The Bean Recipe Thread

Every once in awhile, I see someone posting a thread asking what to do with beans. I thought maybe it would be cool to have a bunch of bean ideas and recipes in one place.

There have been times where I've stayed home with the children and money has been tight, and I would substitute beans for meat in most of our meals. One bag of dried beans will make approx 16 "bean burgers". Lentils can be used to make "sloppy joes". We all like bean enchiladas. And in soups. You get the idea.

(I would give credit for these recipes where credit is due, but I've been using them for years, mainly shared by different friends on the net. Sorry, I don't remember where most of them came from.)

Sweet and Sour Lentils
1/2 c. dry lentils
3 c. water
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T honey (or you can substitute molasses)
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 c. water
1 t. cornstarch
1 small onion, sliced
2 T oil
Bring 3 c. water to a boil and cook lentils for 25 minutes. Drain, set aside. Combine next 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Spoon out a little of the liquid and mix with cornstarch to make a thin paste, then add to liquid mixture. Saute onion until soft. Add cooked lentils and mix well. Add lentil mixture to sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
I serve these over rice, with stir fry veggies.

Mujadarrah
6 T olive oil
1 very large onion, sliced
1 ¼ green or brown lentils
salt and pepper
¾ cup rice
Heat oil in large skillet on med. Cook onion, stirring frequently until it’s a rich, dark brown, about 12 mintues. Meanwhile, put the lentils in a pan with 4 c. water and 1 t. salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 min. Add rice, pepper, and additional water if needed. (If using brown rice add rice with lentils.) Cook covered over low heat until rice is done, about 15 min. Stir in half the onions, then cover and let stand off the heat for 5 min. Spoon the lentil-rice mixture on a platter and cover with remaining onions.
-from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
-I think this is a Jordanian dish. It sounds blah, but it is so yummy, easy, cheap, & nutritious. Simplicity is sometimes best!

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
12 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 each medium carrot, celery, parsnip, and onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound green split peas, rinsed and picked over
4 cups hot water
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium heat. Stir in vegetables and sauté until softened, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the peas to the water, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat so liquid is simmering. Cook until peas are very tender, about 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Remove bay leaf. Transfer mixture to a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Return to pot and heat until hot, adding more water, if necessary. Soup should be rather thick.

Spicy Black Bean Soup
1 medium onion
4 medium garlic cloves (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
1 bag dried black beans
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can broth
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
Salt & pepper to taste
Frozen corn
Soak and drain beans, cook with spices until almost done. Add corn, cook until done.

Moroccan Slow Cooker Stew
1 sprays cooking spray
1 small onion(s), chopped
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup carrot(s), baby
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp table salt
Coat a small skillet with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes.
Place squash in a 3-quart or larger slow cooker (crockpot). Add sauteed onion and garlic, carrots, tomatoes, broth, cinnamon, cumin and red pepper flakes. Cover and turn on to low heat; simmer for 6 hours.
Add chickpeas and salt. Stir, cover and heat for an additional 5 minutes. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

Lentil One pot casserole
6 3/4 oz dry lentils, about 1 cup, rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cup carrot(s), shredded
3 cup water
1 packet onion soup mix, reduced-sodium preferred
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil
Rinse lentils.
Place all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes. Yields 1 cup per serving.

Bombay Potatoes With Chick Peas
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Pinch ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 knobs butter
6 potatoes, peeled, parboiled and cut into cubes
4 tomatoes, cores removed and flesh diced
1 can chickpeas
Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped Heat the oil in a pan and fry the spices for a few minutes. Add the butter, then the potatoes making sure they are completely coated in the spicy mixture. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas, and the coriander.

Hummus
1 can chickpeas/garbanzos
1 TBSP lemon juice
3-4 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp minced garlic)
¼ tsp cumin
2-3 TBSP tahini (can sub peanut butter)
1 TBSP parsley
2 tsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Drain liquid from chickpeas, reserve some. Blend ingredients in food processor until smooth, adding more liquid if needed for desired consistency.
I've gotten to where I always substitute peanut butter for tahini and coconut oil for olive oil--that has always gotten rave reviews from my friends!