Where have you BEAN all my life?

Mayocoba Beans

We are bean people. Lima, black, pinto, Great Northern, Canellini, kidney, and the "might as well be beans" - lentils and split peas of all colors. We love and eat them all. Eating vegan you sort of have to, if just to tell the people who ask how we are getting our protein that yes, we are getting our protein. Plus they are cheap!

You get to a certain point in your life, and you figure you've tasted all the beans there are. Not like all the heirloom beans that you can buy on the Internet, but all the beans that say, Safeway carries. Not so, these bean lovers discovered. On the 50% sale rack at Safeway, sitting there with all the other run-of-the-mill legumes, Ernst picked up this bag of mayocoba beans, or Canary beans. Half off a 5 dollar bag of beans is still a lot, but it was 2 pounds, and the name was intriguing.

ho hum package, yum yum product

They are (were) so yummy and creamy and delicious. I don't have a recipe, since I don't measure or document, but here was my process:

I soaked them. Next time I won't, but I was afraid they would be tough and stubborn. In a pot, I put a chopped onion, 4 chopped carrots, 4 chopped celery ribs, one chopped red bell pepper, one plop minced garlic, one carton vegetable broth plus the same amount water, some all-purpose seasoning, cumin, paprika, pepper flakes and cayenne. And of course the star attraction, the soaked and drained beans. Later I added salt, pepper, Braggs and more water as needed. It cooked pretty fast and came out wonderful. Creamy, but not baby food creamy. I went easy on the spices and was glad, because these beans have some really great flavor going on.

our new BFF

So there's a new bean on the block. Watch out old bean buddies - be on your toes - you have some major competition. No food fights please.