No one should graduate high school without knowing this

March 9th, 2010

beans No one should graduate high school without knowing this

It amazes me that I went through high school and college, was deemed an adult, and walked into the world without a clue how to perform certain basic life functions.

It’s unlikely, but if anyone ever asks me what questions should be on the SATs, I know my answer! Every graduating high school senior should know how to cook a pot of brown rice and dried beans. It could be a short essay.

Beans are ignored far too often. (Except for chickpeas – the darling of hummus!) For such low-cost, high-nutrient dense foods, you would think they’d be a staple in more homes. We complain about the economy, fear for our 401Ks, but do we buy some basic dried beans and feed ourselves well for pennies a day? Do we skip the irradiated, antibiotic-filled supermarket meat and make an affordable, organic choice instead?

I challenge you to do just that! And while you’re at it, teach a high school kid how to do the same. (Expect resistance now, gratitude later.)

Far too many of my clients have no idea how to cook up a pot of dried beans, so here we go with my basic method:

Remember that beans will double in size when they are cooked, so if you need 2 cups cooked beans, start with 1 cup dried.

1. Optional: Soak your beans 8-12 hours. Change the soaking water once or twice. Drain.

2. In a large pot, add beans and enough water to cover the beans by 3″. Optional: add a piece of kombu to the water. The nutrients will be absorbed into your beans.

3. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat. Skim off any foam that appears. Cook anywhere from 20-90 minutes depending on the size of your bean, until soft but not falling apart. Cooking time will be longer if you didn’t soak overnight.

4. Drain water (and discard kombu.) You’re done! You can keep cooked beans in the refrigerator for about a week, or freeze them to use later. You will save money over canned beans and certainly over pizza delivery!

You’ve followed the directions, you’ve cooked ‘em up, or maybe – just maybe – you decided today was more of a canned bean day. So be it. Now, what are you going to make with them? Here are bean-y ideas from my repertoire:

Have it your way Rice Bowls
Delicious Breakfast Cookies
Indiasian Mung Beans with Veggie Rice

And some ideas from other healthy food bloggers:

Warm Chickpea and Artichoke Salad
Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans
Rock Shrimp and White Bean Skillet with Bacon and Spinach

Have a great bean recipe to share? Leave it in the comments!

pixel No one should graduate high school without knowing this

13 Comments beans, frugal living, recipe, sea vegetables

  • http://www.realfood365.com Chandelle

    You are so right! I can’t believe what little practical knowledge I had when I first set out on my own. I couldn’t cook anything but ramen, or balance a checkbook, or change a tire, but at least I could fill in bubbles with a #2 pencil!

    I love beans. I have some every day. I cook them with a bit of cider vinegar and bay leaves for increased digestibility. Beans tossed with olive oil and kelp granules is one of my kids’ favorite snacks. Oh, and baked bean soup! I make that at least once a month.

  • http://dietdessertndogs.com Ricki

    I didn’t cook beans from scratch until I had my own apartment and couldn’t afford “real” food! I agree, everyone ought to know how to do this. I remember taking them forever to cook–didn’t know about soaking back then. There’s also the “quick soak” method: put beans in water, bring to boil, turn off heat, cover and lete sit for one hour. Drain, rinse, and cook as if they soaked all night. I find that works when you’re pressed for time. :)

  • Sara D.

    Thanks for this! I’ve never really been very successful at cooking beans – thank goodness for Eden brand. But I’d love to make my own and save the $2 a can!

  • Sara D.

    Forgot to add that black bean soup (recipe from the Vegetarian Mother cookbook) has become a new staple in our house. It is yummy. We are big fans of beans in our house!

  • Elizabeth

    I’ve been wondering what to do with that leftover kombu in my cupboard from my fleeting flirtation with the macrobiotic diet! Great suggestion.

  • http://www.cook4seasons.com Karen@Cook4Seasons

    LOVE beans!! Especially for breakfast lately. I make a big batch of something fun the night before (with tomatillos; with farro…)and scramble them with eggs. My favorite source is http://www.ranchogordo.com and he has great recipes online, too.
    Not only do I use kombu for digestion, epazote also helps keep the music to a minimum LOL.

  • http://soulsisters40plus.blogspot.com kathleen

    I’m a bean fan..but I must admit I’ve taken to buying cans lately – but thanks to your reminder about the economic benefits of cooking from scratch, not to mention the ease in which it can be done, I’m going back to basics!
    Thanks! xox

  • http://www.purposepowercoaching.com Chris Edgar

    True — and in high school and college vending machines it would be a great idea to replace the Snickers bars, or even the Ramen, with some nice plump kidney beans.

  • http://mulberrymary.blogspot.com Mary

    LOVE this post! You are so right. ;)

  • Jenn

    hi michelle!

    i soak/cook beans frequently but i always ask myself the same question (and then forget to look it up…) so i’m hoping you can clarify for me.

    when i buy canned beans, i always drain and rinse in order to lower sodium. when you soak with kombu, should you rinse the beans after draining/discarding the kombu? i don’t want to completely negate the health benefits associated with soaking with kombu in the first place. i also know brands like eden organics chop the kombu and keep it in the can. overall, i’m not sure how this impacts sodium. so clearly i need a little clarification :)

    thanks!

  • http://findyourbalancehealth.com Michelle

    Chandelle – Baked beans soup? That’s something I haven’t heard of – is like regular baked beans?

    Ricki – What I really need is a pressure cooker, right? I hear it’s the quickest method of all!

    Sara – Vegetarian Mother cookbook, eh? Something going on over there I should know about? :-)

    Elizabeth – Yup, this is the #1 way I use kombu. Also tried something I heard about using it on my skin in the shower…rubbed it in hoping for some smoothness but honestly I couldn’t tell if it did anything!

    Karen – Thanks for the link!

    Kathleen – I mean, I won’t lie, I used canned beans all the time. But, when I can, it’s worth cooking ‘em up!

    Chris – Ha! Can you imagine those kid’s faces?

    Mary – LOVE you!

    Jenn – Sounds like you are concerned about your sodium intake, so while many beans are cooked with salt you can buy Eden brand bc they use kombu instead of salt. If you cook yourself, drain the cooked beans but no need to rinse. Kombu is low in sodium and they have more info about it here: http://www.edenfoods.com/faqs/view.php?categories_id=8#faq61

  • http://elaineperlov.blogspot.com Elaine

    I love your writing, your recipes, and your exuberance! So glad I found your blog (by way of friend-in-common Jodi V’s FB page)

  • Veggie Vance

    Viva la beans! So underrated!

    If you don’t have Kombu at home, tossing in a bay leaf while cooking will help breakdown the beans’ sugars as well. Those sugars in beans will cause a case of the “toots” if you don’t remove them. :)

    If you are in a time crunch to cook your beans, I have tossed them dry into a pressure cooker filled with water and a bay leaf and cooked for about an hour. If they are already soaked, you can cook in a pressure cooker in about 30 minutes or less.

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