Welcome back to The Road Warrior Kitchen, friends. Today we are talking about beans.
It seems to me that beans are somewhat polarizing. Some people, when you mention a bean dish, kind of wrinkle their nose, like, "...Oh. Ok, if you insist." Other people are absolute bean fiends who will expound at length about their love of legumes of all types. Still others are kind of like afraid of beans, either for digestive reasons or because they see them as "high calorie" or "starchy" or they are simply afraid of eating carbs for some reason.
On the scale of "bean fear" to "bean fiend," I'm maybe like 80% of the way to fiend. I grew up mainly on mass-produced canned beans and my granddad's weekly pot of pinto beans from dried, and felt pretty neutral about them for the most part (other than having a serious, SERIOUS dislike of lima beans and any kind of sweetened baked beans). They were food and as long as they weren't actively nasty, I'd mostly eat them.
My modern love of beans did not really emerge until I discovered Rancho Gordo beans around 2015 or so. Rancho Gordo is a bean farm based in Napa, where they farm a huge variety of North American heirloom beans, some of which make it to smaller boutique-type markets but most of which are sold via their bean club. I had been buying their cassoulet beans in our local market for years, but then the pandemic hit and we all went into lock down/survival mode and started panicking about stocking up on hearty non-perishables.
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It was then that I discovered the bean club; alas it was also when everyone else in the US also discovered the bean club and I found myself on a waitlist. BUT, a year later, I got an email with the subject line "You're In!" and it's been beans, beans, beans, six pounds of beans every quarter, ever since.
Now, you might be thinking, "Very cool bean club story, thanks for sharing. But this is a running blog. What do beans have to do with running? What does the wide world of heirloom beans have to offer me, a runner?" Let us discuss.
Why Are Beans Great For Runners?
First of all, there is a reason beans have been a staple food across cultures and continents for thousands of years. They're pretty easy to grow and maintain. They're (generally) cheap, easy to store and keep well, and provide an efficient and affordable source of calories in general and protein specifically (particularly compared to meat).
Speaking of nutritional goodness, let's get into it. Why are beans a runner's boon?- Protein. There is a bit of variation from bean to bean but generally you can assume ~8 grams in half a cup (this seems to be about what I consume in a bean side-dish) / ~16 grams in a full cup (more likely if the bean thing is the main event). Now these aren't animal or even dairy protein numbers (an athlete my size is shooting for 90-100g per day) but they're not nothing, either. (1)
- Carbs. That half a cup nets you ~22 grams, or ~45ish in a full cup (1). (Just for some context, my ballpark requirement is around 150-200g per day depending on activity, including 60-80g pretty quickly after a long run or big workout.) AND these aren't just any old carbs. The carbohydrates in beans are large what is known as resistant starch, meaning they provide the energy you need from carbs but also take a long time to break down in the digestive system, meaning they provide many of the same benefits of dietary fiber (without the downsides of quick-digesting carbs that can spike blood sugar--great during a long run or workout, not so great when you're just chilling).
- Fiber. About 15 grams a cup / 7-8 grams in half a cup. (1). (Adults need about 30g per day from food; supplements don't count (2)). Fiber is not only important for digestion but also lowers the risk of certain types of cancer (2) and provides a sense of fullness and satiation.
- A veritable wonderland of vitamins and minerals. (1, 2, 3) Beans have all kinds of nutritious stuff in them but in particular they are an excellent source of vitamin B9 (folate), potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and antioxidants (particularly dark-skinned beans).
Dried vs. Canned
As a bean club member, you might think I've become a bit of bean snob. And, there is some truth to that. My eyes have been opened to how flavorful and revelatory really fresh, heirloom beans can be--varietals that are much closer to their uber-flavorful ancestors and have not been specially bred over time to prioritize ease of harvesting and consistency for canning. And I've now been cooking dried beans long enough that it's a pretty mindless process--soak the night before or in the morning (this shortens the cooking time but isn't strictly necessary), give 'em a good, hard boil in salt water for ~15 minutes, then let them simmer in veggie scraps, herbs, & a little olive oil till they're soft (as quick as 30 minutes for thinner-skinned beans & maybe an hour to an hour & a half for the heartiest ones). The active time you need to be doing or paying close attention to something is actually pretty small.
That said, it does take *some* amount of time and planning ahead. And you know what? If you don't have time or can't be bothered and just need to throw
together a delicious meal that's packed with nutritional goodness, canned beans are fine. Truly. I promise.
Now. Let me tell you my biggest secret re: taking beans from serviceable to absolutely *divine*, which I learned from Our Goddess and national treasure Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. Are you ready?
Here's the secret:
***Anything you can do with pasta, you can do with beans.***
I mean think about it. Marinara sauce and a little parmesan. A tasty bolognese. Pesto. A rich, herbalicious anchovy sauce. Bean carbonara. It totally works!
Now, don't misunderstand me. I have no quarrel with pasta. I love pasta. It's great for carb loading the night before a long race or refilling those carb stores after a big workout. It's also delicious. I'm not suggesting replacing all pasta with beans in every situation; just proposing a frame for coming up with new and delicious ways to enjoy beans.
To wit, let's consider a quick, easy, nutritious, and delicious way to enjoy all the benefits of beans, which absolutely employees the pasta treatment.
Kale Pesto Beans
I love this as a side dish or a quick and tasty lunch (especially if it's leftovers from dinner and all I have to do is heat it up).
Step 1: Make the beans. Here's how I do it, many thanks to Rancho Gordo.
Step 2: Make the pesto. Making pesto from scratch couldn't be simpler. Gather some kind of greens or herbs or combination thereof. Basil is classic but anything green and flavorful is game; in the winter I love kale, arugula, and/or carrot tops. Adding herbs like chives or cilantro adds a nice pop of flavor. Toss them in your food processor with some salt and lemon juice and give it a few pulses; then add a bit of olive oil with the processor running.
Add some parm or pecorino and a handful of nuts if you want. (Again, pine nuts are the classic but it literally does not matter; almonds are common in our household but often I leave them out all together.)
If you like garlic, roughly chop some garlic and throw it in. Food process and adjust everything to your taste; you literally cannot screw this up.
**Pro-tip** Make a big batch of pesto & freeze it. It will keep a long time and unfreezes relatively quickly in the microwave.
Step 3: Mix your beans & pesto & throw them in the microwave if needed. A delicious side dish or lunch is served.
⏲️ Ultra-time-saving version: Use canned beans and pre-made pesto. Mix the two together & pop it in the microwave for a couple minutes. Boom.
Sources:
(1) U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Data Central
(2) UCSF Patient Education--Increasing Fiber Intake
(3) University of Guelph--Beans rich source of healthy antioxidants, finds U of G researcher
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