easy french bread + "cannellini ghanouj"
So I have this problem; it seems like every other time I go to the store to buy garbanzo beans, somebody comes into the aisle right before me and mixes one can of cannellini/white beans on the garbanzo bean shelf, and I invariably wind up buying cannellini way more often than I mean to. Anyway, the other day I bought an eggplant at the farmer's market to make baba ghanouj and as I was mixing it all together, I felt like it needed something else, and the white beans made it perfect. So, here is my made-up recipe for white bean ghanouj, along with an awesome french bread recipe I found online somewhere. It's mostly called "easy" because it doesn't require sourdough starter or whatnot - you still need to let it rise for quite a bit, but it turned out AMAZING.
Easy French Bread
1 3/4 c. warm water
1 T melted vegan margarine
1 1/2 T sugar
1 package yeast
2 tsp. salt
3 1/2-4 c. flour (start with 3 1/2, add more if needed)
Mix first three ingredients, then sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 10 minutes. Add in the flour, using more or less as needed.
Leave to rise until doubled in size (a few hours), then spray or grease a cookie sheet. Shape the dough into a loaf-ish shape, and allow to double again.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a pan full of hot water on the bottom of the oven (this keeps the bread from drying out). Bake for 15 minutes, then lower to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes more.
Optional: With about 10 minutes to go (it's easy to forget this part!), brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt/seeds/or not.
This recipe can easily be doubled to make two loaves, since I think that was how it originally came and I halved it. So feel free to play around with the exact proportions.
White bean-eggplant-y dip
1 medium eggplant
1 can white beans
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. tahini
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
First, roast the eggplant: Heat oven to 425 degrees, poke eggplant all over with a fork, then roast for 45 minutes or until the skin kind of starts to sink in. Remove the skin.
Mince garlic in food processor, then add eggplant and beans and puree. Then add other ingredients to taste... you can leave out the cayenne, but I felt like this combination of ingredients really called for a little extra heat. This dip is best when freshly made! And eaten, maybe, with some freshly baked french bread?
=)
Easy French Bread
1 3/4 c. warm water
1 T melted vegan margarine
1 1/2 T sugar
1 package yeast
2 tsp. salt
3 1/2-4 c. flour (start with 3 1/2, add more if needed)
Mix first three ingredients, then sprinkle yeast on top and let sit for 10 minutes. Add in the flour, using more or less as needed.
Leave to rise until doubled in size (a few hours), then spray or grease a cookie sheet. Shape the dough into a loaf-ish shape, and allow to double again.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a pan full of hot water on the bottom of the oven (this keeps the bread from drying out). Bake for 15 minutes, then lower to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes more.
Optional: With about 10 minutes to go (it's easy to forget this part!), brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt/seeds/or not.
This recipe can easily be doubled to make two loaves, since I think that was how it originally came and I halved it. So feel free to play around with the exact proportions.
White bean-eggplant-y dip
1 medium eggplant
1 can white beans
3-4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. tahini
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
First, roast the eggplant: Heat oven to 425 degrees, poke eggplant all over with a fork, then roast for 45 minutes or until the skin kind of starts to sink in. Remove the skin.
Mince garlic in food processor, then add eggplant and beans and puree. Then add other ingredients to taste... you can leave out the cayenne, but I felt like this combination of ingredients really called for a little extra heat. This dip is best when freshly made! And eaten, maybe, with some freshly baked french bread?
=)