Technical issues GONE…well, for now. Sorry for the delay on this week’s Weekly Bite. I know you have been dying to know what delicious seasonal eat I was going to share with you. Right?
Beans, beans good for your heart…cranberry beans included!
Also known as shell beans or borlotti beans, the signature Tuscan vegetable sounds like a cranberry and bean fusion is actually not related to the cranberry plant at all. The summer into fall bean gets its name from the cranberry speckled markings on the skin of the pod and bean. The bean itself looks more like the popular pinto bean although the two taste nothing alike. Cranberry beans have a mild nutty and creamy flavor that other beans just can’t match.
The red and white beans are so pretty they may have been made by Tinkerbelle. You just want to stare at them instead of cook them. The sad news is that the striking maroon freckled legumes (PS I highly dislike that word!) don’t maintain their markings when cooked. Nature plays a trick on us when it lures us in to the mound of dazzling dotted pods and then leaves us with an unexciting light brown color. So maybe make a necklace?
But when color is not a priority on your plate, the vibrant (or not-so-vibrant) beans still provide the same great nutrition as the rest of the bean family. High in protein and fiber, the mottled pods are also rich in vitamins and minerals like folate, manganese and iron. Thank you pixie family for not depriving us of the color AND the health perks of the cranberry bean!
Here are some recipes to adore from the beans that must be straight from Jack’s beanstalk:
- Make a zesty summer side dish by shelling the beans and tossing them with lemon and olive oil.
- Bring out the creamy nuttiness with a delicious cranberry beans and parsley pesto.
- Go rustic with this attention-grabbing cranberry bean and toasted black quinoa salad. I’ll go vegetarian any day if I can eat this at least once a week.
- Cranberry beans make great additions to soups and stews. Try this borlotti minestrone the moment that fall hits.
- Fresh cranberry bean hummus is the perfect twist to the classic bean dip.
- Is it a no brainer to make baked beans and simmer them in cranberry juice? Given their name, it sounds like a logical choice!
If you have trouble finding fresh borlotti beans at your farmer’s market or grocer, the dried variety are easy to come by year round. Just soak the spotted crimson beans overnight and drain before you start cooking with them.
Cranberry beans can add heartiness to many dishes but its perfect pair-up is the tomato. The creaminess of the bean with the freshness of a ripe tomato makes a mouthwatering combination.
Now it is your turn. What would you pair with cranberry beans?
CLICK TO TWEET>>> Bean me. Cranberry #beans + ______ make a stellar combination. #PairYourEats w/ @BiteSzWellness—a #foodie challenge http://bit.ly/OrEUSk <<TWEET ME!
Join in on the Weekly Bite #PairYourEats challenge for food pairing fun. Remember that the FIRST blog link-up party is on the first of the month. Hope you are stewing with food combos!
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Did you learn a new bean today? Who is getting excited for the first #PairYourEats challenge?
PictureNewYork LG via photo pin cc
PictureNewYork LG via photo pin cc
