Tuscan White Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 onion chopped

1 carrot thinly sliced (use a mandoline)

1 small clove of garlic chopped (optional)

1 stalk of celery thinly chopped

1 large yukon gold potato cubed

2 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of cooked canellini beans, or navy white beans (see recipe in archive below or use 1 can of store bought beans)

1/2 a teaspoon of thyme (optional)

A few leafs of  fresh basil (optional)

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of of medium sized pasta ( macaroni or rotelli)

1 medium bunch of chopped escarole (or any leafy greens)

Olive oil

Cook the onions, celery, garlic, and potato in olive oil until slightly golden brown. Add the 2 cups of chicken broth, salt and pepper bring to a boil and then lower to medium. Cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked and very soft, try breaking them up a bit with a fork at this point (potatoes give this soup it's nice creaminess). Or use a hand held blender until you get a creamy consistency. Add 1 cup of water or less until desired consistency, bring back to a boil add the thinly sliced carrots and the pasta and cook  for 8 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente. Add the thyme, the cooked beans and the chopped escarole. Cook until the greens are wilted but still bright green. (You can add sliced and cooked Italian sausage to the soup if you don't want to make it vegetarian.) Season with  salt and pepper to taste. 

Ful Mudammas. Fava Beans Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried fava beans 

1 or 2 lemons

2 garlic cloves crushed 

1 tbsp of sweet paprika (or more)

1/2 tbsp of red pepper flakes

Some chopped parsley for decoration

Olive oil

Pita bread

Cover the beans with water and let them sit overnight. Cook the beans the next day covering them with 4 inches of water, bring to a boil, then to a simmer and cook for 40 to 1 hour. Beans should be very soft and mushy. Combine olive oil, lemon, red pepper flakes and crushed garlic and make the dressing. Mix the beans with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Eat with slices of pita bread. 

Sardine, Chickpea and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 can of sardines

1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas

1 persian cucumber cubed

1 tbsp of parsley

2 tbsp of french feta or goat cheese (optional)

Olive Oil

Lemon

Combine all the ingredients and season with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper

Avocado Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients:

1 avocado, sliced or cube

1/2 cup of cooked black beans

1/2 corn (fresh or frozen)

1 diced tomato

2 tbsp of cilantro (optional)

1 tbsp of goat cheese (optional)

1 cup of alfalfa sprouts (optional)

2 tbsp of chopped almonds or other nut

Light olive oil or canola oil

Lemon

Cook the corn in a little olive oil until it gets golden edges. Make a cilantro, cheese, chopped nuts, oil and lemon dressing. Mix all the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Corn and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

1 Cup of cooked chickpeas

2 Ears of fresh corn or 1 cup of frozen corn defrosted

1 Cucumber cut into cubes

1 Tomato diced

1 Small garlic clove

1/4 cup of French Feta cheese 

2 tbsp of chopped parsley or cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp of Kashu nuts (optional)

Olive oil

Mix French feta cheese, olive oil, lemon, and crushed garlic to make a dressing. Cut the corn kernels with a knife and fry in a pan with olive oil. In a bowl combine, corn, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Add nuts and pour the dressing over the vegetables. 

White Bean Tapenade

Ingredients:

1/2 a  cup of cooked white beans

4 tbsp of greek yogurt

Some fresh thyme

1 crushed garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Warm the beans a little and press them with a fork. Mix in olive oil, greek yogurt and other seasonings if the beans have not been season before. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can be blended to a smooth or chunky texture. 

It can be served with toasted bread, and topped with sardines, chopped tomatoes, olives etc....

White Beans for Soups, Salads and Spreads

Ingredients:

1 cup of canellini beans or navy beans

1 tbsp of fresh thyme

2 crushed cloves of garlic

olive oil

Cover beans by about two inches of water and let them soak overnight. Rinse them well.

Put beans in a deep pot and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes and check for doneness. Cook for longer if necessary checking regularly they should be soft but firm.

Drain the water and season the beans with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and olive oil. They keep for about one week in the refrigerator, and they also freeze well. Use for salads, soups and spreads.

Benefits of white beans

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=88

White Chili with Roasted Poblano Peppers

Ingredients

2 poblano peppers

1 onion

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoons of oregano

1 tbsp of cilantro

2 tbsp of pepitas (green pumpkin seeds roasted, optional)

1 cup of cooked white beans (canellini or navy)

1 cup of chicken broth

1/2 pound of ground turkey

(optional if you want to make it vegetarian)

2 spoons of goat or cotija cheese (optional)

Canola oil. 

Cut the onion in rings and fry in oil until golden add a little more oil and cook the ground turkey for 5 minutes. Mix in the garlic an cook for one more minute. 

Poblanos have a very distinct flavor, that is perfect for this chili,  but you can substitute with regular green peppers. Roast the peppers on the stove or broiler. Remove the dark skin and cut into strips. Add the poblanos to the onion mix and season with oregano.

Mix the poblanos with the onion mixture, add the broth and the white beans. Season well with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Mix in the goat cheese and the pepitas (optional) Add more broth or mash some of the beans for the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the white chili with cilantro and brow rice.  

Spanish Garbanzos with Chorizo

Ingredients:

1 Cup of chickpeas

2 Cups of homemade Gazpacho

(or 2 cups of store bought cream of tomato soup)

2 sliced chorizos, or any kind of mildly spicy sausage

(optional if you want to make it vegetarian)

1 Spanish onion sliced

2 cloves of garlic sliced

1 tbsp of Spanish Smoke paprika

1 tsp of spicy red pepper sauce (optional)

1 tbsp of chopped parsley (optional)

Olive oil

Cover the chickpeas/garbanzos with enough water and let them soak overnight. The next day put them in a pot with water (no salt) bring it to a boil, then down to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, check for doneness. They should be cooked but not mushy. 

In a shallow pan, cook the sliced onions in olive oil until caramelized. Cook sliced chorizo or sausage for a few minutes and mix in garlic,  then cook for one more minute. Add Spanish smoked paprika and gazpacho. Let the sauce reduce for about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with more smoke paprika if you want a stronger taste.  Add spicy red pepper sauce.  Mix in the chickpeas, season with salt and pepper. For a better taste let them stand in the sauce overnight and serve warm with chopped parsley and toasted bread or brown rice. 

Benefits of Garbazos

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58