I cook about two pounds of pinto beans a week; that's how long they keep in the fridge for the two of us. I also like white beans, but don't use as many.

I boil them for one minute, let them soak an hour or two, then cook them in the pressure cooker for 7 minutes. I never salt or season the entire pot of beans; I season the beans appropriately for the particular dish with salt, garlic, ham, adobo, etc.

They are so versatile, cheap and nutritious that I don't know what I'd do without them.

Canned beans.

I particularly like canned pintos simmered with ham and onions, and garbanzos pan fried in a bit of butter with garlic and some lemon juice.

Yes! You can freeze after cooking. Same convenience of canned beans (well, with the addition of a minute or two in the microwave), but you control the contents.

I cook a big batch on a weekend, then freeze 2 cup portions in cheap zip-top sandwich bags. These all get put into a large ziploc for the freezer (you can re-use the big one that way!). 2 cups is about what is in a 15-ounce can, so recipes calling for a can just use one bag from the freezer.

They work best if you very slightly undercook them, but they actually hold up pretty well!

Deanna

They can TOTALLY be canned. As a matter of fact, since I started making mine on weekends in the crockpot, I am saving tons of money and the quality of my bean meals has gone up too. Home cooked and canned tastes way better, of course. I don't have a pressure canner, so I freeze mine when they are done. I just cook them in the crockpot, and then ladle them into pint jars and put the lids on. You could use quart jars too. Then after they cool down I put them in the freezer. I pull them out as needed. The pint jars thaw quickly in the microwave. And the thawed beans still taste GREAT. By making my own beans, I can season them to my own taste too--I just had some of my curried garbanzos for lunch.

Don't get mixed up and think you can store these unprocessed beans outside the freezer though. Not sure how long they will keep that way in the fridge, but I would imagine a good long time, a week at least if not more. I often keep stuff for two weeks in the fridge but I know I'm breaking all kinds of food safety rules. So far I'm still around to tell the tale.

I eat some during the week from the fridge and then freeze some for later. That way I will eventually have a good assortment of bean types and flavors stocked up and ready to go in the freezer. If you get really into this you might want to invest in a pressure canner which is what is needed to can beans and store them in the pantry. So far I have resisted, luckily my parents gave me their upright freezer so I have a lot of space for freezing stuff for single me.

I buy several types of beans in bulk and make large pots (7-8 cups dry beans) at a time. After cooking and cooling, I divide into 2 cup freezer containers with enough bean liquid to cover. Label each, then freeze. We eat a lot of organic beans and the cost of canned is through the roof. Cooking them yourself is about a third of the cost. With the exception of garbanzos, The beans retain their flavor and texture after thawing.

Thank you, thanks you , thank you . This is so good to read :)

So garbanzos do not freeze well?

Anyone want to post their favorite (to die for) bean recipes and some photos, that would be fun as well?

I make a big pot of black beans and divide into baggies for the freezer. They have a better taste and texture than canned beans.

I was just reviewing the bean recipes in Bon Appetit magazine. The article was very informative and had some very nice recipes. I haven't had the chance to try any of the recipes but I plan on doing so in the next couple of weeks. I'll let you know if they are T&T.

I dunno, I just ate a big bowlful of frozen and thawed garbanzos for lunch, they were delish. I didn't notice a big difference. They were in a curry sauce though.

OK punamytsike, twist my arm, I'll give you my secret recipe for curried garbanzo beans. It was hard fought, I got it from a work colleague who brought it to a potluck. He was very reluctant to reveal the secret recipe but I guilt-tripped him. Maybe I swore never to reveal it, I dunno I can't remember. The secret is you go to the health food or international section of the grocery store and buy a packet of curried chickpeas mix. If they don't have the packet mix, they might have curry sauce in a jar. Then, soak the garbanzos overnight or for about 8 hours, drain the liquid. Cover them in twice their volume of water or veggie broth, add the mix or the jar of curry sauce, and cook in the crockpot for about 8 hours. Can cook longer if you need to. Can reduce the liquid/sauce after the beans are cooked if it seems too soupy.

For chili beans, ad a can of enchilada sauce or salsa. For French style, add a carrot, celery stalk, onion stuck with a couple cloves, garlic bulb, big bay leaf or two small ones, and thyme. Can add bacon or ham if you like. Me being mostly veggie, I add a TBLSP of fake bacon bits if I want that smokey taste. For French style, you can add a splash of wine AFTER the beans are cooked if you think it needs a little more oomph. Don't add it before the beans are cooked, the acid in the wine will make the bean skins toughen and then the beans will never cook properly. You can also add cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, or tomato paste, in small doses for the same effect. But NEVER before the beans are cooked, you will regret it. (ask me how I know! :) For Carribean style, sub. a can of low fat coconut milk for some of the water, add allspice to the French mix, and add as much hot sauce as your taste allows to the final product. Can add chipotle pepper or habeneros, but both of those kinds of peppers are too hot for my taste. I use canned jalepenos and hot sauce which is cayenne based for my kick.

lpinkmountain, thanks for your wonderful post.

Everyone else, thank you very much and I am looking forward to more T&T to die for bean recipes.
Although I am being very frugal, I still want to enjoy my food and I think it is very doable ;)

punamytsike, I love beans and cook them often. I cook plain beans and then use them for other things, my very favorite is baked beans, thick and sweet and sticky, with bacon.

I usually just dump a bag of beans into my crockpot, add a chopped onion and a couple of chopped carrots, a bay leaf, salt and pepper. I plug it in and go to work and when I get home the beans are done. I don't soak them or pre-boil them or anything, just dump the dried beans into the pot. I add a smoked pork hock or leftover ham or bacon if I have some, usually not.

Elery does them quickly in a pressure cooker, but I like having them done when I walk in the door.

Recipes? Here's one of my favorites, I made it for lpinkmountain when she visited. The notes on the recipe say it will keep for 5 days in the fridge, I've kept beans for about a week, but no longer. They get eaten way before that and they freeze well, if you have any freezer room. the directions use a pressure cooker but they could cook stove top or with a crockpot too.

All Purpose Southwestern Black Bean and Corn Salad

This recipe makes 12 servings and keeps in the refrigerator up to 5 days. It's quite versatile--add shredded chicken and serve tortillas on the side to make it a main-dish salad. Or serve it as a dip with baked tortilla chips, a side for burgers or grilled chicken, or a salad on a bed of lettuce.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
Salad:
1 pound dried black beans
11 1/2 cups water, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cups chopped seeded tomato
1 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons honey
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalape peppers, seeded and minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

To prepare salad, sort and wash the beans. Combine beans and 5 1/2 cups water in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain beans; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and 2 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add beans and 6 cups water. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure, and cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain bean mixture; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool. Combine bean mixture, corn, tomato, onion, and bell peppers in a large bowl.

To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 7 ingredients (juice through jalapeños), stirring with a whisk. Stir in cilantro. Pour dressing over bean mixture; stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories:216 (21% from fat)
Fat:5g (sat 0.7g,mono 3g,poly 0.8g)
Protein:10g
Carbohydrate:35.7g
Fiber:8g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:2.8mg
Sodium:408mg
Calcium:65mg

Of course, I love Lars' hummus, but I've begun leaving out the lemon. Heresy, I know, but I like it better without. Funny, I love lemon.......anyway, I also like this white bean dip from Lori:

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips (Lori)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse
until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small
bowl. (Note: The dip will turn green in a relatively short time due to the fresh parsley.)

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color. Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

I like chili, and still need to try RiverRat's recipe, it got rave reviews, and I like this white bean and chicken version too:

CHILI WITH CHICKEN AND WHITE BEANS

3 16 oz. cans great northern white beans
4-5 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
1 tbls olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 4 oz. cans chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups chicken broth
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese

Heat oil in kettle over medium heat, add onions and cook until translucent (10 minutes. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and cook a few more minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add undrained beans, broth and cooked chicken. Bring a boil, reduce heat and add cheese. Stir until cheese melts.

Good topped with sour cream and more cheese.

8 servings

There's always beans and rice, Ashley says this is just like the stuff she ate when she went to Costa Rica:

Gallo Pinto

You will find this dish or a version of it served at almost every meal in Costa Rica. For breakfast it is commonly served with either fried or scrambled eggs.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped bell pepper
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups cooked black beans
3 cups leftover cooked rice
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco (optional)
2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
3 strips bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (optional)
Preparation:

Sauté onion and bell peppers in oil on medium heat. Add beans and cook 2 minutes. Add rice and mix together. Cook 3 minutes, then add Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce (if using) and cilantro and mix well. To serve, garnish with crumbled bacon (if desired). A few squirts of Salsa Lizano most likely will find its way on top of this dish.

Baked Beans? I leave out the rum but I like the apples on top.

MAPLE SYRUP RUM BAKED BEANS
4 cups dried navy beans
12 cups cold water
1 tsp soda
1 lb. fat & lean salt pork, sliced
1 large onion
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp coarse salt
4 cored apples, unpeeled
1 cup maple or light brown sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup dark rum
Cover the beans with 12 cups cold water & let soak overnight.
In the morning, pour the whole thing in a large saucepan.
Add 1 teaspoon soda and more cold water to cover the beans if necessary.
Bring to a boil, uncovered, then boil until some of the skins come off when you blow on the beans.
Line a bean pot with the sliced pork, then pour in the beans and their water.
Roll the onion in the dry mustard until all of the mustard sticks to it, then bury it in the middle of the beans.
Pour the maple syrup and course salt on top.
Bake 4 - 5 hours in the oven at 325 degrees.
In the last hour of cooking, cover the beans with the whole apples, placed as close together as possible.
Cream together the sugar and butter, then spread the mixture on top of the apples. (This forms a most delicious topping when the beans are baked.)
Pour the rum on top just before serving.

From Bill (ottawapepper) at Harvest Forum

Bean soup?

Swiss chard, tortellini & white bean soup

1 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 small diced onion
4 cups vegetable broth (or more if you like)
2 cups frozen cheese tortellini (or your favorite flavor)
2-3 cups chopped fresh swiss chard or spinach
3/4 cup white beans (I use cannelli)

Saute onion & garlic in oil. Add veg. broth. Bring to a boil, then add tortellini. Cook tortellini till almost done, then add swiss chard or spinach. Then add beans. Season with lots of fresh black pepper & some salt if desired. Heat till chard or spinach is wilted. Serve in soup bowls & top with freshly grated parmesean.

And no, I don't even pick out the tortellini, LOL.

Annie

Pun: H
Here is one recipe. You can sub dried beens for the canned.
Lou

One of the Staples in Italian Food is " Pasta Ceci "
Ceci is also called Chick Peas and Garbanzo Beans.
I made some today , it is very easy. I think You Know !!!
Took a 14 oz. can of Chick peas and drained the can into a small pot,
added 1/4 cup of Tomato source.
EG. Puree, Crushed Tomatoes etc. I used Tomato juice.
In the meantime put on a pot of water for a little less than 1/2 lb. of Spaghetti.
Cook the spaghetti and drain it, while you are doing the other things.

To the pot with tomatos. Put in your favorite Spices.
I added a table spoon of Garlic Powder ( you can use chopped Garlic Cloves ).
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 cup of water + 1 tablespoon of Chicken Soup Base.
1/2 of a Chopped Sm. Onion ( nuked for 2 min. In the Micro )
Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the Onion is soft.
Add the Ceci and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese, Stir.
Thicken with a Powdered Chicken Gravy mix. or Instant potatos
Give it a taste test, add whatever you may thing it needs.
Garlic or Onion Powder, salt, etc.?
Mix in the cooked Spaghetti. Sprinkle on some more Parmesan.
There are many variations to this recipe
Use your imagination.

Here is another recipe :

Lou's, Fast - Pasta Fasulli ( Beans and Macaroni ) and Others

Start with a big pot. Throw in 2 cans of Great Northern beans
and 2 cups of water, start to warm them
Add more water later if needed..

Meanwhile cook about ½ lb. Noodles or spaghetti # 8 or #9

In the micro wave, nuke 1/2 cup of onions and tomatoes chopped small,
with 2 tablespoons of water, until the onions are soft. Add them to the beans.
Spice with 1/4 teasp. Garlic Pdr. , Black Pepper, 2 cloves, 2 bay leaves,
¼ teasp. Parsley, 1 tablesp. Chicken Soup stock, pinch of Oregano.
Add the cooked Spaghetti and stir in a Tablesp. of grated Parmasan Cheese.

Always spice to your own taste add more or less of what you like.
You can prepare this in about 15 minutes. Or let it simmer a little.

Pieces of simmered sausage or pieces of Ham, can be added for flavor

This recipe can be used with different canned Beans, Lentils or Cece ( Chick Peas)
Or with Broccoli ( leave out the tomatoes ) and add some Olive Oil when done.
Add Grated Parmesan cheese when serving.

Pasta Ceci

Pasta Fagioli

I've frozen garbanzo beans and they do just fine. 'Course, I mostly use those for making hummus - can't handle the shape and texture of garbanzos unless they are pureed into oblivion.

I'm looking forward to bean soups once the weather gets a little cooler. Taco soup, split pea, black bean, pintos 'n ham with cornbread, chili, minestrone, mmmmmmm!

So garbanzos do not freeze well?

They freeze just fine, but I'm rather picky. I like my garbanzos slightly firm, but smooth, if that makes any sense.
They seem, to me, to have a mealy texture after being frozen. It's just me :)

My favorite bean recipe is below. I especially like it because it is very fast and quick and easy if you have all the ingredients prepped ahead of time such as frozen lentils, refrigerated Aji sauce and pickled carrots.

I think you can substitute almost any kind of bean for the lentils but my husband likes the lentils so that is what I usually make. I use the slow cook recipe below and freeze portions for later use. The Aji sauce and pickled carrots will last for a good while, maybe two weeks or so.

p.s. I think the real secret here is the leeks. This recipe has made me truly appreciate them. They can be a bit expensive. If it helps budget wise, you can use only a partial portion of leeks and add onions to fill out the cup. (or you can use more than 1 cup of leeks if you are a hedonist). Lots of room for imagination and changes here but DON'T LEAVE OUT THE LEEKS.

================================

My Lentils

1 cup leeks, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
4 tablespoons (or maybe 5? depending) of Aji sauce - see recipe below
3 cups cooked lentils (measure from recipe below or use two cans of lentils and add olive oil, salt and dry sherry)
1 cup of pickled jalapeno carrot slices (see recipe below)
1 tsp (or 1/2 tsp) black pepper - to taste)

Process:
saute leeks in two tablespoons of olive oil(or so) and a little salt
add mushrooms and continue sauteeing until soft
add Aji sauce and saute one or two more minutes
add lentils and heat
add carrots
add salt to taste (may not be necessary to add any)
add black pepper
(I sometimes add nutritional yeast, maybe 1/4 or 1/2 cup or so to give it heartier flavor)

serve over rice or just plain.

==============================================
my Slow cooked lentils

Soak two cups of lentils for at least 12 hours in 2 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. (Salt is recommended by Cooks Illustrated, see their website for their explanation of why salting water for soaking is a good thing.)

After soaking, drain and rinse and add to slow cooker along with:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry sherry
(don't need to add salt because it was salted during soaking)

and cook in slow cooker on low for 5 hours (or so depending on your slow cooker)

Freeze in packages of 1 1/2 cups (the amount usually in one can of beans)

=========================================

Aji Sauce
(type of salsa good with almost anything, IMO)
(from Daisy Martinez TV show on PBS)

mince 4 cloves garlic and stir with a little salt, add to food processor
mince 1 large jalapeno (including membrane and seeds) and stir with a little salt and add to food processor
run processor until both garlic and jalapeno are well minced
coarse chop one large red onion and add to food processor with a little salt
run processor until red onion is minced (but don't puree)
add lime zest of one lime to food processor and mix well
fill pint jar (or so) with above ingredients.
Fill to top with fresh lime juice.
store above mixture in pint jar (sometimes runs over just a little bit)

=============================================

my pickled carrots

peel 10 medium sized carrots (better too many than not enough)
slice carrots on the diagonal
mince 1 large jalapeno in food processor
add carrot slices and jalapeno bits from processor to collander over a bowl, stir 2 tsp of salt thoroughly into raw carrots and jalapeno and cover collander with a dish cloth for 3 or more hours (there may be lots of liquid at bottom of bowl after it sits)
start sauce pan with 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns and 3 bay leaves and carrot mixture (don't need to rinse and don't add liquid from bowl). When saucepan boils (after around 13 to 15 minutes or so depending on your stove/longitude/etc) turn off heat and let carrots sit until cool. Spoon into jars and fill jars with vinegar water from the saucepan after carrots have all been added. Chill. Carrots are better after they have chilled 24 hours in my opinion. Others may disagree.
usually makes around 2 pint jars of pickled carrots, sometimes a little more depending on the size of carrots originally used.
===============================================

I'm reposting this to include amount of water added (5 cups) for slow cooked lentils section in case it isn't obvious to some that water needs to be added - everything else is the same. Wish I could delete my earlier post.

===================================

My favorite bean recipe is below. I especially like it because it is very fast and quick and easy if you have all the ingredients prepped ahead of time such as frozen lentils, refrigerated Aji sauce and pickled carrots.

I think you can substitute almost any kind of bean for the lentils but my husband likes the lentils so that is what I usually make. I use the slow cook recipe below and freeze portions for later use. The Aji sauce and pickled carrots will last for a good while, maybe two weeks or so.

p.s. I think the real secret here is the leeks. This recipe has made me truly appreciate them. They can be a bit expensive. If it helps budget wise, you can use only a partial portion of leeks and add onions to fill out the cup. (or you can use more than 1 cup of leeks if you are a hedonist). Lots of room for imagination and changes here but DON'T LEAVE OUT THE LEEKS.

================================

My Lentils

1 cup leeks, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced
4 tablespoons (or maybe 5? depending) of Aji sauce - see recipe below
3 cups cooked lentils (measure from recipe below or use two cans of lentils and add olive oil, salt and dry sherry)
1 cup of pickled jalapeno carrot slices (see recipe below)
1 tsp (or 1/2 tsp) black pepper - to taste)

Process:
saute leeks in two tablespoons of olive oil(or so) and a little salt
add mushrooms and continue sauteeing until soft
add Aji sauce and saute one or two more minutes
add lentils and heat
add carrots
add salt to taste (may not be necessary to add any)
add black pepper
(I sometimes add nutritional yeast, maybe 1/4 or 1/2 cup or so to give it heartier flavor)

serve over rice or just plain.

==============================================
my Slow cooked lentils

Soak two cups of lentils for at least 12 hours in 2 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. (Salt is recommended by Cooks Illustrated, see their website for their explanation of why salting water for soaking is a good thing.)

After soaking, drain and rinse and add to slow cooker along with:
5 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry sherry
(don't need to add salt because it was salted during soaking)

and cook in slow cooker on low for 5 hours (or so depending on your slow cooker)

Freeze in packages of 1 1/2 cups (the amount usually in one can of beans)

=========================================

Aji Sauce
(type of salsa good with almost anything, IMO)
(from Daisy Martinez TV show on PBS)

mince 4 cloves garlic and stir with a little salt, add to food processor
mince 1 large jalapeno (including membrane and seeds) and stir with a little salt and add to food processor
run processor until both garlic and jalapeno are well minced
coarse chop one large red onion and add to food processor with a little salt
run processor until red onion is minced (but don't puree)
add lime zest of one lime to food processor and mix well
fill pint jar (or so) with above ingredients.
Fill to top with fresh lime juice.
store above mixture in pint jar (sometimes runs over just a little bit)

=============================================

my pickled carrots

peel 10 medium sized carrots (better too many than not enough)
slice carrots on the diagonal
mince 1 large jalapeno in food processor
add carrot slices and jalapeno bits from processor to collander over a bowl, stir 2 tsp of salt thoroughly into raw carrots and jalapeno and cover collander with a dish cloth for 3 or more hours (there may be lots of liquid at bottom of bowl after it sits)
start sauce pan with 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns and 3 bay leaves and carrot mixture (don't need to rinse and don't add liquid from bowl). When saucepan boils (after around 13 to 15 minutes or so depending on your stove/longitude/etc) turn off heat and let carrots sit until cool. Spoon into jars and fill jars with vinegar water from the saucepan after carrots have all been added. Chill. Carrots are better after they have chilled 24 hours in my opinion. Others may disagree.
usually makes around 2 pint jars of pickled carrots, sometimes a little more depending on the size of carrots originally used.
===============================================

Teresa:
Try the Pasta Ceci. If you don't like it I'll finish it for you.
LOU

Oy, in my recipe for French style beans that should be one garlic CLOVE, NOT BULB! I'm not a garlic fan so I guess you could use two cloves, but if you put in a whole bulb . . . well I don't even want to think about it! One garlic clove, clove, clove!

I don't know why there is any need to worry. A couple pounds of cooked beans get eaten up here in 3-4 days so going bad in the fridge is not an issue.

My beans soak in cold water for an hour or so. Then I change the water and bring them to a boil. After they boil I turn the heat down and let them simmer for a couple hours.

Most of my beans get a couple drops of hickory liquid smoke in the cooking water. I use more water if I want soup (most of the time) or less water if I want beans. White beans cooked in smokey water are amazingly good with just a little salt and black pepper.

I cook all sorts of dry beans. Each has its own character and I get cravings for different beans. Lentils are a favorite and currently the cheapest in the dry bean section. Sometimes I mix beans for an interesting bean soup... white, kidney, and black being a good combo to me. Black beans will turn the soup black... if you don't mind bean soup that is black. A very different flavor from bean soup made with navy beans. Often I add chopped cabbage as my medications prefer I stay on a high fiber diet. As time goes by I use less meat as the liquid smoke gives the flavor I want without the calories I don't need. I have two cayenne pepper plants growing indoors in flower pots by the window. Most of the time they have a nice red pepper or two for me so those hit the bean pot to good affect. Depending on the bean I've used carrots, onions, cabbage, celery, hot peppers, olive oil, and dried mushrooms to flavor them. Ham is a favorite meat but any smoked meat works... nothing with small bones!

: )
lyra

Karen, I tried that Canneloni Beans w/Sausage and Tomatoes recipe from Bon Appetit about 2 weeks ago. Wonderful!

And when we had enough of that and still had beans left over, I pureed it into a hummus like consistency, spread it into a thin casserole dish with a little shredded parmesean on top, and baked it. We had that with some wine and toasted crostini. Yum!

I have a really good recipe using chick peas (garbanzo beans). It's from a little coffee shop/tea room in South Carolina. The owner was very firm about not giving out the recipe but my daughter "whined" and told them how much her mother, who lived out of state, loved the salad so they gave her the recipe.

CHICK PEA SALAD

2 16oz. Cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 C. chopped romaine lettuce (use scissors)
1 1/3 C. seedless red grapes, halved
1 C. sweet red pepper, chopped
2/3 C. thinly sliced celery
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 to 2 C. Poppy Seed Dressing

Poppy Seed Dressing:
3/4 C. sugar
1/3 C cider vinegar (heat to boil & pour over sugar)
1 teas. salt
1 teas dry mustard
1 teas. finely chopped green onion
1 C. vegetable oil
1 T.+ poppy seeds

Combine first 5 ingred. in blender 'til smooth.
Turn blender on high and gradually pour in oil in slow steady stream. Stir in poppy seed, cover and chill..

jude

Beans are easy....just add water and cook them....any kind of beans.
Now I really think theya re better cooked with onion or garlic or tomatoes or leeks....but "just beans" are great.

I am wowed by elpheba's jalapeno pickleled carrots!

Years back I would cook a pound of beans...."whatever" kind, but frijoles negros or garbanzos or giant limas were favorites....then I would drain them and add a couple cloves of chopped garlic, herbs of choice,... basil, rosemary, parsley, Thyme...whatever, and vinegar. Could be cider vinegar, balsamic, red wine, white wine....whatever.
Then I would toss a couple of tablespoons onto every tossed salad I made.
Yummy, inexpensive and a great way to add fiber and protein to our diet.
Linda C

Pun:
Here is the same Pasta Fagioli with Escorale added.

Kathy, That's the one I'm gonna try next week!

Excellent recipes. I will sure try something next week:) Thanks.

Kathy:
Most of the Pasta e Fagoli recipes are about the same.
A little more or less, of this or that.
Add a little more Tomato's or Tomato Pasta Sauce to the above Recipes and you have it.

A while back I caught a ration of Carp, a few times,

because I told someone to do a Search on the CF, or
Google it, to get an answer.

So I stopped doing that.
When I put in Recipes lately or even not so lately,
other members always seem to put in a Recipe from the Internet that is identical or close to mine.
???????????

And say how great it is !!! Does that mean, mine is great too ???
Guess I should take it as a compliment.

Seems like other sources, are what CF members want.
Exactly what I told them to do in the first place.

There must be something wrong with my thinking.
They have often said " your straw don't go to the bottom of the glass " LOL

Don't laugh it may be true. LOL !
Lou

Lou, you are the pasta fagoli king!

Here's the black beans I made last weekend and had this weekend with rice, yum!

Basic Black Turtle Beans - from 'The Bean Bible' by Aliza Green

1 lb. black turtle beans
1 ham hock or 1 tsp. liquid smoke (Being mostly vegetarian I don't know anything about ham hocks. When I make this type of recipe I use either 1 TBLSP fake bacon bits or some ancient McCormick stuff I have called 'Hickory Smoked Salt.' It's probably illegal now due to the nitrates, lol!)
1 whole onion stuck with 6 whole cloves (I diced up most of the onion and just stuck the cloves in two large pieces that I could fish out later)
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs fresh epazote tied with kitchen string, or 2 TBLSP dried oregano or marjoram (I used 1 scant tsp. dried epazote, and 1 tsp. dried oregano. I get the dried epazote from Penzey's mail order).
2 tsp. salt.

I also added 1 tsp. of Adobo seasoning, which is a garlic, cumin, onion and oregano mix that I also get from Penzeys.

Rinse the soaked black beans under cold water. Place in a large pot and cover generaously with cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain, discarding the water. (Or not. I soaked in twice their volume of water overnight, then drained and cooked in the crockpot with 4 cups veggie broth and the above ingredients).
Add the ham hock and other seasonings EXCEPT the salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 2 hours, (That's if you're doing on top of the stove. I simmered for 8 hours on low in the crockpot). Add salt after 2 hours if doing on top of the stove and cook for 1 hour longer or until tender to the bite. (Add salt at the end if doing in the crockpot. Salting beforehand makes the bean skins tough)
Remove from heat and allow beans to cool. Take out cloves bay leaves and the ham hock. Remove the meat from the ham hock and add that back to the bean pot, discard the bone. Discard the bunch of epazote if you used the fresh stuff (which I have never seen in the mainstream groceries where I shop).

Ladle into pint jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Lable and freeze.

For black beans and rice, add the beans to cooked rice seasoned with chili sauce. I used a can of mexican style stewed tomatoes (sans basil) or you can use plain chopped tomatoes and add your own sauteed onions, pepper and celery if you like. Season with chili powder to taste. Garnish with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream.

Here is a link that might be useful: Penzeys Spice Company

Pinky:
I never had them. I don't think ???
Have to give Black Beans a try.
Why are you a vegetarian ??? Medical or just want to be,
for nutrician.

Shame , meat is used to flavor a lot of dishes but you don't have to eat it.
Lou