Alkaline/Vegan Bean Pie - Recipes - Happeneduponhappy (2024)

Hey, y’all!

I’m truly filled with all the excitement today, I can barely contain myself. This recipe has been a long time coming in my mind- and kitchen, but it’s here! I’ve got the goods, y’all, and I’m finally able to share.

Alkaline/Vegan Bean Pie

Now, I’ll just go ahead and assume that many of you didn’t grow up as I did- so the back story this time is gonna be pretty necessary.

So, lets just jump right in.

I grew up in a household with a father who participated in practices that were apart of the Nation of Islam. I made mention to this before, briefly, in a super throwback post about fasting-My 30 Day Fast Experience- Giving the body the Rest it Needs.

If you hadn’t had a chance to check it out, you definitely should- here.

**Be nice, that was when I wasnew new to blogging. It’s not the best written piece, but it’s packed with good information**

Anyway, Nation of Islam, right?

So, yeah- that’s what I grew up around. There were things from my fathers background that became apart of our culture, so to speak, while we were young. Things like participating in Ramadan, not eating pork, Oxtail Stew… well, maybe that one was from the Jamaican side… and Bean Pie.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I haven’t known too many people that have been hip to Bean Pie in my life. There are a lot of people from up North who are familiar with it, though. My husband knew what it was because of people selling them on the side of the road in Philly, but he had never tastedone.

The beauty is all in thetaste.

Now, I’m not gonna lie to you, there are a lot of things from my past that I don’t have any true recollection of. So since there was quite a large portion of my life where I hadn’t been able to have Bean Pie, I didn’t really remember what it tasted like for a minute there.

At the time, my dad made thebestBean Pie out there. If we weren’t eating his, we just weren’t eating it. Also, while it was delicious, we just weren’t making trips up and down the highway like that to be able to get it- so we went without.

A couple years ago, my dad sent a few for my siblings and I and it was like Christmas. Hmm, or maybe it was literallyChristmas… I don’t know. All I know is, it was a true blessing.

I was pretty pregnant at the time, so getting any kind of food was a huge YES. But Bean Pie. My goodness gracious. Between my dads Bean Pie and my moms Cheesecake, life was good.

I knew, though, that the goal once the pregnancy was over was to go back to our Lifestyle as Alkaline/Vegans. However, I didn’t want to sacrifice the wonderful taste that is Bean Pie- so my brain went to work.

I asked my dad how to makeregular Bean Pie and started cross referencing those ingredients to the approved ingredients within the Dr. Sebi Lifestyle. I was hard at work, in my head, trying to figure out what my course of action would be and how to replace/substitute some of the key ingredients in the Bean Pie without loosing the taste.

The beauty is all in thetaste.

For awhile, I stopped with all the mental labor of trying to figure it out. I got busy being a new mom and simply couldn’t juggle the two. Then, something miraculous happened.

Excuse the dramatics, but this is an accurate depiction of exactly how I felt in the moment, and how I feel now- reminiscing on it.

One day, while my husband was at work and my son was in the living room entertaining himself, I got hungry. But not just any kind of hunger, I had ahugecraving for something sweet. Ordinarily, that’d be no big deal. But this time, it was. I had a craving for something sweet and I was stuck with only one option- make something.

You see, we hadjustwent back to our lifestyle, so junk food sweets was out of the question. Also, my son, at the time, despised his carseat, so leaving the house with him by myself was, too, out of the question. I made Apple Turnovers the day before for my husband to take to work, but already devoured my portion.

No sweets were available to me.

Here’s what I had in the fridge- left over dough from my turnovers and left over chickpeas.

Then it hit me!

Go ahead and make your Bean Pie, girl!

Thus, my creation was born.

Alkaline/Vegan Bean Pie

A brief prelude

Really quick, I want to tell you about how I made my chickpeas. Of course, cooking chickpeas is pretty straight forward, typically. However, there are just a couple of things I do differently for this recipe in particular, that I wouldn’t normally do otherwise. I find that it makes quick the difference in the results of the Bean Pie. I soak them for about a day before cooking them at all, which is standard for me. But the next couple of steps make all the difference.

1. The back of the bag I use suggests cooking the chickpeas for 1 hour in 6-8 cups of water. I, alternatively, slow cook them for 3 hours in 6 cups of unsalted water. Usually I would salt my water prior to cooking, but not for this recipe.
2. Once they’re done cooking, I leave them sitting in the slow cooker for a few hours on warm.
3. Then, I turn the slow cooker off and allow the liquids to coagulate. I find that the thicker the aquafaba is, the more reminiscent it is to an egg whiteconsistency. That makes the use of it as a binder a little bit easier than when it’s in full liquid form and loose.

The other thing that I’ll mention here is that I used the same recipe for my pie dough as I did for the dough in my Apple Turnovers– which you can find here. To save on some time, I’m not going to go through that entire process in this post. The only difference is instead of kneading the dough after it has been chilled for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to come down to temperature, you’re going to just immediately begin to roll it out.

**Don’t worry if this sounds confusing, there is a YouTube video– which you can watch here– that shows you each step. **

Now let’s get into this recipe.

Walnut Milk

Walnuts 1 cup

Water 1 1/3 cups

1 pitted date

Sea Salt 1/4 tsp

Agave 1 tsp

*Walnuts were soaked over night. Step is optional but I wouldn’t suggest omitting.*

Instructions

You want to take all of your ingredients and add them to a blender. Simply blend on high until all ingredients are incorporated and relatively smooth. Transfer to jar and chill.

Cooked Chickpeas

Cooked Chickpeas 3 1/2 cups

1 bowl of water

1 empty dish

*Step is also optional, but you don’t want to skip if you’re looking for a smooth consistency*

Instructions

Alright, I know this one seems strange- but stay with me. Chickpeas have a clear, thick, membrane on them.

Once in the food processor, it’s difficult to get the chickpeas to fully break down and become smooth because of these.

So what you want to do is this- add some of your chickpeas to a bowl of water and, one by one, begin to apply pressure to the pointier end of the bean with two of your fingers. The membrane should pop right off.

This is going to be the part of this recipe where you spend the most time but trust me, it’s worth it.

The first time I made this recipe, I didn’t take the membranes off the bean- because I didn’t know they were there. The taste of the pie was great but the consistency of it was hard to get past, which is why I began peeling the membranes off in the first place. It makes all the difference.

When you’re done, you’ll have this:

ChickpeaMixture

Chickpeas 3 1/2 cups

Walnut Milk 3/4 cup

Water 1/4 cup

Agave 1 tbsp

Instructions

Okay, this part is simple. Just add your chickpeas to the food processor along with you walnut milk, water, and agave. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.

Bean Pie Filling

Aquafaba 6 tbsp

Coconut Palm Sugar 1/4 cup

Walnut Milk 1 cup

Agave 3 tbsp

Sea Salt 1/4 tsp

Allspice 1 tsp

Cloves 1/2 tsp

Instructions

In a large bowl, add your 6 tablespoons of Aquafaba. Beat with a hand mixer on high until frothy.

Next, you want to add your coconut palm sugar and beat on high, again, until nicely incorporated.

Continue by adding the remainder of your ingredients- walnut milk, agave, sea salt, cloves, and allspice- and thoroughly mix together.

Slowly add in yourChickpea Mixture, little by little, stirring in between to make sure it is fully combined. Once it is all mixed together, cover and chill.

You can chill your Bean Pie Filling and your Pie Dough for as long as you deem necessary, I at least chill mine for a few hours- that way the flavors can mingle together and really settle in. I find the taste pay off is better that way.

Next…

Once everything is nice and chilled, roll out your Pie Dough and add it to a lightly greased pie dish. Press it in, ensuring there are no air pockets. Trim the edges of the crust with a sharp pairing knife.

Pour your Bean Pie filling into the pie crust. Lift the dish and gently bang it down on the countertop to knock out the air bubbles.

Bake in the oven at 350°F for 90 minutes. Once out, let cool completely and then chill in the fridge before cutting. I let mine chill overnight to make sure that it sets up completely.

All done!

**The images listed below span over two separate times making this Bean Pie. It’s gets better and better every time**

I have come for the crown as far as this Bean Pie thing is concerned. I think I’ve made a pretty good attempt at taking the title ofBest Bean Pie maker. I’ve got to say, so far, the feedback is great!

Also, this recipe comes just in time for the season- it’s definitely aperfect holiday pie! You can enjoy it at home or bring it to the family gatherings and see if they can guess the ingredients. I assure you they wouldn’t guess it’s 100% Alkaline/Vegan or Plant Based.

Anyway, I really hope you give this a try and enjoy it just as much as we do! Let me know if you try it and send me your pictures, I’d love to see them (:

Happy baking and I’ll catch y’all in the next one!