Beth Hart ~ Rhymes
Otis Reading ~ Pain In My Heart
Chris Cornell ~ Today
Louis Armstrong ~ La Vie En Rose
Live ~ I Alone
Alter Bridge ~ Ghosts Of Days Gone By
Alison Moyet ~ Invisible
Norah Jones ~ Don't Know Why
Billy Joel ~ Honesty
Black Stone Cherry ~ Blame It On The Boom Boom
Prince ~ Nothing Compares 2 U
Terrorvision ~ What Makes You Tick
The Puppini Sisters ~ Sway
Brandi Carlile ~ The Story
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| Rocket & Roses Black Bean Feast...savoury and sweet. (vegan & gluten-free) |
There aren't words for how much I enjoy being part of the SUMA Wholefoods Bloggers Network. From receiving the latest catalogue, selecting the ingredients through to slaving over scribbled notes of inspiration and that final moment of taking the photographs...I love it all. The challenge is one I need at the moment with the health issues being at an all time low...the mental stimulation is a welcome relief. And although I had to accept much needed help from ML and my lovely Mum I still got the thrill as the recipes came to life...and tasted good. Always a...phew!..moment.
SUMA have started selling tins of Organic Black Beans and as they are one of my favourite beans I decided to use them as my focus for this posting. I love the versatile nature of these little black gems and use them as often as I can in my cooking. I had quite a list of recipe ideas once inspiration hit and short listing them was quite hard. So I decided to make a new version of three of my favourite savoury forms and have a go at making a sweet treat too. Yes...a sweet treat.
First up was the stuffing recipe. I wanted a succulent roasted butternut that was filled with a smokey spiced bean and vegetable stuffing. I used a whole dried Chipotle chilli to provide both the smokiness and heat. SUMA Black Beans, cooked quinoa and a selection of vegetables made up the texture of the filling. Added depth of flavour came from a good veggie stock and sun-dried tomato paste. Garnishing with fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime juice finishes the dish to make for one flavour packed meal. The smokiness works perfectly with the sweetness of the butternut. And any leftover stuffing is really great as a filling for a sandwich or wrap.
Next up was a black bean soup. A soup that is both light on the tum but packed with goodness. I wanted layers of flavour but not a long list of ingredients. I wanted a soup that could be made very easily. One of my favourite soup ingredients is the humble leek. I find great comfort in their flavour but enjoy their light texture when cooked. As a stand alone cooked veggie offering I'm not that fussed but as part of a dish I enjoy them very much. For me the combination of black beans and lime are divine so it wasn't a surprise to find myself juicing up some limes to add to the layers of flavour. Now when I made this dish I fully processed it to a smooth silky consistency which was nice but next time I will part blend the soup as I really am a chunky soup kind of a gal. The choice is yours. The results were a gentle soup that had a good layer of flavour from the earthiness of the leeks (not a literal layer of earth!) and wholesome beans and then the slight citrus sharpness bringing the soup up to another level. It's a quick and easy to make soup...and also turns out a light purple in colour so is quite pretty if that is your thing.
Next up was a salsa. I have only recently found my salsa love and have been experimenting like a mad thing. This I have come to know...for me to enjoy salsa it has to be raw onion free. I've tried every method of 'treating' the onion before use from steeping in boiled water or vinegar to hopping on one foot and shouting to the moon! I just have to accept that raw onion and I are never to be friends. I can however digest a scant amount of minced spring onion in it. For this recipe I wanted nutritional goodness and a freshness with each mouthful. I adore vine-ripened tomatoes and love to keep a watch on them until they are at their perfect ripeness. Sliced simply in a sandwich with a lot of freshly cracked black pepper...food heaven. So some chopped vine tomatoes were the base for this salsa along with an avocado, spring onion, SUMA Black Beans, freshly cooked corn on the cob, fresh coriander. The dressing was simplicity itself...the juice of one fresh lime and one fresh clementine. Wow..what a salsa this one turned out to be. It smelt great just sitting in the bowl and the flavours and textures mixed perfectly. A healthy salsa that could easily become addictive...you have been warned..
And lastly....a black bean sweet treat. Yes...a sweet treat that isn't packed full of nastiness. No refined sugars in the fudge itself as I used medjool dates for the sweetness. I could have just served this black bean recipe up as it was which would have been a treat in itself, but I had a bag of SUMA Sour Morello Cherries which I was desperate to open. I love the combination of dark bitter chocolate and sweet cherries. The dried cherries weren't perfect as they did include sugar and sunflower oil in their ingredients which isn't my preferred choice but I couldn't argue that their flavour wasn't out of this world. They were juicy, sweet and full of cherry flavoured goodness. If you dislike glace cherries as much as I do because of the fake flavour and nasty texture...these could not be any further apart. As a treat every now and again these dried cherries are worth the little amount of sugar and sunflower oil. I decided to blend some into the fudge mixture itself and then use one as a topping for each piece of fudge. A little goes a long way with these sweet treats as they are intensely rich. One eaten with a bitter dark shot of espresso would be a great combination. And combined with the fact that these are 'healthier' treats...just makes them a food to be savoured indeed.
So...let's get this black bean feast started....
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| Rocket & Roses Smokey Black Bean Stuffed Butternut (vegan & gluten-free) |
Rocket & Roses Smokey Black Bean Stuffed Butternut
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen) Serves 2
1 lb baby butternut, halved, de-seeded
1 med red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, micro-grated
1 2" piece of fresh ginger, micro-grated
1 med carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup kale leaves, finely chopped
a handful of fresh coriander leaves, minced
1 whole dried chipotle chilli
3 tbsp boiling water
1/2 cup of low sodium veggie stock
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
1 tin of Suma Organic Black Beans, rinsed and drained
a good pinch of dried cinnamon
freshly grated black pepper to season to taste
extra fresh coriander for garnish
lime slices to garnish and juice
Pre-heat the oven to 350'F/180'C/GM 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set to one side. Take the prepared butternut halves. Carefully extend the cavity of the flesh up to 1cm from the top of the butternut. Place flesh side down onto the baking tray and place into the hot oven. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from the oven. Turn over so the flesh is facing up and put the tray to one side.
Put the dried chipotle in a small bowl with the 3 tbsp boiling water and leave to soak whilst making the filling.
Water-saute the red onion until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, green bell pepper and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Put the sun-dried tomato paste into the hot veggie stock and stir until it has dissolved.
Mince the softened chipotle and put it and its soaking water into the veggies along with the veggie stock mix. Stir well and then add in the cooked quinoa. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the kale and minced coriander and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the ground cinnamon. Season with black pepper. Cook until the stock has dissipated and the stuffing is thick. Remove from the heat.
Firmly pack the butternut with the stuffing and press in to fill the cavity. Then mound up extra stuffing to your personal preference. Place the tray back into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the butternut is tender. Serve sprinkled with more chopped coriander and lime slices to squeeze over.
Enjoy! And don't forget the leftover stuffing is unbelievably tasty as a sandwich/wrap filling the next day.
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| Rocket & Roses Leek, Black Bean & Lime Soup (vegan & gluten-free) |
Rocket & Roses Leek, Black Bean & Lime Soup Serves 6-8
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
5 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
5 cups low sodium veggie stock
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 bayleaf
2 15oz tins of SUMA Organic Black Beans
freshly grated black pepper
fresh coriander leaves
Water-saute the sliced leeks until softened. Take it slowly as you don't want them to brown. Add in the garlic slices, bayleaf, veggie stock and lime juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Add in the black beans and season with a generous amount of black pepper. Bring back to the boil, reduce the heat back to a simmer and cook until the leek is very tender.
Remove half of the soup and blend until smooth and add it back into the remaining half and stir well to combine or completely blend all of the soup until smooth. Bring back up to a gentle simmer and serve with freshly torn off coriander leaves.
Enjoy! I've enjoyed this soup silky smooth but my preference is by far part blended. I'm just kooky that way...
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| Rocket & Roses Citrus Fresh Black Bean Salsa (vegan & gluten-free) |
Rocket & Roses Citrus Fresh Black Bean Salsa Yields 2 cups
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
1 med/large avocado, flesh chopped into 1/2" cubes
2 med/large vine ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
1 spring onion, minced
1/2 tin SUMA Organic Black Beans, rinsed and drained well
1 fresh corn cob, cooked and cooled
1 handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
juice from one lime
juice from one clementine
In a bowl place the avocado, tomatoes, spring onion, black beans, coriander leaves and stir well. Strip the corn kernels from the cob and add to the bowl and stir in. Whisk the freshly squeezed juices together and pour over the veggies. Stir well to coat evenly. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Or devour freshly made.
Enjoy!
And now for the sweet treat....
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| Rocket & Roses Black Bean Morello Cherry Fudge Pieces (vegan & gluten-free) |
Rocket & Roses Black Bean Morello Cherry Fudge Pieces
(Original recipe from the Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen) Makes 24 pieces
1 tin of SUMA Organic Black Beans, rinsed and drained well
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 medjool dates, de-stoned and roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp good quality vanilla extract
2 heaped tbsp smooth cashew butter
1/4 tsp salt
5 heaped tbsp good quality cocoa powder
20 SUMA Sour Morello Cherries
tiny amount of filtered water
24 SUMA Sour Morello Cherry pieces, to top
Place the beans, dates, cashew butter, salt and cocoa powder into a food processor. Pulse until it has broken down a little. Add in the melted coconut oil and vanilla and blend again. If the mix is dry add the small amount of water to loosen it off. When it is whipped and smooth add in the cherries and pulse until they are very well combined.
Using a silicone mould, brownie tin or other flat shallow baking dish smooth the fudge mixture into it and smooth off until level. Press the 24 cherries into the fudge so that when you cut out the pieces a cherry will be in the centre of each piece. Place into the fridge for 4 hours to firm up.
Gently press out the fudge pieces if using a silicone mould and cut each square into four pieces. If using a tin or baking dish, make cuts to make 24 pieces and then gently lever out each piece. Serve with bitter hot coffee for a great balance.
Store leftover pieces in an airtight container in the fridge and they should stay yummy for about a week....if they last that long!!
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| Gratuitous foodie close up...its ok...no need to thank me...my pleasure folks. |
Enjoy the black bean feast folks and I hope you swing by the folks at SUMA Wholefoods and check them out. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all are enjoying the sun and finding many reasons to smile today...
~Red~
NB: These recipes are my creation and mine alone. I have no problem with you using them or sharing them. I simply ask that you give credit where its due and provide links back to this posting as I always try to with others. Many thanks to Amy and SUMA Wholefoods for giving me the chance to be part of the SUMA Bloggers Network. Namaste...~R~
