Beans, Beans, Beans!

We have all heard the saying “Beans, beans – Good for your heart”… I will let you fill in the rest however you please. Over the past few months, I have really gotten into using dried beans instead of canned beans. Now don’t get me wrong, canned beans are extremely convenient, fairly inexpensive, a great source of protein (and vitamins and minerals and fiber!), and an excellent staple for your kitchen cupboard. I have been depending on canned beans for years. Recently, in my trying-to-use-the-least-amount-of-processed-food kick, I decided to experiment with dried beans. As with every experiment, there were promising successes and disastrous failures. In the end, the final product was fantastic. I cooked black beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans – all perfectly cooked with no added sodium (as you typically find in canned beans) and overall cheaper, to boot. I didn’t reach my successful destination without experiencing some extreme failures. All new experiences have some sort of failure – right?! Well… here we go.

 You first must know that I live by the motto, go big or don’t go. My first mistake was purchasing 3 pounds of each type of dried bean. This wouldn’t seem like a mistake, but my intention was to cook the entire amount of each bean at the time of purchase (go big, remember?). I really did not look like that much, honest. I got home with my purchase for under $15 and began the process. I washed the beans and soaked them overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, I drained the beans and poured them in my crock pot. Indicator #1 that something was not quite right - the beans just about filled up my crock pot and I needed at least 2 inches of water covering the top of the beans – oops! I forged on. I filled the crock pot with water, put on the lid and set it on low for 10 hours. I went about my regular business and about 3ish hours later, I hear Peanut, my beloved yet curious beagle, slopping up something in the kitchen. This is never a good sign, so I went running. Let’s just say my crock pot had overflowed and bean juice was slowly seeping down my kitchen cabinets onto the floor, where Nutty was gladly cleaning up my mess. Lesson learned – only cook 1 pound of beans at a time. Trust me!

You are never a true scientist unless you make a huge mess – or so I believe. Despite my slight mishap, dried beans are an excellent resource and not too difficult to prepare. You must think ahead a tad since they have to soak overnight, but when you are finished, you can freeze 2 cups per Ziplock bag and use it just like you would a can of beans.

The correct (and less messy) way to cook dried beans:

Step #1: Before soaking, sort though dried beans and discard any that are discolored or shriveled.

Step #2: Fill a bowl with 3 cups cold water per 1 cup beans. Soak beans for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature. Drain the soaking water. Rinse the beans.

Step #3: Place beans in crock pot. Add enough water to cover beans by two inches. Cook beans on low for 8 to 10 hours. (You can also cook beans on the stove top – see chart below. Bring beans and water to a boil and simmer for the recommended amount of time listed). Beans are done when they are easy to break open with a fork.

Step #4: Store beans for use in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze cooked beans to use later. When you are ready to use, defrost and prepare like canned beans.

Use 1 cup dried beans to make about 3 cups cooked	Use this much water	Cook for this amount of time
Black beans	3 cups	About 2 hours
Blackeyed peas, cowpeas	2 ½ cups	½ hour
Great northern beans	2 ½ cups	1 to 1 ½ hours
Kidney beans	3 cups	About 2 hours
Lentils (do not soak)	2 ½ cups	½ hour
Lima beans	2 ½ cups	45 minutes to 1 hour
Navy or pea beans	3 cups	1 ½ to 2 hours
Pink or pinto beans	3 cups	2 hours

Enjoy!