Beans are Taking the Spotlight!
As many individuals are moving towards plant-based diets, beans are a great way to add substance and nutrients to your meals. This recipe was inspired by The Rancho Gordo Vegetarian Kitchen cookbook. Highly recommend this cookbook for anyone who is interested in cooking heirloom beans or other vegetarian bean meals. Use this recipe as a side dish or even as your main course meal! Also, if you are interested in purchasing heirloom beans, check out The Rancho Gordo, they have a variety of different beans to pick from. Simply order online and have them shipped right to your door. This recipe can also be altered to fit other dietary needs. Add an animal protein or make it completely vegan.
Let's Get Cooking!
Flageolet beans are the star of this dish. Flageolet beans originated from France, but are now commonly grown in California. They are picked just before full maturity and are a light green color due to being dried in the shade. They are small in size and resemble a kidney bean. When cooked they have a soft bite and a creamy texture.
Cooking beans is a process! Let's be honest, beans are not the fastest cooking food item on the planet. This is what makes beans so great! A lot of love and care goes into the preparation and cooking process, which results in a great tasting meal. When cooking with beans it is helpful to pre-soak them before cooking. Pre-soaking does decrease the overall cook time by an hour, maybe even 2 hours, depending on the type of bean. To pre-soak simply pour about 2 inches of water over the desired amount of beans or at least so the beans are covered with water for 4-6 hours. After soaking, there are two preferred ways to cook the beans using a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.
Slow Cooker
Place beans in 2 inches of water in the slow cooker
Add garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and olive oil
Cook beans on high for 4 hours (more or less depending on the bean)
Pressure Cooker
Make sure to read the instructors for your particular pressure cooker
Placed clean beans in the pressure cooker
Cook under pressure for 20 minutes, then simmer with lid off for another 20 minutes
Okay, so it's a timely process. But all good things are worth waiting for!
Let's Put This Dish Together!
What's Needed:
1 pound of Brussels sprouts or about 3 cups chopped
1 quartered chopped small purple cabbage
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup Flageolet beans (prepped with one of the preferred methods)
1 juiced lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (can use alternative cheeses)
A handful of chopped walnuts
