Spiced Carrots & White Beans with Pistachio Pesto
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- roasted pistachios 0.33 cup
- flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems 2 cup
- garlic cloves 2
- medium lemon 1
- Kosher
- nutritional yeast 0.5-1 tbsp
- extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup
- cannellini beans 2
- extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
- nutritional yeast 1 ½ tbsp
- Kosher
- carrots 1 ½ lb
- garam masala 2 tsp
- Spiced Pumpkin Crunch ¼ cup
- Cooked Grains 3 cup
Pistachio Pesto (Parsley)
If your pistachios are raw, toast them first. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the pistachios and toss occasionally until they smell toasty, 3 to 4 minutes.
If you didn’t buy garam masala, make this substitute. Mix together: 1 tsp ground cumin, 3/4 tsp ground coriander, 3/4 tsp ground cardamom (optional), 3/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and a pinch each of ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and cayenne. Measure out: 2 tsp for this recipe; store the rest in a ziploc bag or sealed jar in the pantry for up to 6 months. If cooking grains fresh, start the meal by cooking 1-1 1/2 cup of grains according to your preferred method, referring to The Grains & Starches Handbook. Storage: Store the carrots and beans separately in the fridge for about 4 days. For the best texture, reheat the carrots and beans on a sheet pan in a 350°F / 175°C oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until heated through. Reheat your grains in the microwave until warm. Assemble as listed in the last step right before serving. Nutrition boost: Use farro or quinoa as your grain. You can also lightly dress some arugula, baby kale/spinach, or mixed greens with lemon juice (or vinegar) and olive oil, and serve on top of the carrots. Shortcut: Skip the roasting today (steps 2, 3, and 4). Omit the carrots, and simply dress your beans with your best-quality olive oil and vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper. If you have some lemon, zest that into the beans too. Stir the dressed beans into the Cooked Grains and dollop with pesto.
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1Prepare: roasted pistachios , flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems , garlic cloves , medium lemon , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, nutritional yeast , extra virgin olive oil .
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2Add the pistachios to a food processor and blend until in fine crumbs. Add the parsley, garlic, lemon zest, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and a few cracks of pepper. For a subtle cheesy flavor, add nutritional yeast as desired. NOTE: If your pistachios are salted, add just a pinch of salt now.
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3Blend until a paste forms, scraping down the sides as you go. Push the paste into the middle of the food processor. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil, then stop to scrape down the sides. Blend until you have a relatively smooth, thick texture. NOTE: If the pesto is still not smooth enough but you don't want to add more oil, add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water at a time until the pesto is creamy and spoonable, but don't use more than 3 tbsp of water.
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4Taste, adding more lemon juice for tang, garlic for sharpness, or salt as needed. Label and store in a sealed jar or airtight container in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
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5Gather: 3/4 cup Pistachio Pesto (from meal prep), cannellini beans , extra virgin olive oil , nutritional yeast , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, carrots , garam masala , Spiced Pumpkin Crunch , Cooked Grains .
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6Take the Pistachio Pesto and Cooked Grains out of the fridge.
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7Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven and another on the bottommost shelf. Preheat to 425ºF / 220ºC. After about 5 minutes of preheating, add a rimmed sheet pan to the bottom rack to heat up for 7-10 minutes .
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8While the oven preheats, prep the beans and carrots. Beans: Drain and rinse the beans, then transfer to a dish towel and dry well to remove moisture. Add the beans to another rimmed sheet pan. Toss with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and pepper to taste. If they feel dry, add a drizzle more oil. Spread the beans out on the pan as best you can. Carrots: Dry off any residual moisture on the carrots. In a large bowl, combine the carrots with 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil and season well with salt ( timer 1/2 tsp kosher salt). Toss, then sprinkle on the garam masala and toss again. Once the oven has preheated, use oven mitts to remove the hot pan. Carefully line the hot pan with parchment paper (to prevent the spices from burning). Spread the carrots out on the lined pan in an even layer as much as possible.
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9Roast the beans and carrots: Transfer the beans to the top rack and the carrots to the bottom. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the pans. Toss the carrots or flip with a spatula. Shake the pan of beans. Return the pans to the oven. Roast for 8-12 minutes , until the beans are crisp and lightly browned and the carrots are tender and a bit browned (the carrots will be done sooner than the beans).
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10While everything roasts, prepare your side salad (if you’re making one) and warm up your Cooked Grains.
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11Assemble: Schmear the Pistachio Pesto onto a large serving platter (for a lighter meal, use less pesto). Heap the roasted carrots and beans on top, then scatter the Spiced Pumpkin Crunch on top. Divide among plates, or serve family-style. Serve with the warm grains and your side salad, if you made one.