beans beans beans

There has been a lot of talk about beans lately - ha! Anyway I have been using beans in desserts lately and that is defiantly a new thing for me. I love using them it opens up a whole new idea of what beans are for. Well I made a big pot of white beans for a cake. It was my friends baby's 1st birthday and she asked me to make a healthy little cake for him. I made a little sandcastle cake and it turned out pretty healthy and was sweetened with honey. Anyway so I had all these beans and was super hungry so I put about a cupful in a bowl threw in a egg and some bread crumbs and blended it some - not too smooth. Then I added some onion and seasonings and cooked them in a pan on the stove with coconut oil. Then I topped them with a quick corn relish and they turned out yummy, fast and different. They actually tasted a bit like potato cakes. It was something I had never thought of before but will make again. Here is a recipe more or less:

Bean cakes

1 C white beans

1 egg

1 slice bread crumbled

1/4 C onion chopped fine

3 TBS cilantro chopped

salt and pepper to taste and a dash of chili flakes

Combine blend or smash then cook in a hot pan over med heat with coconut oil. You will have to spoon it into the pan - it will not hold together until cooked.

Quick corn relish

1/2 C corn

1 small tomato chopped - I threw in chopped yellow grape tomatoes too from my garden

1/8 C red onion chopped fine

Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spoon over cooked bean cakes - serve immediately. I tried one a few hours later... not nearly as good - eat them right away.

Pancakes

A summer Sunday morning called for a yummy stack of warm pancakes spread with butter and smothered in honey. When I make pancakes I usually just throw ingredients together and they are different every time some are whole wheat, some gluten-free, some multi grain. Today I made a new recipe using the leftover wet almond meal from almond milk. It turned out surprisingly good so I decided the recipe was a keeper. It is gluten-free, sugar-free and dairy-free... except we spread them with Irish butter :)

Pancakes

1 C rice flour

1 C wet almond meal

1 C millet flour

2 TBS honey

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 eggs

2 C water

3 TBS coconut oil

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl - add extra water if needed to thin the batter. Cook on a griddle (I set mine at about 250ish) until golden brown on both sides - serve immediately with butter and honey or maple syrup and fruit.