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[Malawry]

I'm a big fan of beans. I keep several kinds in the freezer and I love making soups, stews, and so on out of them.

I think beans have a somewhat peasant nature, though. How would you dress them up for a more formal meal? What about other vegetable proteins like tofu and tempeh?

[cookasia]

Rochelle: Beans can be a fabulous source of protein, and an exciting component to any meal, especially if you explore some of the heirloom varieties now available. They are easy to dress up, though maybe they'll never become a truly formal meal component, by garnishing them with unusual vegetable combinationsÑsauteed portobello mushrooms and julienned red and green bell peppersÑor augmenting them with kernels of farro or kamut, or shaping them into patties and sautŽing them, or finally, dreaming up some interesting combination of beans, seasoning them, and baking them into a pie. Or purŽe cooked beans and use themÑseasonedÑas a sauce over shaped pasta. If I were to add a soy product to beans, it would be as some of the seasoned soy meats rather than tofu or tempeh. Hope that helps! thanks, Alexandra