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| Cannellini Beans are spiced up with this spicy vegan and gluten-free basil and jalapeño pesto! Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest. |
Why I Started Foods For Long Life
2 Million Pageviews Later
How many people assume that they are going to inherit their parents illnesses? If their father had a heart attack or their mother had breast cancer, do they wait for the inevitable day for that same disease to strike them?
It's a relief to know that only a small percentage of diseases are actually unpreventable because of inherited genetic mutations - some experts put that number as low as five to ten percent. But many people don't know this and make less of an effort to change their diet, stay active, and manage stress.
Health and nutrition has always been my passion and I spent a lifetime whipping up recipes that were both delicious and healthful and reading the latest literature about supplements and alternative treatments. I never pursued it formally and followed a career in electrical engineering instead. But I was shaken to the core when my best friend passed away at the young age of 50. I wished that I knew more about holistic treatments that could have helped fight her cancer but I didn't.
After 36 years in the computer industry, 27 years at IBM and 9 years as the CEO of Ampro Computers, I decided to retire and dedicate my time to helping people live a healthier life. I furthered my knowledge with a PhD in holistic nutrition and started this blog in 2009 to spread the word about healthy eating, sharing plant-based recipes and my opinions on the latest health news. I'm continuing my research in herbalism as I learn more about how Mother Nature can help us get well and stay well.
Since 2009, I have written over 600 posts and published an eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen. Last week we hit a very special milestone of 2 Million Pageviews! This tells me that people are interested in taking control of their health. It gives me the encouragement to continue my work and it warms my heart to know that, in some way, I have helped people live a healthier life.
So THANK YOU all for following Foods For Long Life! Pass along my link to friends and family that you think would enjoy and benefit from it. And remember my tagline:
"Heath, excellent or ill, is passed to our children not just
through our genes, but primarily, through our recipes."
Joanne L. Mumola Williams
Now for today's recipe. This spicy cannellini bean dish is a great source of protein and fiber. Served warm or at room temperature, it makes a great dish for your summer picnic or BBQ. You can eat as is or, as we did for dinner last night, stir it into a half pound of steaming pasta.
Since I've got lots of basil in my garden, I always make extra pesto and then pop it in the freezer for later. This recipe makes an entire cup of pesto but the recipe only needs 1/2 cup. Use it later on pasta, baked potatoes, as a dip, etc. It freezes really well.
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| Basil and jalapeños from my garden |
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| Pesto freezes well |
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Cannellini Beans with Basil-Jalapeño Pesto
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings of beans plus 1/2 cup of leftover pesto]
Requirements
Food Processor, such as a Cuisinart
For the pesto
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapeños, sliced vertically (with or without seeds depending on level of heat desired)
2 cups packed fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
For the beans
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup finely diced celery
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
Directions
Make the pesto. Place the garlic and jalapeños through the chute of a running food processor with an S blade and process until it's minced.
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Add the basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, walnuts, oil, salt, and nutritional yeast and process until well blended.
Mix 1/2 cup of the pesto with the cannelloni beans, celery, and cherry tomatoes. (Freeze or refrigerate the remaining pesto.) Serve as is or heat to the desired temperature.
As an option, mix the bean mixture into a halve pound of steaming hot pasta and serve.
Nutrition
Per serving (without pasta): 176 calories, 5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 498 mg omega-3 and 1,973 mg omega-6 essential fatty acids, 9 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 90 mg sodium.
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