When asked what her last meal would be, founder of Raw Wizard range Candice Goldstein doesn’t hesitate: “My Black Bean Nachos Shared Plate – a delicious creamy protein-rich dish, full of flavour and satisfaction.”
Having recently launched a plant-based recipe channel on YouTube – Plant-Based Wizard – where she presents recipes for everyone, Candice admits it’s the dish she would make for one of her food heroes – Gordon Ramsay.
“He would be blown away with the simplicity, yet delicious sexy attitude of this dish. The sour cream black bean base is made with the Raw Wizard cashew yoghurt and pairs exquisitely with the fresh greens and tomatoes, the genuine Mexican guacamole (which is soured with lime not lemon) and a round of corn nachos.”
Here it is, for you to make at home.
Black Bean Nachos Shared Plate (serves 2)
This makes a delicious shared plate or cocktail snack.
Ingredients: ¼ cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped, 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered, 3 medium lettuce leaves, shredded, ½ cup (85g) cooked or canned and drained black beans or aduki beans, ¼ cup (60g) Raw Wizard plain or chia cashew cultured yoghurt, 1-3 chillies, de-seeded (depending if you like it mild, medium or hot) and finely chopped (or ¼ tsp chilli powder), ¾ tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, Pinch of Himalayan salt, ½ ripe avocado plus another pinch of Himalayan salt, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1½ tbsp water, About 10 non-GMO plain nachos chips, 26 x 15 cm flat rectangular plate.
Method: It is better to have freshly cooked beans rather than canned. They are loaded with fresh nutrition. Making your own is also sodium and sugar free, and do not contain preservatives, additives or heavy metals as is often the case with canned food.
Soaking them first is crucial. Firstly it makes the beans very digestible after cooking and secondly, more nutrient available. The beans begin to break down whilst soaking and this reduces cooking time. Once cooked, drained and frozen, they are as convenient as canned beans, but so much nicer and healthier.
To cook your beans, place 1 cup (200g) in a bowl and cover them well with at least 7cm of water. Cover the bowl with a plate. Leave it like this in the fridge for 48 hours. Do not leave the beans at room temperature as they could begin to ferment.
Drain and rinse the beans well. Place in a pot covering with water double their volume. So if the soaked drained beans make up 3 cups, put 6 cups water into the pot. With the lid off, bring to the boil then simmer on a medium heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the water has just about boiled away and the beans are tender. Do not boil the water away completely as the beans will dry out and will burn at the bottom.
Once the beans have cooled, take ½ cup for this recipe. Freeze the rest of the beans in ½ cup or 1 cup portions in lidded glass jars for use in other bean recipes when needed.
Prepare the coriander first. Remove the leaves from the stems as the stems have a bitter taste. Then wash, dry and chop roughly and set aside. Keep a sprig of coriander for garnish.
Prepare your cherry tomatoes. and set aside. De-seed your chillies, chop finely and set aside. Wash and dry your lettuce and shred. Set aside.
Prepare your guacamole. Remove the avocado from the skin and mash with a fork. Add the salt and lime juice to taste. It should be quite tart. Lime has a higher sugar content, making it the preferred choice over lemon in traditional Mexican guacamole.
In a medium bowl, place the yoghurt, spices, salt and chillies and mix gently. Now mix in the beans and coriander. Raw Wizard yogurt is the perfect sour creamy addition that is quintessential to Mexican cuisine.
To Assemble
Place your bean mixture on the 26 x15 cm square plate, taking up a third of
the plate from one end. Top the beans with the lettuce. Dot with the tomato
wedges and garnish with the coriander sprig.
Place the guacamole in the second third of the plate next to the beans. In the last third of the plate place the nachos.
Buen provecho!
