If you're a vegan or vegetarian, beans are undoubtedly a staple food for you. Beans are wonderful little magical seeds that provide protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. I have never met a bean I didn't like! Black beans are my favorite- I think that they taste good in everything!
However, organic canned beans are often 30-50 cents more expensive than their non-organic counterparts. (FYI- watch ingredients, too. Sometimes, non-organic beans, especially the refried varieties sometimes contain pork lard- Gross!) My local grocery store often has a special on their organic canned beans, but not this week, and I had a craving for my black bean stew... What's a lady to do in this situation?
Dried beans (ever organic ones) are cheap and available in most grocery and bulk food stores. I keep some on hand for when the canned varieties aren't available. Dried beans need lots of love and attention, though, and if you don't have 3 hours between work and dinner, they can be a serious pain. Again, what to do?
Soaked beans can cook in a pressure cooker in about 5 minutes. I know pressure cookers are out of style, but they are making a pretty great comeback (like skinny jeans and day-glo? Hmmmmmm...). Here's what I did: I stuck a cup of dried beans in 3 cups of water out on the kitchen counter when I left for work. When I got home, I rinsed them off in a strainer and stuck the beans in my pressure cooker. You need 3 cups of water per 1 cup of beans. If you have some kombu seaweed lying around, stick some in the bottom of the pot for extra minerals. I pressure cooked them for about 5 minutes, and I let the pressure drop naturally (this just means that you turn off the heat and go walk your dog). When I got back from walking my dog, I had 3 cups of perfectly cooked beans. I then removed the beans and water, threw all of the ingredients of my favorite black bean stew (check this blog's homepage, it's here) i back into the pressure cooker. I cooked that for 5 minutes, let the pressure drop naturally (again, let it sit while you make a salad and set the table), and I have dinner. Quick, easy, nutritious... Awesome!
However, organic canned beans are often 30-50 cents more expensive than their non-organic counterparts. (FYI- watch ingredients, too. Sometimes, non-organic beans, especially the refried varieties sometimes contain pork lard- Gross!) My local grocery store often has a special on their organic canned beans, but not this week, and I had a craving for my black bean stew... What's a lady to do in this situation?
Dried beans (ever organic ones) are cheap and available in most grocery and bulk food stores. I keep some on hand for when the canned varieties aren't available. Dried beans need lots of love and attention, though, and if you don't have 3 hours between work and dinner, they can be a serious pain. Again, what to do?
Soaked beans can cook in a pressure cooker in about 5 minutes. I know pressure cookers are out of style, but they are making a pretty great comeback (like skinny jeans and day-glo? Hmmmmmm...). Here's what I did: I stuck a cup of dried beans in 3 cups of water out on the kitchen counter when I left for work. When I got home, I rinsed them off in a strainer and stuck the beans in my pressure cooker. You need 3 cups of water per 1 cup of beans. If you have some kombu seaweed lying around, stick some in the bottom of the pot for extra minerals. I pressure cooked them for about 5 minutes, and I let the pressure drop naturally (this just means that you turn off the heat and go walk your dog). When I got back from walking my dog, I had 3 cups of perfectly cooked beans. I then removed the beans and water, threw all of the ingredients of my favorite black bean stew (check this blog's homepage, it's here) i back into the pressure cooker. I cooked that for 5 minutes, let the pressure drop naturally (again, let it sit while you make a salad and set the table), and I have dinner. Quick, easy, nutritious... Awesome!
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