Red Beans, Kale & Sun-dried Tomato Stew

Standard / by / September 6, 2011 / 16 Comments

Oh how I enjoyed the long, three-day weekend.  I had lots of downtime as well as a couple of workouts, a nice dinner out (more on that this week) and I had time for bulk cooking. One of my favorite past-times!  I so enjoy spending a few hours in the kitchen prepping dishes that I can enjoy throughout the week.

I made two grain dishes, two bean dishes, baked a loaf of bread, made homemade seitan and even whipped up a tofu-based pudding (again, more on this later in the week).

Today, I’ll share one of the bean dishes.

JL’s Red Beans, Kale & Sun-dried Tomatoes
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Ingredients

  • Avocado oil
  • Onion, chopped
  • Garlic, minced
  • Banana pepper, chopped
  • Apple (half a Fuji), diced
  • Sun-dried tomatoes (soaked and drained, then sliced)
  • Fresh basil
  • Red beans (soaked overnight, rinsed and drained)
  • Bay leaf
  • Kale
  • Water (filtered)
  • Fresh thyme sprigs
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • First, don’t be alarmed that I have not given amounts for the ingredients. Long-time readers know that I have been leaning toward intuitive cooking. Just use what feels right for you!
  • Saute onion, garlic and banana pepper in the avocado oil in the pressure cooker. Add diced apple and stir for a about 30 seconds. Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, red beans, bay leaf, kale and enough water to cover everything, plus another quarter-inch.
  • Place several sprigs of fresh thyme of top.
  • Close pressure cooker lid and cook on high until reaching pressure. Reduce pressure (keep the regulator rocking) and cook for 8 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally.
  • Slowly remove the lid, away from you.
  • Add salt and pepper.
Before going to pressure:
The final product:
The kale, banana pepper, thyme and basil are from my garden. Why the addition of apple, you may ask? This weekend I was reading Gena’s Back to School post (great tips!) and watched the latest video posts from Kathy and Gena.  Kathy used agave (or maple syrup?) in her tofu scramble and I was intrigued.  I love sweet and savory.  I thought the addition of apple and sun-dried tomatoes would offer a natural sweetness that would go nicely with the kale, beans and pepper.  It worked.  This is a hearty dish that leaves you feeling light but plenty full!

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16 thoughts on “Red Beans, Kale & Sun-dried Tomato Stew”

  4. I, too, love spending time in the kitchen to prep dishes, ingredients for upcoming meals and recipes.Glad to hear you had a great weekend full of workouts, dining and fun in the kitchen.   

    Sweet and savory – a match made in heaven … and on my taste buds!  This stew looks so hardy and healthy.  I like your choices of combining the sweet with the savory.  You got my creative juices flowin’ to come up with a raw soup/stew using your not so common choices for sweetness. 

    Have a nice short week!

    1. Kristina — I find intuitive cooking freeing. I mean, honestly, it’s how I cooked when I first stumbled my way in the kitchen. Once I started blogging I did feel the need to record measurements, etc. Now I’m trying to find a balance of providing enough detail for a delicious dish and enough room for each person to make the dish their own.

      I miss you tooooooo!

    1. Great summer dish! 😉 Filled with veggies fresh from the garden and in season. But I’m sure I would love a variation in the fall and winter, too!

    1. Certainly!  If you are using cooked beans the cooking time should be nominal. I do not know about using dry, soaked beans in a crock pot so you might want to refer to your usual manual for that.

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