Breaded Beans & Sage Cashew Cream

Step 1

Begin by soaking the cashews in warm water. Set this aside as you do the rest of the recipe.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Step 3

In a bowl, add the rinsed butter beans (they should still be slightly damp), sprinkle with the flour, the garlic powder, nutmeg, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Season liberally with salt and pepper and toss. Lay the beans flat on a baking sheet.

Step 4

Sprinkle the rosemary onto the beans and coat everything with a liberal drizzle of olive oil. The amount of oil is up to you, but the more you use the crispier the beans will be, I recommend a good 2-3 tbsp. Toss so everything is well coated and the beans are spread apart.

Step 5

Drizzle the sage leaves with olive oil and a pinch of salt and spread them evenly on the other baking sheet, making sure they lay flat.

Step 6

Add the sage and the beans to the 425°F oven at the same time. Roast the sage for 7-8 minutes or until crisp, and remove. Roast the beans for 22-25 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp.

Step 7

While the beans are roasting, make the cashew cream. Drain the cashews and add them to a small blender, add in 1/2 cup of water, the juice from one lemon and the crispy sage leaves. Season with salt to taste (cashews are sweet, so this will need a decent amount of salt to balance it!). Blend until smooth and creamy. Let it sit in the fridge until it is ready to use.

Step 8

Next, whisk together the juice from the second lemon with the balsamic glaze and thyme leaves. Set this aside for drizzling.

Step 9

When the beans are out of the oven, plate each plate with a generous smear of cashew cream, then the beans piled on top, and then a drizzle of the lemon balsamic glaze. Finish with lemon zest and black pepper. Enjoy!