Cooking with dried beans

[keepinthefaith]

DH and I are big-time meat eaters, but with the price of meat rapidly increasing, we've decided to challenge ourselves to pursue other options for protein. If you have great recipes/tips for cooking with the dried beans you buy in a bag, would you please share them?

[txmover]

::)Who Farted? Get ready for a lot of that....

Here is a great bean soup recipe.

1 lb Pinto Beans
1 -12 oz package of Bacon
1-Yellow Onion
1- Green Bell Pepper
1- bunch of Cilantro

Soak the beans overnight or do the quick soak method by heating water and letting them sit for 1 1/2 hours. Add some baking soda to de-fart the beans.

Chop the onion and bell pepper (however you like them big or small)

Cut bacon into 1 inch strips and fry til light brown.

Toss in the onion and bell pepper into the bacon pan with all of the grease and bacon still in there. Sweat the onion til it's soft (several minutes) throw in the chopped Cilantro in at the last minute, just long enough to wilt.

I usually add garlic powder, black pepper and lightly salt the cooked down yummyness...

Put the yummyness (grease and all) into the cooking pot with the drained beans and then add water to cover everything by several inches of water.

Cook until beans are done, extra water is OK cause it makes the soupy broth that is really good. Salt to taste and dig in.

The left over beans can be mashed to make an awesome refried bean concoction the next morning with sunny side up eggs and salsa.

Don't be scared of the grease, it gets soaked up by the beans.

[steff]

Apr 18, 2011 13:36:25 GMT -5 txmover said:

::)Who Farted? Get ready for a lot of that....

Here is a great bean soup recipe.

1 lb Pinto Beans
1 -12 oz package of Bacon
1-Yellow Onion
1- Green Bell Pepper
1- bunch of Cilantro

Soak the beans overnight or do the quick soak method by heating water and letting them sit for 1 1/2 hours. Add some baking soda to de-fart the beans.

Chop the onion and bell pepper (however you like them big or small)

Cut bacon into 1 inch strips and fry til light brown.

Toss in the onion and bell pepper into the bacon pan with all of the grease and bacon still in there. Sweat the onion til it's soft (several minutes) throw in the chopped Cilantro in at the last minute, just long enough to wilt.

I usually add garlic powder, black pepper and lightly salt the cooked down yummyness...

Put the yummyness (grease and all) into the cooking pot with the drained beans and then add water to cover everything by several inches of water.

Cook until beans are done, extra water is OK cause it makes the soupy broth that is really good. Salt to taste and dig in.

The left over beans can be mashed to make an awesome refried bean concoction the next morning with sunny side up eggs and salsa.

Don't be scared of the grease, it gets soaked up by the beans.

I cook beans almost exactly the same except a couple of differences. My "quick soak" method is to put the beans in a microwave safe bowl, cover with water and micro for 8 minutes and drain off the water. I add either a jalapeno or a sererano pepper with the onion & bell pepper. I also don't salt until the very end because my mamaw always said salting while cooking would make the beans tough....she also taught me to throw in a whole unpeeled carrot (has to be unpeeled) to help 'de-fart' the beans. Of course, she also tied the carrot to a wooden spoon with cooking string and laid it across the pot so the "farts can climb up the string and out of the pot".

[Agatha]

I have also found that using vegetable broth really does "enrich" the flavor of beans. It's the only way I can eat the "meatless" beans I make for my vegetarian nephew.

[Cookies Galore]

Finding protein in non-meat sources is so simple, you're most likely doing it already!
Spinach has a lot of protein (12g per 100 calories), as do most leafy green vegetables. I love spinach with garlic and oil over linguine.
Chickpeas are also a good source of protein, I use them in salads, soups, stews, and curries.
Lentils are my favorite. I make Indian-spiced lentils regularly and they are amazing every time.
When I make chili, I use kidney beans and tofu.
Seitan is something you should look into. You can make so many dishes with so many different flavor profiles.

[lisaflex]

;)dried beans are cheap and good for you!!!!

rinse a bag of white beans. soak overnight. drain. put in CP. cover w/ water to cover. add bay leaf or 2 and some pepper. cook on low about 5 hrs or so. depending on you CP.

drain. remove bay leaves.

store in frig til ready for use.

add some OO to a heated pan, add 1/2 diced red onion, crshd red pepper and LOTS of frsh garlic, add beans to warm. add some frshly squeezed lemon juice....you can also add some fresh spinach. great dish for lunch. alsogood served as a side to some grld chix or shrimp.

the same for black beans ...they take a bit longer to cook in CP.
add OO to heated pan, add 1/2 chpd red onion, crshd red ppr, lots of frsh garlic, add beans to warm. sprinkle w/ fresh lime juice. this is yum alone. also great side for chix or shrimp done on the barbie.

chix peas - love em! boil some linguine (we use whole wheat) in a pan, heat oil, add crshd red pepper and onion, sautee, add frsh garlic, add some of the pasta water, add chix peas to warm. serve over pasta w/ frsh grtd cheese and frsh parsley.