Kimchi White Beans
After two years of being mostly homebound, I spent a lot of January traveling. First to good ol’ LA for a week and then to the spectacularly grandiose/formidably intimidating Colorado Rockies….Woweee!!!
‘Course it was unavoidable to have a sort of flavor mash in retrospect. It came in the form of this hodgepodge of flavors and ingredients. That pre-travel was a kind of wintry vegan bean stew that I served with rice, as a variation on a wintry Vegan Chili.
The kimchi provides both sour and pungent flavors and also a slippery yet toothsome texture to the mushy and soft white beans, apple cider as the braising liquid offers a level of sweetness that counteracts with the astringency of the kimchi, gochujang paste adds a flick of spice and much-needed color.
So then on a snowy day in The splendid Rocky Mountains, while most people were enjoying the much-coveted fresh powder, I visited the Rocky Mountain Taco EagleVail Truck and ordered the Hippies Crack And by the time I took my last delicious bite of that veggie-licious taco I was reconsidering my kimchi-beans in taco form.
All that needed to be done was to plonk a generous ladleful of the kimchi beans onto a tortilla, and drop on top of that a pleasant sloppy dollop of queso, and then finish it off with a generous dusting of gochujang flakes, natch. The result is deeply flavored with pleasing textures, and queso makes everything more fun, right?
1 cup chopped Kimchi
1 cup apple cider (I used unfiltered)
2 x 14 oz. cans white beans (Great Northern Beans)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 tbsp. soy sauce (or gluten free tamari)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. (or more) gochujang paste (optional)
To serve:
Corn or flour tortillas
Queso cheese sauce - I have a nice & simple recipe on my Instagram page
Gochugaro flakes, for garnish
OR
Fresh steamed rice
I throw first seven ingredients into a medium sized pot and heat over medium, until it begins to boil and bubble. Reduce heat to simmer and cover for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
