You'll find a few of our favourite recipes for using beans and mushrooms below. In addition to those, the internet is an incredible resource when searching for recipes. Some of our favourite recipe websites are:

My New Roots (An amazing vegetarian whole foods cooking site. The site's author, Sarah Britton, also has two amazing cookbooks out.)

Minimalist Baker (A site dedicated to quick and easy vegan dishes. Because of the emphasis on quick cooking, most of the bean recipes call for canned beans. Simply replace these with freshly cooked beans.)

Dishing up the Dirt (A website/food blog written by a farmer. Lots of fantastic recipes for seasonal veggies, and meat.)

In addition to these sites, if you're interested in cooking with dried beans, check out the book 'The Power of Pulses', by Dan Jason, Hilary Malone, and Alison Malone Eathorne. Dan Jason is a bean enthusiast and the owner of Salt Spring Seeds on Salt Spring Island, B.C., and he is the person who inspired us to grow dry beans. It's a fantastic book, filled with recipes and photos.

Shepherd’s Pie - Vegetarian Style or Meat Lovers

Ingredients

Bottom Layer:

• 2 cups dried beans, soaked 4-6 hours, cooked 20-30 minute OR thaw out 1 lb. ground pork.
• 1 larger onion, chopped
• 1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted (To reconstitute mushrooms, pour 2 cups boiling water over mushrooms in a bowl, let sit for 15 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to fish mushrooms out and slice to desired size on cutting board.  Reserve the mushroom water to be used later.)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• ¼ tsp. thyme
• ½ tsp. ground coriander seed
• a few pinches of freshly ground pepper
• 3-4 Tbs. tamari soy sauce to taste
• 1 ½ cups of hot mushroom water – left over after reconstituting dried mushrooms
• 3 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup water

 
Top Layer:

• 4 large potatoes, cubed
• 3 Tbs. butter
• ½ cup milk
• salt to taste

Instructions

Top Layer:
Get the potatoes going in a pot of boiling water, simmer until soft.
Once potatoes are done, drain, then mash with butter and milk. Salt to Taste.

Bottom layer:
While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the chopped onions, mushrooms and ground pork (if using) in the oil, with the thyme, coriander, pepper, and tamari, until onions are translucent.  Add 1 ½ cups of mushroom water and bring to a boil.  Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at a low boil, continuing to stir, until gravy is clear and thick.   
 
Putting It All Together:
Use an oiled 9-inch square  or a 10-inch round casserole dish.
If using beans, place them in the bottom, then add the mushroom gravy, and then the mashed potatoes.  Dot the top with butter and pepper.  Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes until top becomes golden.
 
Serve alongside warmed sauerkraut.  This dish is warming, filling and absolutely delicious!

Winter Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

•  2 ½ cups dry kidney beans
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 6-8 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• black pepper and cayenne powder, to taste
• 1-2 oz dried shiitake mushroom,
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 14 ½ oz. can tomatoes
• 3 Tbs. tomato paste
• Any other winter vegetable, chopped--cabbage, rutabaga, kale.
• Grated cheese

 

Instructions
 
1) Soak dried beans for 4-6 hours.  Cook soaked beans for 20-30 minutes. 
 
2) Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.  Add carrot and seasoning and sauté another few minutes until onions are done.
 
3) Boil 2-4 cups of water in a kettle.  When onions are ready, add the water.  You can add more or less depending on how thick you want the finished chili to be.
 
4) Add cooked beans and dried shiitake.  Break the dried shiitake up a little bit with your hands as you put them in the pot.