Vegetarian White Beans - Recipe Video

I'm more of a pinto and black bean guy, but I do like a bowl of White Beans with crusty toasted bread from time to time and I think you will like my recipe video too. My White Beans are loaded with veggies. You can add or subtract what I use.

I like chunky chopped carrot, celery, and onion, and of course plenty of garlic, too. The French call this combination a mirepoix.

 I also add my garden herbs of sage, oregano, and from the jar, a dried bay leaf. Again add or subtract what you have on hand, whether the herbs are fresh or dried.

I finish the recipe with plenty of water and a cup of white wine - don't worry if you don't have wine, all the veggies add plenty of flavor. Beans take a while to simmer covered, about 3 to 4 hours, while a pressure cooker will do it in less than an hour. But there's no better aroma than slow cooking beans on the stovetop. 

I like to saute onions to bring out their sweetness first, then saute garlic for a minute. That's all the prep I do. Add everything else and get to cooking the White Beans.

I grew up eating pinto beans in Texas, but when we moved to Louisiana I was introduced to White Beans as a side to the rice and sausage dish Jambalaya and other Cajun entrees. Louisiana-style White Beans leave out the carrot. The onion and celery are fine chopped so it pretty much blends into the bean sauce. The herbs are a bay leaf, and a sprinkle of Creole Seasonings is used.  I like White Beans this way, too. 

The main veggies are cheap at any market and I get a 16 ounce or 1 pound bag of White Beans at my local 99c only Store or Dollar Tree.

My Vegetarian White Beans are easy to make and you can make it your own if you have a fave herb or veggie addition, go for it!

Vegetarian White Beans - Video

Play it here, the video runs 4 minutes, 16 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 pound White Beans - also known as navy beans, great northern beans, small, or large white beans. Give the beans a quick rinse if necessary.
• 1 Onion - chopped. white or yellow onion. Okay to add more.
• 1 large Carrot - chopped. Okay to add more carrot.
• Celery - 1 to 2 ribs. Okay to add more if you like.
• 1 teaspoon Garlic - chopped fresh or dry.
• 1 teaspoon Herbs - I use oregano, sage, and thyme. Okay to use any fave herb you like, fresh or dried.
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tablespoon veggie oil - any favorite, like avocado or olive oil. To saute onions and garlic.
• 8 cups of water - according to directions on the bag. At end of cooking, you can uncover pot of beans and let some liquid cookout for half an hour, if too watery. I like a thicker broth with beans.
• 1 cup white wine - optional. Vegetable broth is a good substitution for extra flavor. Again this is optional.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Wash beans and pick out any debris if necessary. Chop veggies into large or small pieces. 

Add oil and saute onions for about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and saute for another minute. 

Finally add the chopped veggies, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

 Fill the pot with about 8 cups of water and a cup of wine. Wine is optional, okay to add any favorite broth like vegetable.

Bring beans, veggies and water to a boil, then lower heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook until  White Beans are tender, about 3 to 4 hours. Be sure to check on liquid if it cooks out, add as needed. 

I like a thick sauce with the beans so I let some of the liquid cooks out. You can always uncover the beans for a half hour or so at end of cooking to thicken the sauce. 

Taste the beans to find the tenderness you like and serve hot!

Just a note, this is the White Beans Recipe I use for a Cassoulet, which has the addition of chicken and sausage, baked for an hour and a half with the beans...sooo gooood.

Ms. Patti's Red Beans & Rice - VIDEO

Music maven Ms. Patti takes over the Chintzy Chef's kitchen to cook up a classic New Orleans dish. A close friend of roots rocking Lucinda Williams and recent
Facebook friend to Neil Young,

Miss Patti has been deep in the L.A. music scene over the years -- booking gigs for the likes of bluesy King Cotton and Morris Tepper, and guesting on local roots radio programs. Miss Patti has influenced L.A. music tastes, and now she tickles the taste buds of  The 99 Cent Chef's audience.

I first met Ms. Patti at The Palomino Club, the North Hollywood country, rockabilly, and cow-punk venue (closed in 1995) where she performed with her group Ironin' Maidens (along with Melba Toast). The Palomino Club was a classic Valley roadhouse with a couple of pool tables on one end, a stage on the other, and a bar in the middle.

Any performer with a Western musical bent has torn up The Palomino's small stage -- from Waylon Jennings to Dwight Yoakam, and there was even a one-off show with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and John Fogerty!  I met my wife at a moody Lucinda Williams show here. She was wearing tight black jeans and a winning smile, and I couldn't resist making a move on her! That is, my wife, not Lucinda (although both rock a pair of jeans.)

Ms. Patti moved to Slidell, Louisiana some years before Katrina hit. With a menagerie of critters in her back yard including cats, dogs, and two mules named Fellini and Fidel -- you can be sure no little piggies were put under for her vegetarian version of Red Beans & Rice. Miss Patti loves her animals and does not eat meat.

She still comes back to L.A. when she can - I'm catching up with her in Burbank tonight (Friday) at Viva Cantina, where King Cotton is performing at 10:30 p.m. (an earlier act, Cody Bryant, starts around 8:15 p.m.), and the show is free.

Last Sunday I roped and corralled her in my kitchen, and put her to work rattling my pots and pans! Her Red Beans & Rice is easy to make, just add some chopped veggies and the beans, with salt and pepper, to a pot of boiling water, and cook until desired tenderness.

For this recipe, she brought her own legumes all the way from Louisiana - a one-pound package of  Camellia brand Red Kidney Beans (tips on where to buy some in L.A. are here.)

As for rice, she prefers Basmati. I always find one-pound bags of off-brand red beans at my local 99 cent Only Store, along with Jasmine and long-grain rice. You can substitute, as these ingredients are cheap from any grocery.

The fireworks fly and zingers abound when Ms. Patti is on the scene! So sit back and watch The 99 Cent Chef's latest video recipe, where Ms. Patti shows me and you, a thing or two.

Ms. Patti's Red Beans & Rice - Video

Play it here. The video runs 3 minutes, 30 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (about 6 servings)

• Ingredients
• 1 pound package of Red Kidney Beans
• 8-10 cups of Water
• 1/2 large Onion - chopped.
• 1/2 green Bell Pepper - chopped.
• 3 stalks of Celery - chopped.
• 3 Green Onions - green stems and all, chopped (remove root end.)
• Salt and Pepper to taste -- add a tablespoon of your favorite Creole Seasoning for extra flavor.
• 2 cups of Rice - follow package directions. Miss Patti likes Basmati rice, but I've made the recipe with regular, brown, or even instant rice.

Directions

Add 8-10 cups of water to a large pot. To speed up cooking, first, soak beans overnight.

Bring water to a boil, while roughly chopping an onion, bell pepper, celery, and green onions. 

Add veggies to water with beans. Season with salt and pepper (plus, Creole Seasoning, optional).

Cover pot and cook, to quote Miss Patti, "depending on how firm or soft you like your beans."  This can mean 2 (if you soak beans overnight) to 4 hours (straight from the package). 

I like to remove the cover for the last half hour, or so, and allow the bean broth to cook down and thicken. (I like a gravy-like broth instead of a soupy one.) 

Check on the beans from time to time to make sure the liquid doesn't cook out. It's easy enough to add half a cup of water when needed.

During the last half hour, start the rice and cook to the package directions. I let the cooked rice sit covered for 10 minutes, before serving.

Add rice to a plate, or bowl, and top with Ms. Patti's Red Beans, and don't forget to get out the hot sauce!