprinkle of red chili flakes and just enough water to let it all simmer while the squash baked. The kale was stripped of its coarse stems, sliced crosswise into ribbons and lightly braised with a little garlic in a very little vegetable stock with a few raisins.

This all came together before I knew it, and with a quick baby spinach and orange salad to start we had a delicious meal. You'll be seeing more of my beans 'n' greens meals in the next little while.

And this one is also about beans, pureed as I like to do sometimes now, with some mixed vegetables. Have a look:



MEXICAN-SPICED BROCCOLI, MUSHROOMS AND RED BELL PEPPERS ON BEANS

As you see, the beans (I used lima beans here, cooked with garlic, onion, bay and a little chili) are well pureed, not too soupy but placed in a shallow old-fashioned-style soup plate for presentation rather than from need. I water-sauteed broccoli florets with some red bell pepper/capsicum, quartered mushrooms and sliced onion. These I seasoned with Mexican Chili Spice Mix with a little extra cumin and cayenne. When the beans were heated through again after being pureed, the vegetables were ready, with any liquid absorbed. I sprinkled some vegan parmesan-style cheese on top.

This next one does not, however, use beans, but there's still something green there :)



FAUX CHICKEN DINNER WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES AND ASPARAGUS

Coming home too close to mealtime meant I reached for a package of PC Meatless Chicken Breasts (the fake meat is made by Gardein, I note). Iit comes in a sealed pouch with sauce included, intended to be microwaved or boiled in the bag, but I pop it into a baking dish in the oven while I do the rest of the meal, although I'll probably reconsider that option if I'm still using it when the weather gets hot. In this case, the baking option worked fine, since I quickly chopped some potatoes and carrots to roast on the same shelf. While this was happening, a salad was in preparation and, while we were consuming that, I put on the water to steam the asparagus you see in the photo. That takes about two or three minutes while the plates are being changed and the glasses recharged.

This fake meat is very tasty, and seems to come in just a couple of flavours (the sauce, remember?). One Tuscan (i.e. tomato and herbs) and the other, which is pictured above, is Dijon (more French and with a mild mustardy sauce). Both are very good. I went for years 'not approving' of faux meats, mainly because I didn't like the taste, I think. Good products have me rethinking me stubbornness, and I do now keep one or two on hand (watching the expiry dates carefully) as a change or for emergency use. This would go well just with a big green salad too.

Spicy Beanburgers with Salad

Spicy Beanburgers with Salad [NOTE: Recipe edited to correct oversight re preparation of beans and a missing ingredient in the sauce!]

The thing about coming back from holidays (more about that later) is that one goes shopping (at least I do) without actually getting everything needed for eating ordinary meals. Using up what's left in the fridge the last few days before leaving means being out of everything on return, and of course shopping lists for recipes rather assume that you'll have basics, blah blah blah. Well, frankly, I blundered and, not feeling like going out again to shop, I hit the freezer and the few things I had in the fridge to make a quick meal.

Beans? Yes - but only just plain boiled in the freezer. Okay, let's work with that, I said (bored with the whole idea of cooking again after being away and having had the delight of eating other people's food!)


Ingredients (all is approximate and to taste - but you get the idea):

2 cups (you could use 1 can, rinsed and drained) beans (I used my own frozen pino beans)
3 cloves garlic
a large stick celery, chopped finely
half a carrot, finely chopped or grated (I used a handful of those 'baby' carrots)
2 slices onion, finely chopped
a few mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp ground coriander seeds, or to taste
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 Tbsp paprika, or to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne powder, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
dash or two of cinnamon (I love cinnamon in things)
a few drops of liquid smoke
salt and pepper
dried wholewheat (or other) crumbs
fresh cilantro - divided in two - a handful chopped and more to garnish

Thaw your beans and drain, or drain and rinse your canned beans - then set aside in a large bowl.
Saute the vegetables until just soft. Add the spices and flavourings and stir until the vegetables are well coated.

Mash or puree about two-thirds of the beans, so that you have a gooey texture plus some more-or-less whole beans to make it interesting.

Add the vegetable mix to the beans in the bowl, stir, and add enough crumbs to keep everything together.Add the chopped cilantro.

Shape into patties and refrigerate until ready to use.

Spray a pan with a tiny bit of oil and brown the patties nicely.

I added roughly chopped mushrooms to the pan - because I like mushrooms with almost everything.

The Sauce? Use your favourite topping sauce or salsa. I used a mix of lemon juice and equal parts plain horseradish and dijon mustard with a little low-sodium soy. (Mix this to taste.)

Serve with any kind of green or leafy salad. These would also go well as open-faced sandwiches.

Corn Bread with Chilied Beans

I've always loved corn bread, but I don't exactly like the traditional amounts of oil that go into the preparation of it. Recently, I heard of (and tried) a recipe that substituted a mashed banana for all the fat in the regular recipe (banana cornbread????) and it was delicious. I'll do that again!

Today, I tried a different version - one from one of Neal Barnard's books. It takes a cup of cornmeal but instead of the one-and-a-half cups of wholewheat (or all-purpose) flour, it uses barley flour. I thought 'HUH?' But, never having been misdirected by one of his recommended recipes yet, I gave it a go:



And it was exactly right after 30 minutes. Indeed, we had it a matter of moments later with a great quick bean recipe (same source). Here it is, still steaming hot, crumbly and smelling absolutely wonderful (and tasting even better) at 125 calories a piece, no fat.



The beans? It was your standard chilied beans, without fat or oil: a chopped onion, a chopped red pepper (because we were out of green), a cup-and-a-half of red kidney beans, a couple of cups of tomato sauce (opened a can from up the cupboard to be quickest), 1 cup tvp granules, 1 cup of frozen corn, plus chili seasonings (faked up my own, because we didn't have the requisite 2 spoons of chilie powder), more cayenne (always more!) and 3 cloves garlic - all cooked nicely in no time at all. When the bread was out of the oven, the beans were ready to serve.

TUSCAN-STYLE BEANS WITH TOMATOES

(Serves 4 as a main dish, up to eight as a side dish)
A Quick Fix.

While this dish is traditionally made with cannellini beans, we use navy beans or northern beans, according to what we have cooked and ready. We make it without olive oil to sautee the garlic, etc. for another fat-free dish which is also quick and easy.

4 or 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 cups (two cans, if you prefer them, but rinse and drain) white beans, cooked and drained
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock, homemade if you have it
14-ounce can of tomatoes, chopped, including juice
a good pinch of dried sage or use four or five fresh sage leaves if you have them handy
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the garlic in a very little water for a few minutes to soften in a large pot, then add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer - without a lid - for 20 minutes or so, until thickened nicely. Give it a good stir now and then while it does this. When the mixture is lovely and moist but no longer runny it's done. Easy and delicious.

SPICY RED DRAGON PIE

There are several versions of a Red Dragon Pie circulating on the net. The original is probably this one: http://www.unicorn-grocery.co.uk/recipes.php?i=4 And this is my take on it.

My usual way to make this is to soak a couple of ounces of wheatberries overnight and cook them with the adzuki beans. This time I have used a couple of ounces of pot barley instead. The barley gave it a nice texture with bite.

SPICY RED DRAGON PIE

The Pie Filling:
4 ounces (by weight) adzuki beans, soaked overnight
2 ounces ( ditto) pot barley, ditto
1 brown onion, chopped
1/2 lb. carrots, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-inch piece peeled ginger, very finely chopped
1 tsp or more crushed chile peppers
1 Tsp Tamari or Braggs
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1tsp or so of mixed herbs such as parsley, thyme, oregano
1 cup or more bean stock (or what you need to keep the mixture moist)
salt & pepper & cayenne to taste

The Potatoes:
3/4 lb red potatoes
a little low-fat soymilk for mashing the potatoes
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast for the potatoes
salt and pepper to taste for the potatoes
2 or 3 green/spring onions, finely chopped, for the potatoes

Garnish:
spirnkle of faux parmezan cheez or homemade similar, dash paprika, parsley


Drain the beans and barley and simmer for 3/4 hour or until cooked in a quart or more
of water. Drain, but save the stock for later.

NOTE: This part of the recipe can be done ahead of time - you can even cook and save the beans and barley and freeze the mix until needed. OR you can proceed with the recipe until the point of putting on the potatoes and stop there a day ahead or freeze until needed. OR you can make and freeze the whole recipe. It is very very forgiving.

To continue . . .
Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion and carrot and a little bean stock to cook until soft along with the garlic, chiles and ginger. Add add the cooked beans and barley and mix well.

Add the tamari, tomato puree and herbs to some of that cup of bean stock. mix, and add to the pan. Stir, and then add as much of the bean stock as you need to keep it from going dry - about a cup - bring to the boil, lower to simmer. (Use water or veg stock if you run out of bean stock.)

Simmer for about 20 minutes to blend the flavours nicely.

Meanwhile boil the potatoes and mash hem with the soymilk, add the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and chopped green onions.

Taste the bean mix for seasoning and correct, adding salt, pepper and more cayenne if necessary. Put it in a lightly sprayed casserole dish and spread the mashed potato mix over the top. Sprinkle the top with the vegan faux cheez or nutritional yeast and crumb mix (if used) and sprinkle a little paprika.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, in which time the potatoes should have browned and crisped.

Add a sprig of parsley or something green if you like and serve with green vegetables or a salad.

Reheats nicely in oven (cover with foil) or microwave.

Serves 4.

BEANS IN A SWEET SPICY SAUCE

You can serve this with just about anything you like - and for a snack or light lunch it goes great on toast. We usually serve with brown basmati (which gets used for most things here) and some quickly sauteed vegetables in whichever herbs and spices suit our mood of the day.

BEANS IN SWEET SPICY SAUCE

2 Tbsp dried wakame/seaweed, soaked and cut into tiny pieces
1 Tbsp (or as little as you can get away with) canola oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 small carrot, grated
3 green onions or scallions, finely chopped
2 cups soybeans, cooked and drained
2 Tbsp molasses (or use brown sugar if you prefer)
1 tsp sea salt
large pinch of crushed chillies (OK, this is optional - but it is a great addition!)
1 tsp dark sesame oil

Put the canola oil in a skillet and when it reaches medium to high heat add the ginger, grated carrot , green onions, crushed chilies and stir. Then add the seaweed, stir again, and then the beans plus 1 cup of water (or their cooking liquid if you have it). Throw in the sugar and the salt and stir again and bring it back to the simmer.

Turn the heat down to low, so that it keeps on the simmer, and cook it for 30 minutes with the lid partially covering the pan.

Keep an eye on this, for when you have a wonderfully thick mass of beans in a syrup you're done! Adjust seasonings, avoid eating it out of the pan, remove from heat, avoid eating it out of the pan, add sesame oil, avoid eating it out of the pan- and serve.

It's remarkably simple and very good!

CURRIED BEAN, TOMATO & MUSHROOM SOUP

Keeping to the chosen theme, here's a soup we had last evening from the freezer. We enjoy this soup as a start to a meal or, with homemade bread or a salad, as a light meal in itself.

CURRIED BEAN, TOMATO AND MUSHROOM SOUP

1 cup of a mix of beans (kidney, garbanzos, turtle), cooked and drained
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 lb (125 g) small mushrooms, sliced
1 can tomatoes, crushed
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp (or to taste) commercial curry powder (or better still use your own homemade mix)
2 or 3 Tbsp chopped parsley or herbs of choice

Combine all ingredients in a large pan and cook until done, around 40
minutes, add more water and reheat if soup has become too thick, adjust
seasonings (salt and pepper), and stir in herbs. Soup freezes well.