Kale Broccoli & Hempseed Bean Bowl
Beans are easy to make, they're quick if you have an instant pot, and they're versatile and can be made into a variety of dishes, including this recipe. Beans are also on the affordable side, and they're even cheaper if you're able to buy them in bulk. They're high in protein and fiber, so they're filling and make a good meat replacement. You can even make a meatless burger with them. There are many different kinds of beans out there, so feel free to swap your favorite beans into this dish if you'd like. I used pinto beans for this recipe, mainly because I have found pinto beans to be versatile in ways I had not realized. I have made cheese sauce with white northern beans because they take on the nutritional yeast cheese flavor well. One day I didn't have white beans, so I tried pinto beans and found they worked just as well. So now I can swap out pinto beans in white bean dishes any time I don't have white beans on hand. I prefer dry beans to canned beans, and while canned beans can be quicker, there are things in canned beans that, for me, leave much to be desired. The first of which is the sodium content of canned beans. There are more than 400mg of salt in just a 1/2 cup of beans compared with just 10mg in dry beans. I like to control the salt, being that 55% of African Americans have high blood pressure and it can run in families.
It's really easy to go over the sodium amount for the day. There's 575mg of sodium in just 1/4 tsp of salt, so that means learning to get creative with flavoring food. Aside from the sodium in canned beans, another reason I eliminated canned foods was because of BPA in the can lining, and while many manufacturers have since gotten rid of BPA in their can linings, that was just bisphenol A, and it has just been replaced with other chemicals that aren't all the rage in the news. I have gotten rid of buying any canned foods at all. We pay a high price for convenience, a price that I am not willing to pay. I can take the extra time to cook my beans, and I have more control over the end result. For quick beans, I just use an Instant Pot, which takes at most 45 minutes to cook; no pre-soaking is required.
I cook 3–4 cups of beans at a time and then use them throughout the week. The beans take the most time in this recipe. Once the beans are done, everything else is quick to put together. Not counting the cooking time of the beans, this recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make. It takes 15 minutes because I used frozen kale, which only takes 3 minutes to cook, along with the broccoli, which takes just a few minutes as well. You can cook the kale and broccoli together and have them topped with the beans in just around 10 minutes. In a food processor, place cooled, cooked beans with 1 cup dairy-free milk, broth, or water. Blend until smooth. Add seasonings and mix. Add it to a bowl. Cook the kale and broccoli in a pan with a little water and steam for 3–5 minutes. Add seasonings, and then top the creamy bean mixture with the kale and broccoli. Sprinkle on some hempseeds.
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Ingredients
2 cups Pinto Beans (cooked)
1 cup water ( or coconut milk)
1/2 cup kale
3 large pieces of broccoli
1- 1 1/2 tbsp hempseed
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
In a food processor, add the beans and water and pulse until smooth. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, heat until heated through. You can also pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Add salt.
Cook the kale and broccoli until heated through, 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat.
Combine in a bowl. Add your creamy beans to the bowl. Top with the veggies and hempseed.
