Beans...

CNParker · November 2011

I need to make beans more often for meals. What are your recipes and tips to prepare them?

fastmethod · November 2011

Brazilian black beans- my mum makes them and they are the bomb!
Navy beans - ( although you can make this with pretty much any beans except maybe kidney)
soak them overnight in a pan,
in the morning empty the gunk out.
cover the beans with water a good 2 inches over the beans
sprinkle in a stock cube of your choice depending on what meat your going to add if any ( i usally use pork or beef stock cube)
drop in any meat you fancy adding, my mum uses brazilian sausage, dried meat, jerky etc. but it works well with pretty much anything. or just with veg.
a little garlic
then i'd cook on a low heat (bring to the boil then reduce the heat to simmer) for around 2 hours.

gingerb85 · November 2011

I always have bags and bags of different beans in my freezer ready to go into a recipe. I buy them dried and soak overnight, then cook in just water without fat or salt until tender. I freeze 2 cup quantities in zipper freezer bags and freeze flat. That makes them easier to store in the freezer and they thaw quickly.

Black beans in a Cuban black bean soup or in vegan 3-bean chili. Navy beans in minestrone and chili. Cranberry beans are my favorites - I'll saute some onion, bell pepper, and garlic and add the beans with thyme, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce and cook for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice. Yum. I also keep garbanzo beans on hand for hummus.

Lebanese Lentils and Rice (Mujadara) is one my very FAVORITE meals. I used to eat it out and none of my family liked it. Then I tried to make it at home and it is even better than in the restaurants and my family gobbles it up!

1 large sweet white onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (or vegan margarine or another tbsp of olive oil)
3/4 cups green or brown lentils (not red or French lentils)
1 cup long grain white rice (you can use brown, but you'll need to increase cooking time accordingly)
2 cardamom pods
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil/butter and a pinch of salt in a large skillet; add the onions. Set heat on medium low and stir occasionally until very soft, about 30 minutes. turn heat to medium high and keep cooking and stirring until deeply browned and caramelized, another 20 minutes or more. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water (or white wine, but this is not traditional, just yummy), stir, and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the rice and lentils separately according to the package directions. Add the cardamom pods to the rice pot while it is cooking; discard the pods when the rice is done. The lentils should be tender, but not mushy or soupy, and they should retain their shape.

Combine lentils, rice, and half of the caramelized onions, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large pot. Add about 1/2 cup of water and a splash of olive oil and heat everything together until fragrant, warm, and combined.

Turn into a serving dish. Scatter remaining caramelized onions over the top. You can also top with some toasted pine nuts and fresh chopped parsley.

CrystalFlury · November 2011

I need to make beans more often for meals. What are your recipes and tips to prepare them?

I just recently learned how to make them! They come out delicious if cooked for a long time in a crock pot. I'm making some right now. Apparently age is a the trick! I did the following:

1 cup dry pinto beans
1 cup dry kidney beans
1 pork hock (wrapped in cheese cloth)
1 tbsp. chili powder
White onion (to your liking) chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine beans and let soak in 6 cups of cold water (or whatever the package says) for 8 hours.
Strain and rinse beans after they've soaked. Pour beans into crock pot, put wrapped pork hock on top of beans and cover with 6 cups warm water. Pour and mix in chili powder and add a little salt. Cover and turn crock pot to high until the beans have reached a boil then reduce to low heat. Let beans simmer for 8 hours. An hour or so before they're done add the onion, at that point taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Now, the TRICK to REALLY good beans is to allow them to cook for 8 hours and then turn off the crock pot and let them sit for a day. I know, this isn't the most ideal meal for one night but if you're looking for GOOD country-style beans you'll want to wait a day to actually eat the cooked beans. By the way, you'll have to remove the pork hock after they've cooked the first 8 hours. Once a day has passed give them a good stir and heat to boiling again. At that point they'll be ready to enjoy!

I know this seems like a long process but really it's worth it in the end especially over corn bread.

nkswans · November 2011

My favorite recipe for beans is minestrone. I use canned red kidney beans but you could probably use dried beans too.

2 cans red kidney beans
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
1/2 stick of butter
Spaghetti

Pour the beans in a big pot of water with a bay leaf. Bring to boil, let boil for a while on medium heat. You want the beans to start to fall apart.

Add the celery, onion, carrot, potatoes and butter in pot. Let cook for at least 2.5 hours, covered. Make sure to stir it and check on it so it doesn't overboil. You want the broth to be a little thick.

Last 20 minutes, throw in a handful of spaghetti. I usually break it in half so its easier to eat. Season with salt and pepper.

This is my mom's recipe and what I grew up eating. You can add crushed tomatoes in or use rice instead of pasta. My aunt uses all kinds of veggies in her so you can really make it to your liking.

Beans...

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