The Essential Dish
for your Thanksgiving Table ✨
Okay, so maybe this subject line was a bit of a lie. There isn’t one specific dish I recommend that you add to your table this year, but I do want to encourage or even persuade you to add a bean dish to your menu this year.
Perhaps you have one family member who doesn’t eat turkey, or you want to mix it up this year by serving something other than the predictable stuffing and mashed potatoes.
I want to highlight that I am not the only one talking about beans these days. Two articles have been published in the past couple of weeks praising them. The Wall Street Journal said, “Sorry Kale, Beans are the new Nutrition Obsession.” and the Atlantic, “One Food to Change the World: The bean has the potential to remake American diets, but it has an image problem.”
Thanksgiving is a time to influence. You get to present something to your friends and family, have them try something new, and if it goes well, your uncles, aunts, cousins, etc., might be asking for the recipe. There was the one year I was experimenting with a keto diet (no comment), and everyone had to try my monk fruit pumpkin pie, or last year when I brought Fable, the mushroom meat brand I was working for, and everyone had to try that.
This year, I am most certainly bringing beans, and hopefully, the 15+ Thanksgiving guests at my grandma’s will all walk away thinking they were tastier than they thought they would be.
Like most things, the trick to delicious beans is in the quality of the bean itself and how you prepare it. My go-to recommendation has been SIMPLI Gigante Beans, which you can get at Whole Foods or Primary Beans from Amazon. These are game-changers for beans.
So here are the five bean dishes I am considering bringing to Thanksgiving. If you do bring a bean dish and convert any bean haters or spark bean conversation, please let me know!
Also, here’s a cute picture of my grandma and my thoughts about Thanksgiving from last year.
5 Bean Recipes to choose from - which would you bring?
Thanksgiving Bean “Stuffing”—This is a take on a classic, substituting beans for old bread. It would be a winner, particularly if you have gluten-free guests. My recipe is below.
Broccoli Rabe and White Bean Gratin - This is REALLY up my alley.
Roasted Carrots over Cannellini and Hazelnut Puree from Primary Beans. In my opinion, the quickest way to convert a bean hater or bean skeptic is to blend them. Making a creamy mash with any bean is a good idea. If I don't make this for Thanksgiving, I will certainly make it for other holiday gatherings.
White Bean and Potato Mash—This is genius. It takes your favorite mashed potato recipe and adds beans for enhanced protein, fiber, and creaminess. I made this with purple potatoes last week, and my fellow bean-obsessed buddy Chelsea also put out a Potato/Bean Mash. You have to try it!
French Onion Beans - Sounds so lovely and perfect.
my purple potato and bean mash
Gems of the Week ✨
I am working on an exciting project with Farm to People! If you are new to this newsletter, Farm to People is my business BFF. When my farm box business, Illuminate, was coming to a close, they acquired my former customers and have been taking care of them with incredible local food ever since. If you have never ordered a box from them, please give it a try. It is $35 for a ton of peak season produce, and be sure to add Shewolf Bread, Rancho Gordo Beans, Hawthorne Valley Kraut, and Meredith’s Cheese. I will be sharing more about this project in the coming week!
What Going “Wild on Health” Looks Like - more on what I wrote about last week related to MAFA.
Farm One - Did you know there is a large indoor farm in Brooklyn growing the most stunning edible flowers and brewing beer!? Please check out Farm One
Miranda July - Are you reading her new book? If not, maybe you should be :)
Goldie’s—I don’t think I’ll make a gift guide, but I have gotten to know Sarah, the founder of Goldie’s Natural Beauty. She makes all her products herself with the best ingredients.
Thanksgiving Bean “Stuffing” ✨
I posted a video of this dish here. It was pretty quick to make, and the sage and apple gave it a lovely flavor. If you want to make it gluten-free, leave out the bread crumbs!
INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter
1 bunch fresh sage
1 large white onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 apple
2 garlic cloves
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 can cannellini beans ‘
Bread crumbs (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350
Melt 1 stick of butter in a Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add your chopped onion, carrot, mushrooms, and celery with tsp salt.
Cook and stir occasionally until vegetables slightly soften (5-7 minutes)
Add chopped apple and sage with cracked pepper and salt, and stir until the apple softens
Drain and rinse a can of beans and add to the pot
Transfer veggie mix to a greased baking dish and top with 2 tbsp of butter and optional bread crumbs.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned
Top with parsley