Sophie Macfie’s mean green bean bowl
A delicious way to up your intake of leafy greens.
“Undoubtedly one of the best recipes in this book, I adore this combination of tofu ‘cream cheese’, roasted, sweet cherry tomatoes and rich spinach sauce,” enthuses plant-based chef and author Sophie Macfie. “One you’ll keep coming back to and definitely a showstopper for when you have guests over!”
Mean green bean bowl
Ingredients
(Serves 3)
Total time: 30 minutes
Fridge life: 3 days
200g cherry tomatoes
5 garlic cloves, skin on
Extra virgin olive oil, for roasting and frying
1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
700g canned or jarred butter beans, drained and rinsed
½–1tsp vegetable bouillon powder or vegetable stock cube
400g spinach
15g fresh basil (optional)
1½tbsp sweet white miso, plus more to taste
Sea salt
For the tofu ‘cream cheese’:
200g firm tofu
2tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves
½tsp onion powder
1½tbsp white miso paste
3–4tbsp soy milk or water, depending on the power of your blender
1tbsp nutritional yeast
To serve:
Chilli flakes or toasted seeds (optional)
Toasted sourdough or your grain of choice
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan/210°C. First, roast the cherry tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and whole garlic cloves to a baking dish with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and salt. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the tomato skins start to burst and wrinkle.
2. Meanwhile, make the beans. Fry the shallots in olive oil on a low-medium heat with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes until caramelising (this makes the final dish taste sweet). Add the beans, 100ml water and the stock, starting with ½ teaspoon or stock cube and adding more to taste. (You can also use the liquid from the bean cans/jar if you prefer.) Mix well and bubble on a low heat while you prep the tofu cream cheese.
3. To make the tofu cream cheese, squeeze the tofu in kitchen paper to draw out any excess water. Add to a blender with all the remaining ingredients and blend until you have a thick, paste-like consistency. You may need to pause the blending and use a spatula to scrape the mixture down the sides. Season to taste.
4. Add the spinach and basil (if using) to a colander in the sink. Quick blanch them by pouring over a kettle of boiled water, then rinse under running water from the cold tap. Transfer to a blender with 100ml water, the roasted garlic (squeeze it out of the skins first) and the miso paste. Add more water to help it blend if you need to.
5. To finish the dish, add the green sauce to the beans, combine and top with the tofu cream cheese, the roasted tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil, plus some chilli flakes or toasted seeds, if you like. Serve with sourdough, or your grain of choice and black pepper.
Protein per serving 36g; fibre per portion 20g; plant points 13
Soph’s Plant Kitchen 30 in 30: 30g of protein, 30 minutes or less by Sophie Macfie is published in hardback by Yellow Kite, priced £25. Photography by Haarala Hamilton. Available now