This recipe is from a blog called "Fat free Vegan Kitchen". I came across it while I was looking for good bean recipes. The things that caught my eye about this recipe were the use of white beans, which are available in the finger lakes locally from Cayuga Pure Organics, and the use of whole garlic cloves. The garlic cloves are simmered in the stew. They become similar in texture to roasted garlic, which I'm mostly familiar with as a topping for bread. I made the recipe, and it came out great. My only changes might be to make the parsley and lemon juice optional, and possibly decrease the amount of canned tomatoes.

Enjoy! The ingredients are all seasonal and available locally (other than the fresh parsley). I like this stew's flavorings with the white beans. They're a nice change from the indian spices and chili spices I usually use when cooking beans.

3 cups navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 head garlic (the whole bulb--15-20 cloves)
2 tablespoons water
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup fresh parsley (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Break the garlic bulb into cloves and peel off the skin. If you'd like, chop one of the cloves, but leave the others whole. If some of the cloves are very large, you may cut them in half lengthwise.

Add olive oil to a large pan or skillet. Add the onion and sauté until it turns a rich, medium-brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and sauté for 1 more minute.

Add the beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, and water. Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour, adding water if it gets too thick.

Stir in the salt and pepper. If you're serving the stew right away, add all the parsley and the
lemon juice. If you're serving it later or at room temperature, add the parsley and lemon
juice right before serving.
Serve over brown rice.