White Bean Dip with Bacon and Rosemary

Bye, Bye Bean Week!! I must say that my digestive tract and I aren't gonna miss ya. I still had about 3 cups of beans hanging out in my refrigerator, and I just couldn't look at them any more.

So, dear readers, I cheated. I had parties to go to this weekend, so I made bean dip. A double batch. And shared. Thus, hubs and I did not solely consume our HUGE tupperware of beans. I shared. We cheated. But I suck that way and y'all know this already.

This dip is a snap to prepare, and you can either serve it in a bowl with pita chips or crudites, or you could smear it on toasted bread like a bruschetta. Don't bypass the applewood smoked bacon--it adds a nice depth of flavor.

White Bean Dip with Bacon and Rosemary
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

can easily be doubled

3 slices applewood smoked bacon, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked Great Northern beans
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2-3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add beans and stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree all ingredients except the bacon in a food processor. Stir half of the bacon into the dip; sprinkle the remaining bacon over the top. Best served either slightly warm or at room temperature.

**NewsFlash: My kids ate this dip!!! But, that said, they do like hummus (Sabra brand) and they adore bacon, so it's not a ginormous stretch. But still, I was pleased.

Epilogue: Yes, Virginia, I am tired of beans. And no, I don't think I'm up for Bean Week again any time soon. However, any of the dishes I made during Bean Week from Hell will be a nice addition to your menu...just not all in the same freaking week, okay? Your family will thank you for that.

White Beans with Leeks and Shiitake Mushrooms

We were kind of jonesing for a hunk of protein at Chez T. I mean, we'd been doing fairly well with Bean Week, but sometimes you just cannot sustain that kind of virtue. Plus, I've gotta ease up, caterpillars...I've eaten beans for lunch and dinner for 2 days in a row and I am a Walking Chernobyl. It's baaaaaaaad.

I saw some beautiful salmon at the market, and couldn't resist. Hubs, Awesome Stepkid R. and I love salmon. Especially prepared BBQ-style.

I based the side dish on a recipe I'd seen by Jamie Oliver on his website. But, of course, I tinkered with it. Plus, I put exact measurements in my version, because a "knob of butter" and a "glassful of wine" and a "glug of olive oil" might sound charming from that baby-faced Brit, but if I tried to get away with that crap, I'd get my butt kicked.

The local market, along with gorgeous salmon, was sporting some lovely-looking shiitake mushrooms, which we don't often get, so I snapped them up. I thought they added a nice earthiness to the leeks and beans. I also added fresh thyme, for an added punch.

White Beans with Leeks and Shiitake Mushrooms
serves 3
based on Jamie Oliver's recipe for Leeks with White Beans

3 leeks, cut into coins and cleaned*
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2-1 cup dry white wine
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup white beans, cooked
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the oil and butter. Add the leeks, shallot and garlic and saute until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, cover the pan and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until the leeks are melting apart. Stir in the mushrooms, white beans and thyme and, if mixture seems dry, more wine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

**Leeks are dirty little buggers. Slice them, separate them, and place in a big bowl of cold water. Swish them around for a while, drain, and repeat the process with clean water until there's no evidence of dirt.

This side dish made a terrific little bed for the salmon. I think it would be just as nice with beef or pork, too.



Easy BBQ Salmon
serves 3

3 5-6oz. salmon fillets, skin on
1/3 cup your favorite BBQ sauce (we like ours spicy and not too sweet)
splash of vermouth
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet pan or casserole dish with heavy duty foil; spray with cooking spray.

Allow the salmon to warm on the counter for 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, vermouth, and honey (if you like sweet BBQ sauce, you may decide to omit the honey).

Place salmon in foiled dish, spoon sauce over, and bake until just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I felt much better after my fishy fix, and I am happy to report that we are making a big old dent in that GINORMOUS tupperware of beans!! The light at the end of the tunnel...

Mixed Greens with Goodies and Beans

Day 3 of Bean Week dawned and I had a leeetle problem. I was scheduled to make/test a recipe for Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Bisque.

"This puppy doesn't have beans in it," hubs remarked, scanning the recipe.
"Thanks, Einstein, I hadn't noticed."

Luckily, I'd planned on serving the bisque with a salad, and white beans go just fine in a tossed salad, so Bean Week was still on!

Mixed Greens with Goodies and Beans
serves about 6

3 cups mixed greens, washed and dried
1 cup cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, drained and cut into pieces
1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup slivered red onion
2 tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or slivered almonds
Your favorite viniagrette

The beans added a richness, the sundried tomatoes added a sweet element, the onion added punch, and the nuts/seeds added a crunchy element I liked.

Usually I make my own salad dressing, but a friend of mine recommended Brianna's Red Wine Viniagrette dressing, so we gave that a whirl. I must say, I liked it a lot! I hardly ever like the bottled dressings, but this one was delicious! I'm now keeping a jar on-hand for lazy days!



ps: Still no Beano. My mission failed; I went to the grocery store specifically FOR Beano, and when I got home, guess what I realized I'd failed to pick up? ARGH. I suck. However, this salad was relatively light on the beans, so all was fine in the end. Today, though, I need to freaking use my head and get some!

Southwestern Bean Cakes

Day 2 of Bean Week here! I decided to take a recipe from Mark Bittman for Bean Dish #2, because he knows his legumes.

However, Bittman calls his recipe for bean cakes Bean Croquettes, which made me think of a very unfortunate and nauseating incident I had with Tuna Croquettes in junior high home-ec class. No croquettes for me--cakes suit me just fine.

And, of course, I tinkered around with the recipe. It's a sickness--I cannot follow a recipe to save my life. So it's a good thing I don't bake.

Southwestern Bean Cakes
inspired by Mark Bittman's Bean Croquettes
serves 2-3


2 cups cooked white beans
1/4 cup salsa
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 egg
about 1/2 to 3/4 cup panko or breadcrumbs
olive oil
Remoulade sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place all ingredients except breadcrumbs and olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until combined but still a bit chunky.

Stir in enough breadcrumbs to bind the mixture but still remain quite sticky--if you add too many crumbs, your end result will be dry. At this point, I covered the mixture with plastic wrap and popped it into the refrigerator for 10 minutes while I wrangled with a feral 4 year old.

Form the mixture into cakes (I made mine about the size of crab cakes).

Heat about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add bean cakes and cook until crusty and brown, about 3 minutes; flip and cook 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, put on a baking sheet and place in oven. They will keep in a warm oven for about 30 minutes.

I threw together a quick mixed lettuce salad, topped the bean cakes with a drizzle of Boar's Head Remoulade Sauce, placed the cold salad on top of the warm cakes and...YUM!!!



The outside was crisp, the inside was creamy and zesty, and the salad provided a nice hit of freshness.

Even hubs had to admit that this was a winner. We love crab cakes in this house, and this is a stellar veggie version.

I sauteed one up this morning, topped it with a poached egg and some salsa, and all I can say is...don't knock it 'till you try it!

**ps: I am admitting defeat and buying Beano today.