Ellen Kanner

soulful vegan writer

  • About
  • CONSULTATION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • RESOURCES
  • RECIPES
  • Video
  • Shop
  • Appearances
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • $0.00
You are here: Home / DESSERT / Black Bean Fudgesicles

Black Bean Fudgesicles

June 8, 2015 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

Posted originally on 07/28/2014 for Huffington Post

Meatless Monday: Using the Old Bean

Bad news globally, in Ukraine and Gaza and bad news closer to home, too — a wonderful friend has been ill. But she’s on the mend and she’s a smart girl. She’s building herself back up and trying to get a little more lysine, that most awesome amino acid, with the help of one of my favorite foods — beans. This leads me to think it might be time to revisit this post which originally ran on July 2, 2013.

I’ll always feel hungry.
A vegan diet costs too much.
I won’t get enough protein.

2014-07-21-IMG_0053.jpg

These are the three basic excuses I hear from people who say they could never go vegan. Beans, I say. Beans, beans, beans — chickpeas, black beans, flageolets, lentils, any kind of dried beans you like. Also known as legumes on this side of the Atlantic and pulses in the UK, they’re a cheap vegan’s go-to source for plant-based protein, fiber and a wealth of phytonutrients. I’ve written about the wonders of beans here in Meatless Monday and in my book “Feeding the Hungry Ghost.” I’ll keep going. And I’m not alone.

Crescent Dragonwagon, as fabulous as her name, is the author of 26 cookbooks, including “Passionate Vegetarian,” the James Beard Award-winning cookbook which she published at the tender age of 16, and her latest, the exuberant, encyclopedic wonder, “Bean by Bean.” Linda Watson, author of “Wildly Affordable Organic,” a dot com vixen turned CEO of Cook for Good and a fellow bean fiend, turned me on to Kathy Hester and her terrific new cookbook, “The Great Vegan Bean Book.”

Every culture has eaten beans to survive and sustain itself, so beans spin every way, from the simple, satisfying baked beans for which Crescent has a weakness to Indian dal and Ethiopian wat, the saucier, spicier bean stews I love. Just when you think Crescent’s book, with 200 global vegan recipes, is the definitive bean book, Kathy, a slow cook genius, gives beans a sweet new spin with bean-infused recipes including fudge popsicles. It proves what Crescent says — “Beans want you to be happy.”

“There’s an endless number of things you can do with beans — Mexican on Monday, Mediterranean on Wednesday, you never get bored,” Linda says. In her Wildly Affordable Organic classes, she shows people how to prepare one pot of beans three different ways. “It’s the easiest possible food,” she says. It’s true — oversteamed asparagus goes limp in a minute, cakes can burn in the oven but “it’s hard to overcook beans. They’re massively forgiving.”

And cheap. Linda calculates making a pot of beans from scratch “costs 17 cents a serving. Beans save you thousands of dollars every year — that’s in direct food cost and untold amounts of money in medical bills.”

Now, for the protein question. Take a cup or so of lentils, the quickest cooking legume. Make ’em any way you like — French lentil salad with mustard vinaigrette, curried lentils, Jamaican lentil fritters, lentil soup, lentil burgers. One fabulous, filling cup offers 18 grams of protein. Compare that to two mingy ounces of chicken — same amount of protein, but zero fiber, leaves you hungry, looks lonely on the plate and doesn’t do the chicken any good at all. Beans are the more compassionate choice for the chicken, for you and for the planet.

2014-07-21-IMG_2894.jpg

As a crop, beans nourish the soil, their roots enriching it with nitrogen. I’ve just sown cowpeas as a cover crop to make sure my tomatoes and greens can get good and growing when South Florida’s planting season starts up in the fall.

I wish Kathy, Linda, Crescent and I lived closer together, so we could gather to cook, talk, laugh, eat and drink. I’m guessing beans would be on the menu. They’re so soulful, so satisfying. Beans have satisfied even pharaohs, according to an Arabic saying, but you don’t have to be royalty to enjoy them. “Beans let you connect and share with others on a zero budget,” says Linda.

Kathy sighs. “There’s just so much to love about beans!”

Black Bean Fudgesicles

From Kathy Hester's "The Great Vegan Bean Book," copyright 2013. Recipe reprinted with permission from Fair Winds Press. Soy-free, gluten-free oil-free, these healthier fudgesicles still taste like your childhood favorites.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 can 15 ounces, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can 14 ounces light coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons agave nectar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Puree all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. There will be some black flecks from the black bean skins. I think they look like chocolate flecks, but you can strain the mixture through a cheesecloth if you like. Fill your frozen pop molds about seven eighths full of the mixture. Freeze for several hours or overnight before serving.

 

dividerEK


dividerEKThank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

Connect with me for discounts, exclusive tips, and other freebies:
• Join my NEWSLETTER for exclusive content & offers
• Join my social networks on LINKEDIN, TWITTER and FACEBOOK

Want to learn more?
Explore more of my VEGAN RECIPES, and my COOK BOOKS.
Do you want a happier life, a greener plate, and a delicious world? Then sign up for VEG THERAPY.



Filed Under: DESSERT, dessert drinks, MEATLESS MONDAYS Tagged With: Ellen Kanner, meatless monday, Vegan recipes

« Briam – a Greek casserole of summer veggies
SEED CAKE »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

VEGAN EXTRAS

  • SHARE YOUR VEGAN STORY
  • RESOURCES
  • MY FAVORITE PEOPLE, MY FAVORITE RECIPES

RECOMMENDED VEGAN READS

Recent Posts

  • Barley — A New Way with an Ancient Grain
  • Harira —A Soothing Bowl of Wonder for Everyone
  • Irish Soda Bread
  • Dal in Living Color
  • Sukuma Wiki – Stretch the Week and Celebrate Greens

EXPLORE VEGAN RECIPES…

  • PICKLED SHALLOTS
  • brussels sprouts
    Shaved Brussels Sprout Slaw
  • Pappa Al Pomodoro: A New Life for Old Bread | Conscious Cookery Day 6
  • My Favorite people, My Favorite Recipes: Stefan Uch
  • Heretical Vegetable Tagine With Turnips

Archives

Some posts might contain affiliate links of books that I love. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links.

~ Search Site ~

RSS Newsletter

  • March 2023 March 1, 2023
  • February 2023 February 1, 2023
  • A Little Ask and a Little Delight January 17, 2023
  • January 2023 December 29, 2022
  • December 2022 December 1, 2022

~ Signup for my Newsletter~

~ Follow me on Twitter ~

© 2023 ELLEN KANNER - site by Kapok Graphics