Piracicaba Broccoli with Edamame and Kidney Beans (No Added Fat)

I purchased a number of tasty organic items from our local farmers' market, including Piracicaba broccoli, also known as Brazilian broccoli. I had it raw right after I bought it; it was quite tender and sweet! I also bought nice carrots, a green tomato for pressure cooking, strawberries, and peas.

Earlier, I had prepared red kidney beans in my Instant Pot  (beans soaked overnight and then cooked for I think 12 minutes) as a salad ingredient for a Food for Life class for fourth graders, and used a little more water than I needed. I took most of the beans, but left maybe 1/2 cup plus about the same amount of water, now a bean gravy.

I put the full tender Piracicaba broccoli, looking like broccolini with thin stalks, into the gravy, as well as carrot, frozen shelled edamame beans, garlic, onion, a bit of turmeric, kala namak (other salt would be fine, too), freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder, and cooked on medium heat for about 10 minutes. I served, along with a little bit of leftover brown rice and tomato.

Results

I was pleased with dinner, but my wife felt that the main course could have had more spice and flavor. She enjoyed it more with a little more salt and hot sauce. I thought that the Piracicaba broccoli was great raw or cooked and, fortunately, I had purchased even more so that we can enjoy it in the next day or two.

Ideas for the future

I hope that I can continue to get Piracicaba broccoli! I'd like to explore it in many ways - raw, lightly cooked on a cast iron pan, charred on a cast iron pan, baked, steamed, and other ways. I thought that the combination of fresh flavors worked great, and will have to spice such dishes more to better delight my wife (my daughter seemed to like the main course). I liked my idea of using "bean gravy" and should try this again, maybe even mixing in flour or bread crumbs.

Cannellini Beans with Green Garlic, Soba Noodles, and Grilled Artichoke Heart Salad (No Added Fat)

I was happy to have a cousin in town today who came over for dinner after his business day. I thought I'd make a bean dish and was originally thinking of cooking cannellini beans then mixing vegetables and soba noodles into them. I ended up instead serving soba noodles as their own side dish. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 2 cups cannellini beans soaked overnight (I got away with soaking for maybe 3 hours and it worked out okay, but I think I'd get softer beans if I soaked for longer) then rinsed and drained again
• Enough water to just cover the beans
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 3/4 cup compressed cup kale leaves, roughly hand separated from stems into approximately 3/4" squares
• 3 medium carrots cut into large sections approximately 1/2" in size
• Garlic to taste; 2 cloves finely (1/8" or so) chopped garlic would be good, but we had fresh green garlic, and I used at last a tablespoonful cut into larger 1/4" or so pieces
• 1t grated or finely (1/8" or so) chopped ginger
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 1t lime juice
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Process

1. I put the beans, water, bouillon cube, kale, carrot, garlic, and ginger into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m. (The carrot and ginger could have cooked in much less time, but this was convenient for setting the cooking up while I was doing other things and then coming back to finish later.)
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the onion, lime juice, and spices.

I prepared the soba noodles by boiling for just four minutes as per the package, draining, then serving topped with a bit of black sesame seed, a slice of roasted red jalapeno pepper, and slices of green onion, as well as some coconut aminos (or soy sauce). I made a salad of grilled artichoke hearts, tomato, ume plum vinegar, a little lime juice, kalamata olives, a little salt, and black pepper.

Results

Everybody seemed to enjoy the meal, and I even packed some for some neighbors. I thought that everything came out well. The main course was a good combination of flavors and was creamy (thanks to the cannellini beans) and satisfying. I had everything ready an hour or so before my cousin, delayed in meetings, arrived and was impressed at how easily the soba noodles were to work with; rather than sticking together, they easily re-separated with a quick light fork agitation.

Ideas for the future

I should use soba noodles more often! Cannellini beans always seem to result in a luscious and, of course, healthful meal, and I should use them more often, as well. I wonder what these beans would be like with artichoke or green beans.