What can I do with beans?

berfy

I'm trying to stretch my food budget, and want to start using dried beans. Only tried cooking them once years ago, and it did not go well. Thought maybe the slow cooker would be easier? We eat mainly vegetarian, with some chicken, and most recipes I can find call for meat. Anyone have any good vegetarian recipes/advice on how to not end up with nasty burnt-tasting beans?

GreyV

Have a look at this website x http://southernfood.about.com/library/recipes/blpage7.htm

guacamole17

We cook a half a bag of dried beans with an onion (quartered), several cloves of garlic, dash of veggie oil, chicken stock, and some sausage. Cover beans/stuff with the stock (could also use veggie stock, or part water/part stock, whatever). You could not use sausage also. Cook on low for a while until they are done, a few hours. Add more stock as its cooking or let some of the stock evaporate if you like it more or less soupy. Take the lid off, mash them up a bit so it thickens a little. About an hour before we eat we add some cajun seasoning to taste.

You could also do this in a slow cooker, I would add a good 2 inches of liquid over the beans. Really good with hot sauce!

magj0y

"dirty" beans and rice are always good.

mixing up your beans is the way to go. when cooking beans in a crock pot, chicken backs can flavor it cheaply.

collard greens, carrots, spinach and others can really flavor it up. black bean enchiladas are pretty good with chicken.

needamulligan

I haven't thought of this recipe in ages! Have you ever tried Boyscout Beans? You'll have to google it because the only thing I can remember is that they were yummy!

ixap

I add them to lots of things. Pasta, salads, baked goods (pureed, in place of some of the oil), green smoothies (really! don't even know they're there), soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes (again, pureed, in smallish quantity), as a baked potato topping with cheese, etc. -- they pretty much soak up the flavors of everything else if you just use about a quarter cup per serving.

Smurfette1987

i like to slow cook mixed beans with tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilli, seasoning and quorn sausages. nomnom.

HeiWol87

I use them to make a bean chilli using tinned tomatoes and various spices

DarwinChick95

flick them...... hehehe

GemskiB

Mexican bean lasagne thing... Serves 4:

BASIC INGREDIENTS
6 soft tortillas (the small long life ones)
2 x cans black beans (400g each)
2 x cans tomatoes with chilli (400g each)
1 x packet fajita seasoning
70g Mexicana or cheddar, grated

OPTIONAL EXTRAS
1 sliced onion
A few mushrooms
Crushed garlic

Oven to gas 4 or 5

If using extras, fry the onions in a little oil, adding water if it gets a bit sticky

Add the mushrooms and garlic and soften for a couple of minutes

Id not using extras, just start with the drained beans in a pan and start to warm through, and add the fajita seasoning

Add the tinned tomatoes and warm through.

Slice the tortillas in half. Put a third of the bean and tomato mix at the bottom of a 30cm sq tin, add a little cheese and a layer of cheese. Repeat twice more and finish with cheese on top of tortillas.

Will only take around 15 mins in the oven as the mix is already hot. I love this dinner, easily halfed to serve two and if I do this I use a loaf tin to cook it in :-)


I put this in the I hate beans post yesterday - I can' see why you can' cook beans and make this though, Not really a slow cooker recipe but so tasty.

Also - not sure if you know this but beans freeze fine - I do it quite a lot with pulses/carbs that I cook on a sunday for my lunches at work in the week. I add them to salads to bulk it up, but find cooking them every night is a chore. So I cook 5 portions, keep two of those out and then portion and freeze the others. Time saver!

chooriyah

Some of my favourite bean recipes:

Cuban black bean soup: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-cuban-black-bean-soup-098048

Slow cooked tomato and herb white beans: http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/10/slow-cooked-tomato-and-herb-white-beans

Black eyed peas: http://www.thekitchn.com/-holiday-guest-post-from-17-104146

15 different bean recipes: http://www.thekitchn.com/beautiful-beans-15-delicious-r-142106

Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chilli: http://www.thekitchn.com/vegetarian-recipe-black-bean-sweet-potato-and-quinoa-chili-166739

Indian Red Kidney Bean curry: http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2008/06/29/rajma-chawal-kidney-bean-curry/

I'm also vegetarian and if it calls for ham, ham bone, bacon etc, I just sub in some smoked paprika.

gc2951

When using dried beans, rinse them and then soak them overnight in enough water to cover + 1 inch and I add 1 Tablespoon baking soda to reduce the amount of gas. In the morning, rinse again and place in slow cooker with enough water or stock to cover. Add 1-40z can tomato paste, 1 medium onion chopped, 4 cloves garlic minced, and 2 carrots sliced thin. Cover and cook on high for 3.5 to 4 hours.
I serve this with corn bread.

You can do the same thing with white beans (navy or white kidney) plus add 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning. Cook as directed but stir in 4 cups of chopped escarole for the last hour of cooking time and sprinkle with parmesan or romano cheese if you like when serving.