In our American culture, vegan bean recipes tend to be predictable. Kelsey Kinser’s new cookbook, Vegan Beans from Around the World, offers 75 adventurous recipes we should dare to try. There’s a reason why beans are essential ingredients in many global recipes: They’re cheap and versatile.
Kinser, who acknowledges she’s not a vegan, wrote Vegan Beans from Around the World based on her travels to Spain, France, Jamaica and Greece. Currently, she’s a professional pastry chef in New York City. When writing the recipes for this book, she made sure the ingredients are easily accessible around the country.
In addition to offering recipes, she writes about the differences between canned and dried beans, instructions for preparing beans, methods for soaking dried beans and more additional information to help us understand this humble and mighty vegetable that’s the source of protein.
One such recipe, Green Bean Fries (recipe here), makes a savory snack. Kinser is predicting her ‘green bean fries’ are the next big trend since kale chips. Meanwhile, I found them to be a great addition to a baby kale salad with lemon roast shrimp.
I’m looking forward to trying her Three-Bean Salad in a few weeks, grilling her black bean burgers this summer and serving the Tuscan white bean soup for fall. When feeling a bit more adventurous, I’m trying the Ful Medames (Egyptian Favas) and the samosas. Have no fear, with Kinser’s new book, we’re learning more how simple beans make adventurous vegan meals.
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Venturing more in to vegan territory as well. Finding it refreshing to operate with a “protein on the side” sort of path for the time being. There’s a lot of great experimentation going on all around. Gorgeous salad!