There are so many kinds of beans, and you can infuse them with almost any flavor during the cooking process, some of which can reduce the gassy effect of beans that turns people away (the people who eat the beans too).
Most of all, beans are so satisfying and healthy. I would not be exaggerating to suggest that many ancient people (people from a long time ago, not old people, Carl) depended on the bean for their survival. Is there or has there ever been any society in history that did not cultivate beans or include beans in their diet somehow? I couldn't find one (but I'm sure Carl would tell me if there were any).
Even native people of the far north whose diets consisted mostly of meat would take the opportunity during the short summers to plant beans using the Three Sisters Method, which involved planting corn in a checkerboard pattern, planting beans next to each stalk, and planting squash in the spaces. The corn would give the bean plants their stalks to climb; the beans would enrich the soil with nitrogen for the benefit of the corn, and the rough, prickly leaves of the squash would keep animals off of all three kinds of plants. Isn't sustainable farming a beautiful thing?
I love beans and eat them every day. So, I had to take this challenge, if for no other reason than to come up with new ways to eat beans. And because the bean is so international and cosmopolitan, I had to feature the bean in several different ethnic dishes from around the world.
West African Groundnut Black-Eyed Pea Dip
We often associate black-eyed peas with Southern cooking, but black-eyed peas actually originated from West Africa and were brought to America by way of the slave trade. Peanuts, another Southern staple, were brought to West Africa from America the same way. In modern times, groundnut stew, made with peanuts, is emblematic of West African cuisine. Another common theme in West African cuisine is the use of onion, tomato, and chili peppers to enhance the flavor of various dishes. As far as spice, the West Africans use the Guinea pepper, which tastes sort of like cardamom and coriander. This sounded like a great combination of ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup black-eyed peas, cooked (about ½ cup dry), reserving cooking liquid
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 1 large yellow tomato, chopped (you can use red if you don't mind your dip coming out reddish)
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1 tablespoon palm oil, or nut oil
- Peanut butter, to taste
- Tomato juice, as needed
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Sauté the onion, tomato and spices in the oil until the onions are soft.
- Blend or process the cooked peas until smooth, thinning with cooking liquid as necessary
- Add the onion and tomato mixture
- Add peanut butter to taste
- Add tomato juice and salt a little at a time until you are satisfied with the taste and texture
Serve with tapalapa bread, which is a kind of bread, similar to French bread, that is eaten throughout West Africa.
Italian Cannellini Bean Spread
Italian cuisine is so ubiquitous, I don't think I need to explain these ingredients. You can't go wrong with olive oil, garlic, sage, and rosemary. I could make Cardboard Bruschetta with these ingredients, and I'd still eat it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cannellini beans, cooked (about ½ cup dry), reserving cooking liquid
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 to 5 large sage leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pine or pistachio nuts, chopped
- Castelveltrano or other olives, to taste, chopped
- Lemon juice, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Sauté onions, garlic, and herbs in oil until onions are soft.
- In a blender or food processor, blend 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and nuts to a paste. If using, add the olives (they will turn dip greenish).
- Add the cooked beans along with a little more of the cooking liquid, blending until smooth.
- Blend in the onion and garlic mixture.
- Add fresh-squeezed lemon juice and salt, a little at a time until you are satisfied with the taste.
Serve with ciabatta bread.
Thai-Indian Coconut-Sambar Mung Bean Dip
Mung beans are small often-green beans that are used in a myriad of ways in cuisines all over Asia, India, and Southeast Asia. Out of this part of the world, I have to say I love the cuisines of India and Thailand the best. And I can't pass up an opportunity to combine my favorite Indian spice mixture, Sambar powder, with coconut, Thai chili, and cashews.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung beans, cooked (about ½ cup dry), reserving cooking liquid
- 1 cup of chopped green onion
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 - 2 tablespoons of Sambar powder (adjust to taste)
- 1 - 2 chopped green Thai chilis (these are very hot; adjust to suit)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped cashews
- Coconut milk, to taste
- Fresh mint leaves, to taste
- Lime juice, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Saute onions, garlic, sambar, and chilis in oil until onions are soft
- In a blender or food processor, blend 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and nuts to a paste.
- Add the cooked beans along with a little more of the cooking liquid, blending until smooth.
- Blend in the onion and garlic mixture and mint leaves.
- Add lime juice, coconut milk, and salt, a little at a time until you are satisfied with the taste.
Serve with Roti, an unleavened flat bread or with Naan.
Caribbean Black-Bean Dip
What can you say about Caribbean cuisine? It is so delicious, and it varies from island to island, and it has so many influences. Because I was making other bean dips from around the world, I didn't want to incorporate too much of these influences; otherwise it would seem redundant. I wanted to make it pure Caribbean, but I don't know if anyone even knows what that is. Poultry and fish also play prominent roles in recipes from this region, but I had to make it vegan.
Black beans are often included in Cuban as well as other Caribbean dishes. Allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger are commonly-used throughout the region as well. Cashews are grown in Belize. And, here is something I never would have guessed: the grapefruit originated in Barbados. Who knew?
So, I put black beans, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, along with tahini (some Caribbean cuisines do use sesame seeds), cashews, chili peppers, and grapefruit together for this bean dip.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked black beans (about ½ cup dry), reserving cooking liquid
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of chopped, fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 - 2 chopped chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped cashews
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- Grapefruit juice, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Saute onions, garlic, ginger, spices, and chilis in oil until onions are soft
- In a blender or food processor, blend 1/4 cup of bean cooking liquid and nuts to a paste.
- Add the cooked beans along with a little more of the cooking liquid, blending until smooth.
- Blend in the onion and garlic mixture, adding tahini
- Add grapefruit juice and salt, a little at a time until you are satisfied with the taste.
Serve with Roti, Naan, or tortillas. "Roti or Naan?", you say. Actually, the Caribbean is home to many immigrants from India and Southeast Asia.
Southwestern Tepary Bean Dip
Dining at your local Tex-Mex restaurant, you'd think that black or pinto beans are the quintessential beans of the Southwest. In fact, the mostly unheard-of tepary bean is native to the Sonoran desert and has been cultivated there since pre-Columbian times by the Pima Indians. After having tasted these beans and learning about their nutritive powers, I'm amazed that they're not more popular. In addition to a delicious, nutty taste, they have higher protein, higher fiber, but lower fat than other beans.
Other common ingredients of Southwest cuisine include nopal, or prickly-pear cactus, avocados, pine nuts, pecans, chili peppers, avocado and cilantro. All of these together with the tepary beans resulted in my favorite bean dip recipe out of all five.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked tepary beans (about ½ cup dry), reserving cooking liquid
- 1 cup of chopped onion
- 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup or more of chopped nopales, or prickly-pear cactus.
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1 - 2 chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (add more or less to adjust the flavor)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped pine nuts or pecans
- ½ avocado, ripe
- Cilantro, chopped, to taste
- Lime juice, to taste
- Salt, to taste
Directions
- Sauté onion, garlic, nopales, cumin, and chiles in oil, until onions and nopales are soft.
- In a blender or food processor, blend 1/4 cup of bean cooking liquid and nuts to a paste.
- Add the cooked beans along with a little more of the cooking liquid, blending until smooth.
- Blend in the avocado, onion and garlic mixture, and cilantro
- Add grapefruit juice and salt, a little at a time until you are satisfied with the taste.
Serve with tortilla chips.
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