When I think of February, I always think of hearts. Valentine’s Day is a big part of that, of course, but I also think of heart disease awareness and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.
Heart disease isn’t just a man’s disease. Did you know that 1 in 3 women die from heart disease and strokes? You can cut your risk by lowering high cholesterol and blood pressure through diet and exercise, and February is a great month to begin your heart-healthy diet. Beans should be a major part of that diet: They are high in soluble dietary fiber, folic acid, potassium, vitamin B6, calcium, and thiamine. They’re also low in fat and gluten- and cholesterol-free. So many good things packed into just a little bean!
To celebrate February, I thought I would make a simple rustic dinner of soup and bread (followed by chocolate cake, of course). All of these recipes are simple, economical, and healthy.
Plan ahead for the bread; you have to start it 24 hours in advance. Don’t let that deter you! It takes only about 10 minutes to complete the first part of the recipe, and then the dough just sits on your counter until you are ready to finish it the next day.
I hope you try these recipes. They will warm your heart and, in the process, help to make it healthy.
Enjoy!
Marilyn
This great artisan bread that has no added fat!
No–Knead Bread, Adapted from “Spilling the Beans Cookbook”
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
1 cup cooked white beans
1/2 cup water
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour or a combination of all-purpose
and whole wheat, plus more for dusting.
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
Pureed beans
Put the beans and ½ cup of water into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast and salt. Add the pureed beans along with 1 cup of water to the flour mixture and stir until blended; the dough will be sticky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and let it rest on the countertop for 18 to 24 hours at room temperature.
The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Flour a work surface and place the dough on it; sprinkle the dough with a little more flour, fold it over on itself once or twice, then roughly shape it into a ball. Dust the top of the dough with more flour. (Note: I changed it a little from the original at this point and placed mine on a piece of parchment paper and then covered it with a towel.) Let it sit for another hour or two.
While the bread is resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast iron Dutch oven, into the oven as it heats.
Unbaked dough in Dutch oven.
When the dough is ready, take the towel off and carefully lift the edges of the parchment paper with the dough on it and place in the pot. (The parchment paper keeps it from sticking to the bottom and is much easier to remove once it’s baked.) Cover the pot and place in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes, until it’s crusty and golden.
This soup is super easy to make, and paired with the bread it’s delish and great for cold winter days!
Pasta e Fagiole from the Blog Italian Food Forever
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped pancetta or bacon (optional)
(You can use turkey bacon or turkey Italian sausage also)
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth (low sodium)
3 cups of cooked white kidney beans (cannellini) or 2 (14oz.) cans
1 ¼ cup small pasta such as Ditalini or Tubettini
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of red pepper flakes
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot, then cook the onion, carrot, pancetta, and celery until soft.
Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Pour in the broth, beans and chopped tomatoes, and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove a few scoops of the bean mixture and puree or mash, and then return to the pot. (Note: I forgot to do this step and it was just fine!)
Add the pasta, chopped parsley and seasonings.
Cook until the pasta is al dente.
Try substituting pureed beans for oil when you bake to cut down on the fat in a recipe.
Dark Chocolate Cake
from Everyday Food Storage.net
The One Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1 ¾ cups flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
¾ cup dark cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup bean puree (Puree black beans with about 2 tablespoons
water)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 2-9 inch round pans with baking spray. (Note: I cut out a round of wax paper and put it in the bottom of the pan to make removal easier.)
Beat all ingredients except boiling water on medium speed of electric mixture for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30-35 minutes for round pans or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans to wire racks.
Frosting
Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
Put all ingredients in bowl of blender and blend until smooth. Frost cake. Enjoy!
