I like some types of veggie burgers, and I do eat them on a regular basis. My favorite are the Morningstar Farms Grillers Prime - which are a type that is meant to actually taste like an actual burger. There are lots of veggie burgers out there, though, and many don't really try to mimic an actual meat burger taste... some just taste like veggies or beans or what have you, and are delicious in that way rather than in a meaty way. That is the type of veggie burger you tend to find in restaurants or if it's homemade. I've never actually made a homemade veggie burger; I've always stuck with the pre-made frozen ones. The closest thing I've come to making something like that would probably be the bean cakes - such as black bean cakes or bean and rice cakes that I've made. For some reason today I decided to try my hand at making my own real homemade veggie burger patties so I spent all afternoon fiddling around in the kitchen. I thought I would share my results with you.
I made my veggie burgers out of beans and bulgur wheat. I get bulgur wheat at the bulk section of my grocery store and it can be used for all kinds of things. It's a main ingredient in tabbouleh, and that's what I've mostly used it for. I happened to have some in the house, though, and I thought I might be able to use that in the burger. I cooked some beans (after soaking them for a while), and ran them through the food processor until smooth but still a little chunky (like refried beans).
To the beans and bulgur wheat, I also added a little bit of dried bread crumbs, and some minced onion and shredded zucchini (that I pre-cooked). I was going to serve the burgers with feta and tzatziki so I added marjoram and parsley for a Greek themed flavor. I was very worried about the burgers being dense and gummy so I tried to mix the mixture gently and keep some air in it. I had to decide whether to put in egg as a binder and decided against it and figured I would use it as is first. So I formed a couple of patties and sauteed them with oil on a hot skillet.
The verdict on the burgers was great! They got a nice brown crust on the outside and the flavor was good. However, they did start to crumble and fall apart. We ate the burgers like that, but then I went back and added egg to the rest of the mixture. I made six more patties out of the remaining mix and those are in the freezer right now for some future veggie burger meals. Lack of egg notwithsanding, I'm actually pretty proud of my first foray into veggie burgerdom! The bulgur wheat was actually a really good addition. And even though I wasn't really going for meat flavor, they actually were relatively meaty tasting.
I was worried the results would be somewhere between disaster and meh, but I'm relieved that my burgers turned out pretty good. The addition of the feta and tzatziki made them actually quite yummy. Of course it takes a lot to make something with feta not yummy!
Happy eating!
Showing posts with label Beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beans. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, July 11, 2011
Pea Soup With Crispy Chickpeas
Most people's idea of pea soup is that it is extremely salty and porky. It always has ham, bacon, or some other pig item in it, adding not just saltiness but also smokiness. As a vegetarian, obviously my pea soup doesn't end up that way. I'd like to think mine is a little more refined - since I am not hitting you over the head with cured pork flavor, the flavors of the seasonings and veggies can really shine. I also like to make pea soup that is a little thinner than traditional pea soup.
I use specialty salts to mimic some of the expected flavors of salted pork. In particular, smoked salt really adds a nice smoky flavor. I have a Hickory smoked salt which is very strong, and is perfect in this type of application. I also like to add some very mineral-y sea salt which helps to add more flavor. I have a black Hawaiian lava sea salt which is nice to use for this. I also keep it around to sprinkle on the top of the soup when serving, which is really beautiful.
The soup itself is pretty simple. Dried split peas can take an hour or more to cook, but once they are soft, it's just a matter of blending the soup, and then seasoning it. The soup can be served hot, of course, but it also is fine chilled. Dollop the chilled soup with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkle it with your decroative sea salt, and it's quite a charmer. As a garnish for the hot soup (don't use sour cream on the hot soup), I like crispy fried chickpeas and a drizzle of the seasoned chickpea oil. Delicious!!
Pea Soup With Crispy Chickpeas
1/2 lb dried split peas
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
6 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock (or water and boullion)
2 bay leaves
2 peppercorns
1 tsp smoked salt
1 tsp flavorful sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp lemongrass curry powder (or other mild curry powder)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Crispy Chickpeas:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
1/4 c veg oil
1/8 tsp each: black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, dried chile flakes, cumin, cinnamon, dried parsley, dried dill, salt
Pick through and rinse the peas. In a medium soup pot, melt butter over high heat and add carrot and onions. Cook a few minutes, until caramelized on the edges. Add garlic clove and cook until just golden brown on the edges. Add water and veggie stock and bring to a boil. Add peas, bay leaves, and two peppercorns, reduce heat, and simmer until peas are very soft, one to one and a half hours.
In the meantime, cook the chickpeas. Heat veg oil in a small nonstick pan, and add the seasonings. Be sure the chickpeas are very dry by patting them with paper towels. Add the chickpeas to the oil and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Carefully scoop out the chickpeas and drain on paper towels. Reserve the seasoned oil to use as a garnish.
When peas are soft, scoop out bay leaves and discard. Scoop out about a half cup of cooked peas and set aside. Using a blender or immersion blender, puree the soup until very smooth. Pour reserved peas back into the soup. If needed, add more water or stock to make a thinner soup, or thicken soup by either reducing it or adding a little corn starch slurry. Season soup with salts and seasonings. Taste and adjust salt or seasonings as necessary.
Ladle hot soup into bowls and drizzle with seasoned oil. Sprinkle with a few chickpeas and extra chickpeas on the side. To serve the soup chilled, top instead with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of black sea salt.
Happy eating!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Soy-Ginger Baked Beans
I woke up craving some sort of hearty bean dish today, but I had just bought tofu at the store with plans on sauteeing it and serving it with an Asian-style dipping sauce. How could I fit beans and the tofu dish together? Insipiration hit when I thought I would do Asian-style baked beans. I figured that ginger and soy would make nice flavor additions to a more traditional baked bean sauce.
The problem is, I'd never even made regular baked beans, much less Asian-style. But, I compiled a list of ingredients I thought sounded right and gave it a shot. What the heck, right? What I ended up with is the dish below. It actually turned out great! I'm thrilled. It's a little sweeter than I normally would like baked beans, but I think that the extra sweetness helps counter the sharpness of the ginger.
I used dried Eye of the Goat beans (my precious Rancho Gordo), and prepared them myself by boiling them as described below, but it would be fine to use canned beans instead to make the preparation time shorter -- just substitute water for the pot liquor, but be aware you may be losing some flavor there.
Soy-Ginger Baked Beans
1.5 c dried beans (*see below) (about 3c prepared beans)
2 Tbsp each: veggie oil and sesame oil
1/2 med sweet onion, diced
1 thumb ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 c ketchup
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
dash chipotle powder (or other chile powder to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1 c reserved bean pot liquor, plus extra
In bean pot, casserole dish, or large cast iron pan, heat oils over a medium burner. Cook onions until translucent; add ginger and garlic and cook one minute. Stir in tomato paste. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Stir in beans. Add enough pot liquor to make a thin sauce. Go easy on the salt as there is plenty in the soy sauce and the sauce will be condensed.
Cover pot with lid or foil and transfer to oven; bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. (Add a little more pot liquor if needed to thin out the sauce if it gets too thick as it cooks.) Uncover beans and cook another 10-20 minutes or until desired doneness. Enjoy!
*Prepare dry beans by soaking them for a few hours, and then boiling them with enough water to cover by a few inches, and some aromatics, such as carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorn, etc., in a cheesecloth. Simmer beans gently until al dente. Discard aromatics and drain beans, reserving pot liquor.
The problem is, I'd never even made regular baked beans, much less Asian-style. But, I compiled a list of ingredients I thought sounded right and gave it a shot. What the heck, right? What I ended up with is the dish below. It actually turned out great! I'm thrilled. It's a little sweeter than I normally would like baked beans, but I think that the extra sweetness helps counter the sharpness of the ginger.
I used dried Eye of the Goat beans (my precious Rancho Gordo), and prepared them myself by boiling them as described below, but it would be fine to use canned beans instead to make the preparation time shorter -- just substitute water for the pot liquor, but be aware you may be losing some flavor there.
Soy-Ginger Baked Beans
1.5 c dried beans (*see below) (about 3c prepared beans)
2 Tbsp each: veggie oil and sesame oil
1/2 med sweet onion, diced
1 thumb ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 c ketchup
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
dash chipotle powder (or other chile powder to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
1 c reserved bean pot liquor, plus extra
In bean pot, casserole dish, or large cast iron pan, heat oils over a medium burner. Cook onions until translucent; add ginger and garlic and cook one minute. Stir in tomato paste. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Stir in beans. Add enough pot liquor to make a thin sauce. Go easy on the salt as there is plenty in the soy sauce and the sauce will be condensed.
Cover pot with lid or foil and transfer to oven; bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. (Add a little more pot liquor if needed to thin out the sauce if it gets too thick as it cooks.) Uncover beans and cook another 10-20 minutes or until desired doneness. Enjoy!
*Prepare dry beans by soaking them for a few hours, and then boiling them with enough water to cover by a few inches, and some aromatics, such as carrot, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorn, etc., in a cheesecloth. Simmer beans gently until al dente. Discard aromatics and drain beans, reserving pot liquor.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Summer Salads II: Kidney Bean Salad
My Kidney Bean Salad is so simple it's barely a recipe. It is one of my favorite warm-weather side dishes. It's relatively healthy, and a nice change of pace from potato or pasta salads. Despite the deceptively few ingredients, it really is delicious. The lemon juice is absolutely key - sometimes I add more than listed here. The citrus tang with the beans is just perfect.
Lairdriin's Kidney Bean Salad
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything well. Refrigerate for an hour. Enjoy!
Happy eating!
Lairdriin's Kidney Bean Salad
2 cans kidney beans, drained
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything well. Refrigerate for an hour. Enjoy!
Happy eating!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Continuing Story of My Rancho Gordo Addiction
One thing you guys have heard way too much about on this little blog'o'mine is Rancho Gordo. I discovered Rancho Gordo beans last summer, and since then I've been totally in love. I've never been remotely interested in dried beans before, but suddenly I'm a freaking fanatic, and that's pretty much all due to how awesome Rancho Gordo's beans are. I know, you all think I'm a big weirdo.
I'm especially excited because when I recently went onto their website to see if there were any new beans I wanted to try (their stock is always changing due to availability and seasons), I saw that they finally had Ojo de Tigre beans in stock! Ojo de Tigre, or Tiger's Eye, are this beautiful bean to the left. I had heard of them and saw that Rancho Gordo sometimes had them, and was just waiting until they became available. I'm thinking I should make some sort of creepy Eye stew out of my Ojo de Cabra and Ojo de Tigre beans. (Goat's Eye and Tiger's Eye.) Does anybody else think that that would be funny? Or is it just me??
I am also excited about the fact that my recent bean-soup experiment, the Half-and-Half Bean Soup, came out so well. I used two RG beans for that soup, and I was so excited about it, that I wrote to the RG peeps to ask if there were some place on their website that I could submit a recipe. The lady who wrote back told me that there is no such thing currently, but that it's a good idea. She also told me to go ahead and email the owner, Steve Sando, with the recipe and maybe he'd post it. So I did that, and who knows? Maybe he will.
I am curious if anybody else who reads this blog has ever tried RG beans or if they have tried other similar exciting bean companies... if so, please let me know about them! Or, if you have any great bean ideas, let me know... cuz I have another big pile of RG beans heading my way. And despite their total beauty, I am so gonna eat em all up!
Happy eating!
 |
| Ojo de Tigre Beans |
I am also excited about the fact that my recent bean-soup experiment, the Half-and-Half Bean Soup, came out so well. I used two RG beans for that soup, and I was so excited about it, that I wrote to the RG peeps to ask if there were some place on their website that I could submit a recipe. The lady who wrote back told me that there is no such thing currently, but that it's a good idea. She also told me to go ahead and email the owner, Steve Sando, with the recipe and maybe he'd post it. So I did that, and who knows? Maybe he will.
I am curious if anybody else who reads this blog has ever tried RG beans or if they have tried other similar exciting bean companies... if so, please let me know about them! Or, if you have any great bean ideas, let me know... cuz I have another big pile of RG beans heading my way. And despite their total beauty, I am so gonna eat em all up!
Happy eating!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Soup's On, Part VII: Half-and-Half Bean Soup
I made a great bean soup today that may be one of the best soups I've ever made. I've never done a soup like this before, and it turned out so well! I'm really excited about it. What I did is make two types of blended bean soups, a darker one and a lighter one, and served them in the same bowl, next to each other. It was a time-consuming process because I used dried beans, but it required very little actual work, as most of the time is spent soaking or boiling the beans. Even the fact that I was essentially making two soups didn't make it that hard because I just did the two at the same exact time with many of the same ingredients.
After soaking the beans overnight and draining them, I cooked them each in separate pots with aromatics, just like you would for any other dried bean prep. They each got a couple peppercorns, a bay leaf, a garlic clove, a piece of carrot, and onion. The Scarlett Runners also got a whole dried chile. They got boiled until they were fully cooked, then drained, the pot liquor reserved, and the bits of bay leaf, carrot, etc. picked out.
I made each soup essentially the same but with different flavors. For the dark bean soup, I sauteed minced garlic in a mix of canola and olive oil with some chopped roasted chiles that I had roasted back in the fall during chile season and then put in my freezer; it makes using fresh roasted chiles easy throughout the winter. I added in the beans and about equal portions of veggie stock and the Scarlett Runner pot liquor. I then added in salt, pepper, and a little chile powder.
For the lighter side, I sauteed minced garlic in just canola oil and like the first soup, added the beans and equal parts veggie stock and the Yellow Eye pot liquor. I wanted to keep the color light, so I made sure to not mix any of the black Scarlett Runner pot liquor into the light-side soup. I didn't use roasted chiles for that side; instead I used a little ground green chile powder and several grinds of white peppercorns. I also added some coriander and cumin, and of course salt.
Each soup got blended with an immersion blender and then thickened a little with some corn starch. To make the half-and-half look, you cut a paper plate to the shape of the bowl, or use a thin plastic cutting board, or whatever works. It has to be thin and flexible and fit the shape of the bottom of the bowl. You just hold it in the bowl and spoon each soup into one side of the bowl. Remove it, and you have half-and-half soup! You can swirl the soups together with a toothpick, straw, or other thin thing to make it interesting.
The light side soup was milder, whereas the dark side was smoky and spicy. Each one is delicious alone, but a spoonful of a little of each was perfect. It really worked well, which I was thrilled about since I'd never even done it before. I'm really happy with my creation! There's plenty of each left over, too, so we'll have some for yummy leftovers all weekend.
The fact that this soup is super cheap makes the whole thing even better.
Happy eating!
I used some of my fabulous Rancho Gordo beans. The two I chose were Yellow Eye beans, which are a white bean with a yellow "eye" (not unlike blackeyed peas, but light yellow) for the light side; and huge, beefy, dark-colored Scarlet Runner beans for the dark side. Canned beans would work fine, too, and other types of dried beans, as long as you have a white or light-colored bean for one side and a black or dark-colored one for the other.
After soaking the beans overnight and draining them, I cooked them each in separate pots with aromatics, just like you would for any other dried bean prep. They each got a couple peppercorns, a bay leaf, a garlic clove, a piece of carrot, and onion. The Scarlett Runners also got a whole dried chile. They got boiled until they were fully cooked, then drained, the pot liquor reserved, and the bits of bay leaf, carrot, etc. picked out.
For the lighter side, I sauteed minced garlic in just canola oil and like the first soup, added the beans and equal parts veggie stock and the Yellow Eye pot liquor. I wanted to keep the color light, so I made sure to not mix any of the black Scarlett Runner pot liquor into the light-side soup. I didn't use roasted chiles for that side; instead I used a little ground green chile powder and several grinds of white peppercorns. I also added some coriander and cumin, and of course salt.
Each soup got blended with an immersion blender and then thickened a little with some corn starch. To make the half-and-half look, you cut a paper plate to the shape of the bowl, or use a thin plastic cutting board, or whatever works. It has to be thin and flexible and fit the shape of the bottom of the bowl. You just hold it in the bowl and spoon each soup into one side of the bowl. Remove it, and you have half-and-half soup! You can swirl the soups together with a toothpick, straw, or other thin thing to make it interesting.
The light side soup was milder, whereas the dark side was smoky and spicy. Each one is delicious alone, but a spoonful of a little of each was perfect. It really worked well, which I was thrilled about since I'd never even done it before. I'm really happy with my creation! There's plenty of each left over, too, so we'll have some for yummy leftovers all weekend.
The fact that this soup is super cheap makes the whole thing even better.
Happy eating!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Almond Chili
...yeah, I said "Almond Chili." Let me explain.
Several years ago, I was in Indianapolis and my companion and I went downtown to walk around and see the sights. We came across a chili place and decided to check it out. The restaurant had a few types of chili, plus a rotating set of seasonal chilis. You could get a sampler of 5 or 6 types of chilis either as a full meal or to try them out before ordering. We got the sampler to share, as one of their chilis was a vegetarian version. It was made with tvp (textured vegetable protein, which is in many, many veggie meat products and is a reasonable facsimilie for ground beef). But, this veggie chili also had nuts in it. Peanuts, if I remember correctly. It was pretty good chili, not the best, but the thing that really stuck out in my mind was how good the nuts were in it.
Since then, I occassionally recall that chili, and when I do I tell myself that someday I'm going to try doing that. Well, it's been a long time coming, but the other day I finally gave nuts in chili a try. I used ground up toasted almonds. I made a typical chili for me except that I didn't use kidney beans, and I used a few roasted mild green chiles, which I don't normally use. I used my flavour shaker (I love that thing!) to crush the almonds so that they were a mixture of pulverized-into-a-powder and very-fine-tiny-pieces.
Dan and I sampled the chili for dinner that night, and wow, it was really good! The almonds added a nice subtle, nutty flavor which really highlighted the dried chiles well. Also, the not-quite-ground-up little pieces of almond added a little texture which I thought was really nice. If I hadn't told him that it had almonds in it, I don't think he would have known; it was really subtle. But it did work really well! I am so making this again, for sure. If you have a few nuts leftover from something the next time you make chili, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Happy New Year eating!
Several years ago, I was in Indianapolis and my companion and I went downtown to walk around and see the sights. We came across a chili place and decided to check it out. The restaurant had a few types of chili, plus a rotating set of seasonal chilis. You could get a sampler of 5 or 6 types of chilis either as a full meal or to try them out before ordering. We got the sampler to share, as one of their chilis was a vegetarian version. It was made with tvp (textured vegetable protein, which is in many, many veggie meat products and is a reasonable facsimilie for ground beef). But, this veggie chili also had nuts in it. Peanuts, if I remember correctly. It was pretty good chili, not the best, but the thing that really stuck out in my mind was how good the nuts were in it.
Since then, I occassionally recall that chili, and when I do I tell myself that someday I'm going to try doing that. Well, it's been a long time coming, but the other day I finally gave nuts in chili a try. I used ground up toasted almonds. I made a typical chili for me except that I didn't use kidney beans, and I used a few roasted mild green chiles, which I don't normally use. I used my flavour shaker (I love that thing!) to crush the almonds so that they were a mixture of pulverized-into-a-powder and very-fine-tiny-pieces.
Dan and I sampled the chili for dinner that night, and wow, it was really good! The almonds added a nice subtle, nutty flavor which really highlighted the dried chiles well. Also, the not-quite-ground-up little pieces of almond added a little texture which I thought was really nice. If I hadn't told him that it had almonds in it, I don't think he would have known; it was really subtle. But it did work really well! I am so making this again, for sure. If you have a few nuts leftover from something the next time you make chili, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Happy New Year eating!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Soup's On, Part IV: Confetti Black Bean Soup
Instead of yellow or white onions, I like to use green onions in this soup, for their nice sharp flavor as well as bright green color. But, any sort of onion will do, even red onions if you like them. Most of these ingredients are things I keep around, but if I don't have them all, leaving something out here or there is totally fine. You should adjust amounts to your preference and ingredient availability, but here is a general format to start with:
Canola or other veggie oil
3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
1 roasted red pepper (a few tablespoons), chopped
1/4 c sweet corn, frozen or canned
1 can black beans, with the canned liquid
2 tbsp mild green chiles, chopped
3-4 cups very good veggie stock, plus extra water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
dash of garlic
black pepper
fresh cilantro
Sautee the onions in a few tablespoons of oil for just a minute or two, and then add in the other ingredients. I use the liquid from the canned beans, plus about 3 cups each veggie stock and water, to produce the broth for the soup. After the soup has simmered together for a few minutes, taste for seasoning, and add salt or seasonings as necessary. Fresh cilantro and some crunchy tortilla strips make a nice garnish for this super-easy soup.
Happy eating!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Soup's On, Part II: Chili
Chili is always so good in the fall. I like mine piled high with shredded chedar cheese and saltine or oyster crackers. As a vegetarian, I make a meatless chili, but Morningstar Farms' Burger Crumbles are such a good substitution that my chili is a very similar product to the original, although obviously healthier and less greasy, which I think is a good thing.
Some people will say that traditional chili doesn't include all the modern add-ins, like beans, and shouldn't be made with chili powder, but I don't mind the additions. I think chili is great with lots of beans and veggies, and if you don't have fresh chile peppers around, a good chili powder is just fine.
I often use canned beans, but if I am using dried beans the first step is to soak them for several hours and then cook them with aromatics in lots of water. Recently I made a chili with Vaquero and Ojo de Cabra (Goat's Eye) beans from Rancho Gordo. That was a fun change, and the patterns on the beans made for a colorful pot of chili. When cooking dried beans for chili I like to throw in chile peppers with the other aromatics. I start the pot of chili by sauteeing diced onions until translucent. If using fresh chiles, they go in for a few minutes to flavor the oil. Occassionally I'll use other veggies as well, such as bell peppers, and I sautee those for a few minutes also. Then I add in the rest of the ingredients: diced tomatoes (fresh or canned), burger crumbles, tomato paste, beans, and seasonings. If using canned beans, I add in most of the juice they are canned in. If using dried beans, I add in some of the reserved (strained) pot liquor.
For seasonings, I like to use ground garlic, a little smoked paprika, and a mixture of dried ground chiles, even if I also use fresh. Ancho chiles are a classic in chili, and I use a lot of that. I supplement the ancho with whatever I'm feeling that day; urfa, aji amarillo, cayenne, or mild green chilis. Salt and pepper to taste as always.
I like a very thick chili, so I use tomato paste with the bean pot liquor to make a very thick, tomatoey broth. Once I have the consistency where I like it, I let the pot simmer for at least a few minutes, up to an hour or so. There's obviously no meat that needs to tenderize, and the beans should be cooked through, so there's no need to boil the pot away all day, but a little time simmering can help meld and develop the flavors.
Like I said, I eat my chili with a whole lot of shredded sharp cheddar and crackers. Even vegetarian, chili is a hearty, warming (and cheap) meal. Happy eating!
Some people will say that traditional chili doesn't include all the modern add-ins, like beans, and shouldn't be made with chili powder, but I don't mind the additions. I think chili is great with lots of beans and veggies, and if you don't have fresh chile peppers around, a good chili powder is just fine.
I often use canned beans, but if I am using dried beans the first step is to soak them for several hours and then cook them with aromatics in lots of water. Recently I made a chili with Vaquero and Ojo de Cabra (Goat's Eye) beans from Rancho Gordo. That was a fun change, and the patterns on the beans made for a colorful pot of chili. When cooking dried beans for chili I like to throw in chile peppers with the other aromatics. I start the pot of chili by sauteeing diced onions until translucent. If using fresh chiles, they go in for a few minutes to flavor the oil. Occassionally I'll use other veggies as well, such as bell peppers, and I sautee those for a few minutes also. Then I add in the rest of the ingredients: diced tomatoes (fresh or canned), burger crumbles, tomato paste, beans, and seasonings. If using canned beans, I add in most of the juice they are canned in. If using dried beans, I add in some of the reserved (strained) pot liquor.
For seasonings, I like to use ground garlic, a little smoked paprika, and a mixture of dried ground chiles, even if I also use fresh. Ancho chiles are a classic in chili, and I use a lot of that. I supplement the ancho with whatever I'm feeling that day; urfa, aji amarillo, cayenne, or mild green chilis. Salt and pepper to taste as always.
I like a very thick chili, so I use tomato paste with the bean pot liquor to make a very thick, tomatoey broth. Once I have the consistency where I like it, I let the pot simmer for at least a few minutes, up to an hour or so. There's obviously no meat that needs to tenderize, and the beans should be cooked through, so there's no need to boil the pot away all day, but a little time simmering can help meld and develop the flavors.
Like I said, I eat my chili with a whole lot of shredded sharp cheddar and crackers. Even vegetarian, chili is a hearty, warming (and cheap) meal. Happy eating!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Vaquero Spring Rolls with Chipotle-Citrus Dipping Sauce
The other day as I was trying to decide what to make for dinner, I noticed the spring roll wrappers I had gotten at the Asian market last month in the freezer, and thought I should make something with those. I also noticed all my lovely Rancho Gordo beans in the pantry, and thought I should make something with those. It finally hit me that I could make southwest-style spring rolls. Of course!
My Vaquero-bean spring rolls turned out to be super simple, especially since I even had some leftover Spanish rice that I could use, so I didn't even have to make that. The beans were soaked and then boiled with some aromatics and a chipotle (canned, in adobo). I grilled some onions and quickly sauteed julienned carrots, just a little, so they were still crunchy. Into the spring rolls went a couple scoops of the Vaquero beans, a scoop of rice, a scoop of corn, some grilled onions and a few strips of carrot. Wrapped and sealed, spring rolls can be fried right away or refrigerated for a little while, so they can easily be done ahead of time.
For a chipotle-citrus dipping sauce, I pureed a couple of the in-adobo chipotles in my food processor with honey, garlic, lime juice, orange puree, and a couple of other things. Woah, spicy! But, great with the spring rolls.
Dan and I both love-love-loved my Vaquero-bean spring rolls and the sauce. I think I'll play around with that concept and make more types of spring rolls.
Happy eating!
For a chipotle-citrus dipping sauce, I pureed a couple of the in-adobo chipotles in my food processor with honey, garlic, lime juice, orange puree, and a couple of other things. Woah, spicy! But, great with the spring rolls.
Dan and I both love-love-loved my Vaquero-bean spring rolls and the sauce. I think I'll play around with that concept and make more types of spring rolls.
Happy eating!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tex-Mex Fiesta
It's hatch chile season here in Colorado, and we ended up with a big pile of them. With too many for us to use up in the near future, I roasted and froze several, so we can have fresh-roasted chiles anytime we want. I kept a few out of the freezer to use for dinnner tonite. I had a few jalapenos in the pantry, too, so I roasted those as well. The kitchen has smelled like roasted peppers for two days!
The jalapenos got made into a roasted jalapeno cream sauce to go over some Rio Zape bean and rice cakes that I made for dinner yesterday. I was excited to finally get to use my Rancho Gordo beans, and the Rio Zape didn't disappoint. I thought they went really well in the bean and rice cakes. I guess my husband and guests liked the cakes too, because after making 14, I only have 2 left.
This evening for dinner I continued the Tex-Mex theme and made a few of my roasted hatch chiles into rellenos. I have never used hatch chiles for rellenos before, and it turned out to be quite a chore. Unlike peppers I have used in the past, the hatch chiles I had really started to fall apart after roasting, and I had to be very careful whenever I handled them to make sure they retained their shape. I stuffed each one with a large wedge of queso enchilado, and made a very thick batter to coat the stuffed peppers. I usually don't make a batter quite as thick as this one, but since the chiles were so fragile, I wanted to make sure I had a thick batter to coat the whole thing so that the cheese wouldn't fall out into the hot oil.
It's key to have very hot oil to fry rellenos so that the batter seals up quickly to keep the cheese in, and also for the rellenos cook quickly so that they don't absorb too much oil. Despite the difference from the batter I would normally use and the delicate chiles, the rellenos came out great, golden brown and of course cheesy.
To go with the rellenos I made a Vaquero bean and avocado soup. The Vaquero are yet another fabulous bean from Rancho Gordo, with a beautiful black and white mottled skin. I made a tomatoey broth with onions, garlic, and freshly-toasted cumin. The beans retained most of their interesting coloring and tasted great in the broth. I poured the soup over small cubes of avocado and garnished it with fresh cilantro. I wish I had a picture for you, but we ate it all up before I could grab the camera!
The Rio Zape bean and rice cakes, roasted jalapeno cream sauce, Vaquero bean and avocado soup, and chile rellenos all got two thumbs up from the hubbie. Now, I think I need to rest...
Happy eating!
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| Rio Zape Bean-and-Rice Cakes with Roasted Jalapeno Cream Sauce |
This evening for dinner I continued the Tex-Mex theme and made a few of my roasted hatch chiles into rellenos. I have never used hatch chiles for rellenos before, and it turned out to be quite a chore. Unlike peppers I have used in the past, the hatch chiles I had really started to fall apart after roasting, and I had to be very careful whenever I handled them to make sure they retained their shape. I stuffed each one with a large wedge of queso enchilado, and made a very thick batter to coat the stuffed peppers. I usually don't make a batter quite as thick as this one, but since the chiles were so fragile, I wanted to make sure I had a thick batter to coat the whole thing so that the cheese wouldn't fall out into the hot oil.
It's key to have very hot oil to fry rellenos so that the batter seals up quickly to keep the cheese in, and also for the rellenos cook quickly so that they don't absorb too much oil. Despite the difference from the batter I would normally use and the delicate chiles, the rellenos came out great, golden brown and of course cheesy.
To go with the rellenos I made a Vaquero bean and avocado soup. The Vaquero are yet another fabulous bean from Rancho Gordo, with a beautiful black and white mottled skin. I made a tomatoey broth with onions, garlic, and freshly-toasted cumin. The beans retained most of their interesting coloring and tasted great in the broth. I poured the soup over small cubes of avocado and garnished it with fresh cilantro. I wish I had a picture for you, but we ate it all up before I could grab the camera!
The Rio Zape bean and rice cakes, roasted jalapeno cream sauce, Vaquero bean and avocado soup, and chile rellenos all got two thumbs up from the hubbie. Now, I think I need to rest...
Happy eating!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Beautiful Beans!
My Rancho Gordo beans have arrived. They are beautiful! They are almost too beautiful to eat... but not quite. I'm definitely eating these babies!
The types of beans for sale on the RG website varies based on the season and what is currently fresh and available. The types of beans I got this time are (in the pic, clockwise from top right): Snowcaps, Ojo de Cabra ("Eye of the Goat"), Vaquero, Rio Zape, Scarlet Runner, and Yellow Eye. I have a few other things planned for meals for the next couple of days, but I will probably be cooking these lovely beans up by the end of the week. Yum!
Happy eating!
Happy eating!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Rancho Gordo Beans
My beans are in transit! Don't you think that being able to track your package as it crosses the country is one of the best results of the internet age? My exciting Rancho Gordo beans are in Sparks, Nevada as of this morning, and are scheduled to be delivered Thursday. I'm super excited!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
New World Heirloom Beans from Rancho Gordo
I recently discovered a trend in food that I didn't even know existed: Heirloom foods. There are a growing number of, well, growers, that focus on small crops of seeds, vegetables, beans, and other foods that are at risk of going "extinct." These are foods that may have once been popular and just fell out of favor, or foods that are unique but never had a large following. In some cases, heirloom foods became 'heirloom' because of the trends and growth in mechanized farming over the last two centuries, and specific types of foods that were cheaper or easier to grow became the norm, while certain varieties stopped being used. For instance, more and more there are seed growers who specialize in seeds for grains or vegetables that are not commonly found, and now any of us can call them up or find them online and order these unique seeds.
One company that specializes in heirloom food is Rancho Gordo, a bean producer based in California. They not only focus on heirloom beans, but beans specifically from The Americas. They have traveled around North and South America, especially Mexico, looking for very special and beautiful beans that they then bring back to California to grow into a large enough crop to share with us.
I couldn't resist these colorful and, if just about everybody who says anything about them is to be believed, extra-tasty beans. They aren't even very expensive. I ordered several varieties, and am already scheming and planning what I will do with them. If you are someone who enjoys beans in any way, I suggest heading over to their website. They have an ever-changing stock of beans for any type of dish you happen to like. Even if you don't want to buy the beans, their story alone opened my eyes to new things about food. I haven't been this excited about beans in a long time! I'm so excited to get my beans delievered! I will be sure to post an update when I receive them and am able to cook some up.
Happy eating!
 |
| The beautiful Rio Zape bean |
I couldn't resist these colorful and, if just about everybody who says anything about them is to be believed, extra-tasty beans. They aren't even very expensive. I ordered several varieties, and am already scheming and planning what I will do with them. If you are someone who enjoys beans in any way, I suggest heading over to their website. They have an ever-changing stock of beans for any type of dish you happen to like. Even if you don't want to buy the beans, their story alone opened my eyes to new things about food. I haven't been this excited about beans in a long time! I'm so excited to get my beans delievered! I will be sure to post an update when I receive them and am able to cook some up.
Happy eating!
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