Beans on toast

It's beans on toast, but not as you know it. This is beans on toast, the spring edit! Light, refreshing and packed with plant protein for a delicious and healthy meal.

I'm sure I'm not the only one around here who is appreciating the sudden switch to spring. Daylight savings is here, it's suddenly warmer, trees are bursting with new leaf green and even the air smells different.

I love this time of the year so much. It feels like every day is full of possibility and it gives me a refreshed sense of optimism.

On the first morning of daylight savings, despite losing that precious hour of sleep we still managed to get ourselves along to our local farmers market bright and early. It was an idyllic morning for it. Still, crisp and sunny. These bursting-with-new-life pea shoots were part of my farmers market haul. Just look at them. Gorgeous! (See, told you I'm full of refreshed optimism).

Aside from being pretty, delicious and packed with nutrients, these pea shoots also regrow. If you snip them just above the first leaf node (which you can see about an inch up the stem), and keep them moist, they'll grow another microgreen crop. Love it.

They're also a perfect topping for spring-inspired beans on toast. Actually there's nothing stopping you eating these beans any time of year, as they can be made from store cupboard and freezer ingredients.

Cannellini beans are roughly mashed together with broad beans, garlic, dijon mustard, lemon juice and avocado oil then piled up on sourdough bruschetta and topped with pea shoots. Really rather lovely.

I used frozen broad beans, which I blanched and removed from their skins. Don't be put off by the idea of having to pod the beans. I timed it, and took about 2 minutes to skin the quantity needed for this recipe. It's no big deal. Just gently squeeze them until the soft, bright green bean pops out of its greyish leathery skin.

This recipe is a nutritional powerhouse, with 38g of protein (23g from the bean mixture, the remainder from the bread) and 63 per cent of daily iron requirements per serve. That's pretty impressive by anyone's standards. Tell that to the people who think veg*ns don't get enough protein.

Beans on toast

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Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes

Course: Main meals

Cuisine: Vegan

Servings: 3

Calories: 731kcal

Author: Quite Good Food

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can cannellini beans drained
• 1 cup broad beans blanched and podded (see notes)
• 1 clove garlic crushed or grated
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon cold pressed avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pea shoots (or sprouts, rocket or basil leaves)
• 6 slices of good crusty bread of your choice I used wholemeal sourdough

INSTRUCTIONS

• Roughly mash cannellini beans, broad beans, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and oil together.
• Taste and season well. Add more mustard or lemon juice, if you like.
• Use the bean mixture to top toasted or grilled bread of your choice.
• Add pea shoots (or sprouts, rocket or basil leaves) as additional topping.
• Makes around 2 cups, or enough to generously top six pieces of bread.

RECIPE NOTES

I used frozen broad beans, which I blanched for 3 minutes in boiling water, then drained and ran under cold water before removing from their skins. It took 2 cups of frozen broad beans to produce 1 cup of skinned beans. To pod beans, gently squeeze the leathery skin until the bright green bean pops out.
Nutrition information is based on two medium slices of sourdough per serving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Calories: 731kcal | Carbohydrates: 126.5g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 8.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.3g | Fiber: 27.3g

Tried this recipe?Mention @quitegoodfood or tag #quitegoodfood!