Butter Bean Stew

The unrelenting cold is hanging around waaaay too long. The only ones who hate it more than me are the dogs. Our sidewalks are totally clear of the snow and ice, but in their place is about 46,000 tons of rock salt that our neighborhood association has put down.. You couldn’t slip on our sidewalks if you greased up your shoes with an entire can of WD-40 and strapped a rocket to your feet.

And so I have to carry the dogs (separately, I am not a member of the Olympic bodybuilding team) out to the actual street where they can walk without shredding their paws. Out there they only have to deal with ice piles bigger than a redwood tree and the absolute filth that covers every inch of what used to be the road. By the time I go through the whole process of putting on everyone’s coats, carrying them out, following behind while they search for the proper potty spot, clean up after them, carry them in, rinse off their paws (we have an ungodly amount of white furniture that the little one delights in throwing my protective covers off of) and then repeat it for the other dog, I am not looking for any more work to do. And before you ask,”Why don’t you put boots on the dogs?” I might ask you, “Why don’t you try to wrestle with an octopus while treading water in a pool filled with jello?” If I do get the boots on, the next time I see them will be in the spring thaw. Trust me, it’s not for lack of trying that my dogs don’t (wont’t) wear boots.

So when I need a quick and easy dinner that warms me up, this is one of my go-to stews. It is made from simple ingredients and is super flexible with regard to swapping things out.

Onions

I like to use Vidalia or sweet onions, but a plain old yellow onion will work just as well. Red will work just fine, but I can’t recommend green. You can dice the onion if you want, but I don’t mind eating actual pieces of onion and it saves prep time, so I just slice them for this recipe.

Garlic

I also slice the garlic thinly, but feel free to use jarred minced garlic instead as a time saver. I personally don’t mind biting into a piece of (cooked) garlic, but it’s not for everyone.

Tomatoes

I use the grape because they are just easy to slice in half (or not) and they cook down really well. You can use any other kind of tomato that you have, but if you are using larger tomatoes (Roma, wine-ripened, heirloom, etc) then I would recommend seeding them because they contain a lot of water and this can make the dish less stew like and more soup like. It’s just an extra step, but if all you have are larger tomatoes, they are fine to use.

Butter Beans

Feel free to sub out any kind of white bean like cannellini. I just like the butter bean texture for this recipe, because I feel like I use other white beans a lot for other recieps and I wanted them to have their moment to shine. It’s not that deep.

Mushrooms

You can use any mushroom for this recipe, but I really like the Bellas since they are more “meaty” than other kinds. If you can’t find the baby Bellas, a large portobello mushroom will do or white button. If you really want to get fancy, you could use lions mane or oyster, but it really comes down to whatever your favorite mushroom is or what is available. If you are a (gasp) mushroom hater, feel free to leave them out all together and if you are a mushroom fanatic, feel free to add a few more.

Spinach

I always love to sneak some greens in where I can, and if you slice, chop or cut spinach up, you can hide it pretty well. Unless. you like sautéed spinach (which I don’t particularly), it’s worth taking the extra minute or two to chop it up. Most people think its basil or some kind of herb, tbh, if they even give it any thought at all.

Pepper

I use a red bell pepper because it adds a bit of sweetness as opposed to a green pepper, but it won’t ruin the recipe if you use green, orange or yellow instead of the red.

Basil

I am using dried, but if you’d prefer to use fresh, triple the amount of(1 TBS of chopped) and add it at the end instead of at the beginning.

Cream

I used an oat cream because I wanted something really thick and creamy and I personally don’t think oat cream has a very strong taste. Coconut milk will also work well, but you are definitely adding a different flavor there. If you like it, go for it, but it’s not for everyone. If you don’t have/can’t find oat cream, you can use your favorite kind or even just your favorite plant based “milk”. You might want to play with the amount. I found 1/4 cup gave me the texture that I liked, but certainly feel free to add more or less. At some point, if you add too much, you might need to bump up the other flavors, so water might be something you can add with the milk if you want it a little “looser” than what your 1/4 cup of milk will yield.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 can butter beans, drained
• 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped spinach
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup cream (oat or coconut milk work very well)

Directions:

1. Saute the onions in a bit of butter (or oil) and a pinch of sugar (optional), till carmelized; about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, pepper and basil.  Saute 5 minutes.
3. Add beans and cream.  Bring to a boil, stirring.  Serve immediately.Enjoy this hearty, protein filled stew with a nice warm piece of crusty bread!