Aduki Beans and Sweet Potato

I was inspired to make this bean dish after I saw a recipe in Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. She talks about the benefits of aduki beans for kidney health and other good stuff. I did some substituting and a different cooking technique and the finished product was a delicious and filling bean dish. It was both salty and sweet with lots of nutrients and minerals.

First I steamed a large sweet potato. I washed it off thoroughly and cut it into small pieces. I steamed it over boiling water in my little steam basket- a kitchen gadget I cannot live without!
The ingredients you will need for this recipe:
1 large sweet potato
1 can of organic aduki beans
1/2 tbsp of umeboshi paste
2 shallots cut in small pieces
2 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional)

While the sweet potato is steaming, heat the beans on the stove in a little bit of water. Put the umeboshi paste in a small dish and add water. Mix thoroughly until the paste dissolves in the water. The paste will look more like a dressing. Pour the watered down umeboshi paste into the pot with the beans and stir. Keep the heat on low and stir occasionally.

Cut two shallots into small pieces and add to the beans. Keep stirring occasionally. When the potato is done (you will be able to put a fork through the pieces) and the beans are hot, combine them both in a bowl. Top with nutritional yeast if you want.
These beans are lower in calorie than other beans and they have a lot of fiber. The umeboshi paste gives the beans a salty taste and dresses them up. You can add more water or vegetable broth and make a soup. I will definitely be making this again!

Check out Alicia's book for a lot of macrobiotic meals and super healthy desserts. It's a great cookbook with a lot of Asian recipes featuring interesting veggies.
And speaking of Asian, check out my sushi from lunch today and my sushi/kale/tofu dinner from last night. I'm addicted to sushi. Once I start I can't stop haha. Sushi is something I would love to learn to make at home.