Stinging nettles don’t usually inspire thoughts of cozy dinners. Most people associate them with discomfort rather than comfort food. Yet this misunderstood plant might be growing in your own garden. If they bite you, you can bite back! Want to give nettles a try as tonight’s special ingredient?
Receta
- Stinging nettles (1 handful, thick stems removed)
- Organic farro (2 cups dry) (can substitute rice)
- Organic black beans (2 cups dry) (can substitute any beans)
- Salt (1 tbsp)
- Organic chili powder (1 tbsp)
- Organic garlic (4 cloves, chopped)
- Organic whole wheat sprouted flour (1 cup)
- Organic olive oil (3 tbsp)
- Organic ketchup (to taste)
- Organic nutritional yeast (optional)
Instrucciones
- Cook together farro, beans, salt, chili powder, and nettles. If using a pressure cooker, set for 25 minutes.
- Add flour, olive oil, and ketchup to the cooked mixture and stir. If stirring is difficult, add water.
- Roll mixture into balls and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, checking often.
- Serve on pasta with nutritional yeast as a vegan cheese garnish.
- Freeze leftover balls for future dinners!
Why Stinging Nettles Belong in the Kitchen
Stinging nettles are one of nature’s most nutrient-dense leafy greens. They are high in calcium as well as many other vitamins and antioxidants. Once blanched, cooked, or frozen, their sting disappears completely, leaving behind a flavor similar to spinach with a slightly deeper, nutty note.
If you’ve got a nettle patch growing in your home garden or backyard, throw on a pair of gloves and grab a few for tonight’s dinner. As always, be careful when gathering edible plants to make sure they’re growing in good soil free from contaminants (don’t eat plants you find in less-than-savory places like dog parks or by the side of the road).
Nota: When harvesting stinging nettles, choose young, tender plants that have not yet started to flower. After flowering, nettles develop a bitter taste and produce an alkaloid that can be hard on the kidneys. For maximum nutritional value, pick your nettles in early springtime before any flowers are visible.
Vegan Bean & Rice Meatballs: A Perfect Match
Bean and rice meatballs are a staple of plant-based comfort food. Beans provide protein and structure, rice adds softness and binding, and herbs and spices bring warmth and complexity. Adding stinging nettles takes this classic combination to another level.
Finely chopped, cooked nettles blend seamlessly into the mixture, enhancing both flavor and nutrition without overpowering the dish. They add a subtle earthiness that complements common meatball seasonings like garlic and chili powder.
These baked meatballs develop a crisp exterior while remaining tender inside. They go well with pasta (try pesto or tomato sauce), they’re a fun addition to grain bowls, and they can even be paired with hummus as a falafel-inspired appetizer.
Por qué son importantes los ingredientes ecológicos
Choosing organic ingredients isn’t just a trend; it’s a meaningful decision that affects your health as well as the health of people living in the farming communities where the food is grown.
You’re probably aware that buying organic ingredients supports farms that reduce the amount of harmful synthetic pesticides that their farmworkers are exposed to. This not only helps the farmworkers themselves, but also their families. Children who hug their parents after a long workday on the farm, and babies who crawl on carpets that collect pesticide particles, also benefit from less exposure to harmful synthetic pesticides. For that matter, entire communities benefit from organic farming techniques; with no harmful synthetic pesticides being sprayed in the air over crop fields, organic farmers do not contribute to harmful pesticide drift reaching neighboring schools and playgrounds. (Estudios show that people who live in agriculture-intensive regions of California are at 69 times the risk of poisoning from exposure to pesticide drift than other regions. That’s a great reason to buy organic!)
Organic food is highly nutritious. By buying organic ingredients, you’re doing yourself a favor as well as your wider community. Organic crops are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, as well as significantly lower levels of pesticide residues. Even organic processed foods must be made with organic ingredients and use fewer than 100 processing aids and additives, compared to over 3,000 permitted in nonorganic food. With organic food, you can feel good about your meal.
A Small Choice with a Big Impact
Choosing to cook with organic ingredients might seem like a small decision, but small choices add up. They shape demand, influence farming practices, and help build a food system that prioritizes consumer health, worker health, and high-quality ingredients.
Vegan bean and rice meatballs made with stinging nettles are more than just a recipe; they’re a statement. They show that plant-based cooking can be flavorful, nourishing, and deeply rooted in the land. And perhaps most importantly, they remind us that good food doesn’t have to come at the expense of our bodies or the environment we’re living in.
Find Organic Ingredients
Find organic beans, rice, and other pantry staple ingredients in our directorio ¡y apoya a un agricultor orgánico cerca de ti!
