Garbanzo Bean "Mashed Potatoes"

This is one of my favorite dishes, and is oh so easy to make. To make it easily, I use my crock pot and my high speed blender, a BlendTec, which is more powerful than a VitaMix, but then that's my opinion.

To prepare the beans, sort the beans and wash them, then soak them overnight in at least three times as much water. The water should be very clean because the beans will soak much of it up overnight. The next morning before going to work, throw off the excess water and wash the beans again. It seems almost invariably a slightly moldy bean shows up in the group - the overnight soaking makes the nasty beans easier to spot so molds don't get cooked in the food. Discard bad beans, and rinse the others until the run-off water is colorless. Then pour the beans in a crockpot and cover with about an inch of water. Start the beans on low if gone for several hours or on high if gone for 3-4 hours; then rush off to take care of your day business. [Cooking on the lower temp is more health conscience as 200°F of low and the 400°F of the high temp is quite different and makes a big difference in the nutrients left.]

Upon coming home (6-10 hours later), the aroma of freshly cooked beans will greet you at the door, and it's such a pleasurable smell. A hot supper is only minutes away (provided you already have a vegetable and/or salad made). To make the beans into "mashed potatoes", scoop about 3 cups of beans into the blender and include bean water to within an inch of the amount of beans. Slice in a wedge of onion and 3 medium garlic cloves. Add 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil for a sweeter smoother flavor, but olive oil makes a good blend too though more paleo flavored. [If using coconut oil, the beans must be hot or at least room temperature; otherwise, the coconut oil will harden - it hardens at room temp of 76°F - and won't blend throughout.] Add 1/2 a teaspoon of sea salt and blend while the beans are still very hot. Beans that cool down too much or not including enough bean water is very taxing on the blender. I tend to pulse the beans, stir and pulse again to save stress on the motor.

Garbanzo Bean "Mashed Potatoes"

3 cups garbanzo beans, cooked and still very hot
cover the beans with bean broth
3-5 tablespoons coconut oil
1 wedge of onion
3 medium garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

When first blended, the beans might seem a bit runny but as they cool down - on the surface first very much like lava - they set in form and appear very much like "mashed potatoes".

The blend can be either a hummus or "mashed potatoes" or even a sauce or soup. They are high energy, very nourishing, and so easy to make and even easier to pack in a lunch!

In a previous posting, I used Garbanzo "Mashed Potatoes" as a side dish and it has made a great sauce for many of my vegan bibimbap (see Leftover "Bibimbap" for the recipe).