10 Healthy Bean and Grain Recipes to Start Your New Year Right

Ready to embrace healthier eating in 2025? These nutrient-packed recipes featuring heirloom beans and ancient grains make it delicious and easy to fuel your body with real, whole foods. From fiber-rich breakfasts to satisfying plant-based dinners, each dish showcases ingredients grown by regenerative farmers who care as much about soil health as they do about flavor.

Rustic Mayflower Bean and Hominy Stew

A celebration of indigenous agriculture featuring the Three Sisters—beans, corn, and squash—this low-oil vegan stew combines creamy Mayflower beans with non-GMO hominy and roasted butternut squash. Mayflower beans are packed with plant-based protein and resistant starch for gut health, while the hominy provides whole grain nutrition without any genetic modification. The combination creates a complete protein that sustained indigenous communities for centuries.

Oaxacan Breakfast Bowl

Start your day with serious fiber power. Rio Zape beans deliver around 15 grams of fiber per cup, making this breakfast bowl perfect for gut health and sustained energy. These beautiful purple-streaked heirloom beans from Mexico have a rich, meaty texture that stands up beautifully to bold Oaxacan spices. Top with avocado, salsa verde, and a runny egg for a breakfast that keeps you full until lunch.

Maple Cinnamon Baked Oats

Ancient grain oats get a healthy makeover in this naturally sweetened breakfast bake. Our certified organic oats are raw and never heated during processing, preserving all the natural oils and nutrients that are often lost in conventional processing. Whole grain oats provide beta-glucan fiber that supports heart health and helps regulate cholesterol, while warming cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar and provides powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. Pure maple syrup adds natural sweetness without refined sugar. Bake a batch on Sunday for grab-and-go breakfasts all week.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Hominy

This vegan take on the traditional chicken-based tortilla soup gets its meaty texture and deep smoky flavor from Chef Dave's Fat Red Hominy or Becky Blanca Hominy—non-GMO corn that's been traditionally nixtamalized with wood ash. Hominy is more nutritious than regular corn, with the nixtamalization process increasing calcium and niacin bioavailability while unlocking nutrients that would otherwise remain bound in the grain. Fire-roasted tomatoes and toasted pasilla chiles create layers of complex flavor that prove plant-based cooking doesn't need to rely on substitution—it can stand proudly on its own.

Creamy Mushroom Bean Soup (With No Cream)

Rich and velvety without a drop of dairy, this soup proves you don't need cream to create comfort. Heirloom white beans are simply blended with their cooking liquid and sautéed mushrooms to create an incredibly silky texture. You're getting pure plant-based protein, prebiotic fiber, and immune-supporting mushroom compounds in every spoonful.

Moroccan Grilled Carrots with Nigella Seeds on Butter Bean Puree

This stunning dish transforms simple ingredients into something special. Butter beans blend into a creamy, protein-rich base that's topped with harissa-spiced grilled carrots and a sprinkle of nigella seeds. Butter beans are exceptionally high in fiber and resistant starch, making them excellent for blood sugar regulation and supporting beneficial gut bacteria.

Purple Barley Cajun Bowl

Tibetan purple hull-less barley is a nutritional powerhouse loaded with anthocyanins—the same antioxidants that make blueberries blue. With more fiber than oats and a low glycemic index, this ancient grain helps regulate blood sugar while its chewy texture creates a satisfying base for Cajun-spiced vegetables and beans. The bold spices add anti-inflammatory compounds along with serious flavor.

Savory Sage and Whole Grain Stuffed Peppers

Ancient grains meet fresh herbs in this satisfying main dish. Ancient cracked farro creates a hearty vegetarian "stuffing" that's worlds away from traditional sausage stuffing. This unprocessed whole grain retains all its bran, germ, and endosperm for maximum nutrition, providing exceptional fiber, protein, and minerals. The cracked texture cooks into a sausage-like consistency that binds beautifully with fresh sage and vegetables. Unlike refined grains, farro's intact nutrients support sustained energy and digestive health while its nutty flavor stands up to bold herbs.

Smoky Vegan Black Bean and Hominy Chili

This vegan chili gets its meaty texture and deep smoky flavor from Corn Mafia's Fat Red Hominy—non-GMO corn that's been traditionally nixtamalized for incredible flavor and nutrition. Black Valentine beans (or Black Tepary beans) add protein and fiber while bourbon barrel smoked paprika and Oaxacan mole sauce layer on complex, satisfying depth. The nixtamalization process increases calcium and niacin bioavailability in the hominy, while the pairing of beans and corn creates a complete protein. This is the kind of plant-based cooking that stands on its own merits, not as a substitute for anything.

Vegan White Bean Corn Chowder

Creamy cassoulet beans from Doudlah Farm create the base for this dairy-free chowder that gets its cheesy flavor from nutritional yeast. These regeneratively grown white beans are naturally creamy when blended, while nutritional yeast adds B vitamins along with that savory, umami taste. Sweet corn and herbs make it a bowl of pure comfort that actually supports your health goals.

VEGAN RECIPES

SOUP RECIPES

SHOP HEIRLOOM BEANS

SHOP ANCIENT GRAINS