White Bean And Kale Vegan Bruschetta For The Win!
A SIMPLE WHITE BEAN AND KALE BRUSCHETTA RECIPE
Kale and White Bean Vegan Bruschetta on today’s #LunchBreakLIVE! No longer a mere appetizer or side, this bruschetta comes in as the main event as hearty, filling, and just plain yummy! Today vegan health coach and chef Caryn Dugan joins us and shows us how to make this incredible dish!
VEGAN MAGICIAN IN THE KITCHEN
Rooted deep in the St. Louis food and wellness scene, Caryn Dugan is STLVegGirl, a plant-based nutrition, culinary, and lifestyle educator with a simple mission, “A Plant on Every Plate™.”
Caryn adopted a plant-based diet in response to tragedy; in 2008, cancer took her father at an early age, and 10 weeks later, tried to take her. In response to her diagnosis, she searched for an answer and found one in the growing body of literature supporting a whole-food, plant-based diet to bolster our natural immune system. Adopting a plant-based diet herself and beating cancer, she sought to share her knowledge to help others.
In 2011, Caryn studied in Washington, DC, under the direction of Neal Barnard MD at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s (PCRM) Food For Life program, becoming a certified instructor. Bringing this knowledge home, she teaches immune-boosting, plant-based cooking classes at the Cancer Support Center of St. Louis for the benefit of others who have, like her, met cancer at the door.
Caryn went on to form STLVegGirl, LLC, St. Louis’ first fully plant-based entity providing cooking instruction, personal cheffing, meal delivery, and collaborative restaurant events. She regularly appears in cooking and nutrition segments on St. Louis affiliates of NBC, CBS, and Fox morning shows.
Caryn has continued to earn her spurs as a graduate of:
• Rouxbe Cooking School Plant-Based Professional Program
• Wellness Forum’s Plant-Based Certified Personal Chef Program
• Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) as a Lifestyle Medicine Institute Certified Program Facilitator
• Wellcoaches as a Certified Health and Wellness Coach
• Plant-based Nutrition Certificate through eCornell University
She has also teamed up with Forks Over Knives to create the first-ever Forks Over Knives Community Program which was piloted in St. Louis and still continues to sell out. Most recent speaking engagements include presenting culinary instruction in Naples, Florida to a group of 100 attendees at Total Health Immersions, Health Retreat where immersionists reportedly marked weight and inches lost, a decrease in insulin and blood pressure medication administration, and chronic illness reversal all within the span of seven days. International exposure includes Naked Food Magazine featuring Caryn in its Spring 2017 Anniversary issue where she received three pages.
Caryn executed St. Louis’ first Plant-based Nutrition Summit at Washington University in July of 2018, where this one-day event featured world-renowned experts such as Michael Greger, MD, and Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD. The event sold out and represented in attendance were 16 states and 2 countries.
Her most notable accomplishment is the opening of our nation’s first plant-based nutrition and culinary education center, the Center for Plant-based Living in the historic Kirkwood downtown neighborhood of suburban St. Louis. The center offers plant-based cooking classes, programs, speaker’s series, philanthropic efforts, etc.
To learn more about Caryn, please visit STLVegGirl.com.
To learn about the trailblazing Center for Plant-based Living, please visit CPBL-STL.com
Please follow @Plant_Based_Center on Instagram to see what’s happening now.
READY FOR SOME VEGAN BRUSCHETTA?
White Bean and Kale Vegan Bruschetta that is more than just an appetizer. You can eat this for lunch, or even dinner. It is delicious, filling, and full of healthy goodness. If you want to use the recipe as an appetizer for your next dinner party that is fine too, your guests will love it! The bruschetta takes very little effort to make and is full of protein and fiber with the white beans, and you even get some greens in there with the added kale.
WHITE BEAN AND KALE VEGAN BRUSCHETTA
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cooked cups or 1 14 oz can of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 bunch kale washed and torn
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 whole grain baguette
- balsamic reduction
- 2-3 garlic cloves
Instructions
- To a large hot skillet, add the kale and a little bit of water or broth. Cover and allow to cook for about 5-6 minutes. Add liquid as needed.
- To another hot skillet, add the tomatoes and cover. After a few minutes, they will become soft and soon begin to burst open. As they begin to open and cook, the liquid will also burn off and at this point, add in the cannellini beans. Allow them to become warm and then with a fork or spatula, mash the beans and mix in with the tomatoes, creating a thick paste. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.
- Cut and lightly toast the bread.
- Rub the garlic cloves on the toasty bread and scoop on a heaping tablespoon of the tomato-beans mixture. Next, using tongs, pile the kale on. Finally, drizzle balsamic reduction to top.
WHAT’S BETTER THAN AN APPETIZER FOR LUNCH?
I love having a good appetizer as my lunch and this white bean and kale vegan bruschetta is perfect! It’s so super tasty so you must give it a try. If you do cook this dish up, be sure to take a photo and tag @JaneUnChainedNews on Instagram. If you are looking for more easy vegan recipes to try, stop by the #LunchBreakLIVE page, where we have a ton to choose from. Until next time…keep cookin’!
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