1 cup cooked, drained white beans such as Rancho Gordo Royal Corona, Alubia Blanca, or Marcella beans About 4 oz tuna packed in olive oil, drained and flaked 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or light vinegar such as pineapple vinegar, or more to taste Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley or oregano 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (optional) Makes 2 servings In a large bowl, combine the beans, tuna, and onion and gently toss together. Add the olive oil and lem ..read more

Using cucumbers in a salad seems obvious, but they can be very wet, and after a short while, your salad might look more like a cold soup. Here, the seeds and middle part are scooped out, then the cucumbers are salted and left to drain excess liquid. You'll be surprised by the amount of liquid released, and the cucumber flavor will really come through.  When serving, you could toss the whole thing, but we found it dramatic and more appealing to create a ring of cucumbers and plop a healthy scoop of Ceci Piccoli, already dressed, in the center. 2 medium cucumbers ..read more

Inspired by a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, here is a dish you could take to a gathering and serve at room temperature. So many hosts want some help but dread hearing, "What can I bring?" Make it easy on them and bring this. Or serve it as a side at your own celebration. 1 large green pepper, or 2 small 2 bunches spring onions, trimmed  3 teaspoons olive oil (divided use) Fresh corn kernels cut from 4 ears of corn 1 tablespoon butter 2 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo Ayocote Morado beans (or another firm heirloom bean) ¼ cup sour cream or creme fraiche Juice of 1 lime, plus ..read more

This is our favorite kind of salad: crunchy, creamy, and substantial. We've been enjoying Andy Baraghani's book, The Cook You Want to Be (Lorena Jones Books, 2022). There are countless new ideas and jumping-off points if you're an adventurous cook. His Crunchy Celery Salad has shades of the old Waldorf salad that your grandmother enjoyed, but this is new and sharp and easy to like. We added a cup of cooked Alubia Blancas and cut back a little on the cheese since the beans would add some of the creaminess.  4 to 6 celery stalks, preferably with leaves 1 green apple 1 carrot Extra-virgin ..read more

You are welcome to play around with quantities and even ingredients. You could try a colored cabbage, replace it with lettuce, use poached chicken instead of shrimp, or make it vegan and leave them out altogether. The one thing we insist is that you don't use canned hominy. Hopefully, you won't even be tempted, but we will tell you the texture is not right, and the flavor is nothing compared to our dry prepared hominy or freshly made nixtamal. ¼ cup olive oil Juice from 2 limes 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon Rancho Gordo Sabor Vaquero Chili Powder Blend, or your favorite chili powder blen ..read more

1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon Rancho Gordo Castillo Spanish Pimenton (optional) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 4 cups baby spinach 1 1/2 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo Black Garbanzos or Classic Garbanzos 1/4 of a white onion, minced Makes 2 to 4 servings In a small bowl, combine the garlic, preserved lemon, lemon juice, and pimenton. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the spinach in a serving bowl. Add your des ..read more

Our friend Emily Nunn is a People of The Bean. Her clever Department of Salad newsletter is an endless font of salad wisdom. She's written an ebook for Rancho Gordo, and she's a constant inspiration for better and better salads. She is an advocate for this delicious version of Ranch Dressing. It's excellent, but I am lazy and left out many of the ingredients. I ended up using a spoonful of goat yogurt instead of mayonnaise, because that's what I had on hand. I am normally a strict olive oil and good vinegar kind of salad dresser, so for me, this was a leap, but I'm sure it would gi ..read more

Steve made this super simple, flexible salad for an Instagram Live episode and we got some requests for the full recipe. Ta-da! Note that Steve used pre-cooked Spanish chorizo, which is different from the fresh Mexican-style chorizo that needs to be cooked first.  2 cups cooked, drained Rancho Gordo Garbanzo Beans 1 roasted red bell pepper (jarred is fine), chopped 1/4 pound cured Spanish chorizo (or to taste), diced 1/4 of a white onion, minced 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon Rancho Gordo Pineapple Vinegar or other mild vinegar Salt a ..read more

When we think of Black Eyed Peas, we generally think of stews and pork products, so it was fun to experiment with them in a fresh vegetable and herb salad. Black Eyed Peas, especially our new-crop peas, can overcook quickly, so keep an eye on the pot if you are cooking them for a salad.   Any firm heirloom bean would work in a salad like this. You could substitute a different fresh herb, but if you can find fresh mint, it really brings this dish together.    Juice of ½ lemon 1 tablespoon Rancho Gordo Pineapple Vinegar or white wine vinegar ¼ cup extra ..read more

Runner beans make a welcome component in a salad because they are thick-skinned and firm, but with a creamy interior. You can prepare all the components of this salad in advance, but wait until just before serving to combine everything, so all the ingredients stay crisp and fresh. ½ bunch fresh cilantro 1 to 2 jalapeño chiles, halved, stemmed, and seeded 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon Rancho Gordo Pineapple Vinegar or other mild vinegar ¼ cup olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 cups baby arugula or baby spinach 1 watermelon radish ..read more