Can you imagine writing an entire vegan cookbook in which every single recipe contains BEANS? I can’t. But Kathy Hester pulled it off beautifully. And it’s not all soups and side dishes, either. From breakfast to dessert, Kathy covers it all. You won’t believe all the creative uses for all kinds of beans.
What’s so great about beans? For one, they’re cheap. Plus they’re packed with protein and fiber while being low in fat. And, as Kathy proves in her cookbook titled The Great Vegan Bean Book, beans are versatile.
When Kathy invited me to participate in a blog book tour to launch her new cookbook, I jumped at the chance. After all, this isn’t her first rodeo–she also wrote one of my favorite vegan cookbooks, The Vegan Slow Cooker (her Carrot Cake & Zucchini Bread Oatmeal is amazing).
The Great Vegan Bean Book is not only chock-full of vegan (and mostly optionally gluten-free) recipes, it’s also loaded with gorgeous photos by the very talented Renée Comet. Being a graphic designer, I appreciate the clean design, too.
You’ll also find a handy guide to the many, many bean varieties and the various cooking methods.
Today, I get to share a recipe from the book with you! I tested Kathy’s Butternut Squash Frijoles recipe, which is gluten-free, soy-free, and optionally oil-free. This unusual refried bean variation adds butternut squash for a unique twist.
I am not a fan of refried beans, so I have no idea why I chose to test this particular recipe, but I’m so glad I did! I am definitely a fan. It’s full of really great flavor and can be used in multiple ways–straight up as a side dish, as a burrito/taco filling, and it’s perfect for a Mexican-style layered dip.
To add just a little heat, I used tomatoes with green chiles, which worked beautifully. I also made my own butternut squash purée rather than using canned, which enhanced the flavor even more.
To create an easy layered dip, I started with a base layer of Butternut Squash Frijoles followed by a layer of brown rice with diced tomatoes, then chopped lettuce, fresh chopped tomatoes, and avocados and to top it off, chopped cilantro. Hubs loved it and so did I.
In fact, I froze the leftover frijoles so I can make the layered dip again for a potluck next week. I know it will be a hit.
Just a few of the recipes that I can’t wait to try:
Coconut Pecan Blondies
Summer Solstice Oven Pesto Risotto
Pineapple Rum Beans over Coconut Lime Sweet Potatoes
Chickpea Greek Salad with Tofu Feta
Heartier Cream of Tomato Soup with White Beans
Kathy has offered to give one lucky reader a free copy of The Great Vegan Bean Book! Rack up several entries with multiple ways to enter below. Winner will be notified and announced on Tuesday, June 25. Open to residents of U.S. and Canada only.
Check out the rest of the blog book tour (with more recipes and giveaways!) on Kathy’s blog, Healthy Slow Cooking.
Affiliate links included in this post.
I have heard so many good things about Kathy’s book! It would be so amazing to own it! 86lemons…I pin so many of your recipes! Your blueberry oat bars are going to make an appearance at my annual Labor Day party this year! AND…your orange cream smoothie brings me back to my childhood! This was my favorite flavor of ice cream! Your’s is so good!!!
I’m interested in this book because it will add to my repertoire of bean recipes, which as of yet, I have exhausted.
At first I thought that this cookbook would be too “beany” but then I realized that a lot of vegetarian dishes already contain beans so it’s not too outrageous.
I am super thrilled by this book, and will certainly be trying out this particular recipe! I tend to rely too much on soy products (tofu, tempeh), with the occasional lentil dish. I’m hoping this book will help me find new, great recipes to add to my repertoire.
Thank you so much for the giveaway!
Thanks for the opportunity to win such cool stuff! Especially excited to enter to win this ccookbook; always looking for new ways to prepare the lovely bean:)
My vegetarian husband would love this! (And even though I occasionally eat meat, I cook vegetarian 99% of the time.) Thanks for the opportunity!
This book looks fab! Beans, beans, the magical fruit…
This is such a different cookbook, and I love beans! I’d love to have this book to learn how to incorporate beans into dishes to make them healthier and whole-food based. Thanks for the giveaway!
Wow! Those recipes all sound delicious. I didn’t think a cookbook all about beans could have so much variety– but I am sold. I really want to try the Heartier Cream of Tomato Soup with White Beans recipe. Sounds like such a great winter staple!
This recipe looks delicious!!!! I would love to win the book.
looks DELICIOUS! i loveeeee beans!
Our vegan family would love this book!
i recently had to change my diet to due gluten issues, i have gone mostly plant based but struggling with the ways to prepare beans! this book sounds like a fabulous resource for ways to incorporate them
I’ve seen a couple posts now about this book; it looks so good!!
I love her slow cooker book! This new cookbook is definitely on my list to check out! Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
I’ve been eyeing this book! I’ve been seeing it lately and it’s got me intrigued!
I am so intrigued by the idea of using beans for more than just casseroles and burgers – I would love to learn more about other ways to incorporate them into my diet! This particular recipe looks fantastic. I have butternut squash sprouting up in my garden right now!
All of the recipes I have seen on her blog tour have looked amazing! Would love to check out the full book
I would love to incorporate more beans into my cooking/diet.
Recently, I’ve grown to love chickpeas so much. I’m missing out on all the other amazing beans out there, and I think this cookbook would help me on that journey!
Those look great! Makes me want to see the rest of the book!
This book looks great! Beans, at least to me, sometimes are a little intimidating, especially if they don’t come in a can, so it would be great to learn how to use them in many different recipes. Plus it would definitely be nice on the wallet, considering how cheap beans are compared to my usual staples of tofu and the like.
That looks like a neat twist on regular refried beans, which I love. Yay for beans & Kathy’s new cookbook!
i’m excited for more diversity in uses for beans! i feel like we get stuck in a rut
I’ve been so fortunate this year to have learned so much about veganism :-) Always looking for new ideas ♥ This book looks Amazing :-)
Everything about this book interests me! I love beans and I love trying new recipes with beans!
I love beans o so very much
I am running out of ideas for beans (most typically, bean burgers!) and would love some inspiration! Thanks for the giveaway :)
All of it sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
This sounds great! I’m always looking for new protein recipes, and this would fit the bill! June 25 is my birthday too, so it would be a great present :)
I can’t wait to get this book!
The clean (tricky) recipes… taking the kids to a whole new level!!!
~Tess
My favorite bean is definitely the chickpea. I’d LOVE to win this book! :)
Would LOVE to have a copy of this book. I love beans!
The alluring possibility of new flavors and intriguing ideas!
Wow this book looks great!
looks amazing! can’t wait to try it!!
what interests me most is the nontraditional uses for beans. i love hiding them!!
What interests me most about this book is the wide variety of recipes. I dd not know that there were so many ways to use beans.
What interest’s me about this book is the many ways that beans can be used in recipes. It would be great to learn some new ways to cook with them and get some new inspiration!!
I use beans all the time since I’m vegan and I love incorporating them in different ways such as black bean brownies, etc. I would love to get more ideas!
It would be great to have lots of bean recipes as I try to eat meat free.
I have heard a lot about this book and all of the sample recipes seem wonderful. I want to eat more beans and less processed soy products. That is why I am interested in this book!!
Also I subscribed to your site today via Feedly but I am not sure if that is one of the entry options, just letting you know!
Coconut Pecan Blondies? sounds divine. I can’t help but wonder what type of beans are in that.
I love Frijoles and butternut squash. Can’t wait to try them together. This sounds like a match made in heaven.
Yummmmmm!
I had mango butternut squash on the weekend. This looks like a other great twist!
1) I am a cookbook hoarder, 2) I love Kathy Hester, 3) Beans rule!
love beans, but am now ready to take them to the next level. This recipe — and book — are a good way to start!
What interests me most is the section on sweets/desserts.
I’m always on the lookout for tasty vegan recipes. Adding butternut squash to beans sounds yummy!
I’m always looking for unique recipes with flavorful ingredients. I know this cook book would be a wonderful addition to my recipe collection and welcomed by my family.
This is a great idea for a layered dip, which tends to lack veggies!
I am dying to check out this book. The recipes I’ve seen look fabulous. We eat a lot of beans in our house.
Beans are a staple in my diet as a vegan, and aI have found myself out of ideas for new and delicious recipes. This book would be perfect for spicing up my diet!
This looks yummy! I absolutely love the taste of butternut squash and I like re-fried beans that have been tweaked! Can’t wait to try this version tonight. Thanks for trying this recipe, Livvy.
I adore beans and am trying to cook vegan at least 50% of the time (vegetarian the rest of the time). Always looking for inspiration!
beans, beans, and more beans. i love them and like to cook with them every day.
This book has recipes that I can bring to gatherings without worry of breaking someones dietary choices. I think even the carnivores will like the dishes!
Really and truly this book should be called the Great Vegan Bean Feast Book…so many superdelicious recipes and all those exotic beans! I’d love to explore more of those unusual varieties, starting with Rio Zape…”hints of chocolate”! :)
I hate using faux meat, so anything with beans is great!!
I’m most interested in new ways to incorporate more protein into my diet.
As a vegan family, we are looking for economical protein meals and have been discussing our desire to incorporate more beans into our diet.
I love beans and when cooking vegan it’s a hazard to just drift with 3 or 4 of the same stand-by bean techniques. It would be great to expand. like this recipe that you have posted is so clever!
I grow a ton of different varieties of dry beans and this book would be prefect to help me figure out what to do with them all winter! Thanks!
I love beans and am looking for new recipes.
The fact that it is vegan
i seem to rely on the same vegan recipes with beans, this book would be great for some inspiration!
New and interesting uses for beans – they can get pretty dull!
I would love to learn more, creative ways to incorporate beans into my meals!!
I’ve heard so many good reviews of this book! Would love to get some new ideas to use beans.
We eat beans almost everyday but not with a lot of variety. This book would help mix things up a bit!!
I would love to have that book!
We don’t eat enough beans at home and rely too heavily on tofu and veggie meats for protein so this book could be very helpful for us!
I love beans! I would love to grab this cookbook and learn more wonderful ways to cook them!