I've Bean Roasting....

In an attempt to be more frugal, slightly vegan, and diversify my ‘versatile-as-ever’ recipe repertoire, I’ve looked to bean salads that can be dressed up or down, mashed and spread onto toast, or my favorite, piled high and wrapped up tight in a lettuce or cabbage wrap as the ultimate vegan veggie vehicle for a satisfying meal.

This recipe got its roots from Alexandra Stafford’s Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Black Beans, which I’ve made and love. I decided to try roasting the beans in the oven with the vegetables to make it a one-pan meal that, in theory, could be prepped alongside of another dish to multitask and make preparation for a week’s worth of lunches (or dinner!) all the easier.

I usually roast a whole pumpkin or two, break it down, and save it in Ziploc bags in the freezer, taking one bag out at a time to use during the week. To crisp up the edges of the pumpkin, I always re-heat it in the oven, giving it the twice-baked treatment, and I’ve found that a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg, combined with a savory flavor, like onion or garlic, brings out the flavor of the pumpkin, the warmth of fall, and adds unique texture to any dish. Hence the nutmeg. A happy accident, it appears that nutmeg deepens the smoky flavor of the cumin, and works exceptionally and surprisingly well with black beans. Who knew!?

Also, don’t stop at using pumpkin! Any winter squash or sweet potato would be wonderful in its stead.

That said, I wish you happy roasting!

Tray Roasted Black Bean Salad with Citrus

·      1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

·      1 medium onion, cut into quarters

·      2 cups cooked pumpkin (feel free to substitute with any kind of winter squash or sweet potatoes)

·      1 tablespoon cumin

·      2 teaspoons nutmeg

·      2 teaspoons paprika

·      Salt and pepper to taste

·      Juice of ½ orange, 1 lemon, or your favorite, seasonal citrus of choice

Make it happen:

•     Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
•   Cut the pumpkin into ½ inch cubes, and quarter the onions. Lay the pumpkin cubes out on the parchment paper for roasting.
•   In a small bowl, combine the spices, and sprinkle about ¼ of the mix over the pumpkin cubes. Roast in the oven until just beginning to dry out, about 20 minutes.
•     Add the onion quarters to the pan, sprinkle with another ¼ of the seasoning, and continue roasting.
•  Rinse and drain the black beans in a colander, shaking off all excess water; dress with ½ of the citrus juice. When the onions just start to caramelize, remove the tray from the oven and gently push the vegetables to one side of the parchment, making room for the beans.  Lay the beans out on the parchment paper and put the pan back in the oven until the beans are toasty and warm, about 15 minutes. The skins on some of the beans may begin to peel back and curl at this point – that’s when everything is done!
•    Pour the remaining citrus juice and seasoning into the bottom of a bowl, and add the beans and vegetables on top. Toss gently to coat and break the onion quarters up slightly, and either serve warm with chopped veggies, lettuce wraps, and toast or crostini (or crackers, but really…toast.) or chill overnight and enjoy at room temperature for lunch for the week ahead! 

Lemon-Turmeric Chickpea Broccoli Salad, and a Wrap Obsession

I struggle with lunch. I never really used to eat breakfast or lunch, in fact, subsisting on fruit and maybe the occasional Laughing Cow when I was younger (and my metabolism made random munchies, bites, licks, tastes, etc disappear faster than I could reach for something else to idly munch on), and not having any issue. However, even in my ripe young adulthood, I've become more nutrition-minded and have found that I look for something to chomp on for breakfast, snacking, and lunch. The curse of a desk job and student hood, sitting and reading and writing and even working at a lab bench instead of being constantly on the go and not having time to even think about food, I've come to the conclusion that 'tis time to face the lunch monster (the lunch lady? Cafeteria meat?). 

I've lately become OBSESSED with legume salads and the like, dips and other lovely textural things to wrap in a handheld package of lettuce, cabbage, collards, what have you. So this marks post #1 of my wrap adventures and all of the crazy things I endeavor to pile into a convenient cruciferous cocoon. 

Lemon-Turmeric Chickpea Broccoli Salad

Dressing:

1 ½ cups Lemon juice

3 tsp Turmeric

2 tsp salt

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Nutmeg

Quinoa Crunch:

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 tsp Cumin

Salad:

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

~ 13/4 cups Broccoli florets, roughly chopped

⅓ medium Red onion, minced

Make it happen:

Make the quinoa crunch:

Toss the cooked quinoa with the cumin and sprinkle on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Much like making a granola, the degree of spread of the quinoa is up to your preference for clumps or grains. I prefer chunkier clumps, and do not spread the quinoa out as finely to get them. Bake in the oven at 350 for approximately 10 minutes, or until dry and crunchy. Let cool and if necessary, break up slightly.

Make the salad:
Lightly steam or blanch the broccoli so that it is al dente, and still has a bite to it. 

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and combine in a bowl with the minced red onion and broccoli florets. Combine the ingredients for the dressing well and pour half into the salad. If you're like me and waited far too long to make lunch, and now you're ravenous, make sure the bowl is microwave-safe, and heat the salad for 2:00 minutes. My microwave works only on high-power, so you can adjust accordingly given the power of yours. The salad should be warm throughout.

If you're an organized human and have time to appropriately heat the salad in a small sauce pot, add a little more than half of the dressing, and heat over medium flame until warm throughout.

With a potato masher or the back of a fork, gently smash the chickpeas, leaving some whole. The texture should be chunky. Every few smashes, toss the salad to keep it well-mixed.

Add the remaining dressing, and toss the salad with some of the quinoa crunch, leaving some to garnish with. Or cram in your mouth as your stomach rumbles angrily, waiting for food.

I served my salad with cabbage leaf wraps that I gently steamed to make pliable, and a variety of colorful veggies to add to the salad in the wrap for some texture and freshness. This would be great on its own, or over wilted greens with a poached egg, perhaps. Actually...Excuse me while I go get some water and white vinegar simmering……