Cannellini Beans With Basil-Jalapeño PestoGreat For Your 4th Of July Picnic

Cannellini Beans are spiced up with this spicy vegan and gluten-free basil and jalapeño pesto!

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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? 

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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. 

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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.

Basil and jalapeños from my garden

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

Ingredients
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.

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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