Beans

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies

by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, klicka här: Veganska blondies med jordnötssmör och mörk choklad

We just couldn’t help ourselves – after we got completely hooked on these Black Bean Brownies we made a few months back, we’ve been eager to experiment with white beans in baking. While brownies are delicious, so are blondies – and all the testing in the kitchen eventually paid off. These peanut butter-chocolate blondies are both decadent and filling, and also give you a nice little boost of nutrients – plus, the recipe comes together quickly and doesn’t require a long list of ingredients either. We can’t get enough of these and hope you’ll like them just as much as we do – and hey, we love hearing about the recipes you try from here so let us know what you’ve made (and hopefully liked)! If you’re on Instagram, using #liveslowrunfar is an easy way to share with us what you’ve been cooking up. Otherwise, the comment section is all yours. That’s all!

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Simple and Creamy Green Pea Soup

by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, klicka här: Snabb och krämig grön ärtsoppa

This soup would most likely win the award for cheapest, most climate friendly meal ever – and it’s not lacking nutrients either. To top it all off, it also comes together in 20 min, start to finish, making it a weeknight savior extraordinaire. Green peas are great to have on hand in the freezer all throughout the winter for us – besides being versatile in dishes, they’re also very good as a stand alone vegetable side. A quick, filling meal we tend to turn to when time is limited (but hunger is real) is boiled potatoes, green peas and some sort of bean/veggie patty from the freezer. Some sort of dipping sauce added to the mix and we’re satisfied! This soup is a little more sophisticated looking than that, but in the end – the ingredients are about the same. Slow carbohydrates, protein and a whole range of micro nutrients make this a nutritious bowl for sure – and with a slice of bread with hummus on the side, it’s as complete as can be. And yummy. Enjoy!

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Bean Dip 3 Ways

by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, scrolla nedåt eller klicka här: 3 varianter på bönröra

Bean dips. Bean spreads. Hummuses. Staples of our fridge. Easiest things to make and best hanger-rescues there are. I could just keep going: they are cheap, packed with nutrients, easy to adapt based on season. Yesterday, we finished an entire tub as a mid-morning snack (actually, it was the butternut squash version you’ll see below that we dug into – it might very well be our favorite bean spread ever). Best afternoon-pick-me-up is a slice of bread, a thick layer of bean spread and a crispy vegetable on top. If we’re feeling fancy, we’ll go all in with a sprinkle of sesame seeds as well. Ah, the small things in life. Throw in some spring sun, which would mean snacking takes place while sitting on our deck, and we couldn’t ask for more! Appreciating those glorious moments in the day-to-day is key to contentment, we think. Taking the time to stop for a second, take in your surroundings, look up from the screens, notice the weather and the seasonal changes… to us, those are all crucial aspects of a life in harmony. And apparently, bean spreads can be a great help along the way!

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Quick and Crunchy White Bean Salad

by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, scrolla nedåt eller klicka här: Snabblagad bönsallad med crunch

In all honesty, this wasn’t meant to become a share-worthy recipe. We were making dinner a few weeks ago, and the scene was really a whole mishmash of leftovers, summer veggies pulled from the freezer and some potatoes from the pantry. We were lacking sufficient protein, so I decided to whip up a side salad with beans as the main ingredient, while Mike was managing the rest of the pots and pans. The outcome exceeded our expectations, reminded us of a dish we used to cook often back in New York, and left us if not hungry for more that day, as least interested in making it again. So we did. And then a third time. And after that, we deemed it recipe-worthy, so… here it is.

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Root Vegetable Grain Bowl

by Sophia & Michael

Ah, wheat berries. Again. You’ll have to excuse us, but we love them! Nuttier and chewier than rice and about a million times more eco-friendly, it’s a winner any day. Another fun grain alternative is naked oats (Swedish: nakenhavre). Have you ever tried it? Really good as well, and actually even more of a nutritional power house than wheat berries, with higher protein content among other things. We’re working on developing some recipes with naked oats too, so stay tuned! But anyway. I think the first time wheat berries ended up in our home was back in New York, when Mike bought some with the intention of making his own wheat flour. Only, his coffee grinder surprisingly didn’t do the trick (it was hysterically funny) so the box was forgotten about for a while until one of those let’s-clean-out-the-cabinets cooking endeavors took place, and those wheat berries were put in a kale salad of some sorts. Since then, they’ve become a staple, and I’d say we eat wheat berries at least once a week.

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Loaded Veggie Tacos

by Sophia & Michael

För recept på svenska, scrolla nedåt eller klicka här: Gröna supertacos

When I moved to New York, I learned a whole lot about tacos right from the start. The shredded lettuce, canned corn kernels and chopped tomato add ins of my childhood were all of a sudden nowhere to be seen – instead, the most elaborate combinations were served up and a food concept I had felt sort of “meh” about for a while became a new favorite. I recall this one conversation I had with Mike early on, where I sort of “explained” to him that in Sweden, we approach tacos in a much different way. I went on and on about the standard concept of ground beef, the aforementioned vegetables, the taco sauce or salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese – only to have Mike tell me afterwards that that’s how tacos are normally eaten in America too. Little did I know, back then, that I’d only been taken to these contemporary, trendy Mexican food places, where pickled red onions, thinly sliced radishes and habanero relish had just recently risen to the sky as the “new black” of taco toppings.

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Winter Lasagna

by Sophia & Michael

The epitome of comfort food. The indisputable superstar of hearty, filling, energy-packed meals. And probably the best leftovers ever. Enter: lasagna. In all honesty, we don’t make it too, too often but instead save it for when go on e.g. ski trips and want plenty of food prepared. This particular version got to come with us on our most recent voyage up north, and let’s just say it hit the spot like nothing else after hours and hours of skiing, a sauna session and a shower (that we were hungry for another snack just an hour later wasn’t the lasagna’s fault, but rather nature’s – if it hadn’t been so darn pretty, we wouldn’t have stayed out until sunset and thereby been a tad less famished. But hey, more nature AND double evening snacks? Bring it on).

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Black Bean Brownies

by Sophia & Michael

In all honesty, we were kind of like… really? when first hearing about black bean baked goods. Don’t get us wrong (I doubt you would by now), we LOVE beans and lentils. They’re the best. But we also love our baked goods. Cakes, cookies, buns… you know, the whole spectrum. And around here, we tend to lean towards the attitude of “if you’re going to bake buns, bake buns. Not a ‘health-ified’ bun that no one will really enjoy anyway”. I think you get my point. But we also happen to know that from a sports nutrition point of view, having an evening snack with a touch of protein is beneficial. And one simply can’t have too much of all the good stuff in legumes. Enter black bean-based baked goods.

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Fava Bean Patties

by Sophia & Michael

For those of you unfamiliar with the looks of fava beans (or “broad beans” as they’re also called), they come in long, flat-ish, light green pods when seen fresh, and they’re quite exquisite. They’re also a p-a-i-n to peel. Actually, speaking of peeling them – both Mike and I can still recall this one really funny story our good friend Grant once told us, about when he was out at a nice restaurant and ordered fresh fava beans as a starter. Aware of the hassle of peeling fava beans, he was very excited at the thought of getting to enjoy this early summer delicacy without having to do anything himself. Well, or so he thought. You can easily imagine his disappointment when the waiter put down the plate in front of him, and all he could see was a pile of pods… He had to roll up his sleeves and peel them all himself!

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West African Peanut Stew

by Sophia & Michael

I know, I know, we do like to put peanut butter in/on just about anything around here. What can I say – it’s just one of many glorious things Michael (and America) has opened my eyes to. As a matter of fact, I think peanut butter has an undeservedly bad reputation – why, really? If you get (or make) unsweetened peanut butter, it’s just ground up nuts with a dash of salt. That’s all. Peanuts pack a lot of protein, good fats (both mono and polyunsaturated), vitamins (especially folate, some B’s and E) and minerals (good amounts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron, for example). And it’s energy dense. All of the above together make peanut butter a great staple for athletes. And while it’s quite amazing slathered on bread, we use it primarily as an ingredient in energy bars/balls, as an oatmeal topping (oh my, it’s the best) and as an amazing flavor and nutrient booster in savory meals, such as this stew. 

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