white bean, black bean

I have been trying to incorporate more beans into our diet as they are a superfood and less expensive than meat. For lunch this week, Vance and I are having vegetable sandwiches on whole grain bread with a black bean hummus. This creamy bean dip is delicious on pita or as part of a meal.

Another great bean recipe was a white bean and summer vegetable curry. This recipe is a bit of East meets West as I combined Indian flavors like garam masala, cumin and cayenne with beans and avocado. Typically, I think of a rich curry in the fall or winter, but white beans and zucchini definitely lighten up this dish. 

White bean curry served over Jasmine rice with plain yogurt and avocado slices.

This recipe is adapted from Eat, Live, Run's Channa Masala. Enjoy!

2 carrots peeled and cubed

1 large zucchini cubed

15 ounce white beans, drained and rinsed

1 Garlic Cloves, smashed and chopped

1/2 Onion, chopped

1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 Inch Knob Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped

1 15 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1/4 Lemon

1/2 Tablespoon Ground Coriander

1.2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric

2 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon EVOO

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the butter and add oil. Once melted, add the onions, carrot and zucchini, and cook for about 15 minutes on medium low heat. Once the vegetables are soft, add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno and stir well. Cook for about two minutes. Add the tomato paste and pince (see below). Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne and tumeric and stir well. Then add the diced tomatoes, white beans and garam masala. Cook for about five minutes or until the beans have heated through. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with plain yogurt. I sliced some avocado and assemble around the edge of the dish - mainly because we love avocado and I wanted something green.

To pince is essentially to brown the ingredients. For this recipe, after you add the paste, stir it well into the other ingredients. Next you’ll want to flatten the ingredients into one layer on the bottom of the pan. Turn up the heat and allow the sugars to cook down for a few minutes and create a really nice brown crust on the bottom of your pan. It may look like it’s burnt but it’s not.