Tostadas with Smashed Orca Beans

I'm not sure how we got to November already but I don't think I'm quite ready for it yet. We cleaned out our gardens finally though except for the sweet onions and the rosemary which seem to be just fine. I like leaving the onions in as long as possible and then grab them as I need them, except there's no way I'm digging through the snow to get them now. There were only a few left though. We've had gardens on and off for the last few years but this has been the first year we really focused on it and we really enjoyed some great food from our own backyard this year.

I used a freshly picked onion in this recipe as well as that cilantro on the top but we'll have to wait until next year for anything else. I made this recipe to feature some beautiful Orca beans that I got from Bob's Red Mill.

They're from their Heritage Bean Collection and were grown in my hometown area of the Pacific Northwest. I love reading Bob's stories on the side of their products and he tells of buying a farmers entire crop after cooking a pot of them while visiting the farm.

They're a fantastic bean that keeps its shape very well and they smell so good as they simmer on the stove. I cooked them in chicken broth along with an onion and garlic before re-frying them in a pan. The best part is that you keep the liquid that they cooked in, which has so much of the great flavor and as you slightly mash the beans they thicken up and get just a bit of crisp in some parts of the pan. They don't need much else for seasoning, just a bit of salt and pepper and then I spread that across a toasted tortilla before piling on various fresh toppings. You can definitely make the beans ahead and use them all week long and use them in any number of fun dishes.

Giveaway

If you're looking for some more ideas to use some Orca beans, the entire Virtual Potluck team is featuring recipes this week with them! Bob's Red Mill is also providing a winner from each blog with a $30 product gift card! To enter here, leave a comment below with your favorite Bob's Red Mill product!  The contest will run through Wednesday, November 19, 2014. The winner will be chosen at random. You must be at least 18 years of age with a U.S. mailing address to win. No purchase is necessary; void where prohibited. The winner will be notified by email and must respond within 24 hours or another winner may be selected.

Tostadas with Smashed Orca Beans

Ingredients
1 cup Orca Beans
4 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
8 six inch flour tortillas

Toppings:
Salsa
Avocado
Pickled Red Onion
Shredded Chicken
Queso Fresco
Sour Cream

Directions

Sort and rinse the beans. Place in a medium pot with the stock, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until beans are tender and have doubled in size, about 1 hour. Add more water as needed while cooking to keep beans covered. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Do not drain!

In a large non stick skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the beans and the liquid to the hot pan. Cook the beans, mashing with a spoon as you stir them. The beans will begin to thicken, continue to stir occasionally allowing the beans to stick to the pan slightly as they cook, and then scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas in the dry pan about 30-60 seconds per side or until lightly browned and crispy.

Spread the cooked beans over the cooked tortillas and then top with desired toppings.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Bob's Red Mill. All opinions are my own.