Useful extras
June 14, 2008
Bean me up
Challenge Yourself for: 2 days
It’s hard to beat the flavor of beans cooked from scratch. From cassoulet to refried beans to split pea soup, dried beans and legumes are a favorite the world over. If time is an issue, start your foray into bean cooking with lentils – most varieties cook in 30 minutes or less.
This weekend, challenge yourself to cook one of your favorite beans from scratch and see if you can taste a difference. Better yet, cook a little extra and freeze them for later.
(When logging progress for this challenge, only log as many days as you participated the activity within the 7-day time frame.)
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We made some local cranberry beans and they were creamy and delish. Have to be careful with some beans in the pressure cooker because they give off so much starch, they can clog the steam valve. Will try the crockpot method next. My kids love beans too, so it’s an easy way to get them to eat healthily.
Earler this week I cooked up some lean ground beef and added kidney beans to stretch how far it would go and to add extra fiver into the diet of my family. My kids (especially the youngest who is allergic to pork, lamb, fish/shelfish, and all nuts) love the taste and texture of beans. It makes me feel good to be able to offer my family healthy food choices on our extremely tight food budet.
Took the suggestion to start w/ Lentils since time is an issue for me, made a nice green lentil and onion soup that I then pureed for improved texture… added red pepper flakes for alittle kick and yummm…
I agree with Purespiryt, cooking them in a slow cooker/crockpot is the easiest way to do them.
I sort & wash mine, place them in a bowl and cover with about 4 inches or so of water, place a lid on them and leave them to sit overnight to soak.
In the morning, pour off the soak water, rinse well and then transfer to your crockpot. Add enough water to cover by about 4 inches or so and add whatever seasonings you’d like, just no salt, this can keep the beans from getting soft.
Cook on low for about 4-5 hours.
Once they are done, then you can add any salt or salty seasonings.
Some good seasonings are: Garlic (or garlic powder), onion (or onion powder), cumin, cayenne pepper, canned tomatoes, etc. For a cajun kick, after they are done, you can add some Tony Chachere’s seasoning, but be careful, a little goes a long way.
My favorites are: Black beans with rice, red beans(not kidney) with rice or even just pinto beans with some cornbread on the side.
It’s easy if you slow cook them, clean them first then put them in a slow cooker over night with what ever spices you like put them on high for the first 12 hrs then to a medium for the rest of the time they come out perfect and infused with the flavors you prefer… Good Luck
I cooked dry chickpeas twice, using both the quick and overnight methods. They were good, but not quite as moist and soft as the canned. i can definitely see where the better taste will come in after I get it down right. My problem is that I cook for one, and it is logical to make a big batch and freeze some. However, when I did this, they became really yucky and dry. What am I missing here?
I have never had success with cooking dry beans — the are always Very hard. I’ve tried boiling and letting them sit overnight. I know that I’m not an accomplished chef, but I wouldn’t think that beans would be that difficult to cook. We always keep beans in cans on hand now.