Black Bean, Lime, and Cilantro Naan Panini (Mah Na Mah Naan)

Wowza! I know that name is a mouthful, but so is this recipe. I started off with a recipe, but then it disappeared and other versions had beans on toast. Blah. On this particular day, I had a creative itch that needed to be scratched and it turned out that the kitchen was going to be my only outlet because every photo I took was like, well, beans on toast.

I started looking for an alternative to the bread. Focaccia sounded nice, but not right for this recipe; however the work load was dead on. I didn't want to pour a ton of time into something that could end up as a dead end recipe. Thin breads. Easy breads. Naan, and I had read this recipe before and it was bookmarked. The recipe said it needed to rise, twice. Not today. I would try it with one rising session. We'll see.

Next up, the bean spread and toppings. My family does not naturally lean towards vegetarian meals, so I knew it had to fit their taste in order to be a hit.

The following is the recipe I used. After I presented the sandwiches, my 4 year old remarked, "Mom, this is DEFINITELY a repeater". Nice. Home run. And, if I may say so myself, I also think they are repeaters. I kind of shocked myself on this one.

During our second round of eating this recipe for dinner the Little Man said we should call it "Mah Na Mah Naan". Freaking brilliant. From this day forward this recipe will live on our repeater list as "Mah Na Mah Naan".

Mah Na Mah Naan


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups dried black beans (you will have approx. 2 1/2 cups left over after making the spread)
4 cups of organic vegetable broth
2 cups of water
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp fresh salsa
1/4 cup lime juice
handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
12 pieces of Naan (recipe follows)
salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: tomato slices, avocado slices

Rinse beans and sort. Place beans, broth, water and salt in crock pot on high for 4 hours. Stir occasionally and keep beans covered with liquid. Add water if necessary.

In a container (1 quart side mouth mason jar is perfect), add salsa, lime juice, and cilantro and puree with a hand blender (or use a blender or food processor, whatever will get you to a puree). Add one cup of beans and puree.

Add puree mixture to two cups of beans and cheese and mix thoroughly.

Spread bean mixture on Naan. Layer avocado and tomato slices and sprinkle a little mozzarella. Top with a second piece of Naan. Place in panini maker until cheese has melted. If you do not have a panini maker, you can use a frying pan. Slice in half and serve.

Naan Recipe - adapted from All Recipes.com

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup organic white sugar
3 tablespoons organic 2% milk
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups organic bread flour
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter

Directions
In a large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. On low and using the paddle attachment, mix in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Switch to dough hook and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Punch down dough and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray.

Preheat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add a small amount of butter to just coat the bottom.

At stove side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle.

Place dough on frying pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Turn over and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes.

Remove from frying pan, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.
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