The Big Bean Thread

[pencapchew]

Ive been curious about making a large amount of beans (black, red and garbonzo) and storing them for later use. I use a lot of beans and hate buying the can stuff, and I never know what im gonna eat 2 days from now so I would like to just have some on hand for whenever. Any and all ideas will help, thanks!

[sugarmouse]

there are loads of threads on beans just use search BUT having said that, if you are talking of cooking beans, most of them I find freeze ok!

[pencapchew]

Yes what I meant was that I was going to cook a large amount of beans, or at the least soak the beans for the required amount of time then store them for future use. Does freezing alter the taste of the beans at all? Thanks for your reply!

Cheers!

[vegandinner]

A few nights ago my wife and I made a really good Healthy bean and Onion saute. We posted the recipe along with a picture.

It's pretty good with or without the lime, and since I don't like lime I probably wouldn't put it in, but the wife loves it with lime!

[thecatspajamas1]

That looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

[harpy]

I love that sort of recipe - minimum preparation time and virtuous with it

[sugarmouse]

again, I never measure!sorry.

Cooked crabeye beans (I always buy them dry then soak and freeze them, so i can cook them when I like!)
Tomato puree
red pepper...I always use just one, for about two handfuls of beans.
Chilli flakes ( pickled or dry, though I prefer to use pickled)
veggie stock

put beans in pan of veggie stock and cook for minute or so, drain and put beans back in pan. add red pepper and blend to desired texture using a hand blender although I suppose you could use a processer!add chilli flakes to taste, and tomato puree to taste.

I like touse this in sandwiches and wraps, or to use as a dip

[kaitlin]

Hello! Does anyone know if it is possible to cook dry beans in a rice cooker? While at college, I will really only have regular access to my rice cooker/vegetable steamer but would like to integrate more beans into my diet. Any leads? Thanks!

[HappyVegan]

Hmm, maybe if you put plenty of water in. But I'm not sure a rice cooker is meant to stay on for that long. Most rice/veggies you cook in it take a maximum of 45 min - an hour. The beans would take about 3 hours.

Is there anyway you can have a slow cooker as well? I have a very small one that will cook enough soup or beans for two people and it works great and doesn't take up much space.

[Mystic]

I cooked lentils and split peas in it before and it worked fine

[Kiran]

Soak the beans in water overnight, and they should cook fairly easily. Add a pinch of salt when you boil them in the rice cooker.

[twinkle]

I don't think you can cook some beans in a slow cooker because they need to be boiled for 10 minutes (things like kidney beans) or they have unacceptable levels of toxins. I guess things like lentils and split peas would be the best bet as they are quick cooking.

[kaitlin]

Thanks so much for the input all!! How much water should I put in for the lentils and how long should I leave them in there? Also, how long should I soak them beforehand? Thanks!

[XSveg]

How does one cook red kidney beans so that they taste as good as the canned ones? and whats the secret to reducing excess foam during boiling/cooking?

[beanstew]

I soak them over night in plenty of water and then boil vigorously until they are tender (at least 15 minutes), using a slotted spoon to remove foam. Then rinse throughly and use in the recipe. I find dried beans to be much tastier and have better texture than canned.

[emmapresley]

How does one cook red kidney beans so that they taste as good as the canned ones? and whats the secret to reducing excess foam during boiling/cooking?

soak for 12ish hours..boil like mad for 15 minutesish..simmer till they're done..don't know about the foamy stuff..i just scoop it off every so often with a big spoon. would think that the tinned beans are tasty because of the sugar/salt theyre packed in? natural sweetness of the beans will prob come through after a while of not eating the tinned ones..maybe?

[vegcurry]

If you have a pressure cooker they'll cook even faster and more economically.
I just googled this useful little page.

Rose Elliot's The Bean Book (my first veggie cookbook ) says:

"Use 15lb per cubic inch pressure and cook the pulses for about a third of the time given. As the time pulses take to cook can vary, I find, from batch to batch, it's probably best to look at them before you think they should be done, to make sure.
Some of the pulses, particularly the split red lentils and split peas, tend to 'froth up' when they come to the boil, and this can clog the valve of the pressure cooker. To avoid this, just add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the cooking water."

Her suggested cooking time for Red Kidney Beans is 1 hour, so that should make it about 20 minutes in a pressure cooker.

[Angiemom]

Aloha!!! I can`t find one thats vegan. You know, the cream of mushroom soup green beans and crunchy onions. How bout a vegan version of this so I can enjoy my families favorite dish. I don`t care what "Cambles" sais. Mahalo

[RubyDuby]

I searched google and came up with a bunch. Heres one from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/11...casserole.html


Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Beans
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon table salt (Alanna says it's essential)
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While it's heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.

Sauce

10 ounces mushrooms (I used a combination of regular button mushrooms and shiitake)
3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch cayenne pepper (had to add it for the New Orleanians)
Salt to taste
Fresh pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup vegetable broth (I used Imagine's No-Chicken)
1 tablespoon dry sherry (Alanna's brilliant addition)
3/4 cup soy creamer (or try full-fat unsweetened soymilk)

Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

Topping

1 1/2 slices whole grain bread
1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine (the best tasting margarine in the world and no trans-fat)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 3-ounce can of French fried onions

Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.

To assemble:

Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with the onion mixture. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes. If you are not serving this right away, refrigerate the topping separately. Bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.

[HappyVegan]

I make mine using the creamy mushroom soup that comes in a box (I can't remember the brand right now). Since it's thin I mix in some flour and nutritional yeast to thicken it up. Just mix everything together, put the onions on top and bake. It's really good and I never liked the original, non vegan, green bean casserole.

[angelamc]

I'm going to make a green bean casserole for thanksgiving. For the "sauce" I think I'm just going to use diced mushrooms, soy creamer, and a little tuffuti sour cream to thicken it up. I'll probably add spices but I'm not sure what kind yet.
Keep in mind that as delicious and famous as this casserole is in America, there's really not much to it!

[Gwendolyn]

So, my husband and I just moved into a new apartment, and being as we're both full time college students on a pretty tight budget (and I'm vegan to boot) I made a batch of pretty inexpensive but tasty Lima (butter) bean Hummus to save money. It tastes wonderful. It's got a tiny bit different flavor than regular hummus, but it's really good.

About 8 oz of Lima Beans (cooked, or you can cook your own)
3 tbs. of Olive Oil
4 tbs. Lime Juice
3 tbs. of Cumin
A little bit of chopped onion (cooked or uncooked)
Use garlic to taste (I used one clove)

Everything in this recipe is adjustable. You can use a dash of this and a dash of that, and it works with many different ratios. I hope some find this recipe pretty good, just as I did.

[Klytemnest]

So, my husband and I just moved into a new apartment, and being as we're both full time college students on a pretty tight budget (and I'm vegan to boot) I made a batch of pretty inexpensive but tasty Lima (butter) bean Hummus to save money. It tastes wonderful. It's got a tiny bit different flavor than regular hummus, but it's really good.

About 8 oz of Lima Beans (cooked, or you can cook your own)
3 tbs. of Olive Oil
4 tbs. Lime Juice
3 tbs. of Cumin
A little bit of chopped onion (cooked or uncooked)
Use garlic to taste (I used one clove)

Everything in this recipe is adjustable. You can use a dash of this and a dash of that, and it works with many different ratios. I hope some find this recipe pretty good, just as I did.

Cool! Thanks for the recipe. I think I'll try it tomorrow. For how long should I cook the lima beans? An hour? Also, since yesterday I have decided to try and limit my fat intake. Do you think I could get away with using only one or two tbs of olive oil? Three tbs is 42 grams of fat! Do you htink I could make up the difference with water?

Thanks,

Rami

[auntierozzi]

Hi Rami,
Good to see you.
You could probably use some of the water that you cooked the beans or just a bit more lime juice.

[RebeccaDye]

I made this for lunch today!
Delicious!
Thanks

[KrissStress]

this sounds pretty adventurous compared to the usual spinach and roasted red pepper fare, I believe I'll try this in the next few days!

[journey]

Ok, I'm just learning to cook with dried/soaked bulk beans instead of canned - I soaked a bunch of beans overnight, but didn't get a chance to cook all of them up. So I drained them, covered them and put them in the fridge for a few days until I have time to cook. How long can I store them like that? If I get to them in a few days, will they be ok? Was that the best way to deal with beans that have been soaked but can't be cooked right away?

[sugarmouse]

I would say 3 days max int fridge.
I sometimes freeze beans that are half dealt with

[herbwormwood]

I soak them then freeze them. Then when I need them I take them out and cook them from frozen.
If you don't freeze them they could ferment. If you left them in the water you'd know about the fermentation because they would start to give off bubbles and a fart smell.

[journey]

Thanks - what a great idea freezing is. I'll give it a try.

[enjoyment]

Hi I'm wondering if it would be safe to eat 1.5 cups (dry measurement) of well-cooked red kidney beans daily. I'm aware cooking reduces the toxincs 200-fold or so, but still 1.5 cups is quite a lot, even cooked, would I have a toxic result, also I wonder if there's any sort of health issues I could develop from chronic ingestion of the toxin, even in small dose?

[Tigerlily]

As long as it's soaked long enough (overnight) and cooked until fully cooked (1-2 hours?), it should be okay. Although my cookbook Eat Drink and Be Vegan, Dreena Burton the author recommends just eat canned kidney beans to be safe as they have less toxin (they are cooked properly).

By my question is:
Why kidney beans every day? Eating the same bean every day is such a snore fest! Liven it up a bit with black beans, lentils, and chickpeas (which are all safe).

[fiamma]

I was wondering the same thing Tigerlily!

[harpy]

As well as the advice Tigerlily gave, it's supposed to be a good idea to boil them hard for 10 minutes at the start of cooking to help get rid of the toxins.

Don't know if anyone has researched the effects of eating them every day! I probably eat some form of beans each day but they're not always the same kind.

[pigpad]

I have a recipe that calls for Navy beans - can anyone enlighten me to what these actually are ? is there a UK equivalent ?

thanks

[fiamma]

Wikipedia writes the following:

The small, white navy bean, also called pea bean or haricot, is particularly popular in Britain and the US, featuring in such dishes as baked beans as well as in various soups such as the famous Senate Bean Soup.[8]
Navy bean varieties include:

• Great northern beans
• Robust
• Rainy River
• Michelite
• Sanilac

Other white beans are Cannellini (a quite popular variety in Central and Southern Italy) and Great Northern.



So the UK name is haricot; you can substitute with cannellini beans if you can get them. Although depending on your recipe and the result you want you could try other beans, they're pretty versatile :smile:.

[pigpad]

Thanks for that - I didn't have the sense to look them up !! I also managed to post the same thing twice without trying..

As you can tell I am a PC dummy lol

[Metal Maniac]

I love this Recipe and all my family and freinds do too!!

Torsky's Hot Chilli Recipe,

...made in a slow cooker no different than any other Chilli!

-1 Packet Vegan Chilli Mix
-1 Small Onion
-2 Cloves Garlic
-1 Can Kidney Beans
-1 Can Chick Peas
-2 Tsp dried Barley and/or Basmati Rice (Optional)
-1 Med Carrot Diced
-1 Large Stock Celery Diced
-1 Large can Diced Tomatoes
-1 Can Diced White Potatoes
-Half can Tomatoe Paste
-1 Tsp Salt
-1/4 Tsp Crushed Chilli's
-1/8 Tsp Cayene Powder
-2 Bay Leaves
-1/2 Cup Water

...even my Meat loving Buddies eat this right up with some crusty bread....ENJOY!!!

[Qaxt]

What is everyone's favorite rice and beans recipe? Every single time I mix the two, I fail somewhere and it just doesn't taste very good. But I love store- and restaurant-bought mujadara, and I think I'd like other rice & bean mixes....

What's your favorite recipe?

[twinkle]

I don't think I've really had rice and beans as such - the nearest I get to that is chillie with red kidney beans and some nice wholegrain rice on the side. I will have to check out mujadara

[Qaxt]

I don't think I've really had rice and beans as such - the nearest I get to that is chillie with red kidney beans and some nice wholegrain rice on the side. I will have to check out mujadara

Oh, yeah. Mujadara is such a nice mix of lentils, rice, and onions. Oh, and spices. I used to dislike it, but now it's my favorite food.

[Guate_Vegan]

I like Gallo Pinto. It's a Nicaragua/Costa Rican red/black bean dish with rice... (Also, I love the Guatemalan plain black beans that my mummy makes)

Here are the ingredients and directions (from Vegetarian Times) so you can get an idea,

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups cooked white rice
• 2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce (regular can be used as well)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• fresh cilantro (optional)
• sliced green onion (optional)

Directions

1. 1
   
   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. 2
   
   Add onion and sauté until it just begins to soften and turns color.
3. 3
   
   Add garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until onion is golden.
4. 4
   
   Add spices and Worcestershire, and stir into onion and garlic.
5. 5
   
   (The first time I made this, I was afraid to add the full 3 Tbsp of Worcestershire, but the addition of the rice balances the flavor out).
6. 6
   
   Next, add the beans and then the rice.
7. 7
   
   Combine the rice and beans evenly and cook until mixture is heated through.
8. 8
   
   Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
9. 9
   
   Garnish with some chopped cilantro or green onions if you prefer.
10. 10
    
    Vegetarians use only the Vegetarian Worchestershire Sauce.

[Penny]

Recently, at a vegan restaurant in Glasgow, I had bulghur and bean balls in a tomato sauce. They were delicious and the texture was really nice. I've searched my recipe books and the internet without success, to find a recipe. Can anyone here help, please?

[1gentlemaorispirit]

Recently, at a vegan restaurant in Glasgow, I had bulghur and bean balls in a tomato sauce. They were delicious and the texture was really nice. I've searched my recipe books and the internet without success, to find a recipe. Can anyone here help, please?

Penny, If it was Grass roots, the staff are pretty good at giving out recipes when asked.

They do sound nice!

[Penny]

It was Stereo and I didn't like to ask as when I enquired about the cheesecake recipe at Mono (same company) they said they weren't allowed to tell me... (But I've since found a recipe for cheesecake... mmmm)

[1gentlemaorispirit]

It was Stereo and I didn't like to ask as when I enquired about the cheesecake recipe at Mono (same company) they said they weren't allowed to tell me... (But I've since found a recipe for cheesecake... mmmm)

I found the staff at Mono more prickly in manner, especially at weekends. I've only been to Stereo a couple of times and thougt the food tasted nicer.

I have difficulty making cheesecakes, as I can always taste the tofu. My favourite cheese cake is Raspberry.

[cedarblue]

a better base for cheesecakes is to use vegan 'soft cheese' sub - creamy and no tofu taste!

[wendy]

Yes cheescake made with tofutti is delisious. I use the recipe from "La dolce vegan" and also omnivores love it

[Penny]

I use the recipe from the Viva! leaflet, 'Howto be dairy free'. I make one and a half times the digestive biscuit base. It uses silken tofu and creme cheese. I also mix a tin of strawberries with some sugar and pour it over the top. OMG, I want some NOW!!!!

[clare155]

Do you think the recipe would be the same as bulgar and bean burgers? there seems to be a lot of recipes for that... maybe rolled into balls they would be similar?? You might have to have an afternoon of experimenting!