Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumISO good bean recipes ...
... trying to eat meat rarely but its tough during the pandemic. Im trying to stockpile for when things get worse in the fall and cook for fun with my kids. And I have a picky eater that refuses 98% of all veggies and healthy foods. 🙄 I was vegetarian before the plague but it seemed silly to make two meals each night and wasteful to do so. Anyway, I frequently just eat the sides and let them at the meat but I need more protein sides.
So talk to me about beans. I love Lima beans and chickpeas, split peas are ok and red kidney beans are a favorite too. What are some recipes you guys love?
matt819
(10,749 posts)Cuban style beans and rice. Not sure how Cuban it was, but we enjoyed it.
https://www.acouplecooks.com/quick-cuban-black-beans/
Some changes.
Used red pepper, all of it
You can probably use more jalapeño I went with the 1/4, but if youre okay with it, Id use the whole one. Left out the oregano bread side my wife doesnt like it. It was fine. Used canned beans because I gave had great luck starting from dried beans.
It was very good.
mitch96
(13,895 posts)or bacon if you don't have access to a fat back. I try to stay away from meat also and use a good olive oil instead of pork.. I must admit the pork always gives it a great flavor. Same with collards and Kale... yum!! I sometimes mix up one chopped onion/carrot and a stalk of celery with the bacon/olive oil before I dump in the soaked beans. A little salt works well also..
m
applegrove
(118,642 posts)It is my favourite hot soup and is made with split yellow peas. I get a brand name fcsp soup that has ham in it so i don't make it myself.
Also Lentils and Rice With Caramelized Onions is delicious. Again there are many recipes.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)what's the difference?
Infinite number of recipes-- can be sweet or savory. Main course like a pot pie, or for dessert.
When I get a kitchen back, I'm making some.
Cracklin Charlie
(12,904 posts)I like pinto beans with ham, Cornbread muffins, and a nice green Salad. My birthday dinner every year.
I also love black eye peas (hoppin john, or beans with rice - awesome with summer sliced tomatoes), red beans, cannelini beans (bean soup). I sometimes make a bean/bacon panzanella (salad with bread). Black bean and cheese enchiladas.
Mmm, beans! I gotta quit reading food threads late at night...Im hungry!
applegrove
(118,642 posts)is from a restaurant in ottawa that was famous for its soup. It is really goid with beef stock but you could probably find a vegan one that works well. They served it with something that was like salsa chips. Here is the recipe as it was online:
"SNIP.....
MARKET SOUP A LA DAPHNE AND VICTOR'S 4 qts. beef stock (see reci) 1/4 cup butter 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped parsnip 1 onion, chopped fine minced garlic lo taste (2-3 cloves) other chopped vegetables, if desired (for example, okra or brussels sprouts) 1 cup barley and lentils 6 tomatoes 4 oz. kidney beans (canned) 4 oz. corn kernels 1 bay leaf Worcestershire sauce to taste oregano, tarragon, salt and pepper to taste Melt butter over medium heat in a large heavy saucepan; add carrots, celery, parsnips, onions, and garlic and other vegetables and saute, stirring constantly, until vegetable color becomes bright. Do not allow vegetables to become soft. Add one cup barley and lentil mix to a cup of boiling water in a small saucepan and simmer until water is absorbed. Into a large soup kettle put the tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, sauteed vegetables, barley and lentils, and stock. Add seasoning to taste and simmer until all vegetables are tender.
....SNIP"
And what i have found works.
To half it add 4 tbsp of dried tarragon, 1 tbsp of oregano, 3 bay leaves, 4tsp garlic, 2 tsp salt (start with one and taste) and 1 tsp of pepper (start with 1/2 tsp and to taste). Plus 2.+ quarts of beef broth will do it. 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce. For the half recipe I use 1/4 cup of barley and 1/4 cup lentils and 1/2 cup boiling water to cook those two. I add one large can of chopped tomatoes and the juice. I small can of kidney beans rinsed and 1 small can of corn in the half recipe even though the full recipe calls for that. I like lots. I don't halve the celery, parsnip, carrots or onion. I use 3/4 of a cup of each or more. And i leave the opened quart of beef broth in the fridge to top up the soup. Don't forget to take the bay leaves out when ready.
Sometimes I add a little sour cream to make it more creamy when i serve it. I freeze 3 single serve containers the first night. Most servings are mostly veggies. It is almost like a stew. Good luck.
Follow the recipe and don't cook it too much. After the initial sauteing of veggies (and of course the lentils and barley get simmered to absorb 1/2 cup of water before they were added) put it on the stove for 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender then I take it off the burner. .
Enjoy.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,853 posts)If they didn't want to eat it, they could always have a peanut butter sandwich or cereal. Do not cater to a picky eater by fixing two, or worse yet three or four meals. Simply have an alternative of something you know they will eat always available.
As to your question about recipes, alas I cannot help you. But I'm sure others here can.
NBachers
(17,108 posts)Garbanzo beans- I'm a garbanzo bean freak. I call them the Macadamia Nut of the bean world. I can make a batch and eat 'em with just butter, salt, pepper, and pasta sauce in a big bowl, and then eat another one. There are plenty of other ways to fix 'em once you've got them cooked, including Indian and Mediterranean. The recipes look delectable. I just love 'em so much I don't need no recipes.
I put 'em in my Instant Pot for 70 minutes. If they're still a bit hard in the middle, then I put 'em back in for another 7 minutes. The extra few minutes of pressure seems to fluff 'em out and soften 'em up. No soaking, just wash 'em off and dump 'em in.
I've tried plenty of organic and bulk sources, but this is the one I've settled on. I ordered a 5 pound sack when things first started, and finished it off yesterday. Another one's on the way.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PEWJWC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Just look at this -
mitch96
(13,895 posts)HUMMUS!!!! I just love the stuff... easy to make and there are a ton of ways to make it on the net...
m
Saviolo
(3,282 posts)This one is definitely in rather poor taste, but:
What's the difference between a chick pea and a garbonzo bean?
I've never paid to have a garbonzo bean on my face.
pnwest
(3,266 posts)Ive only ever seen them at Walmart. Soooooo delish, I can have these just by themselves over rice. Often do for lunch.
https://margaretholmes.com/products/seasoned-medium-green-lima-beans/
fierywoman
(7,683 posts)(She would have called it: pasta fasioii !)
Soak a cup of borlotti beans overnight. If the skins become loose, pinch as many beans out of their skins as you have patience to do. The more you do, the creamier the soup. (Drain the soaking water)
Finely grate (I use food processor): a nice size carrot, stick of celery, small-medium onion (NOT Walla Walla size!), 2-3 cloves of garlic, about an inch and a half of a stick's worth of rosemary leaves (chop), 2 or so sage leaves (chopped) (fresh herbs are nice but dry works), a 28-ounce can of peeled plum tomatoes and the juice from the can. Throw everything in either 1. a pot 2. a crockpot or 3. an instant pot. Add some water (to cover ingredients.) Cook until the beans are nice and tender.
Be sure you have enough liquid in the soup to cook the pasta in (add water if necessary): preferably ditalini, maybe about a generous handful.
As you are getting ready to eat it, make a salad of bitter greens, whatever you have: arugula ("rucola" , endive, radicchio; dress it with olive oil and a way bigger amount of vinegar (traditionally red wine vinegar) than you would normally use (like half oil, half vinegar) + salt and pepper. Get ready to grate some "grana" Parmesan cheese).
Put the soup in a pasta bowl. Top with a generous amount of salad (the heat will melt the lettuce slightly; the vinegar will help the beans digest more easily) and sprinkle Parm cheese on top. Buon appetito!
Retrograde
(10,136 posts)instead of tomatoes - I now prefer paste e fagioli this way.
Another Italian soup: Tuscan white bean and kale soup. The leftovers can be used with semi-stale Italian bread to make ribollita. Katzen's The Heart of the Plate cookbook has directions for it.
fierywoman
(7,683 posts)RicROC
(1,204 posts)i made a batch of 'vegan' caviar with those teeny black lentils. Recipes are on-line. (Instant Pot) Olive oil just before serving gives a sheen but next time, i will use Fish Oil because I do like fishy taste.
eppur_se_muova
(36,261 posts)I've posted the bean burger recipe before -- here's a link, but I'll add some extra comments. We've tried this with lots of different kinds of beans, including kidney, pinto, black, and blackeyed peas (especially piquant, IMHO). Since felafel is made from ground, dried chickpeas and (optionally) fava beans, I thought: "why not mash the cooked, wet chickpeas and form patties, rather than rehydrating the dried, ground beans?" We had no fava beans, and I thought chickpeas alone would have too little flavor, so we tried 50-50 chickpeas and black beans. Success! Mom ate hers with all the usual burger condiments while I topped mine with tahini sauce, lettuce, and tomato (no Middle East-style pickles, alas). BTW, you can use golden flax meal in place of the egg, if you want it vegan.
1 one-pound can of red kidney beans
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup shelled walnuts
1 T + 1t (i.e. 4t) red wine vinegar
2T vegetable oil or olive oil or walnut oil
1/8t salt (optional)
1/8t black pepper
1/16-1/8 cayenne pepper (optional)
1T finely sliced scallion
2T minced fresh Chinese parsley (aka cilantro)
Drain the beans and save the liquid.
Using a good processor or blender, mince the garlic, then add the walnuts. When they have turned crumblike, add the vinegar. Slowly add 4 tablespoons of the reserved bean liquid. Blend until you have a paste. You may have to stop the machine and scrape down a few times. Now add the oil in a steady stream and then the salt, pepper, and cayenne. Blend until you have a smooth dressing.
Pour the dressing over the beans. Add half the scallion and half the Chinese parsley. Mix and taste for seasonings. You may cover and chill the salad until you are ready to eat; it improves if allowed to sit around for a few hours. Just before you are ready to eat, sprinkle the remaing scallion and Chinese parsley over the top.
from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking, A BOOK WELL WORTH HAVING, slightly edited
Retrograde
(10,136 posts)their food section regularly posts vegetarian and vegan recipes including beans. For example, these garbanzo recipes
My favorite is a simple black bean soup: cook beans with onions, garlic, a chipotle and some adobo, add chicken broth if you like. and serve with a squeeze of lime juice.
BTW, if you're serious about eating more beans, I recommend acquiring an Instant Pot: it can produce cooked beans from dried ones in an hour or so with no pre-soaking required, so if you want to have beans for dinner tonight you don't have to have started them 2 days ago
Blue_playwright
(1,568 posts)These are fantastic! Im going to try them all - especially the soups. I am a sucker for a soup, even when its hot!
trof
(54,256 posts)From dried beans to creamy done in 30 - 45 minutes, no soaking.
No added sodium, thickeners, or any preservatives.
Just beans.
We also make our own refritos.
So easy.
Wawannabe
(5,657 posts)Black bean taco salad (great additions are corn off the cob and cooked sweet potato)
Pinto beans mashed with butter and refried served with corn bread. Onions on top!
White beans in nearly any dish that calls for meat is a good sub.
Red beans and rice. Cook beans and season well (cajun is good with lotsa garlic) and spoon over hot rice. Mmmmm!
Saviolo
(3,282 posts)And this recipe gives lots of room for flavour additions:
Wawannabe
(5,657 posts)This is a great salsa made with black eye peas. I would not use green pepper. I would use fresh jalapeno.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/classic-texas-caviar/
irisblue
(32,973 posts)Poke around Google & they will come up.
He also has a new cook book out-Cool Beans
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Lasts nicely as you can imagine, uses up the extra celery I always have, and I really enjoy it as a side, lunch or even just snack or a tapas offering. Serious Eats has the recipe. It calls for cumin, but thyme or basil do well, as does lemon juice instead of the white wine vinegar called for. I usually add something else, olives, kale, and so on, but add extras with a shorter salad life like cucumber and tomato the day of serving. https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/10/chickpea-salad-cumin-celery-easy-recipe.html
Another one I've only made once so far and had as an appetizer on crackers is Smashed Chickpea Salad, a sort of "deconstructed hummus." I thought of it because it reportedly makes a good nonmeat sandwich filling for which she once paid $7 a pop. The recipe and suggestions for using it are at Smitten Kitchen, https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/smashed-chickpea-salad/ .
Btw, when I want to cook chickpeas/garbanzos quickly, I'll just toss them dry in the pot, as I always did. But Serious Eats taught me how much better they, and other "larger" beans, cook up, unbroken and not getting mushy outside while they're still relatively hard inside, if they're soaked overnight first. That allows the heat to spread quickly through via the water in the beans to cook them evenly. I always give the first recipe a salt water soak now, but the second? They going to be smashed, but not pureed, anyway, and uneven cooking would suit them just fine.