Cannellini Beans With Roasted Butternut SquashInstant Pot And Stove Top Recipes

Roasted butternut squash adds a natural sweetness to this dish.

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Beans for Fiber, Protein and More
For those of you who have vowed to eat less meat this year, you will be happy to know that you can get lots of high quality protein from beans. Unlike with meat, this protein comes with critical dietary fiber, antioxidants, and complex carbohydrates that will stabilize your blood sugar and help lower your cholesterol. The best part about this protein source is that it doesn't come with saturated fat and cholesterol. So add some to your diet each day.

Winter Squash
I had a wonderful winter squash harvest this year so I'm looking for recipes to use them up. Last week, my friend Margarite brought over some cannellini beans with roasted butternut squash. The roasted squash gave the beans a beautiful sweet flavor. Here's my attempt to duplicate this lovely recipe. You can make the beans in an Instant Pot or just cook them on the stove, but always start with dry beans. I don't think canned beans would taste as good.

Some of my winter squash harvest.

           
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Cannellini Beans with Roasted Butternut Squash
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

Beans can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop.

Allow time to soak beans overnight.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dry cannellini beans 
Water for soaking
4 cups rich vegetable stock
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 pound butternut squash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or splash of vinegar (optional)

Directions
Pick through the cannellini beans for rocks and rinse well. Place in a pot, cover with 2 inches of water, and soak overnight.  If you forgot to soak the beans overnight you can place them in a pot with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil on medium heat, turn off the heat, and let the beans sit in the pot, covered, until the water cools down. One and a half cups of dry beans should plump up to about 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups of soaked beans.

Rinse the soaked beans well. If you are cooking them on the stovetop, place the beans in a large pot or 5-quart Dutch oven with the stock, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook until tender. You may need to add more broth if it cooks down.

If you are using an Instant pot pressure cooker, place the soaked and rinsed beans in the pot along with the stock, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Hit the manual button and set for 6 minutes under high pressure. Make sure the quick release switch is in the closed position. 

When it's done, hit the off button and let the pressure come down naturally. When complete, open the cover and tilt so that the steam comes out the back and away from your face. Test for doneness. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the beans are cooking, clean the squash. Check out my post on An Easy Way to Cut a Butternut Squash. Dice the squash and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried rosemary. Toss until well coated and spread out on a non-stick shallow baking pan or one lined with a Silpat silicon mat. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until cooked and slightly golden brown.

You may notice that I have heavily seasoned the squash. Once cooked, the squash will be used to season the beans so don't skimp on the salt and other seasonings.

Before baking

After roasting

Remove the roasted squash from the oven and set aside.

After the beans are cooked (using either method), stir the cooked squash into the beans. Simmer the squash and beans together so that their flavors melt together. If on the cooktop, simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes. If in the instant pot, you can either hit saute for 10 minutes or slow cook for 30 minutes. 

Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Stir in lemon juice or vinegar, if desired. 

Serve immediately over rice, quinoa, or your favorite grain or pasta, or refrigerate. They will thicken and become even more flavorful the next day. This is a good dish to make on Sunday and serve a few times during the week.

Cannellini beans with roasted butternut squash
served over GABA sprouted brown rice.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving: 261 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 151 mg omega-3 and 769 mg omega-6 essential fatty acids, 10 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 9 g dietary fiber, and 399 mg sodium.

Cannellini Beans With Basil-Jalapeño PestoGreat For Your 4th Of July Picnic

Cannellini Beans are spiced up with this spicy vegan and gluten-free basil and jalapeño pesto!

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Why I Started Foods For Long Life
2 Million Pageviews Later
How many people assume that they are going to inherit their parents illnesses? If their father had a heart attack or their mother had breast cancer, do they wait for the inevitable day for that same disease to strike them? 

It's a relief to know that only a small percentage of diseases are actually unpreventable because of inherited genetic mutations - some experts put that number as low as five to ten percent. But many people don't know this and make less of an effort to change their diet, stay active, and manage stress.

Health and nutrition has always been my passion and I spent a lifetime whipping up recipes that were both delicious and healthful and reading the latest literature about supplements and alternative treatments. I never pursued it formally and followed a career in electrical engineering instead. But I was shaken to the core when my best friend passed away at the young age of 50. I wished that I knew more about holistic treatments that could have helped fight her cancer but I didn't. 

After 36 years in the computer industry, 27 years at IBM and 9 years as the CEO of Ampro Computers, I decided to retire and dedicate my time to helping people live a healthier life. I furthered my knowledge with a PhD in holistic nutrition and started this blog in 2009 to spread the word about healthy eating, sharing plant-based recipes and my opinions on the latest health news. I'm continuing my research in herbalism as I learn more about how Mother Nature can help us get well and stay well. 

Since 2009, I have written over 600 posts and published an eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen. Last week we hit a very special milestone of 2 Million Pageviews! This tells me that people are interested in taking control of their health. It gives me the encouragement to continue my work and it warms my heart to know that, in some way, I have helped people live a healthier life.

So THANK YOU all for following Foods For Long Life! Pass along my link to friends and family that you think would enjoy and benefit from it. And remember my tagline:

"Heath, excellent or ill, is passed to our children not just 

through our genes, but primarily, through our recipes."

Joanne L. Mumola Williams

Now for today's recipe. This spicy cannellini bean dish is a great source of protein and fiber. Served warm or at room temperature, it makes a great dish for your summer picnic or BBQ. You can eat as is or, as we did for dinner last night, stir it into a half pound of steaming pasta.

Since I've got lots of basil in my garden, I always make extra pesto and then pop it in the freezer for later. This recipe makes an entire cup of pesto but the recipe only needs 1/2 cup. Use it later on pasta, baked potatoes, as a dip, etc. It freezes really well.

Basil and jalapeños from my garden

Pesto freezes well

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Cannellini Beans with Basil-Jalapeño Pesto

Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

[makes 8 servings of beans plus 1/2 cup of leftover pesto]

Requirements

Food Processor, such as a Cuisinart

Ingredients
For the pesto
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapeños, sliced vertically (with or without seeds depending on level of heat desired)
2 cups packed fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
For the beans
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup finely diced celery
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

Directions
Make the pesto. Place the garlic and jalapeños through the chute of a running food processor with an S blade and process until it's minced.

Add the basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, walnuts, oil, salt, and nutritional yeast and process until well blended.

Mix 1/2 cup of the pesto with the cannelloni beans, celery, and cherry tomatoes. (Freeze or refrigerate the remaining pesto.) Serve as is or heat to the desired temperature. 

As an option, mix the bean mixture into a halve pound of steaming hot pasta and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (without pasta): 176 calories, 5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 498 mg omega-3 and 1,973 mg omega-6 essential fatty acids, 9 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 90 mg sodium.

Vegan 5 Bean Chili - A Heathy And Inexpensive Meal For A Super Bowl Crowd

Feed a crowd with this delicious pot of chili.

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Feeding a Crowd
Whether you are having a party on Sunday to watch the Panthers play the Broncos, or just getting together with friends to watch the commercials or Lady Gaga sing the national anthem and watch Coldplay perform the halftime show, you may be preparing to feed a crowd. Here's a dish that doesn't hurt your wallet or your waistline. And, it's incredibly simple and quick to make.

After preparing a big pot of this 5-bean chili, you can stretch it even further by serving it on a bed of rice or quinoa. Being Italian, my favorite way is to stir it into a big bowl of fusilli pasta topped with Go Veg parmesan topping. Or make a bunch of baked potatoes and serve it over a split potato topped with vegan sour cream and grated cheddar or jack style cheese. But first, let's make the chili!

Canned Beans
I usually make my beans from scratch to avoid the BPA (bisphenol-A) linings in most canned beans. But today you can find lots of organic beans with non-BPA linings in your health food store or in Whole Foods Market. Besides, it's a lot easier to use cans when you are using 5 different types of beans.

Feel free to select different beans but always try to find ones with a BPA-free lining. BPA is an industrial chemical that is an endocrine disruptor and is linked to an increased risk of infertility, obesity, breast and other cancers. 

Corn Tortillas
I use corn tortillas to thicken the chili. It's easier than adding masa harina (corn flour.) If you buy organic corn tortillas, it will guarantee that they are GMO free!

Organic always means Non-GMO!

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5-Bean Chili
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or non-GMO canola oil 
1 large onion, diced (~2 cups)
1 (15 ounce) can organic black beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic garbanzo beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic pinto beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic red kidney beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic Great Northern beans
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (28 ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes (optional for added "heat")
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies (mild)
2 1/2 to 3 cups vegetable broth
cayenne pepper or fresh jalapeño to taste
salt to taste
3 non-GMO corn tortillas, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions
Heat olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot. Add the onion and sauté on medium-low heat until soft, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

While the onion is cooking, drain and rinse all of the beans. Set aside.

After the onions have softened, stir in the cumin, oregano, chili powder, black pepper, and garlic powder and stir until the onions are well coated. 

Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes (if using) diced green chilies, and the broth. If you use Rotel tomatoes, use 2 1/2 cups of broth. If not, use 3 cups of broth.

Taste for spice. The can of Rotel tomatoes will give it some kick already. But for more heat, add cayenne pepper to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon and go from there). Or, add a finely diced jalapeño. You can also get a can of diced jalapeños and add it a teaspoon at a time until you get the right spice level. Not everyone will want it super spicy, so it's best to make it on the mild side and serve the chili with hot sauce or spicy salsa.

Salt to taste. I wait until now because when a dish is spicy, you may not need to add much salt. Also, depending on the beans and the broth you use, the chili may already have quite a bit of salt.

To thicken the chili, stir in the thinly sliced corn tortillas and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tortillas are practically dissolved and the chili is the proper consistency.

Stir in the fresh cilantro and it's ready to serve!

Serve as is with a few slices of fresh jalapeño.

Or with crunched up corn chips, jalapeños, and sour cream.

It's delicious stirred into pasta topped with vegan pam.

Enjoy!