Smoky black beans with a hint of sweetness and a sustainable alternative to guacamole: these flatbreads make a great lunch or dinner.
I absolutely love guacamole, but after reading about the environmental impact of avocados lately I’ve been looking for other ways to get my hit. Green peas may not taste quite as good as the real deal in my opinion, but they definitely make a decent substitute.
This recipe may include a lot of different elements and steps, but timing-wise it generally works out nicely. I do the first stage of the beans before tackling the rest, as they take a few hours to cook.
Serves 2
1 x small or ½ x large sweet potato (approx. 250g), cut into 2-cm cubes Olive oil Salt
Start with the first stage of the beans. Drain and rinse the soaked beans, then cover with water in a pot. Thrown in the bay leaf and cook for approximately 2 hours until nice and tender. Once cooked, drain the beans while reserving the cooking liquid.
Next, preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Arrange the cubes of sweet potato in a single layer on an oven tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast until cooked through and golden (approximately 30 mins), then squash a bit with a fork.
Meanwhile, prepare the flatbread. It’s easiest to use a food processor: throw everything in and pulse until it all gathers into a ball. Otherwise, combine the ingredients in a large bowl, stir with a fork and then finish bringing it together into a dough by hand. Set the dough to the side to rest for 15 minutes.
To make the ‘guacamole’, cook the peas in boiling water with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Drain, then blend with the remaining ingredients until smooth.
Return to the beans. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and add the cumin, oregano and chopped coriander stalks. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
Add the cooked beans (you can throw in the bay leaf they were cooked with if you like), smoked paprika, rosehip and a good pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then add the reserved bean liquid ¼ cup at a time, adding more if the liquid dries up. Mash the beans slightly under a wooden spoon as you go until they break down and become thicker and saucier. You can stop adding the liquid once you reach your desired consistency (I like mine like a very thick soup). Remove from the heat. Squeeze over the lime juice stir in the cinnamon.
To finish the bread, half the dough and roll each section into a ball. Flatten with your hand into a circle, then roll out to approximately 18cm wide. Warm a skillet over a medium-high heat and cook for a few minutes on each side until it puffs up a bit and browns in places.
Once the flatbreads are done, spoon over some beans, followed by some sweet potato and finished with a dollop of ‘guacamole’. Sprinkle over some extra coriander if desired, and serve immediately.