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Greetings all. I'm learning to make beans. Turns out they're nutritious and cheap. Both of which appeal to me right now. The wife doesn't like them, so the portion size is just for me. But beans reheat well, so the goal is to cook enough for a day or three.
I'm talking about pinto, navy, or black beans, for the most part. Hate limas.
Thing is... I don't really know what goes into a simple bean low-budget entree. Well except for sweet, southern-style baked beans.... that one I've got down pat.
So what are some spices that work well with beans? I'm thinking some butter, probably some type of salt, maybe some diced onion, some spices, and then put all that on top of some rice or potatoes.
In other words, what are some simple things you can do with beans and stuff you might have already in your pantry?
Thanks folks!
P.S. Please avoid cold bean entrees. I think they're a bit gross. :-)
I make pintos simply by following the package directions and adding a small chopped onion and 3 pieces of chopped up bacon per 1 pound of beans. Maybe some salt at the end if there wasn't enough from the bacon.
I've tried getting more complicated but they don't taste as good. I LOVE the "juice" around these beans.
Beans go well with a lot of different meats, vegetables, and spices. I like chili beans with ground beef, beans with Ham, and white beans with lamb shanks and tomatoes. When you know what sounds good to you, you can find a (many) recipes on the WEB.
If I was going to put beans on potatoes, I would probably opt for a chili bean recipe. If I wanted something cheap, I would try beans flavored with some bacon, or Ham hocks. My mother used to do a real cheap meal at the end of the month--beans cooked with an onion and then a can of mushroom soup added at the end of cooking.
A recipe might include onions, garlic, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, and chili powder with beef for chili beans or
you might add celery, carrots, onion, parsley, even a can of broth to a Ham and bean soup--but there are many versions and they are mostly good.
I love beans--Be sure to soak them and change the water before cooking. If you use more than one soak--I sometimes do 3 or 4 successive soaks before cooking, you really can cut down or eliminate problems with gas. The gas comes from bacteria in your gut which break down certain carbohydrates that the beans contain--these particular carbohydrates go into the soak water and you throw them out with successive soaks and water changes.
Soak: cover the beans with water. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and let set 1 hour. Pour off water and repeat another time or 2.
Soak: cover the beans with water. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and let set 1 hour. Pour off water and repeat another time or 2.
I'm of the persuasion that says changing the water is throwing flavor down the drain, especially after they've been brought to boil. That rich liquor in the pan after the beans boil is precious stuff. I'd rather deal with the farting than toss that down the drain.
There's always Beano... it works. My mom gave me some taped inside a Christmas card some years ago.
David, when it comes to beans, simple is good. Look online for some recipes for frijoles de la olla. That means "pot beans" in Spanish. They're simple, cheap and delicious.
I make alot of beans.
Do you have a crockpot? Soak the beans overnight, throw them in the crockpot with some meat, like sausage, turkey sausage and cook for 8 hours. I also add onions sometimes but other times I like the raw onions on top of the cooked beans.
Garlic, lemon juice and chili powder are good spices to use also.
Experiment and see what appeals to you.
Either cook beans all day in crock pot, or for about 40 min in a pressure cooker. Both ways turn out excellent results. Serve with some kind of cooked greens, chopped onions, pepper vinegar, etc and of course rice.
I just made pinto beans the other day in my crock pot. I soak them for an hour and throw water in it and cook it for several hours. Then, I finely chop a jalapeno and add garlic salt and continue until tender. I keep an eye on the water level, I usually have to add more as it cooks. Imake mind so it comes out with alot of juice - like soup.
Were you thinking of refried beans?
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