Herbed White Bean Puree

I was making this recipe on Christmas Eve this year, when I realized that I make this every year as an appetizer when friends and family come by during the holidays. It is always well received by company. I make it other times during the year, too, when I need a quick and easy appetizer that's sure to please.

The beauty of this recipe is that you don't have to follow it verbatim. If you don't have one of the less important ingredients it doesn't really matter. You can skip it or put in a substitute. You just need the basics though. You can also make this 1 or 2 days ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge. Let it sit out for a few hours before serving.

Herbed White Bean Puree

Ingredients:

• Garlic - 3-4 cloves minced
• Beans - 1 can of white beans (white navy, great northern, or cannellini) rinsed and drained
• Italian parsley - 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley leaves
• Capers - 1 tablespoon rinsed and drained
• Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
• Olive oil 
• Hot pepper sauce - a few drops to start (optional)
• Herb mix
• salt - 1/2 teaspoon
• dried thyme - 1/2 teaspoon
• dried dill - 1/2 teaspoon
• dried tarragon - 1/2 teaspoon
• dried basil - 1/2 teaspoon
• white pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
• ground nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon

Directions:

• Prep all ingredients and put the herb mix in a small prep bowl
• Mince the garlic into a food processor bowl and add lemon juice
• Add all other ingredients then drizzle liberally with olive oil and begin processing
• Continue to process for 1-2 minutes (you want to break down the parsley leaves completely) adding olive oil as needed to bring the finished product to a smooth, creamy, hummus-like consistency
• Taste and adjust salt, lemon juice, or hot pepper sauce if needed
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a parsley sprig
• Serve with bread sticks, crackers, pita chips, or fresh vegetables

Sweet Potato & White Bean Soup

A long time ago, I picked up a slow cooker with the intention of trying to utilize it and take advantage of the convenience. I made a pretty good bean stew and promised to try more. But I haven't really done that and whenever I look at slow cooker cookbooks I always notice how meat-heavy they are.

While walking through the cookbook section of my local library (which I do every time I visit it), a cookbook caught my attention: The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester. I checked it out of the library, brought it home, and proceeded to page through it reading through the recipes. There were easily a dozen recipes that I wanted to try. No more needing to skip through entire chunks of the book to avoid the meat recipes.

With the author being vegan, there are parts of the book dedicated to workarounds particular to vegans. And some of the recipes looked a little bland; written perhaps with the entire country in mind. Here in California, we have so many exotic ingredients available to us. So I immediately noticed places where I could add some changes and upgrades.

I decided to start with this recipe because we had multiple bags of sweet potatoes delivered that needed to be used up. I doctored up the recipe a bit.

On this particular December day, I was able to come home for lunch and get all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. I had an after-work holiday event to attend so I knew I wouldn't be home until a few hours later than usual. So I set this up to be our late dinner.

It was nice to walk through the door and pick up the scent of the simmering soup. This is a great weeknight meal for cooler fall and winter nights. Some good bread and olive oil goes along nicely.

Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato - About 3 medium to small potatoes, peeled and chopped into mostly equal-sized chunks
• Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
• Celery - 3 stalks, cleaned and chopped
• Diced tomatoes - 1 14 oz. can
• White beans - 1 14 oz. can of beans, drained and rinsed
• Veggie broth - 5 cups
• Greens - 1 15 oz. bag of prepared greens. I used a bag of baby kale leaves.
• Parsley - leaves of 2-3 sprigs, chopped
• Bay leaf - 1-2 leaves
• Parmesan cheese - grated
• White pepper - 1/4 tsp or more to taste
• Salt and papper - to taste
• Flour - 4 tbsp

Directions:

The night before:

• Prepare the celery and sweet potatoes and store in air-tight container in the refrigerator.

The day of:

• Add sweet potatoes, celery, herbs, beans, tomatoes, minced garlic, white pepper and broth to the slow cooker and heat on low for 6-8 hours until potatoes are softened. 
• Remove bay leaf and parsley sprigs. 
• Before serving put the flour in a bowl. Ladle some broth into the bowl. Whisk to dissolve the flour. Once it is fully dissolved add it all back to the slow cooker and stir to mix.
• About 20 minutes before serving add in greens and let them cook down.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Top with some cheese and garnish with chopped parsley leaves.
• Serves 4.

Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Kale Minestrone

I have been making a fair amount of soup and soup stock these days just because all the right ingredients are arriving in the box (leeks, potatoes, carrots, onions). I've made a few batches of Leek and Potato soup loving the way that the potato can add that creaminess but without the heaviness.

Recently, I adapted a soup recipe that was included in the box. We had most of the ingredients on hand through recent deliveries. Then the other ingredients were just regular items that we keep in our pantry (squash, beans, and cans of diced tomatoes).

Now, as for the sausage. We don't eat meat but you can use your favorite meat sausage if you do. We have been enjoying the vegetarian Field Roast Italian Sausage in some dishes recently (they also have a blog). The sausage has a nice consistency with fennel seeds giving the sausage an authentic taste. It's nice to brown it in another skillet and add it to the soup during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

The way I adapted this recipe was to make it into a larger batch. The original recipe only called for 3 cups of broth but I've upped the carrots and celery and broth. It's the kind of soup that you can make without a timeline and you can tweak or improvise the ingredients. Start working on it on a weekend afternoon and just keep the heat down low. You will be able to enjoy this tasty soup for days (lunch for work or weeknight leftovers).

Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Kale Minestrone

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
• 3-4 carrots, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. herb blend - like Italian or Fines Herbes
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably with seasoning)
• 1 quart broth (veggie preferred)
• 1 small or 1/2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (potato can be a substitute)
• 1 19 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 19 oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch kale (Lacinato or Dino kale preferred), stemmed and chopped
• 2-4 sausages, sliced and browned in a skillet
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened and beginning to get translucent (about 10-15 minutes).
• Add celery and carrots and cook another 5-10 minutes.
• Add the herb blend, diced tomatoes, broth, and squash cubes. Cover with a lid and cook over low for at least 30 minutes to soften the squash.
• Add the kale and let it cook down.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the beans and browned sausage during the last 15-30 minutes.

Shrimp and White Bean Salad with Harissa Dressing

As I find recipes in magazines and newspapers I cut them out and tape them into a spiral notebook. I have three or four such notebooks full of taped recipes. There are way more recipes that I've never tried than ones I've done. Sometimes I go through one of the notebooks and tear out some of the recipes that I know I will never get to freeing up space for newer recipes.

It was during one of these reviews that I stumbled upon a Sunset recipe that I had I cut out and taped into a notebook. As I skimmed it, I knew that I had most of the ingredients on hand and I could substitute the rest.

This turned out to to be a great starting point for a quick and tasty weeknight meal with lot of substitution options.

Let's start with the dressing for the salad. There will be leftover dressing so figure out another use for it.

Harissa Dressing:

• 2-4 Tbsp. Harissa - I had some Harissa in the pantry but if you don't, you could use Rooster sauce or Chili Garlic Sauce from Huy Yong Foods (I keep both of these always stocked in my fridge)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together in a bowl and set aside to let the flavors marry.


Salad:

• 1-2 cups of greens - the original recipe called for an arugula and parsley mix. I used half of a bag of Trader Joe's mixed baby greens which featured baby kale, chard, and spinach. Be creative and use your favorite greens.
• 1 can of Cannellini beans. Drained and rinsed.
• 1 celery stalk, sliced on the 45 degree angle
• 1 thawed 12 oz bag of shrimp, deveined with shells and tails off. Safeway has a new brand of American farmed shrimp under the Open Nature label.

Cook the shrimp in a hot skillet with butter and olive oil mix until done. Toss in cracked pepper and a few pinches of salt. Lower heat when shrimp are done and add drained beans.

Make a bed of greens and add the sliced celery. Top with the shrimp and bean mixture. Spoon the harissa dressing over the top.

This is a super easy and tasty weeknight dinner. This recipe feeds two people. If you need to feed more, double the salad recipe but not the dressing.

Herbed White Bean Puree

Many years ago, a friend recommended this book and later I found it at a used book store. He recommended this recipe and I've made it a number of times. It has become one of my "go to" recipes for entertaining and it is always well received. It's easy to make, healthy, and it's easy to create variations of it.

Herbed White Bean Puree

• 1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions
• 2 -3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• basil - I used 3 fresh leaves. If using jarred, about 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions:

First off, don't worry too much about having all of the exact ingredients. You can improvise on the herbs.

In a food processor, add all ingredients except the hot pepper sauce. Process until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Add hot pepper sauce if desired.

Transfer to a serving dish and add a garnish of herbs. Serve with sliced baguette, bread sticks, or fresh vegetables.

So easy!

Slow Cooker: Tuscan Bean Stew

I picked up a slow cooker for an incredibly low price recently. It seems they are the media favorite right now. Everywhere you look, (from the supermarket check-out magazines, to emails from Sunset, to the latest cookbooks) someone is touting the virtues of the slow cooker. And then my friends and colleagues were all glowing when I asked them about their slow cooker experiences.

Well, I'm still early in on my journey but so far I've been pretty underwhelmed by the vegetarian slow cooker recipes I've seen and tried. They seem fairly bland and unimaginative. It seems that someone found the recipe book from the 1970s and put those recipes online. Haven't we learned some things since then?

Of course, I realize that I've added the extra challenge of trying fit the slow cooker into a vegetarian/pescetarian household. So I always have to be thinking about the substitute for the meat in recipes.

But I shall continue on my slow cooker journey and report out the worthy ones here. I have a few recipes on deck to try out in the near future. I've added a "slow cooker" label over to the right. too.This slow cooker recipe was actually pretty good. Definitely a great starting point. I might add some additional seasonings next time to make it bolder.

I was also drawn to how this recipe used unusual beans which I have been wanting to explore. The recipe calls for Borlotti beans which I made here for the first time. I was surprised to find them at my local Whole Foods. If you are looking for a good mail order store for rare or heirloom beans then be sure to check out Rancho Gordo.

This recipe was adapted from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle and instead of chicken I used Soyrizo. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Tuscan Bean Stew

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Parmesan rind
• 1 14 oz. bag dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight in water
• 1 14 oz. bag dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in water
• 5 cups of veggie broth
• About 10-12 crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 Soyrizo, squeeze it out of the casing
• 1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Place the onion, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf, Parmesan rind, beans, and broth into the pot of a slow cooker. Turn the cooker on low for 6 hours
• Remove bay leaf, rosemary sprig, and Parmesan rind. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 more hour
• Add the Soyrizo and cook another hour
• Season with salt and pepper to taste

Leek, Potato, and Bean Soup

We got a single, large leek in the box this week. Whenever I see 2-3 leeks my mind immediately goes to my vegetable broth where leeks are an important ingredient. But this was just one leek and it was going to be a busy week. We also received 1.5 pounds of Yukon potatoes and then I thought that potato-leek was a very common soup combo. So I went to work. I adapted an Alice Waters recipe in The Art of Simple Food using the ingredients I had on hand and this is was what opened tonight's meal:

Ingredients:

• 1 large leek
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 sprigs of sage (original recipe called for thyme. I happened to have some extra sage on hand so I used that instead. Be creative.)
  
• 1 large bay leaf
• Salt
• 1 pound of Yukon yellow potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Cannelli beans (I used some home-prepred beans but 1 can of commercial beans will do. More on the homemade beans later.)
  
• 5 cups water or broth (Tonight I used TJ's vegetable broth from the pantry)
  
• dried parsley as garnish
• black pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Trim off the root and green end of the leek
• Slice thinly and soak in water to clean
• Drain and dry sliced leeks
• In a medium pot melt butter and add leeks with bay leaf, herbs, and salt
• Cook for about 10 minutes until leeks are soft
• As leeks cook, peel and quarter the potatoes
• Add potatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes until coated
• Add broth (or water)
• Bring to a boil and then turn to simmer for about an hour until the potatoes are soft enough to mash on the edge of the pot with a wooden spoon
• Allow to cool, remove bay leaf, herb sprigs, and puree the soup with a hand blender
• Add cannelli beans and stir in freshly ground black pepper
• Let simmer for 10-15 minutes
• Add a pat of butter and garnish with dried parsley
  

Serve with good crusty bread and wine.