Let's talk about dried beans

[cin]

I'm trying to reduce our food budget, and maintain nutrition. Beans are relatively inexpensive and low fat. So....Where do we buy them in larger quantities? How long do they last? I mean, if I bought a larger bag, would they last 'forever'?

 

And what are some of your favorite recipes? My family will eat black, kidney, pinto and white or navy.

[Quiver0f10]

I buy my beans from Wal-Mart of SAMS. I fI wanted organic I could order them through my food co-op, but right now I need cheap so I shop WM. I keep the beans in their orginal plastic bag and store them inside a big plastic bucket. For ecipes I have bene trying some from www.fatfreevegan.com as well as www.allrecipes.com.

[Storm Bay]

I beans and lentils in bulk from a food coop. Usually organic. I often make dh barley and lentil soups in the winter; I tend to make a new recipe almost every time, and just make them up as I go, so I'm not much help with the recipes. One thing, though, is that I never add anything with tomato or acid in a recipe until they are cooked. I always presoak dried beans, but never lentils. My kids are mostly gf (one has to be, the others should be, but aren't always when we go out), so only dh eats that one soup. I've also made soups for the kids with things like lentils, potatos and turkey, for example. Dd is on a rotary diet, so I don't have a wide range of recipes.

 

One thing we've noticed is that if we eat a meal with lentils and rice, which we cook in water, and vegetables, it's too low in fat (my kids are skinny) and fat is what helps their tummies feel full, so we stir in a small amount of healthy oil to the lentils before serving.

[Jumping In Puddles]

One thing we've noticed is that if we eat a meal with lentils and rice, which we cook in water, and vegetables, it's too low in fat (my kids are skinny) and fat is what helps their tummies feel full, so we stir in a small amount of healthy oil to the lentils before serving.

 

You can also stir in some parmesan cheese to that for some fat... it goes really well!

 

Beans are about 5 years old that are on the shelf at retail stores. The older the beans, the longer cooking time but they should last indefinitely.

 

Fresher beans are more tender, take less time to cook but are expensive! Someday, I would love to afford some Rancho Gordo Beans but for now, I buy cheap.

[Storm Bay]

You can also stir in some parmesan cheese to that for some fat... it goes really well!

 

.

 

Oh, yes, I forgot about that! Dd is casein free, but even if she weren't, cow products and legumes are on different days (it's that rotary diet again.)

[Storm Bay]

You can also stir in some parmesan cheese to that for some fat... it goes really well!

 

.

 

Oh, yes, I forgot about that! Dd is casein free and only dh has dairy products on a regular basis. Cheese now gives me heartburn:glare:

[shougmom]

Yesterday I made Camy's "Easy Lunch Idea" and it was both easy and delicious. My kids actually ate it (in a tortilla with salsa and cheese with fresh veggies and fruit on the side) for lunch and dinner yesterday, and lunch again today, by request! :001_huh: DH and I really liked it too, so I'm planning on buying a big bag of pintos today at Costco! :) I'll attempt to link to her post, but you could search for "Easy Lunch Idea" if it doesn't work. :) Linda

 

Camy's Easy Lunch

[mcconnellboys]

I believe they'll last just about forever, but may be tougher. I keep mine in a cool, dark place. I buy larger amounts at Wal-Mart and Sam's.

 

I do black beans with most Mexican type meals, just adding some salsa to them as they cook (some add cheese on top later)....

 

Pintos can be cooked with bacon or ham, country style, or can have some seasonings added and mashed to make refried beans....

 

I use red beans or white beans to make "---- beans and sausage" in the crockpot. And I use red beans in chili.

 

I just copied a great looking crockpot recipe for making crispy garbanzos (from canned, though, not dried) off the 365 days of crockpot blog and am getting ready to try it for myself....

 

I also recently tried the Cajun recipe fifteen bean soup mix from Wal-mart, but my family didn't really go for it, so I won't do that one again....

[Carol in Cal.]

Big 25 lb sacks fit nicely into 5 gallon buckets, IIRC. You can buy lids with wide screw tops at Mormon stores (I am not Mormon, but they often have survival stuff like that.)

 

They do keep forever, but as they get older they sometimes take a little longer to cook (like maybe 10-15% longer).

[Jumping In Puddles]

Yesterday I made Camy's "Easy Lunch Idea" and it was both easy and delicious. My kids actually ate it (in a tortilla with salsa and cheese with fresh veggies and fruit on the side) for lunch and dinner yesterday, and lunch again today, by request! :001_huh: DH and I really liked it too, so I'm planning on buying a big bag of pintos today at Costco! :) I'll attempt to link to her post, but you could search for "Easy Lunch Idea" if it doesn't work. :) Linda

 

Camy's Easy Lunch

 

My kids love bean burritos too.

 

All those beans... :blink: I hope your kids have stronger digestive systems than mine do! :lol: My son is so funny, he would <ahem> squeak - then look around and say "what was that?" all serious faced and all :)

[Willow]

The easiest way to cook them is if you have a slow cooker.

 

Put beans and water in before you go to bed (remember they swell so lots of water....) put the crock pot on high, and they are ready to use in the morning. We have cheap night electric so I often do this.

 

Also beans freeze well, so do a batch, freeze them in your family sized portions and they are as easy to use as canned beans.

 

Note red kidney beans MUST have a fast 10 min boil before use, so do that before slow cooking. This kills the toxins.

[Tammyla]

Great idea. I'm trying to add more beans into our diet here, but I'm meeting with resistance.:glare: Flavoring the beans is important according to my mom. She uses everything thing from ham to salt pork and bacon in a pinch depending on the beans.

 

I'm trying black eyed peas in the crock pot flavored with left over ham.

[yslek]

I've found that sprouting my beans beforehand greatly decreases their, um, lingering effect. ;) Makes them cook up a bit faster, too.

 

Kelsy