Tuscan White Beans on Toast

My daughter and I were delving into the world of Spanish and Mediterranean tapas while exploring an upcoming birthday trip. A recipe similar to this caught our eye on one of the restaurant menus and we hoped to recreate it at home.

This fits perfectly into our "mostly" plant-forward lifestyle, and was delicious while being both light and completely satisfying at the same time.  Because it was such a simple dish, I really wanted to make sure I got lots of flavors in there! 

#mediterranean #dinner #lunch #vegetarian #plantforward

Ingredients:

• Seasonings:  kosher salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• half an onion, chopped fine
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced fine
• 1 rib of Tuscan kale, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in oil (soft sundried tomatoes in oil would be fine)
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 can white beans, drained
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tbsp garlic paste or very finely chopped garlic
• 6 pieces sourdough bread
• butter (optional for toast)
• Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)
• Tuscan olive oil (optional)

Servings:  6

Nutrition per serving.

303cal, 7.3g fat, 47g carb (6.1g dietary fiber - 22% daily value, 7.9g sugar), 13g protein (26% daily value), iron 4.6 mg (26% daily value).

Directions:

This recipe is so quick that it works best for you to chop and dice everything before you get started.

Sauté diced onions and carrots in avocado oil (or some other neutral oil).  

Add chopped kale when onions and carrots are about half cooked.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add garlic paste when vegetables are mostly cooked.  Don't allow it to burn. 

Quickly add the drained beans.

While vegetables are cooking, roughly chop roasted tomatoes.  You can leave the oil on them.  It will turn into a sauce.  Add the tomatoes after adding the beans.  Re-season with salt, pepper, oregano, a few shakes of red pepper flakes.

Finish with the juice of half a lemon. 

Toast some good quality sourdough or artisan bread.  (We prefer to toast ours in a pan.)  Top the toast with the white bean mixture.  Shave some Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.  Drizzle a bit of good quality Tuscan olive oil or cold pressed extra virgin olive oil over the top.  Top with chopped green onions if desired. 

Written Method:

Sauté diced onions and carrots in avocado oil (or some other neutral oil).  Add chopped kale when onions and carrots are about half cooked.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add garlic paste when vegetables are mostly cooked.  Don't allow it to burn. Quickly add the drained beans.

While vegetables are cooking, roughly chop roasted tomatoes.  You can leave the oil on them.  It will turn into a sauce.  Add the tomatoes after adding the beans.  Re-season with salt, pepper, oregano, a few shakes of red pepper flakes.  Finish with the juice of half a lemon. 

Toast some good quality sourdough or artisan bread.  (We prefer to toast ours in a pan.)  Top the toast with the white bean mixture.  Shave some Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.  Drizzle a bit of good quality Tuscan olive oil or cold pressed extra virgin olive oil over the top.  Top with chopped green onions if desired.

Holiday Brie Bites

Lovely Lily and I "may" have tried out some #holiday #appetizers a week or so ago before Christmas to make sure they would be passable for our guests. I think the answer is "yes!" #cheeselady

You can whip these up for guests with only a handful of ingredients:

• Crescent roll dough
• Brie
• Dried cranberries
• Pistachios
• Fresh rosemary
• Kosher salt & large grind black pepper
• Honey
• Pomegranate seeds 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Prepare crescent dough.  Roll out without separating at perforations.  Divide into eight pieces with a pizza cutter or knife.  Add a piece of Brie, sprinkle it with dried cranberries and chopped pistachios.  Don't add too much or your dough won't close.

Close dough and form bundles.  Sprinkle the dough with kosher salt and a large grind black pepper.  Chop rosemary and sprinkle over the dough.  

Bake on parchment paper as directed for dough - approximately 14 - 15 minutes.  As soon as Brie bites come out of the oven, drizzle with warm honey and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.  Arrange on a platter and serve warm while the cheese is melty.  :)  Garnish the plate with additional rosemary. 

These are just perfect for a cocktail or dinner party.  Flaky crescent dough, warm oozy cheese, chewy cranberries, crunchy pistachios, the herbal notes of the rosemary, sweetness of the honey and a fresh pop of juiciness from the pomegrante seeds. 

I recipe using a can of crescent dough and a "triangle" of Brie makes 8 Brie Bites.