I saw a friend yesterday I hadn’t seen in almost a year. As I was arriving to a small bachelorette party for a college friend, I had prepared my favorite cake recipe that is secretly made with with beans. On the ride to the gathering I was listening to an interview with Tim McGreevy, the CEO of USA Pulses, in conversation with Chelsea Didinger from A Legume a Day and was particularly amped about the power of beans. When I arrived, this friend said to me, “Oh you are really into beans these days,” my response “I think it’s just the beginning.”
This week there was an Opinion piece in the New York Times “To Make a Nation of Meat Eaters Crave the Humble Bean.” Writer Bee Wilson states that for the health of the planet, most of us are going to have to learn to eat a whole lot less meat. She explains that no one is born loving hot dogs or disliking broccoli, but its cultural food trends that influence the way we eat - think kale salad and avocado toast. She points to beans as a more sustainable crop that can replace some of the meat and can also be really delicious. Today, the average American consumes 55lbs of chicken a year and only 1 lb of dried beans - so how can we change this?
Eating more beans and less meat is beneficial for so many different reasons
They are great for soil health as they already produce nitrogen
Low in water use when compared with other grains
They are high in fiber, which is sorely lacking from our diets
This list goes on…
As silly as beans can be, the call to eat more beans is actually dead serious.
As Tim explains in the episode, the USDA dietary guidelines are 1.5 cups of beans per week, but this is changing. As we know, the dietary guidelines are sadly influenced by lobbying groups that continue to recommend milk as standard part of our diets and classify pizza as a serving of vegetables… The recommendation should really be 1.5 cups of beans a DAY.
So here we are, let’s eat some beans. Here are two recipes to make asap.
Lemon White Bean Cake ✨
I will not stop talking about this cake. Every time I make it, I demand that people guess what ingredients are in it and each person is shocked by the presence of beans and silken tofu in the frosting. The cake is a recipe from Anna Jones and has a fudge-like consistency, moist with hints of lemon and coconut flavor.
I have now made this cake 4 times and am more obsessed each time I try it. If you don’t already keep almond flour and coconut oil at home you may need to purchase but otherwise it’s a pantry project.
Roasted Tomatoes with Gigante Beans and Basil
This meal will NOT be the same if you use canned beans. If you haven’t tried Corona Beans from Rancho Gordo, this is your moment. You can get them direct or from Farm to People. Gigante Beans from SIMPLI that you can find at many grocery stores would also be a great option.
The hardest part of this recipe is to properly cook your beans. I use an instant pot but this can also be done on the stove with more time.
INGREDIENTS
Gigante or Corona Beans
Pint of Cherry Tomatoes
Shallot
Feta
Basil
INSTRUCTIONS
If using Instant Pot, use half the bag of beans, fill water to rise above the beans by a couple inches then set the pressure cook for 22 minutes. After the timer goes off, let them sit 10 additional minutes before releasing the pressure.
Slice shallots and place in baking dish with cherry tomatoes covered in olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes until tomatoes start to char
Toss in cooked beans and cook for another 5-10
Sprinkle Feta and top with basil
Thanks for reminding me of this Anna Jones cake! I've been meaning to try it as well.
Good vegan sub for feta? Tofu? Would need something else. Any ideas?