Vegan bean recipes

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Blueberry Cardamom Vegan Macarons

Ahh, macarons. After making my first batch of pistachio macarons, I knew I wanted to try more flavors tout suite, so next up are these blueberry cardamom vegan macarons. A purple blueberry flavored vegan buttercream is sandwiched between pale blue cardamom shells for a sweet dessert with a hint of exotic flavor.
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Roasted Potato and Lentil Salad with Lemon and Rosemary

I’ve been really wanting to make a blue potato salad, but alas, there are no blue potatoes to be found in my local supermarkets right now (I even called around). Is there a season for these things? Blue potatoes (like any blue or purple colored version of a vegetable) are higher in antioxidants so you get an extra nutritional boost, and they’re a gorgeous color to boot. Fortunately, I was able to find blue baby potatoes in a bagged tri-color potato medley (red, white, and blue potatoes).
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Split Pea Soup with Eggplant Bacon

I’ve posted a lot of green food recipes lately, and here’s yet another one. It’s still a spring thing - split pea soup is certainly in season right now (at least in the Northeast, where it’s pretty much still spring until June). Most split pea soups have ham added to them (Easter leftovers, amirite?), so I wanted to try to pull in some of that depth of flavor into a vegan split pea soup version. Also, I’ve been wanting to give eggplant “bacon” a try, and this was the perfect excuse.
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Barbecue Chickpea Pizza

I miss barbecue chicken pizza. It was never the chicken or cheese I most looked forward to though - it was the barbecue sauce. I love that stuff. I think the perfect pizza is made with just barbecue sauce and no tomato sauce (why would you mix them??). I used to order mine with extra sauce. It wasn't a big leap to create a recipe for barbecue chickpea pizza to satisfy my cravings. I cheated here and didn’t make my own barbecue sauce because I have my favorite brand that I love - I know, terrible! But I totally bet you do too. The good news is that makes this is a super easy, super quick recipe to put together.
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Vegan Pistachio Macarons

You might have noticed that I have a dessert category. And you might have thought to yourself, “a bean based dessert.. what the what? How can that possibly taste good?” And the answer is - to a large extent - aquafaba! (To be fair, there are also black bean brownies, which I haven’t attempted yet...) Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas, and it whips up into a fluffy meringue just like egg whites do. This means it’s just as versatile - think chocolate mousse, meringue cookies, lemon meringue pie - anything you would use egg whites for. And there are no raw eggs in it, which makes taste testing the batter not scary.
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Spring Pea Tart with Asparagus and Cashew Ricotta

What is it about spring that makes me want to cook all the green things? Or at least, all the pretty things - I’ve got savory tarts, macarons, and brightly colored pureed soups on my mind lately (and recipes are forthcoming). This savory spring pea tart with asparagus tart is definitely spring inspired. The rich base is made from peas and coconut milk, then seasoned with fresh mint, lemon, and shallots. Top this with a dollop of creamy cashew ricotta and you’ve got a slice of something lovely.
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Savory Kidney Bean Pie

Ahhh, spring in New England. March was in like a lion but definitely not out like a lamb this year. As the cold lingers, I find myself wanting to make all the comfort food recipes I didn’t have a chance to get to over this past winter. Savory pies seem like something that fits the bill perfectly. This vegan kidney bean pie recipe is inspired by traditional kidney pie flavors - tomato paste, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce - but swaps out the meat for kidney beans. It also adds in all the “hearty” vegetables - mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, and onion. Instead of just, you know, a pie full of meat (or in this case, beans).If we still had root cellars, this would a good way to finish off the store from winter.
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Open Faced Portobello Sandwich with White Bean Thyme Puree

Does anyone else love hot open faced sandwiches? There’s something about a nice thick piece of bread topped with savory delicious layers of toppings while soaking up sauce that just speaks to me, especially when there’s still that cold bite in the air as spring approaches. And I do love me some bread. Mushrooms are the perfect “meaty” star in this vegan open faced portobello sandwich. There are four layers to this sandwich and it’s finished with a light drizzle of sauce that uses the white bean puree as a base.
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Crispy Chickpea Vegan Caesar Salad

One question we get a lot as vegans is “Where do you get your protein”? An even meat to beans swap is easy to explain, and easy to execute for new vegans. This vegan Caesar salad is a perfect example. Caesar salad consists of just three main building blocks - dressing, lettuce, and croutons - which means the key to a great one is super high quality (read: homemade) ingredients. The chickpeas in this recipe are cooked in vegetable oil until the outside is just crispy, and then tossed in savory spices - onion, garlic, and some nutritional yeast to add depth and umami.
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Pinto Bean and Sweet Potato Vegan Enchiladas

There’s just something about the combination of sweet and spicy that’s just SOOO good. That’s why you’ll often see butternut squash used as a meat substitute in enchiladas or Mexican-inspired dishes. This version of vegan enchiladas uses sweet potatoes and pinto beans, which makes them very filling and gives you a flavor profile that’s a little bit sweet, spicy, and savory all at the same time. The chipotle in adobo adds smokiness, and if you serve these with cilantro and lime you’ll add bright and fresh layers as well - all wonderful flavors alone, but especially combined. (If you’ve never used chipotle in adobo, do it soon - this is some truly magical stuff).
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