MiniMonos Meatless Meal -- Blackbeans in the board room

For our environmentally friendly meatless meal this week we were treated to a spectacularly healthy and delicious lunch from our favorite organic lunch suppliers,  Earthwise Gourmet. 

Kaila invited 3 guys from the next door office (who we suspect, are used to more meaty fare) and we sat at the board table to enjoy Warren's entertaining and massively detailed descriptions of the healthy, living, probiotic and fastidiously hand-crafted dishes we were about to scoff.  Even though our guests were expecting "something a bit different" from us, they were startled into bemused silence as Warren's  narrative about the food bordered on poetry.

Here's a description of one of the dishes on Earthwise Gourmet's menu:

"In the dark of night chickpeas are soaked and sprouted.  After tiny tails appear these legumes are pureed with tahini, garlic, olive oil and a splash of lemon juice (all organic). Savory, smooth and lively, this delightful dip is perfect with raw veges, crackers, or in sandwiches.  Sprouted chickpeas are a good source of protein, iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and help modulate blood sugar levels."

Now, imagine an articulate, impassioned description of 10 different items sitting on our board table.  We were expecting (and hugely looking forward to) this.  Our guests were stunned.  We loved it.

We're very lucky that Warren and Sharon from Earthwise have shared the blackbean recipe from their library, with us:

Black Bean Soup

Based on a recipe from: Epicurious.com

Ingredients:
● 1 1/2 cups dried black beans (10 oz), picked over and rinsed
● 1 small onion, dice into 1/4-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
● 1/2 red bell pepper, dice into 1/4-inch pieces (3/4 cup)
● 1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
● 1/2 tsp. finely chopped seeded fresh jalapeno chile
● 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
● 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
● 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
● 3 qt reduced-sodium vegetable broth (96 fl oz)
● 3/4 tsp. white pepper
● 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Cover beans with cold water by 3 inches in a bowl and soak at room temperature at least 8 hours. Drain well in a colander.

Saute onion, bell pepper, garlic, chile, oregano, bay leaf, and thyme, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add beans, chicken broth, and white pepper and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf and stir in cilantro.

Accompanying our lunch were dishes such as raw seed crackers, an organic cultured yoghurt dip,  fizzy probiotic salsa, freshly-made guacamole and black tea-based effervescent Kombucha. 

We knew how tasty the food was, but I think our guests were surprised that something so robustly healthy could taste that good.

Then we had dessert. 

And of course, the wonderful prose which accompanied them:

"...Simple yet gorgeous, a fine shimmer settles atop as a result of the hand-crafting of this decadence."

It's not often you manage to feel spoilt and virtuous at the same time, but we were feeling so good at the end of our lunch that we almost sprinted out of the boardroom, back to our desks.

Thanks Guys!