Please read this post to the sounds of Alexi Murdoch’s “Through the Dark”, which has an acceptably mournful yet pleasing tone…

My eyes feel better today. They feel better when I *don’t* work 16 hours and then sleep more than 6, so in honour of that, I took this afternoon off. I lay in bed—napping is too hard!—and then I took to the kitchen.

Multiple things ensued, before I tell you about food, I have to talk about austerity and moving.

Yay! In 4 months and 10 days, I shall quit this place that was all the seasons of my discontent. Well, not summer, since I always leave in the summer, but living in the Hinterlands has been tough. With my impending move and unemployment, I’m trying to be more frugal—and that means, making do whenever I can while cooking (to avoid 14 trips to the grocery store each week), and eating up my stores.

At the top of my list of stores are beans. Legumes, dried and canned, fill my life. I like them, but I also feel like having them on hand is a good idea in case of a nuclear holocaust. The likelihood of a nuclear holocaust is small, while the likelihood that I’ll be seriously ticked about having to decide if I throw them away or move them is high. Ergo, eat the damned beans, S.

I once bought 3 cans of white beans. Cannellini, by name. I don’t know why—I don’t like their texture. But: I have ‘em, and according to my laws of austerity and moving, I must eat them. I also once bought some mixed beans in bulk. I think it was meant to be a soup mix. Possibly, I bought these before I moved to the Hinterlands. Bad sign.

Now, in other news, Kath’s blender died. I don’t own a blender proper, so I’m having referred pain on her behalf—because I’d sure be sad if my immersion blender bit the big one. So to memorialise Kath’s blender, I have blended up the first of the cans of beans in this little doozie:

Garlicky Green and White Dip

You need

♥ 1 540g can of cannellini beans, rinsed well and drained
♥ 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
♥ 40 ml EVOO
♥ the juice / pulp of 1 lemon
♥ 1/4 cup (a generous handful) of fresh basil, chiffoned
♥ fresh pepper! Lots!

You must

Δ put all ingredients in a blender.
Δ blend well.
Δ send positive energy into the universe for Kath’s blender, may it RIP

I ate my dip on a couple of Wasa crackers (don’t ask how old—I’d prefer not to own it, but instead I’ll say: austerity!) with a side of soup. Oh yeah, it’s a two-recipe post.

My dinnertime theme was white and green—I wanted a mild soup, brothy, vegetable-y, and bean-y…

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Bean Soup

You need:

♣ 2 cups mixed, dried, multi-coloured beans, prepared*
♣ 3 Tbsp grapeseed oil
♣ 6 cloves garlic (or less…), sliced or minced
♣ 1 yellow onion, chopped
♣ 1 monster zucchini, cubed
♣ 2 cups broccoli florets
♣ 1 fennel bulb, chopped
♣ 1 796-ml can of diced tomatoes
♣ 6 cups broth
♣ 4 strips of bacon (or turkey bacon), cooked and chopped
♣ 1/2 Tbsp dried dill
♣ 2 tsp cayenne powder
♣ fresh pepper, to taste

*to prepare the beans, I soaked them in ample water for 8 hours, and then boiled them for 40 minutes.

You must:

♦ heat the oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. I wish I had a dutch oven.
♦ add onion and garlic, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes
♦ add zucchini, broccoli and fennel, and cook, stirring until softened (about 5 more minutes)
♦ add tomatoes (with the liquid), broth, bacon, herbs and spices, and bring to a boil
♦ lower heat and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes.

I really liked this soup—it was gentle, even with the cayenne, and I could really taste the vegetables (go green!). I *really* liked the mix of beans, too. Why didn’t I cook this earlier?!? It went really nicely with the pungently garlic-basil-filled white bean spread.

And before you ask, I eat a mega-high-fibre diet, so no, all these beans didn’t cause me the least bit of discomfort.