Beans!  My new obsession is Rancho Gordo-brand beans.  No doubt you’re wondering: “How can beans be exciting enough to obsess over?”  Just trust me, they are.  I recently received a gift box of several varieties of these Rancho Gordo delights and now I am completely hooked. 

What’s not to love about beans?  They’re inexpensive, a fantastic source of protein, and a great way of getting your daily fiber; something sorely lacking in the typical American diet.  Fiber is a substance, not technically a nutrient, which helps fill you up.  Fiber also helps to remove waste from your body.  Moreover, a lack of fiber has been associated with a number of unpleasant medical conditions, including diverticulosis and colon cancer.  Two key sources of fiber are vegetables and beans. 

I always have a few cans of garbanzos and white beans as well as several varieties of dried lentils.  Lentils, unlike most other dried beans don’t need to be soaked overnight before cooking.  The other ingredient I ALWAYS have around is kale, or some other dark leafy green.  Combine some beans and a green and you’ll have a perfect, healthy, and quick meal. 

Rancho Gordo beans are heirloom beans, which means they are not mass-produced but rather locally-sourced beans native to the Americas.  I enjoyed some of their cannelini beans the other day, in a twist on the French classic cassoulet.  The “twist” was that I made this classic meat dish, which features white beans, purely vegetarian.  I’m fairly certain it’s sacrilegious to even suggest a vegetarian cassoulet to a French person, so please don’t tell them.  Nevertheless, it was a wonderful meal and the beans were undoubtedly the star of this simple, rustic dish.

Cannelinis are merely an average white bean, but the Rancho Gordo cannelinis are big, creamy, and delicious, but the little brown Tepary beans are my favorite.  Furthermore, they inspired me to pull out all my favorite bean recipes, order more Rancho Gordo beans, and purchase their cookbook too. 

Here’s one of my favorite bean recipes:

Tepary Bean Salad

1/2 cup wild rice
1 cup dried tepary beans (or any other dried beans)
4-5 medium carrots, sliced thin
3 scallions, sliced thin
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig basil, thinly sliced
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or hazelnut oil
pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400F

Soak beans for 8 hours or overnight.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until beans are soft 45-60 minutes.   Drain, then set aside.

Cover rice with 1.5 cups fresh water, add a couple pinches of sea salt, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook until rice is tender – about 45 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine carrots, garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and roast, about 15-20 minutes. Midway through, give carrots a stir and make sure they aren’t burning. 

Make the dressing by combining all ingredients together, shake well.

Combine drained beans with carrots, wild rice, scallions and basil.  Pour dressing over and toss. 

Serve immediately.