Friday, January 31, 2014

Adzuki Beans; Adorable and Delicious

Day One- Fresh and Delicious on its Own

After Day One- AMAZING with cooked rice or barley!



One day last week we were snowed in and I was ready to cook!

I pulled some squash and tomatoes out of the freezer, and some adzuki beans out of the pantry. I'm probably pronouncing it all wrong, but I love the way that sounds. Adzuki, adzuki...ADZUKI! I had picked a little bag of these cuties up a few months ago because they caught my eye and I thought they were simply adorable. Googling for recipes, I found quite a few intriguing ideas! In Asia, these beans, which are also called Red Dragon beans, are often used as a dessert, like in this awesome-sounding recipe. They are also the base for many bean pastes; if I ever get ambitious enough, I'll try this using this as the filling. These cute little beans could also be the base for a really homey sounding dish, found here.

Google is my friend when it comes to recipes! This soup turned out really tasty, and warmed up my -13 degree, blizzardy day. Adzuki beans may be just another bean (you could certainly use them in good old chili, after all), but darnit, they are so cute, you've just got to buy some, and then try a new recipe! If you are into a bit of spice (just the right amount), you may just like this recipe.

A little summer harvest, pulled from the freezer. Can't think of a better day to use them!

Don't forget how awesome this gadget is when you've got garlic to mince:
originally posted about it here!


For me, the cilantro/oil mixture was a must...perfect topping for this soup.

I left the tomatoes partially frozen to make them super easy to chop.




SOURCE HERE

Adzuki Butternut Squash Soup

You can use vegetable stock if you want, just don't add as much salt. Try serving over brown rice!

2 T. olive oil
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. finely chopped chipotle pepper (from can, or rehydrated from dried chile)
2 t. salt
2 onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice (I used diced acorn squash frozen from the fall)
5-6 c. water (can use broth, but cut back on the salt if you do)
5 whole canned tomatoes, chopped
4 cups cooked or canned adzuki beans
cilantro drizzle (optional, but highly recommended)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon, coriander, chipotle and salt and saute for a minute or two--until aromatic. Add the onions and saute another 5 minutes or so, until they start to go translucent. Add the garlic and butternut squash, stir well, and then add 5 cups of water (next time I may cut down to 4 cups). Increase the heat to bring to a boil, and once boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a few minutes, until the squash begins to soften--5-10 minutes. Once the squash has softened, use a potato masher and break up the squash pieces a bit (I just used the back of my spoon and mashed a bunch of squash cubes against the inside of the pot until I was satisfied). Add the tomatoes, and cook a couple more minutes before adding the beans. Serve drizzled with the cilantro. Serves about 8. To make the cilantro drizzle, finely mince a handful of cilantro, put in a bowl or jar and pour just enough olive oil to coat the cilantro when stirred. Add a couple shakes of salt if you want. This cilantro drizzle is awesome, because it keeps the cilantro tasty and green for days in the fridge.


Adapted from Jae Steele's Get It Ripe: A Fresh Take on Vegan Cooking and Living(Arsenal Pulp Press, 2008)

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