leeks and cannellini beans

Below is my version of Choosing Raw's Warm Leek and Cannellini Bean Salad. This dish was so creamy and flavorful that I can't wait to make it again!  And it tastes great both warm or cold.

ingredients

2 large leeks, ends trimmed, cleaned well and chopped

2 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (homemade or BPA free canned)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or other oil of your choice
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon coconut vinegar or other vinegar of your choice
the juice from one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the beans, soak them overnight (at least 8 hours) in a bowl filled with approximately 6 cups of water. Once they have finished soaking, rinse them well.  Then put the beans in a stock pot and add in 6 cups of water. Turn the heat on high and bring the beans to a boil.  Let them boil for 10 minutes and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 hour.  Rinse them one more time and set aside.  

Add the coconut oil to a large sauté pan and turn the heat on medium. Add the leeks, stir for a few minutes and then cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes (until the leeks are tender). Then add the cooked beans, juice of your lemon, tahini, vinegar and salt (I used half a teaspoon of salt).  Stir and heat until the beans are warm (approximately 10 minutes).  Crack some black pepper over the top and serve as a main course, a side or wrapped up in some yummy greens!

This dish would also work great as a soup. To make this into a soup, I would follow the instructions above, but prepare the leeks in a nice size soup pot instead of a sauté pan. After sauteing the leeks add all the ingredients, plus 4 cups of purified water or stock of your choice, to the soup pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  Puree the mixture (this is optional), crack some black pepper over the top and serve.


"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."  

~Luciano Pavarotti