Meatless Mondays: Truffled Cannellini Bean Mash

Happy Monday, all. Mondays might be your most sullen day of the week - but I'd bet it's also when you good intentions and sense of discipline are at their highest. Planning to exercise after work, prepare a healthy dinner at home, etc. You may have even brown-bagged your lunch today, no?

On that note, I've got a proposal you to try on Sunday or Monday nights. Let's take cannellini beans ('alubias', for the Latins among us). A quarter cup of these little kids packs about 10g of protein, 15% of your minimum daily iron needs, 4g of fiber, some calcium, a negligible amount of fat and about 130 calories. Let's say you want a more substantial meal and go with a half cup. More carbs, yes - but these are quality, low-glycemic, low-sugar carbs that will keep you energized and satiated for hours. They're a complex carb and strong source of protein that you can pair with greens or other vegetables for the proverbial 'nutritional powerhouse' - and they can taste creamy, rich and satiating. There's also theories that the higher percentage of legumes in the diet customarily associated with Hispanic women may be associated with the lower incidence of breast cancer associated with this demographic. Obviously, we want more of these in our diet.

I think you can do far better than eating your beans from a can of Goya, Eden Organic, or anyone else out there (skipping the BPA often lurking in the can's lining, foregoing any preservatives and staying as close to the natural ground they came from as possible). I think you can prepare and cook your own beans at home rather easily. And I think you can do it deliciously as a truffled cannellini bean puree that you can toss on a bed of greens, dip carrots or other vegetables into, or just slowly savor dipping and eating right off the spoon. Mmm, naughty.

So here's how you do it:

• Prep (enough for 2 people, or about 2-3 servings for yourself): 
• Scoop 1 cup dry cannellini beans. I like Idaho's Zursun beans (grown in the US), but you can try other brands.  
• Add enough water to cover the beans, and then some. You'll be letting them soak overnight or while you're at work, and they WILL expand - so be generous with the water.

• Cook:
• After soaking for at least 5 hours, drain the beans with a sieve
• Place the drained beans (should have expanded from how you first found them) into a pot, and fill generously with water. Get ready to boil those kids on your stovetop.
• Bring to a boil and let cook at high heat for about 20 minutes. You want them tender and easy to cream.
• Dress 'em up:
• Here's the fun part. Once boiled, transfer the tender beans into an empty bowl or other glass container (they'll be hot). And get ready to mash the *#$% out of them. Really put your weight into it. Cream 'em.
• Add 2 tablespoons black truffle oil, salt and ground pepper to taste. I love white truffle salt from The Filling Station. Mad versatile - I use this on eggs, salads, pasta, faro, etc. And it lasts for months. But you can also use regular sea salt, and the black truffle oil will be sufficient to add that incomparable flavor.
• Once you're satisfied with the texture (this is up to you), cover and refrigerate. It'll fare well for 2-3 days or so.
• Eat:
• This paste is delicious, and extremely versatile. You can expect to get at least 1 - 1.5 servings each if you cooked for 2, or 2-3 if for yourself.
• Spread it on bread, dip carrots into it, toss it on greens or eat by itself; I promise this will taste like an indulgent, satiating lunch - but will actually be pretty damn good for you.

Enjoy! Would love to hear if you try it, and what you think of it.

- P