Shelling Beans

At first appearances shelling beans aren't a very rewarding crop to grow. A 3 foot by 10 foot bed will yield only just barely enough beans for a single pot of soup.  And as I am more and more interested in pursuing a more paleo or primal style of eating, beans are generally frowned upon because of their anti-nutrient, high carb, Neolithic status.  But there is fun to be had and Penny and I were busy harvesting and shelling today and when it comes time to eat our beans we'll be sure to soak and cook them well.

We had three methods of bean removal.  The first is the Thumb Slide.

The second I call the Zipper Pull.

And the third Penny came up with and I named the Tear and Fling. 

It's not pictured because it results in beans flying in every direction and me scrambling to gather them back up. But rest assured Penny wore a smirk like this one while doing it.

 

Bonus video with Penny saying "beans"

In anticipation of spring-- and Ramps!

Michigan's Spring has just barely poked her toe out from under the blanket of winter.  So when Shayne of fruitcake or nuts asked us to post about our favorite spring food it all had to come from memory.  As much as I'm enjoying tapping our maple trees what I really long for is the first green things sprouting up and one of the first is ramps!

In past years ramps have become something of a foodie cliche because of their rabid fans, but I think most of the adoration is well deserved.  Fresh and green with that pungent combined garlic/onion flavor, who could hate this gift that pops up from under the leaf litter.  My favorite part is the leafy greens.  Like garlic scapes, they have a verdent flavor that I love.  Here is my favorite quick meal to make with them.

Ramps and Beans 

Rinse and spin or pat dry a bunch of ramps.  Chop your ramp stems and bulbs separately from your greens.  Add the chopped bulbs and stems to a pan with a couple of glugs of good olive oil and salt and pepper.  Cook until softened.  Add in about two cups of cooked white beans (navy or cannelini) and cook to warm up the beans.  Add in the ramp greens and cook just until they are tender.  Add a splash of lemon juice, more olive oil and more salt and pepper to taste.  Great served with a fried egg on top or spooned onto crusty bread.

*See the other favorite spring foods on the group blog for Michigan Lady Food Bloggers at the end of this month.
**I'll also be remaking these Buckwheat Crepes with Ramps this year, but this time around I'm going to hunt down a wheat-free all buckwheat crepe recipe. 

***And since I have no pictures of the food, here's a little video of Penny pushing around her toy shopping cart.  (Please ignore the voice over at the end contributed by her annoying older brother.)

Black Bean "Tacos" with Smoked Paprika Shiitake Mushrooms

I'm overwhelmed by the response to pudding cakes. I'm so glad you liked them! This is food to balance out that indulgence.

I'm working on cleaning out my pantry so I have less to pack for our move. Six months ago I was going through a black bean kick and in my digging today I found a can that had gone astray. My mind wandered and I got to thinking about these beautiful beans from ChezWhat?. The author, Christo (aka doggybloggy), had a plan to cook his beans with wild mushrooms. Green beans and mushrooms is a dish that would be part of my Last Supper but I don't think I've ever eaten dried beans and mushrooms together. I had shiitakes in my fridge and decided to make Napa cabbage wrapped tacos filled with beans and mushrooms. I enhanced the natural smokiness of the shiitakes with some pimenton (smoked paprika) and adapted a Weight Watcher recipe for cumin-scented black beans. Some lime, cilantro and green onions topped it off, with cherry tomatoes grown in my Aerogarden on the side. This was a satisfying lunch and I loved the spices, especially the smoked paprika on the shiitakes. I could eat a whole bowl of those mushrooms! I'll be thinking of other dishes to add them to. These also got a glowing review from my husband, he said they were "surprisingly good."

Black Bean "Tacos" with Smoked Paprika Shiitake Mushrooms
Inspired by the Weight Watchers recipe for Shrimp Over Cumin-Scented Beans
Makes 2 servings (each serving is 4 WW points by my calculations)

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 teaspoon neutral oil
1/4 teaspoon pimenton dulce (sweet smoked paprika)
1 chile pepper, seeded and minced (I used a Thai bird)
1 clove garlic, minced or grated with a microplane
1 (15 oz) can of whole black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano (I used Mexican)
4-6 leaves of Napa cabbage, washed and dried
a handful of cilantro, washed, dried and torn
1 green onion, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
kosher salt and black pepper

-Trim off and discard the shiitakes stems (or save them to use in making stock). Brush any dirt from the mushroom caps and thinly slice them.
-Add 1 teaspoon of the oil to a hot skillet or saute pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown. Toss them with the smoked paprika and a good pinch of kosher salt and remove them from the pan.
-Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil to the pan with the chile and garlic. Cook over low until fragrant, just a few seconds.
-Add the beans, cumin and oregano to the pan along with a good pinch of kosher salt and a couple grinds of black pepper. Warm the beans and smash a quarter of them. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired. Remove the pan from the heat.
-Serve each leaf of cabbage with some of the beans topped with the mushrooms, cilantro, and green onion. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the "taco" before eating.

I'm adding this to Bookmarked Recipes, an event started by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen's Experiments. Visit the new Bookmarked Recipes site for the roundup of other bookmarked and tested recipes. The host for next week’s round up will be Marci of Pieces.

*I'm also submitting this to the current BSI, Blogger Secret Ingredient, which is black beans. This is my first time participating in this event but I was inspired after seeing the winning recipe from last week, Kale Crust Pizza. Doesn't that sound awesome?! If you'd like to join in or read some interesting facts about black beans visit Just Sweet Enough.

**I was curious about how many points a pudding cup would have and for one espresso cup without foam it comes to 3 WW points.

Beer Bread Experiments and some Bean Salad

I've been baking a lot of bread lately. There have been plenty of baguettes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, countless variations on banana bread, applesauce bread with nut milk pulp and quite a bit of beer bread. I was curious about how much the quality of the beer will effect the quality of the beer bread, so I started to play around. A recipe that simply calls for 12 ounces of beer leaves a lot of interpretation to the reader. Should I just go get a Bud Lite or is it worth it to use better beer? For the sake of experimentation, my latest beer breads have been made using some microbrews my parents brought back for me from Pittsburgh and the quality and flavor of the beer does make a big difference. I was particularly inspired by the microbrew called Stoudt's Fat Dog, an Imperial Oatmeal Stout. I love the dog on the label. It looks just like my father-in-law's black lab Max, who is quite the emperor of their house. ("Imperial" stout: "emperor"--get it?) I'm usually not a huge stout fan but I enjoyed my sampling--at 8am when I was making the bread, which felt naughty but I only had a taste! It had the more meal than drink appeal of good stout and a sweet molasses flavor that seemed perfect for bread.

I've been using a beer bread recipe I found on the site Zesty Cook. I like that it uses half whole wheat flour and the brown sugar in the dough adds just enough sweetness. The best part is the melted butter (Earth Balance margarine for us) that you pour over the top of the dough before baking. It makes the best tasting crunchy crust! I make my beer loaves in mini loaf pans and that gives you even more crust to savor. The day of my Fat Dog bread experiment I also made a bean salad. Inspired by a mock tuna salad recipe from The Daily Spud, I made some changes according to what was in my kitchen. I swapped cannellini beans for chickpeas, kale for parsley, home dried tomatoes for fresh, and some mashed avocado instead of mayonnaise. Though it deviated greatly from the original intent of mimicking tuna salad, it was a delicious, nutrient dense cross between bean dip and guacamole. And it was great on the beer bread! I think it would work equally well on other hearty breads, pita or just eaten with corn chips.

Here's is a link to the Beer Bread recipe from Zesty Cook. For the Fat Dog stout bread, I replaced a half cup of the all-purpose flour with oat flour, in honor of the oatmeal that went into the stout. My flour measurements were 1 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup oat flour. It made the bread a little softer inside but didn't change the taste much. The real change in taste came from the beer. I plan to keep playing with other brews and maybe other beer bread recipes to see what I like best. I'd love to hear about your adventures in beer bread. What beers have you tried? Any favorite recipes for the beer bread? If you'd like to try it, here's my bastardized (but yummy) bean salad that I think is great on beer bread.

Bean Salad/Dip/Spread
Inspired by Mock Tuna Salad recipe on The Daily Spud who got the recipe idea from The Nomadic Gourmet, there is nothing like a viral recipe.
Makes ~2 cups

2 sundried tomatoes (I used home dried tomatoes from this summer)
2 large leaves of kale
1 (15 oz) can of cannellini beans (For canned beans I buy Eden Foods organic beans, they're a Michigan company)
1/4 cup diced onion
1 stalk celery, diced
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 small avocado, mashed
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

-Soak the dried tomatoes in just enough hot water to cover them for 5-10 minutes. Drain and dice.
-Wash the kale, remove and discard the stem and chop the leaves.
-Drain and rinse the beans. Place them in a bowl and mash a least half of them.
-Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and/or cayenne pepper to taste.
-Serve on bread or with chips.

Crunchy crusted beer bread made with Fat Dog StoutStoudt's Fat Dog Imperial Oatmeal Stout, so you can see the great label.

*I have one last site recommendation. If you are looking for a new banana bread recipe try this site. The number of different recipes seems endless and I'm addicted to watching the ingredient cloud on the side bar spin. It's like playing banana bread roulette!

I'm adding this to Bookmarked Recipes, an event started by Ruth of Ruth's Kitchen's Experiments. Visit the new Bookmarked Recipes site for the roundup of other bookmarked and tested recipes.

My Vegetable Chili, the nostalgic version

Back in the days when my now husband and I started dating one of our favorite restaurants was the Sourdough Cafe. Located only a few miles from his work in the an open court of Summit Place Mall in Pontiac, Michigan, we loved their soups in sourdough bread bowls and great salads. Ok, I probably was the one loving the salads; John loved the bread bowls. I was vegetarian at the time and there was always a vegetarian soup available but what we both really loved was their vegetarian chili.

I've since made a million versions of this chili taking cues from their combination of ingredients but I'd like to think that I'm improved on their recipe. The key to the versions I make at home is the textures. By adding a few of the ingredients towards the end you get a better finished dish. In my chili, I add fresh green beans and corn at the end. Another more recent change I've made is to use Mexican oregano. Mexican oregano is mintier than Italian oregano and different from Greek oregano, which is more resinous. It works so well with the chile powder it's worth getting a hold of. However, the batch of oregano I have has lots of woody stems that don't soften when cooked. So I crumble the oregano and rub it through a sieve before adding it to the pot. I do this to only the amount I need and just before using because the flavor stores better in larger pieces. For another version of my chili with a similar method see last year's Kitchen Cleanout Chili, but here is the variation that reminds me of those first months dating.

Mexican oregano (from right: as purchased, sifted, stems removed by sifting)

My Vegetable Chili
Inspired by the chili at the Sourdough Cafe Pontiac, Michigan circa 1995-96.
Makes ~6 generous portions

1 large onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons chile powder (not the kind with other ingredients, I like ancho)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika (Pimenton de la Vera)
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano *see tip in text above
cayenne pepper to taste, optional
1 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can of whole black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (15oz) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups water
1/4 cup polenta or grits
2 cups chopped fresh green beans
2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels

-In a large soup pot, cook the onion, celery, peppers and garlic with the oil and salt over medium heat. Stir often and make sure you cook these ingredients down until they are very soft and stop giving off liquid. This should take at least 10-15 minutes.
-Leave the heat on medium and add the spices. Stir to distribute the spices.
-Lower the heat and add the tomatoes, beans and water. Use your hands to crush and tear apart the tomatoes.
-Then add the polenta while stirring, to prevent lumps. The polenta adds a corn flavor as well as thickens. Taste for salt and heat, add more smoked paprika or cayenne for more heat.
-Bring to a boil and then immediately turn down to a strong simmer. Simmer uncovered at least 45 minutes.
-Shortly before you are ready to serve add the green beans. Bring the pot back to a strong simmer and cook until the green beans are tender, approximately 10 minutes.
-Add the corn, stir, taste again for seasoning and serve. The frozen corn does not need time to cook, it should remain crunchy to add a contrasting texture.

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging, a food blogging event created by Kalyn's Kitchen. The event is now run and documented by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything Once.

This week's guest host is Rachel from The Crispy Cook. Visit her site at the beginning of next week to see the roundup of posts.

You can also find Rachel at Book Trout (her bookstore blog) and the Cook the Books Club. I read the Cook's the Books Club first book, La Cucina, but didn't have time to make a post about it. I'm now halfway through the second book pick, The Language of Baklava, and enjoying it tremendously. The hard part will be picking something to make from it, everything sounds so delicious.

New Year's Good Luck Succohash

My husband is devoutly superstitious and New Year's Day always brings out the craziest food-related rules and taboos. For instance, did you know that you shouldn't eat chicken because it scratches backwards? Pork on the other hand is good because pigs root forward. The worst I endure is the pickled herring. *shudder* The first couple of years I gagged and ran to the bathroom after having it forced on me--at midnight no less and after having drink or two, NOT fun! Somehow I've learned to stomach a few pieces but it's on a very short list of foods I avoid. What I do look forward to are the "lucky" vegetable for New Year's Day, they have always been more than welcome. I love, love, love greens and beans and my father always promoted the southern tradition of lucky New Year's Day black eyed peas. Since my parents were coming for brunch I thought I'd switch up a favorite succotash recipe of mine to make it more breakfast friendly. I loved the resulting succotash/hash. I'm not counting on getting any good luck from this dish but it is a nutritional powerhouse. If this isn't your thing then take a look at this list for more traditional good luck foods. And share your superstitions for New Year's Day.

New Year's Good Luck Succohash
Makes enough for 4 generous servings

2 large baking potatoes, 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes
neutral oil (~2 tablespoons)
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 (14 oz) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
6 large collard leaves
1 cup frozen corn kernels
kosher salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper to taste

-Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
-Toss the cubed potatoes in 2 teaspoons of oil and spread out onto a baking sheet in an even layer.
-Roast the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, turning once. Remove from the oven when golden brown and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.
-While the potatoes are roasting, start frying the onions with a tablespoon of oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stir occasionally to prevent burning and adjust heat until the onions are lightly caramelized.
-While the onions are cooking, prep your collards. First rinse the collard leaves well in a large bowl of water, repeating until clean. Strip the stems from the leaves and roll the leaves up. Shred and then chop the leaves.
-When the onions are lightly caramelized, add the red pepper, celery, black eyed peas, and collards. Add salt, cayenne, and black pepper to taste. Cook on medium heat until the collards wilt and the other ingredients are hot. The red pepper and celery should retain some crunch.
-Add the frozen corn and allow it to cook just long enough to warm through. Taste again for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
-Serve the mixed vegetables in a bowl topped with the roasted potatoes.

Have a Happy (and lucky) New Year!

Green beans from my garden

Beans are one of the most forgiving plants in the kitchen garden. Pole beans are great for their long period of productivity but I've always preferred growing bush beans. There are many lovely, tender varieties available and there is no need to worry about creating a structure for them to grow on. The big seeds of beans make them easy for little hands to plant. The big, noticable shoots sprout quickly to reward the younger gardener that is short on patience. A short stature also comes in handy when harvesting since the dangling beans are easier to spot from underneath the canopy of leaves.

Alex is fond of eating just the seeds from green beans which means I have to let at least some get past the delicate, thin haricot vert stage. I couldn't wait and had to pick the first batch for myself. Here is how I had them:

Green beans with mushrooms and thyme
Serves 4-6
1 quart (4 cups) green beans
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smashed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper

-Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
-Trim the stem ends and wash the green beans.
-When the water comes to a boil add ~1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
-Add the green beans and cook covered 3-5 minutes. Check the beans often, you want the beans to remain bright green but be completely tender. Cooked green beans should not be squeaky when you bite into them! As soon as the beans are done, drain them and leave them to cool. *If you want to insure the green color you can immediately shock them in ice water.
-Add the olive oil to a large hot skillet. Add the mushrooms and do not stir. When the mushrooms have caramelized a little on the first side then stir the pan and add the garlic and a little salt and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are fully cooked.
-Add the thyme and the green beans to the mushrooms and toss. Taste to see if additional salt and pepper is needed. Serve warm or room temperature.

My container of herbs with thyme,
notice the stray bean planted by Alex

Kale and White Bean Salad

I'm a huge fan of greens. Kale and collards are my favorites but I like mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, and Swiss chard as well. For awhile I was making kale and white bean soup constantly. Then I had a bumper crop of kale one summer and since I figured no one wanted hot soup on an eighty degree day I needed a new recipe. This salad was born. The beans are creamy, the kale is just barely wilted and still bright and green. The sweetness of the roasted peppers and garlic balance with the brightness of the lemon and richness of the olive oil. I just love this salad!

I'm adding this to a food blog event hosted by Food Blogga called Beautiful Bones. This recipe is perfect since kale and beans are rich in calcium and the vitamin C in the peppers and lemon juice can help you better absorb that calcium. Learn more about National Osteoporosis Awareness Month.

Kale and White Bean Salad
Good as a meal with crusty bread or as a side dish with grilled vegetables or sausage.

Makes ~6 cups

1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
juice of 2 large lemons (~1/3 cup)
2 (15 oz) cans of white beans (great northern beans or cannellini)
2 large sweet red bell peppers
2 bunches of kale (~1 1/2 lbs)
1/4 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

-First, roast the garlic. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut a head of garlic in half and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and a little sprinkle of salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in a double layer of aluminum foil and roll down the edges to form a tight pouch. Place in the oven for ~1 1/2 hours. You can peek and remove it when you see that the garlic is golden brown and soft. Allow the garlic to cool until you can handle it. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skin into a large bowl. Smash the roasted cloves with a fork. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and the lemon juice to the garlic.
-Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to garlic mixture and toss. Set aside to marinade while you cook the other ingredients.
-Now, roast the sweet peppers. (You can just buy the canned ones but they don't taste as good.) Wash and dry the peppers. Place the peppers on foil or cookie sheet under a hot broiler. Turn when the skin turns mostly black. Remove the peppers from the broiler when blackened on all sides. Cool until you can handle them and remove the peel and seeds. Slice into thin strips. Add to bowl with garlic sauce and beans.
-Remove stems from kale and discard. Roughly chop or tear the leaves into ~2 inch pieces. Then dunk and swirl the kale leaves in a large bowl of clean water. If the kale is sandy or dirty repeat with clean water until clean. Remove the kale but don't dry it. Place the damp kale in a large pot or pan over medium heat with the red pepper flakes and a little salt and pepper. Turn the kale several times while it lightly steams in the water left from washing. Remove when all the kale has brighten in color and wilted down a little.
-Add the kale to garlic mixture and toss together. Check the seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt, pepper or olive oil as needed.
-Best served at room temperature.