What can you do with beans to make them tasty?

[Neoma]

Spices or sauce recipes please, please, please!

[TheMadMonk]

1. Feed them to a pig. Make bacon. /nt

[Neoma]

2. Trying to become vegetarian here.

[ZombieHorde]

3. Put them in a burrito.

Tortilla, beans, corn, a green leafy veg, sour cream, hot sauce or salsa, cheese, and some meat or tofu.

[Neoma]

5. Well, I was thinking brown rice, spinach and beans.

But I'd want to spice up or whatever to the beans once and awhile.

[winter is coming]

37. There's always rotelle tomatoes for a quick fix, and if you find the regular rotelle too hot,

there's a mild variety that my husband calls "midwestern rotelle".

[Major Nikon]

4. It depends on what kind of beans

With split peas, I like to use a tsp of curry powder per pound of uncooked peas.

Here's my recipe for pinto beans:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/115722253

[yellerpup]

6. I like to make a black bean soup

that begins with sauteed cumin, onion, garlic, celery, and hot (or sweet-your preference) peppers, then 3-4 C. of cooked black beans and 2 cups of fresh or frozen corn. Taste and add chile powder if desired. I serve this with salsa cruda and a dab of goat yogurt. If you are a vegetarian who also eats cheese, feel free to feed your senses.

[japple]

7. I almost always put a bay leaf (or two if they're small) in the pot while I'm

cooking black beans. With pintos, I usually use cumin or chile seasonings. One of my favorite ways to eat pinto beans is over the top of cornbread topped with chopped green onions. With green beans, I like garlic and butter.

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Sofrito!

Sofrito: A Spanish word referring to a culinary combination of aromatic ingredients (ex.,: garlic, onion, tomatoes, peppers, cooked in olive oil) which have been cut in many small pieces and slowly sauteed or braised in cooking oil. Used as the base for many dishes.


I have a GREAT recipe for black beans that calls for two things I hadn't tried before but since I discovered them, won't cook beans without them.

1) When you soak the beans (2 bags), add the following to the soaking water:

1 onion, cut into quarters
1 bell peppers (seeds removed), cut into quarters
1 tsp Ground Cumin (you can leave this out if you want-not everyone likes cumin)
1 tsp Black Pepper
1-1/2 tsp olive oil
4 large peeled garlic cloves
3 dries bay leaves

2) After cooking the beans for 2-1/2 hours, add a sofrito.

Sofrito:
Finely dice 1 onion, 1 bell pepper and 4 cloves garlic -- don't mix them together. Set aside.
In saute pan, add about 1/4 cup of olive oil on low heat until fragrant. (Do not smoke.)
Add the garlic, stir, do not let it brown.
Add the onion, continue to stir until opaque and tender, about 10 minutes
Add the green pepper, cook until tender
Add S &P to taste
Add tspn of apple cider vinegar
Add 1 tsp Cumin
Stir and mix well, making sure all flavors are combined
Remove from heat and add all contents to the beans that are still cooking
Continue to cook beans for another 1-/2 hours.

[BainsBane]

9. Pork cuts

sausage, ham hock, bacon, pigs feet, whatever you have on hand, as well as suggestions others have made. Chilies also are good if you like a bit of spice.

I LOVE beans.

Edit: Oops, saw the vegetarian stipulation too late.

I generally use garlic, onion, bay, oregano, and chili of some kind. Can't beat the pig though.

[Neoma]

13. I just need to eat better than chicken flavored ramen noodle or party pizza.

Or Taco Bell.....

I feel like shit because of it, so I need a change. I want to avoid heart disease since I had a real scare (and I'm in my damn early 20s.) Plus avoiding diabetes since it runs in the family kind of.

[BainsBane]

14. the thing about beans

is you can use a small amount of meat to flavor a large pot of beans. Eat them with brown rice and veggies, and you're set.

[Neoma]

15. Smoked pepper might work...

[BainsBane]

16. that's a good idea!

[Neoma]

20. Ever had that?

Smells like smoked ham.

[BainsBane]

21. I've have roasted chilies

and I must have had roasted peppers, but I've never made them.

[Neoma]

35. I meant black pepper that is smoked.

[Hotler]

48. That sounds good. I have smoked salt. I may have to.....

smoke some black pepper when I fire up the smoker come this spring.

[Goblinmonger]

29. Liquid smoke

It is your friend. It is the liquid of the gods.

[Bolo Boffin]

45. Yes, indeed.

Plus, it's vegan.

[Goblinmonger]

47. I always thought

that Liquid Smoke was some chemical concoction (not that that dissuaded me, mind you). But then I saw the Alton Brown episode where it really is running smoke through water (a little more complicated). It was pretty cool to see.

[Retrograde]

43. Definitely a little meat goes a long way

One slice of bacon is more than enough for Boston Baked Beans for 4 or more servings, and a quarter cup of diced salami adds some extra body to pasta fazool. Think of the meat as a spice rather than a focus.

[Hotler]

50. Oh you kids! What am I to do?????? :)

If you cook from scratch at home you will be eating better because you can control/cut out the amount of additives and processed stuff that goes into fast food and package processed foods. I don't think you need to become a vegetarian to eat better. Have a little meat of you like it, just don't live on meat and potatoes.

For your beans it depends on what kind they are but, most of the time smoked ham hocks work very well in beans. I like to add onion, celery, carrots and 3-4 bay leaves. If you use ham hocks do not add any salt till the end of cookong and then taste for needed salt. Ham hocks can be salty and more be all the salt you need.

If I'm cooking pintos I do like above and add garlic, cumin and some mexican oregano

[Neoma]

51. Uh, that's not why I'm becoming vegetarian.

[Hotler]

52. Cool! n/t

[lizerdbits]

10. I made some black eyed beans last weekend

From a Marcus Samuelsson cookbook "Soul of a New Cuisine". Soaked beans. Sauteed red onion and garlic in spiced butter*, then added berbere, tomatoes, ginger, and habanero. This time of year I use canned tomatoes, if I use fresh, I'd saute with the onion. Added chicken stock (veggie works too) and coconut milk and simmered to thicken. Added beans and cooked until tender.

*Basically making clarified butter (skimming foam after it melts) then adding red onion, garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds, cumin, cardamom seeds, oregano, turmeric, and basil leaves. Cook over low heat about 15 minutes. I omit fenugreek seeds and turmeric since I don't like either one.

[one_voice]

11. Green, yellow, red pepper...

onion, corn, sauteed (cook so that the corn gets 'grilled'/browned) throw a little garlic in, add some cumin, coriander, a little cayenne if you like spicy, cook a little more, add black beans some tomatoes if you like. I like mine a little spicy and I throw a little lime juice at the end. It's very yummy.

I don't measure, so you'll have to add the spices and taste, you'll be able to smell it as it cooks.

I had some for dinner last night.

Key is to grill the corn. I use a cast iron pan and that does the trick.

edited to add: a couple sprigs of cilantro if you like it.


edited to add: seeing black eye'd peas upthread made me think of this..

One way I cook them is with a tomato sauce/veggie stock base and chipotle peppers. You can buy the dried and reconstitute them. Diced maters, stock, peppers in a processor or blender and there you have it. Very tasty.

Of course you can sautee some onions, green peppers, and garlic along with it.

[elleng]

12. Yup, you got it, one_voice!

[Melissa G]

17. I don't like beans much but if I make them,

your ingredient list is pretty damn close to mine. It's funny though, how different cooks take the same ingredients and come up with such different flavors.
I bet the three of us, using the same stuff would have totally different outcomes!

[one_voice]

19. We started eating them after my husband...

had a heart attack. I was cutting back on carbs. Beans are very high in protein you feel full longer less likely to snack.

I'm playing around with white beans and a pork flavor. Kinda like you have with a ham and bean soup. I'm going to use a small piece of ham steak for seasoning, with the other stuff, onion, garlic, and add some carrots. I think it'll be good.

For people that are vegetarians there's this stuff:

[japple]

28. Smoked turkey legs or wings, meat pulled off the bone and added towards the

end of cooking time adds great flavor. Thrifty way to add great flavor!

[one_voice]

38. I use that when I make..

collard greens and also another way to make black eyed peas. I used to bacon and ham hocks, started using smoked turkey because it's healthier and tastes good.

[dem in texas]

18. pinto Beans

Since I am a Texan, I love pinto beans. I used to cook up a batch in the crockpot and take them to work for lunch the next day(am retired now). Pinto beans change their flavor after they cool down, they take on a nutty flavor. At work, I'd warm them in microwave and put a little Pace's picante sauce on top, have with a piece of whole wheat or 7-grain bread. Have some fruit, maybe some cheese or yogurt and you have a good cheap lunch. Left over beans make great soup too.

I love dried lima beans but can't get them to stay together when I cook them. We eat at Mama's Daughters Diner a lot and they always have some type of cooked dry beans on the menu. Thursday is lima bean day over at Mama's, my favorite!

[LancetChick]

22. I love me some beans!

Recently made refried borlotti beans (usually use pinto), which I do in the slow cooker with chicken stock and an onion (you could use vegetable stock if it isn't that absurdly sweet boxed/canned stuff they put tomatoes in). Then I cook it down and mash it into refried beans with plenty of garlic, little flaked chili and salt.

I use cannellini beans in soup. Good stock (I like chicken), pancetta, carrot, shallots, Swiss chard, beans and whatever kind of stuffed tortellini you like. One of my favorite healthy soups.

Of course there's Cuban black beans and rice and red beans and rice.

I like to use kidney beans and black beans in chili, which is easy to add colored, healthy veggies to like colored peppers, corn, carrots, tomatoes, edamame, chipotle chili in adobo sauce and lots of aromatics. I use meat, but you could add another kind of bean instead.

I use beans in other things too, just can't remember what just now. Oh, well, there's Iranian Baghala polo, which is basmati rice, lima or fava beans, tons of dill, and I like to add fried onions and lamb shanks with some rich stock in a big pot, taking a little rice aside when it's done to add saffron water, which adds non-uniform rich color and saffron flavor.

I feel sorry for the former-child-that-was-me who hated beans.

[Neoma]

23. As a kid...

I hated honey, syrup and chocolate gravy.

Not sure if I was missing much.

[Buck Turgidson]

24. Humble home-cooked beans - Jamie Oliver

One of my favorite recipes from Jamie is so simple -- just beans on toast.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pulses-recipes/humble-home-cooked-beans

[grasswire]

25. how about black bean cakes?

I don't have a recipe, but I'm sure there are scads on the Internet.

[Lugnut]

26. Chipotle black bean soup.

Here's an excellent recipe for this soup from the Goya website.



Serves 6

Prep time: 10 min.

Total time: 30 min.
Ingredients

3 cans (15.5 oz. each) GOYA® Black Beans, divided

1 chipotle chile, plus 2 tsp. chipotle chile sauce from 1 can (7 oz.) GOYA

Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce

2 tbsp. GOYA Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper, finely chopped

½ green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp. GOYA Minced Garlic, or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ tsp. GOYA Ground Cumin

1 GOYA Chicken Bouillon mixed with 2 cups water, or 2 cups chicken broth

½ cup sour cream

1 small tomato, finely chopped

2 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1. In bowl of blender, add 1 can black beans, chipotle chile and sauce and 2 cups water. Puree until smooth, about 30 seconds; set aside.
2. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers; cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add chicken bouillon mixture, reserved black bean puree and remaining black beans; bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and flavors come together, about 10 minutes.
3. Divide soup evenly among serving bowls. Top with a dollop of sour cream. Sprinkle with tomatoes and cilantro.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

27. Pasta e Fagioli

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces chopped pancetta
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound white or red beans, soaked at least 4 hours (or overnight) and drained, or the equivalent amount canned
2 or 3 tomatoes, crushed
1-1/2 liters chicken stock
1 1/2 cups dried pasta -- ditalini, small shells or something like that

Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta. Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente.

Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and ladle into bowls.

Top with grated cheese if you want, and some sort of crusty bread goes well with it.

[Goblinmonger]

30. Lentil Pasta Sauce

I usually double or triple this and freeze. It freezes well.

Saute in oil (I usually use about a tablespoon and I usually use truffle oil):
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic (I usually use more, but I likes me some garlic)
salt and pepper to taste

After the onion is tender, add the following and sautee a few minutes more:
1 cup lentils

Add 2 cups water (I put vegetable bouillon cubes in) and simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes until the lentils are the tenderness you want them. This time can vary a lot depending on your lentils. I like mine with a little more tooth than mushy. When they are how you want them, add 1 can diced tomato with oregano, basil, and thyme (think that's the normal combo). I like it straight from the can but my kids like it when I blend the tomatoes first. Once you add the tomatoes, the lentils will basically stop cooking.

Heat it all up and serve over pasta.

[Goblinmonger]

31. Lentil Taco Filling

This I found years ago on the Vegetarian group in the recipe thread.

Lentil Tacos

1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup into each taco shell. Add your favorite toppings.

[Goblinmonger]

32. Frijoles de Olla

I LOVE this on homemade corn tortillas

Ingredients

1 pound frijoles pintos (pinto beans)
2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups boiling water
1/2 of a white onion, sliced 1/4 inch-thick
1 chile guajillo
chopped jalapeno and habenero to taste (I used 1 big jalapeno and 3 habenero)
1/2 of a small head of garlic (about 4-6 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (to be added in last 45 minutes of cooking) *Did not add salt*
First, rinse your beans under cool water to remove any dirt or debris and get rid of any broken beans. There’s no need to soak the beans overnight!

Layer the onion slices along the bottom of the crock-pot. Place the beans directly over the top of the onions. Tear off the stem of the chile and tuck it into the beans and nestle the pork neck bones in the beans, too. Add the chicken broth. Remove the papery skin from the garlic cloves and place in the crock-pot whole. Add the ground cumin.

You’ll notice the chicken broth isn’t enough to cover the beans and keep all the ingredients moist while cooking. Add 4 cups of boiling water over the top, making sure all the ingredients are under the broth and water and then put the cover on the slow-cooker.

*Added 1 extra cup water from beginning and cooked on low for 10 hours.* Turn the heat on to high for 5-6 hours (individual slow-cookers can vary slightly in temperature). If the beans start to get dry during cooking, add 1-2 extra cups of boiling water. I only had to add about one cup in the last hour. You can substitute boiling chicken broth in place of the extra boiling water if you like. Add the salt in the last 45 minutes of cooking and stir it in gently to incorporate.

The beans should be soft to bite and have a nice broth when they’re finished, but shouldn’t be watery.

A few notes: if you don’t have a guajillo chile at home but you have other dried chiles, any other red chile you like and have is a fine substitute. If you have frijoles bayos instead of pintos, that’s a fine substitute as well. To prep this dish the night before, add everything to the crock-pot except the liquids, pork neck bones and salt. The next day, add the liquid and pork neck bones and turn on high. If you’re planning to let this cook while you’re at work all day, use a slow-cooker that has a timer that will turn the heat off or to a very low “keep warm” setting after the cooking time. You can then add the salt, reheat them for 30-60 minutes in the slow-cooker and enjoy!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

33. Another suggestion is a French cassoulet

A proper one takes three days (two if you rush it -- see volume one of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I make a simplified version of a cassoulet.

2 cups dried white beans (navy beans or cannellini will work very well)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 pound cooked sausage -- I like Louisiana style andouille, but bratwurst serve quite adequately
3 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar (because I felt like it)
1/4 cup grated hard cheese -- Pecorino Romano, asiago or parmesan (and when I say "parmesan", I mean Parmigiano-Reggiano) or something similar

Soak the beans in cold water for at least 4 hours (or overnight). Drain.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until softened. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Add the stock, wine, tomatoes and beans. Toss in about a teaspoonful of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft -- about 1 1/2 hours.

Cut up the sausage into small pieces and add it with the balsalmic vinegar and the cheese. Taste and adjust the salt. Add pepper to taste. Cook for about another five minutes and serve.

[Coyote_Bandit]

34. This is how I usually fix beans

2 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or you can use great northern beans or a mix of the two or 15 bean soup mix or......)
1 cup diced ham (I'm watching my diet and use a low fat ham but a smoked pepper ham is a treat)
1 cup diced onion, pepper, celery mix (or frozen seasoning blemd) - add more if you want
1 small diced roma tomato
1 pinch of baking soda
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
generous dash of hickory liquid smoke (omit if using smoked ham)
garlic powder to taste

Cover with water and cook until bean are tender. I cook them covered at about 300 degrees. Stir and add additional water as necessary especially during the first hour or so. When finished the beans should be tender with some liquid but not soupy.

The tomato is said to speed the cooking process and the baking soda is said to reduce flatulance. YMMV.

Serve with a salad of mixed spring greens and cornbread. Add some green tomato or onion jalapeno relish.

[eppur_se_muova]

36. Heck, just try mustard.

Pinto beans, kidney beans, blackeyed peas ... all good with plain yellow mustard.

If you want to get fancy -- https://www.google.com/search?q=recipe+beans+mustard

[Sentath]

39. Haven't tried it, but it sounds good, and it is from a trusted source.

http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/harvest-black-bean-soup

Oh, and in this week's episode she is talking to Crescent Dragonwagon about her latest book, Bean by Bean.

[GoCubsGo]

40. Lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil

It works great with chick peas, black beans, fava beans, and any white beans. It's probably great on kidney beans, too. If you use dried beans, this dressing is great when you add it while the beans are still warm. They absorb all the yummy flavors. And, it's good on veggies, too, hot or cold.

[NMDemDist2]

41. here's a post I did years ago

you could replace the ham with cumin or any vegetarian bouillon

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/AZDemDist6/3

[Retrograde]

42. Start with black beans

IMHO the tastiest of the common beans, then add cumin, onions, garlic, maybe a chipotle with adobo, to the cooking liquid. Serve as a soup with a garnish of lime and/or cilantro.

I do a bean dish as a main course at least once a week, and the spices make all the difference. You can get the best results if you start with good quality dried beans, the fresher the better (i.e., get them at a store that has high turnover in its stock, or grow them yourself). I don't taste much difference between adding seasonings as I cook the beans, or adding them when I make the main dish.

Two of my favorite bean cookbooks are The Bean Harvest Cookbook and The Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Cookbook. If you pick up an Indian cookbook you'll find lots of recipes for garbanzo and for lentil dishes.

[Trailrider1951]

44. White bean stew

2 cups Great Northern beans
1 cup baby carrots, sliced thickly
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Knorr vegetable boullion cubes
freshly ground pepper
water

Soak beans in cold water overnight, or in hot water 1 to 2 hours. Drain and rinse. Add the rest of the ingredients except the boullion, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 2 or 3 hours, adding water if necessary. Add boullion and cook another hour or so, until beans are very tender and the stew is thickened. Serve with fresh bread and a salad.

[noamnety]

46. In a related question:

I acquired a bunch of cans of prepared food for my classroom, like spaghettios, that kind of thing. They all went well except, predictably, cans of beans and franks. They look unappealing but I don't want to throw them out. Do you think they could be salvaged if I crockpot them into a big chili?

[Hotler]

49. Here are my thoughts......

If you use them in chili I would open all the cans and drain the beans in a colander and get rid of their origanal juice and then add to your chili. If your are going serve the chili to the kids offer some shredded cheese and Fritos. (Frito bowls, Fritos on the bottom, then chili and top with some cheese.) Thats good eating.
Or you could drain them and replace the juice with some store bought BBQ sauce.

[Whisp]

53. How about Bean Salad?

I like mine with kidneys mostly, but any beans and a variety of them in one dish goes good.

Bean salads are versatile and yum yum.

This is how I like mine, basically, but every one is a bit different depending what I have on hand.
Kidney beans rinsed
or a can of 3 or 5 bean thingie
cooked and cooled yellow and green beans
Add olive oil and vinegar (sometimes balsamic, or rice or white or cider or red wine)
chopped up fine sweet onion
garlic, fresh pepper and just a bit of sea salt
parsley or cumin or whatever your taste is
I finely chop up some cucumbers or tomatoes too at times
you can add some hot sauce in it too - I esp. love Marie Sharpe's, it's so good!
and a bit of lentils if you like those (they are supposed to be very healthy for you in some way i forget now - can't be for memory tho!

I let them sit in the fridge and marinate for a bit so when I take them out the salad is cool and crispy.

With a couple boiled eggs on the side.

It's a kind of dish you can customize to what you like, there is lots of room for experimentation.