BEAR'S COCONUT CREAM BUTTER BEAN DREAM

BEAR'S COCONUT CREAM BUTTER BEAN DREAM

Good gosh! This is such a tasty dream! I didn't know how this one was going to turn out but… Oh, my! Mmmmmmm… Creamy Dreams!

INGREDIENTS

1 Butterbean can

1 Garden peas can

Creamed coconut

1 or 2 Red onion

4 Chestnut mushrooms or any other type of mushroom

2 Finger chillies

2 Garlic cloves

Koko Dairy Free yogurt

PREPARATION

Peel the onion(s) and place in a colander with the chilies and garlic. Give them rinse under cold water.

Get a deep dish/pan, add coconut oil to it as in the picture below.

Slice the onion(s) into rings and place in the dish/pan. Bring to the cooker and intuitive a medium heat to it. We want to sweat the onions.

Wash the mushrooms and pat dry with a paper towel while the onions are sweating. Cut the mushrooms in medium thick slices and finely cut the chilies and garlic cloves. Keep them separate!

THE METHODOLOGY

Once the onions have sweated down, remove from heat. Add just the mushrooms to the onions and return to the heat! We are gently frying the onions and mushrooms! Once the mushrooms have wilted remove from heat.

Add the garlic and chili. Return to the heat, reduce the temperature as we don't want the chilies to burn. When you see that the chilies have sweated, remove from heat.

Get a thick knob of coconut cream and add it to the dish. In fact, you could place in a clean cloth and beat with a rolling pin to make it easier to melt in the pan/dish. I don't, oddly enough, have a rolling pin.

Now we're going to open and drain the butter beans, give them a quick rinse and add to the pan/dish.

Return to the heat, mix it all together! And once you see that the butter beans are cooking, open the garden peas, drain, rinse and add to the pan/dish!

Once the garden peas start to cook, you may experience that the coconut cream starts to stick to the bottom of the pan/dish. If this happens, remove from the heat and add about 2 tablespoons of water to stop it drying up. Return to the heat and keep stirring so that the water gets absorbed and the mixture isn't quite as sticky.

Let it cook on a low temperature; open the coconut yogurt and pour about half of it into the pan/dish and stir!

Now it's time to add some seasoning…

I added turmeric, cayenne pepper, thyme, and coriander. I added just a teaspoon of each. I didn't want to overdo the pepper as I didn't want to overpower the butter beans! I just wanted the ingredients to compliment each other. I added a pinch of Himalayan salt to reduce the freshness. Freshness = blandness. Yuck!

Give it a taste! I use a minimum of salt in my cooking. You should always taste your cooking when adding seasoning.

I increased the temperature to warm up the coconut yogurt. You don't want it to boil. When it starts to gently bubble it pretty much ready. You want to gently stir to ensure the heat is distributed evenly. When you think it's hot enough it's time to…

PLATE UP

Or bowl up! Doesn't it look gorgeous? Mmmmmmm… Just for decoration, I sprinkled a wee bit of cayenne pepper on top.

Enjoy!

Love,

Bear XOXOXOXOXO

BEAR'S SAVOY DELIGHT

BEAR'S SAVOY DELIGHT

Ingredients:-

1 Packet of chestnuts
1 Savoy cabbage
1 Red onion
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 Handful of radish
4 to 6 finger chilies

2 Red chillies

4 whole chestnut mushrooms

Half a paprika (yellow)

A clutch of basil leaves

Serves 2 or 3 people.

The Method

Above: The amount of coconut oil needed in a frying pan or Pyrex dish.

Preparation: The Key
It's always a good idea to prepare before cooking begins.
Finely cut the onions and place in the frying pan/Pyrex dish. No need for heat just yet.
Next, finely cut the finger chilies and garlic and place on a fairly large dish. Cut the red chilies in medium sized slices and add the slices to the dish, but keep them separate. Wash the mushrooms and dry them with a paper towel. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the finger chilies and garlic. Cut the paprika in half and store the other half in the refrigerator; cut the remaining half into small cubes. Cut the radishes into three slices (each). Place the paprika and radishes together separate from the rest of the other ingredients on the plate.

Now for the Savoy cabbage… You'll need another dish or bowl for storing the cabbage. Remove several leaves of the Savoy cabbage (as shown in the picture). Wash the Savoy cabbage leaves carefully. Dry the leaves with a paper towel. Once the majority of the moisture is removed you can cut the cabbage leaves into thin strips. Fold 'n’ cut. Once the cabbage leaves have been cut... Method

Saute the onions under a gentle heat. You just want, at this stage, for the onions to be slightly cooked. Remove from heat and then add the finger chilies, garlic, and mushrooms. Return to the heat and keep mixing until the mushrooms are shining. Add a bit of water - about a saucer full. Then add the cabbage and keep mixing until it wilts. Add the red chilies, mix, add the paprika and radishes. Season with black pepper, turmeric, cayenne pepper and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Mix well to ensure the heat is distributed evenly. Remove from heat… Open the packet of chestnuts; I recommend using half the chestnuts but you could use the lot! Mmmmm… Chestnuts… You can slice the larger chestnuts half or add them whole. They'll cook more evenly sliced. Add the chestnuts to the mix and return to the heat. Keep mixing until you see the radishes start to wilt. Cover and turn the heat off. Let the mix stand for a couple of minutes. Plate up! Enjoy! Love, Bear XOXOXOXOXO