In a combined effort to continue getting through our pantry items in anticipation of our move this fall & to create an original recipe for entry in Culinarty’s Original Recipe Round Up, I created these Chard & Tepary Bean Empanadas.

Teparies are an heirloom bean varietal native to the southwestern United States and Mexico that are very similar to the pinto bean, in fact, my description of their flavor, is that they taste like pinto beans that have already had sugar and fat added to them, even though they have not. Tepary beans can be ordered from Rancho Gordo. There are two varieties of teparies, white and tan. The white teparies are a bit sweeter than the tan. I use a blend of the two.

Just to be thorough with my very first food blog event entry, this is also my entry to MLLA-13 conceived by Susan of the “Well-Seasoned Cook” and currently being hosted by Sunshinemom of “Tongue Ticklers”

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I have four recipe binders, two of new, untested recipes that are always being added to. While many of the new recipes I try are “keepers”, I hardly ever make them since there are so many new recipes to try! Not so with this chard dish that I’ve adapted from a recipe on epicurious. This versatile side is my go to dish for any entree that is just a little to plain on it’s own. This is also a great way to use up chard stems from dishes that only call for the leaves.

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