I didn’t realize how big of a deal beans were in a vegan diet until about 6 months into the switch, and even then, I didn’t really embrace them. I used refried beans in enchiladas/tacos/burritos, added a few cans of beans to any soup we made, and tried making black beans from scratch a few times. When I’m extra hungry, I jump on Pinterest and scroll through vegan bean recipes that make beans look like the most extravagant and flavorful meal you could imagine. It wasn’t until I discovered these braised beans that I actually believed that beans could taste this delish.

These are so simple and easy and make your house smell amazing. I could probably eat just these for an entire meal, but luckily they go really well with everything and can be added to bowls, toast, sweet potatoes, veggies, etc.

• fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 shallot
• salt/pepper
• dried thyme
• olive oil
• 2 cans of rinsed white beans (cannellini/great northern/white kidney) or fresh if you’re more awesome and dedicated than me
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Chop all of the herbs, garlic, and shallot and toss in a pan with olive oil. Stir on low heat for a few minutes until everything gets all soft and warm.  Add the beans and vegetable broth and stir to mix. Heat on low, stirring occasionally, until the beans thicken a little bit.

 

This is definitely top 3 best soups I’ve ever made. It’s really difficult to find a thick, creamy tomato soup that doesn’t have cream or butter in it, but this is the perfect version that’s wayyy easy to throw together after work.

• One giant can of fire roasted tomatoes (because it’s the dead of winter and perfectly ripe garden tomatoes are nonexistent, and even if I could find some, I wouldn’t waste them by roasting them)
• Two red bell peppers
• one sweet onion
• one giant clove of garlic
• couple basil leaves (or a scoop of pesto or some of the frozen basil cubes, or just skip this if you can’t find any)
• thyme, oregano, salt and pepper

1. Roast the red peppers under the broiler, flipping once until charred and soft (preferably removing them from the oven before the smoke alarm goes off) 10 ish min. Toss them in a bowl and cover with foil so they can steam their skins loose.

2. Roast the onion and garlic at 400°F until garlic is soft and onions are just starting to char at the tips

3. Throw the canned tomatoes in the food processor (or blender, whichever is more powerful) and blend til smooth. Empty into a pot.

4. Peel as much of the pepper skins off as possible (leave the charred part) and toss the peppers in the food processor til smooth. Pro tip: remove the seeds before you roast them. Empty the blended peppers into the pan with the tomatoes.

5. When the onions and garlic are ready, squeeze the garlic out of its pods into the food processor and blend with the onions for a minute or so. Throw this in with the peppers and tomatoes. Save a soft warm clove to spread on some toasty bread.

6. Add the spices to the pot, mix everything up, and let it simmer.

7. Add 1/2 cup cashews and 1/2 cup water into the food processor until you have smooth cashew cream. Add some salt and pepper until it tastes delish. If you added this without cleaning the food processor from the last 4 steps (like I did) this cream should be exceptionally delicious. Pour into the soup and stir.

BOOM – vegan creamy roasted tomato soup

 

Reminder, we occasionally eat eggs. They come from the most humane, happy, vegetarian, free roaming, organic hens you’ve ever met. When we first decided to add eggs back into our diet, we got dangerously close to living out the Portlandia skit where they leave brunch to go visit the farm to meet the farmers who raised the chicken they wanted to order. It’s pretty funny if you haven’t seen it.

• Trader Joes Roasted Potatoes with Peppers and Onions
• Scrambled Eggs with salt and pepper
• Avocado
• Pickled peppers
• Black Beans
• HOT SAUCE**
• Flour tortillas (not corn)
• cilantro
• Wrap it all up and throw it in the panini press until it’s fused together

**2019 is Vern’s Year of the Burn. I’m actively working to up my heat tolerance and learn to like hot sauce. So far it’s going very well. I can eat the Taco Bell Fire sauce and not die. My face still sweats like a beast at anything hotter than ketchup, but I’m starting to enjoy the flavors through the tears.

Notes

• The panini press makes all the difference in the world. We have a teeny tiny kitchen that doesn’t fit many appliances, but this baby will always have a spot on the shelf.
• Obviously throw whatever leftovers you have in there. It’s very forgiving.
• The TJ’s roasted potatoes are amazing. Tons of flavor and really easy to heat up.
• We eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Burritos of all kinds are one of our go-to meals.