I really like dried beans of all shapes and sizes. They are a great alternative to meat-centered meals, if you're trying to consume less meat. Not only are they inexpensive, they make healthy hearty warming soups in the winter and wonderful salads in the summer. I usually purchase my beans in bulk at the local health food store, but when I can find them locally I buy them up. Last year I bought a few pints of dried mixed beans at my local farmers market, they were wonderful. Sadly, I was only able to buy a few pounds, not nearly enough for all year.
A few weeks ago, I was able to find some dried beans at the Local Roots Market. They're beautiful beans. I got a pound each of "Jade", "Maxibelle", and "Dragon Tongue". I may save a few of each to plant in the garden this summer.
I decided to make a simple bean soup from the "Jade" beans. I have some bacon in the fridge, a few onions in the pantry and some dried sage that will pair wonderfully for a simple bean soup.
I usually soak beans for about 24 hours before cooking them (I add a tablespoon or two of cider vinegar to the soaking water). These beans will be on the stove all day today, simmering away into a warming winter soup. Not only is this a delicious winter meal, but it's healthy and inexpensive! (here are a few bean recipes to try)
Are beans eaten in your household? What's you're favorite way to eat them?
20 comments:
I need to work on getting more beans into our meals. This spring I will plant green pole beans and bush beans to eat fresh and freeze. Once I get a handle on growing a few more things I need add some beans that I can dry. I will keep my eye out for different kinds to buy to see what we like. Emily in So. TX
Hi there,yes i am eating a lot more bean's these day's,i used to cook them for hour's,which really annoyed me,now i let them cook in my Thermal cooker all day,it's great,don't have to keep stirring,does'nt heat up the kitchen,no power needed to run it,and at the end of the day their ready,wonderful,enjoyed your post,thank's for sharing.
I put the dried beans in a pot, bring to the boil, turn off the heat and leave for an hour, this eliminates the long soaking, as the hot beans will soak up liquid quicker. If you throw away that water and use fresh water for the cooking after the soaking you will reduce the flatulance beans can sometimes cause.
We have been eating more since I planted a TON of them last summer. We ate them fresh-picked and raw from the garden, & cooked lightly through the fall. I canned tons and blanched and froze a bunch. I also dried some.
Next year, I think we'll stick to them fresh and dried. The canned ones are fine, the frozen ones were gross. Live and learn!
My favorite beans are either red beans and rice or beans (any kind) in vegetable beef soup. Since I have a ham bone at the moment, I will probably be making some red beans. Yum.
I've been eating more beans since I've started cooking up a pound or more at a time and then freezing them - even cheaper than the canned beans. And I freeze some in smaller quantities, for things like adding beans to our tacos.
With my housemate being Mexican American, we eat a lot of beans! And a great trick for keeping the gassiness down: when you put your beans in the cold water, before you turn the heat on it, put half of an onion in (no slicing or dicing, just one CHOP and half an onion into the pot). You can remove the onion when it is fully cooked and limp or you can choose not to.
I make a spicy bean soup with fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, homemade stock, some locally made chorizo and dried chili peppers. I'm hoping to get my own peppers growing this year so I can dry them but we'll see how I do in this English climate!
I eat dried beans nearly every day in some form. Cooking them in the pressure cooker saves an incredible amount of time: I'll soak them the night before or in the morning while breakfast is getting started, and then once I get home from work, its into the pressure cooker for 1/2 hour and done. Usually I make 2 different kinds of beans in a larger amount to last the week, since I'm usually the only one to feed.
Favorite beans are black, pinto, jacob's cattle... and lentil (as a legume - no soaking required). I'm glad to have a local source for them, but regardless, they make a great part of a meal. Made into a dip, rolled into filling a flatbread, made into a soup, or even just as a seasoned side-dish with the cooking liquid in there.... so useful and tasty.
What is the benefit of adding the cider vinegar to the soaking water? This is the first I have heard of this and I am curious.
Victoria
Livin, thank you for posting the pressure cooker info. I would love to use more beans; the flatulance is the only yet BIGGEST hold back. I'll try your method and we'll see what happens.
We eat a lot of beans! I make a pot of refried beans weekly for homemade burritos (common lunch and breakfast food), and most of my soups have some kind of bean in them. We also eat a lot of hummus, and I've got the ingredients now to make our own and I have to get that on my calendar somewhere! I generally soak overnight, rinse, and then pressure cook with fresh water to reduce power consumption
I use a pressure cooker to get that slow bean flavor quickly, saving bundles on energy.
Just my suggestion.
Anonymous: There are those that believe that adding apple cider vinegar while soaking helps denature phytic acid, and gentle cooking makes the vegetable protein digestible (which helps reduce gas). I also soak my oat groat and other whole grains overnight with some apple cider vinegar or whey to make them more digestible (and reduce gas).
I've also found that increasing the amount of beans in your diet helps with the gas. If you gradually increase them your body gets more used to them and you have fewer problems.
Here's a great article on beans:
http://www.trit.us/foodfeatures/cooking-legumes.html
I cook a batch or two of dried beans every other week and put the leftovers in small batches in the freezer for later use.
Other than soups, they're usually simmering in my bean pot for a night of New England Baked Beans.
Tonight it was black bean and sweet potato buritos- saute some sweet onions, add the cooked black beans to warm. Spread a layer of mashed sweet potato (bake them then scoop the soft sweet goodness out of the skin) onto your tortilla, layer on the black bean and onion, add a bit of cheddar-jack, wrap, then warm them through. Serve with sour cream. You wouldn't know there wasn't any meat in it! :)
I love beans too--especially since you can buy them bulk and save them up for later. I like the idea of soaking over night with a little vinegar--I'll have to try.
I also find that using a 'hay box' which might be the same as carol's thermal cooker is a great way to slow cook dried foods without using so much energy. Mine is just a cardboard box full of recycled 'insulation' I boil beans for about 10-12 minutes, then nest the pot in the insulation for 6 hours or so--and the beans are slow cooked all day without using electricity and gas. You can leave them alone and come back later with no fear of fire. I highly recommend it.
Oh SimpleinFrance, I LOVE that idea! Reminds me of a solar cooker. I am going to try it.
We eat lots of beans at our house. Black beans and pinto beans are what I cook most often. They are often made into refried beans after cooking or sometimes a nice bean soup.
I'm planning to grow a few types of beans this year and may try my hand at dried beans, too.
Blessings,
Catherine :)
Dried beans were part of my first gardening experience last year. Heirloom purple podded and black valentine, absolutely loved them -so easy to harvest and store! This year I am planning many more beans! YUM
This year I am going to leave my climbing beans to mature to dried. I am also going to try leaving my dwarf French beans to get haricot (navy) beans.
I can buy from Tesco a can or red kidney beans for 15pence - about 10cents - and I use lots of them, including the canning liquid. It means I can make a meal for about 50pence!
C
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