Beans are easy!

I just made a pot of garbanzo beans.  Wow, they are so delicious I can just snack on them plain. They are so much better than canned beans.  Legumes are probably the most economical foods available.  They are nutritional powerhouses that are not only inexpensive but versatile.

Many legumes have more protein ounce per ounce than animal products and no cholesterol as shown in the table at the bottom of this page.  Don’t be intimidated by cooking dried beans.  They are so easy.  I’ve put together some basic cooking instructions below

Beans:

For more even cooking beans require soaking to rehydrate them and cook evenly. Before soaking, pick out any pebble or discolored beans.  Choose one of the following soaking methods based on time available.

• Overnight – Place 2 ½ cups or 1 lb of dried beans and 10 cups of water in a large pot. Cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
• Hot Soak - Boil 10 cups of water in a large pot. Add 2 ½ or 1 lb dried beans and return to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover tightly and set aside at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.
• Short on time – Bring 10 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 pound dried beans and return to a boil. Boil 2 to 3 minutes. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Reduced Gas – Add 2 ½ cups of dried beans to a 10 cups of boiling water in a large pot.  Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Then cover and let cool and soak overnight. Place in refrigerator if you will not be cooking in 8 hours. After soaking, Rinse beans and replace with three times the amount of clean water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a high simmer for 45 – 60 minutes and check for tenderness. Beans are done when they can easily be mashed between your fingers. Add more water if the beans become uncovered.

Tips:

Add herbs and unsalted seasonings during the last simmer if desired.

Do not add salt, vinegar, tomatoes, juice or anything acidic until the very end of the cooking time or it will slow the process.

Beans freeze well.  Cool and drain completely and Divide them into recipe or serving sizes in freeze safe containers.

One pound of dried beans yields about 5 or 6 cups cooked beans. A 15-ounce can of beans equals about 1 1/2 cups cooked beans, drained.