To begin: Soba Rainbow Pesto Bowl Recipe, page 19.*

My friend Amanda and I entered this Food Safety Recipe Contest. She had the finalist recipe in the Food Blogger category! My recipe made it in as an honorable mention, save the best for last some would say… I’m joking, only because my recipe and then my face are the last in the cookbook. This recipe is typical of something I would make for breakfast and is also gluten free; leave off the egg and parmesan in the pesto for our vegetarian and vegan friends!

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In approximately 2010, my friend Jen rented her first (I believe) community garden plot in her neighborhood. I remember reading (in a blog? on Facebook?) about her joy in growing black beans. I eat black beans, but it had never occurred to me that I could grow my own. Michigan is, in fact, the second largest producer of beans, but number one in the nation in terms of black bean production!

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One bag waiting to be processed, the other for shells that make an excellent “brown” addition to compost (see previous post). The set aside beans are being saved as seeds for next year’s crop.

I am still stunned every year that I am able to grow protein. I think it is just the bees knees. Not just any protein, but heirloom that can be stored at room temperature for at least a year! My most favorite gardening task is shelling black beans, I look forward to it all year long.

I got a little over-zealous in my planting this year, much to the chagrin of the tomatoes. I really though the beans would climb the tomato cages and instinctively *know* to get out of the way to allow sunshine to reach the budding tomato plants. On the one hand, I grew enough black beans to last us a whole year. On the other, I produced roughly a quart of roma tomatoes and two slicing tomatoes. There was roughly double that, but they were carried away off the plants before ripening. I’m blaming the squirrels.

Beans are so easy to grow, can be a great project for children, AND help fix nitrogen in the soil. Win, win, win. Do you have a favorite type of beans?

*Here is an easy to copy + paste version of the recipe:

Ingredients

Pesto:

1 bunch sorrel*

¼ c raw almonds

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp grated parmesan

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp cayenne

salt + pepper, to taste

Bowl:

1 bundle (345 g) buckwheat soba noodles

1 tbsp olive oil

1 c zucchini, sliced into batons

1 c red bell pepper, diced

8-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 large eggs

1 c black beans, drained + rinsed

1 green onion, thinly sliced

*If sorrel is unavailable, substitute spinach, basil, parsley, or a combination. Extra pesto will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for seven days, or freezer for up to three months.

Directions

1. Wash hands with soap and water.

2. Gently rub sorrel under cold running water. Tear into bite size pieces and place in food processor.

3. Add remaining pesto ingredients to food processor. Run for 5-10 minutes or until combined into a paste, adding more oil as needed.

4. While the food processor is running, bring a large (6 cup) pot of water and a smaller (4 cup) pot of water each to a boil.

5. Turn off food processor and taste pesto. Season with salt and pepper as needed, processing well after each addition. Cover and transfer to refrigerator.

6. Scrub zucchini with clean vegetable brush under running water. Slice into 1” long batons.

7. Scrub red bell pepper with clean vegetable brush under running water. Dice the red bell pepper.

8. Gently rub cherry tomatoes under cold running water. Cut in half and in half again (quartered).

7. Concurrently, heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and red bell pepper; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, then add cherry tomatoes and black beans. Cook until vegetables are fork tender and slightly browned.

9. Once the large pot of water has reached a boil, add buckwheat soba noodles. Stir occasionally, cooking for 8-10 minutes until fully cooked.

11. Drain and rinse buckwheat noodles. In a large bowl of cold water, “wash” the noodles, rubbing them between your hands. Change water up to three times as needed until mostly clear.

10. To the small pot of boiling water, add both eggs in shell, cover, and reduce heat to medium-high. Wash hands with soap and water after handling raw shell eggs. Cook for 6 minutes to an internal temperature of 145°F. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and peel.

Assembly:

1. Evenly split the buckwheat soba noodles between two large bowls. Top each bowl with half of the vegetable mixture, 1 tbsp prepared pesto, an egg, and garnish with thinly sliced green onion. Enjoy immediately.