August Preparedness Newsletter

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Bean Recipes

How to cook beans:

Rinse and pick over the beans, looking for rocks or bad beans.  Soak the beans in a large bowl of water and cover for a few hours or overnight. Drain.  Add flavor if desired (use oil, onions, garlic, carrots, etc.  Beans can be a meal themselves!)  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until the beans are as tender as you like.  Salt 3/4 of the way through.  Drain, or serve with the liquid.  (The liquid from the pot can also be used as a soup base.)

Quick-soak method:

Rinse beans in cold water.  Put them in a large pot and cover with about 3 inches of cold water.  Bring almost to a boil (small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot), cover, and remove from heat.  Let sit for 1 hour.  Drain.  Beans are ready to cook.

Refried Beans

2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans (about 1 lb.)

3 Quarts water

1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)

2 Tbsp olive oil or bacon fat

1/4 cup water

Salt to taste

Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones pieces of dirt, or bad beans  Cook the beans in water. (see above) strain beans from cooking water.  Add onions and oil/fat to a wide, sturdy, frying pan on medium high heat.  Cook onions until translucent.  (Note the onions are optional, you can skip them if you want.)  Add the strained beans and about 1/4 cup of water to the pan.  Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they form a rough puree.  Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out.  Add salt to taste.  Add a few slices of cheese, or grated cheese, if you want.  

Layered Bean & Rice Casserole

3-4 tablespoons oil

3/4 cup water

1-2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (can use canned)

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 fresh, minced, garlic cloves (or more if desired)

1 (28oz) can undrained canned tomatoes

1 (19oz) can red kidney beans, drained

3/4 cup long grain rice (uncooked)

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1-2 shredded mozzarella cheese

Set oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil with water over medium heat.  Add in the sliced mushrooms, green bell peppers, onion and garlic; simmer stirring often until onion is tender (about 10 minutes).  Add in tomatoes (with juice, and slightly broken up), beans, rice, chili powder, cumin and cayenne; mix to combine.  Simmer covered for about 25 minutes, or until rice is tender, and the liquid is absorbed.  Transfer to a large greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese over top.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted (also, can microwave on high for 2 minutes).

Cream Soup (using beans)

White Beans

Water

Grind some white beans to flour.  Use 2 tablespoons white bean flour per cup of liquid for thin soups, 3 tablespoons for medium and 4-5 tablespoons for thicker soups or gravies.  Add whatever flavoring and cooked vegetables and meats you choose.

Hummus

1 (15oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

half of a clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving

1/2 -1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2-3 tbsp water

dash of paprika for serving

Combine tahini and lemon juice in food processor.  Process for 1 minute.  Scrape sides and bottom of bowl then turn on and process for 30 seconds.  Add olive oil, garlic, cumin and salt.  Process for 30 seconds.  Scrap sides and bottom of bowl and process for another 30 seconds.  Open can of chickpeas, drain liquid, then rinse will with water.  Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute.  Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas, and process for 1-2 minutes or until thick and quite smooth.  Add water by tbsp until desired texture and thickness is achieved.  To serve, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

Chili

2 pounds ground beef

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

shredded cheese

chopped onions

tortilla chips

lime wedges

Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic.  Cook over medium heat until browned.  Drain off excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne.  Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  If the mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.  Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.  Served with shredded cheddar, chopped onions, tortilla chips and lime wedges.

Bean Dip
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) package dressing mix
1 cup sour cream

Combine beans, cheese, ranch dressing mix, and sour cream.  Heat the mixture over a medium heat, stir until the ingredients are well blended and warm.