Scarlet Runner Beans with Vegan Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Collard S...

You all know by know that I love to keep my pantry stocked with all the dried goods to create filling plant-based meals any day of the week. I recently shared my excitement at finding Palouse Brand lentils and wheat berries, but now I have another new favorite dry goods vendor--Rancho Gordo. While I have only just now tried one of the new varieties of heirloom beans that I ordered, I can already tell they'll be a company from which I make regular orders. As I always tell people curious about variety on a plant-based diet: the options are truly limitless for creating meals built around plants!

During a recent workshop I led on plant-based protein, someone brought up Rancho Gordo as a great source of beans. I had heard of them before and even checked out their website once, but for some reason I never ordered anything. This time I made a mental note to finally give some of their beans a try. They are located in Napa, California and have a whole assortment of heirloom beans that I have never seen nor heard of! They have a few familiar varieties, but most were completely new to me. Given my excitement for trying new things, I ordered quite a few. Plus I hate ordering just one or two things to have shipped. I'd rather make the box and shipping resources worth it!

A few had such good reviews I opted to order two packages. Once they came in last week, I knew some would feature on the menu for this coming week. The Scarlet Runner looked so gorgeous I couldn't help but pick them first.

There are so many different ways you can incorporate beans into your meals. However, I wanted to let these sing on their own so I opted for a very simple preparation. I rinsed them off before adding to a stockpot with sliced fresh leeks, water and a few bay leaves. Usually I would soak my beans, but I forgot to put them in water earlier in the day and just knew they'd take a bit longer on the stove top. Good food sometimes requires just a little bit of patience.

After just over 90 minutes, my gorgeously plump beans were ready to enjoy! Look how meaty these babies turned out. For anyone who thinks vegan meals aren't hearty, try a meal with these beans. Fiber and protein provide a double whammy of satisfaction and keeping you full for longer. I'm getting full again just looking back through my photos. ;)

To serve along with my yummy beans I roasted a huge tray of mixed collard and kale sprouts. A recent favorite from the farmers market. I also added some sliced leeks to the pan along with lemon pepper seasoning. So good, and so easy. Red potatoes rounded out the meal when I boiled and mashed them. My usual additions for perfectly satisfying vegan mashed taters are a splash of non-dairy milk and a generous scoop of plant-based cream cheese (in this case Kite Hill). I keep mine chunky with the skin on for added satiety and gut-health-boosting fiber.

This Saturday night meal wasn't lacking in anything. After taking the photos I went back to the stove and scooped out some of the pot liquor from the beans to use as gravy. Don't let any of that delicious cooking liquid go to waste! The beans made enough to last for a few extra helpings--all just as good as the first taste.

I still have another bag in my stash, though I am already tempted to make another order since it seems like they do occasionally run out between harvests! Perhaps I'll hold myself back for at least a week or two so I can try some of the others and see which ones are worthy of a second helping...and a third...and maybe a fourth...

Have you tried Rancho Gordo or other unique beans? Let me know which ones are your favorites in the comments!