For Brian Yazzie, the executive chef of Gatherings Cafe inside the Minneapolis American Indian Center, this textural salad represents his two homes: the Southwest and Minneapolis. The tender Tepary beans and crumbles of goat cheese remind him of his Navajo roots. The beans are native to the Sonoran Desert, and goats are essential for food and clothing for Diné people. Dandelion greens are a local Minneapolis species that elder Hope Flanagan of Dream of Wild Health farm recently showed him and his team how to forage for. In his recipe, Yazzie seeks out the brown varieties of the Tepary beans—he loves the ones from Ramona Farms—because they excel at holding their shape and are native to the American Southwest. To balance their creaminess and the dandelion greens’ bitterness, he uses a combination of cranberries and sumac to create a bright, acidic vinaigrette.
