Bean Recipes (dried beans)

[Hazel at the Hill]

Making beef and black bean chilli this weekend. Thank you TS.

[Two_Sheds]

Bean Hummous

Hummous

100g dried chickpeas, prepped (or use any dried bean, or fresh broadies)
small carton plain yogurt (Greek is worth the extra cost for the creamy texture)
1tbsp fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
dash of lemon/paprika if liked
salt and pepper


Blitz everything in a blender.

[Two_Sheds]

Turkish White Beans

Turkish White Beans

Serves 6

30ml olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large cinnamon stick, broken
150g dry white beans or butter beans (eg. White Emergo, Blue Lake)
1 tsp salt
black pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
450ml water/stock
1 tin chopped tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tsp sugar
juice of 1 lemon
50g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1. Heat the oil and lightly sauté the onions and cinnamon 5 mins

2. Add the beans, salt, black pepper, chilli powder and water. Bring to the boil.

3. Simmer for 15 mins then add the tomatoes, garlic, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for a further 5 mins.

(from the Veg.Soc)

[Two_Sheds]

Tortilla Spinach Bake

Tortilla Spinach Bake

serves 4

5 tortilla wraps
2 onions, thinly sliced
75g chopped spinach or chard
75g dried beans, prepped
300ml Half fat crème fraiche (or natural yoghurt)
425g jar pasta sauce (or make your own)
100g cheddar cheese, grated


1. Heat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5.

2. Grill the wraps on both sides until beginning to crisp.

3. Sauté the onion in a little oil, 5 mins, and mix in the spinach, beans and crème fraiche.

4. In a large Pyrex dish layer the wraps, sauce, and bean mixture, like a lasagne. Top with grated cheese.

5. Bake for 15-20 mins.

* you can use lasagne sheets instead of tortilla.

[Two_Sheds]

Chickpea Couscous

Chickpea Couscous

serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 aubergine, diced
2 courgettes, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (smoked hot paprika is delicious)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice (or garam masala)
600ml passata or drained tinned tomatoes
150ml stock
100g dried chick peas, prepped
50g dried apricots, soaked in hot water then sliced
225g couscous, made according to instructions
2 tsp harissa paste
Salt & pepper
2 tsp chopped fresh coriander


1 Saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft and golden. Add the aubergine, courgettes and red pepper and fry gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 mins.

2 Stir in all the spices and cook gently for one minute. Add passata and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the chick peas and apricots. Simmer for 20~25 mins, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced. Mix the harissa paste into the vegetable stew.

3 Fork through the couscous to separate the grains and fluff it up. Spoon it onto the warmed serving plates. Top with veg stew, and garnish with coriander.

[nelliegemini]

Two_Sheds

I'm just back from my WW meeting where we discussed 'filling foods'. with beans coming rather high up the list for good things to eat that filll you up long time but don't fill you out!

Would it be OK with you if I took some of your recipes into my next meeting? Duly 'pointed up' of course for those who count points!

[Two_Sheds]

Shepherdess Pie

Shepherdess Pie

serves 4

1 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, finely chopped
some cooked pumpkin/swede if you have it (optional)
Handful chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tsp dry mixed herbs
125g red split lentils (there's no need to soak lentils)
150g dried beans, prepped
200g cherry tomatoes, chopped (or a tin)
1 tsp Marmite
750ml veg stock
900g potatoes, mashed with mustard if liked
150g Cheddar, grated


1) Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas 4.

2) Fry the onion and garlic gently in oil for 5 mins, until soft. Add the carrot and pumpkin/swede if using (it's a good dish to hide extra veggies in) and cook for 3 mins. Then add the herbs, lentils, beans and toms, and stir together.

3) Add the stock, simmer for 20 mins, until the lentils are soft. Spoon into a buttered ovenproof dish.

4) Top with mash and cheese, bake for 20 to 25 mins until golden.

[Eyren]

Great recipes, Two_Sheds - we like pulses, but I never seem to cook them often enough (my old vegetarian cookbooks are a bit dated and the recipes seem very dull alongside the likes of Nigel Slater and Jamie Oliver!). I've bought some Lingua di Fuoco seeds, and I'm hoping to get some Trail of Tears and Hilda's Climbing Blue (aka Blauhilde??) from a friend at work, so fingers crossed I will have my own dried beans next winter!

[Scottishnewbie]

Hi Twosheds (or anyone that knows!), we use loads of kidney beans and I'd like to grow them if I can. What kind of bean plantare they from and where do I get it from? Or can i just sow some that I've got in the cupboard?

many thanks

laura

I am passionate about French beans: I grow 100+ plants every year, and I still have a dozen jars of dried beans in my cupboard from the year before.

Beans are so good for you, reducing cholesterol, filling you up, low in calories, full of fibre & protein. I chuck a handful into most dishes (meat & veggie) to pad it out.
By growing your own you are reducing food miles, saving on packaging & you can grow varieties that you just can't buy in the shops.

---------------
The Toxin
All kidney beans (not just the red ones: all dried beans) contain a natural toxin (called lectin) that can cause stomach aches and vomiting.

You must follow these three steps to destroy the toxin:
1. soak the dried beans overnight (or a one hour quick soak in boiled water)
2. drain and rinse the beans then cover them with fresh water
3. boil them vigorously for at least 10 mins
4. Then simmer for 45-60 mins to make them tender.
5. Do a batch and freeze them so they're ready to use next time.

---------------------------

I thought I'd start a new thread of my favourite recipes to inspire others to grow their own dried beans.

I give away a lot of seed every year, so keep your eye on the Seed Swap if you're after some different varieties, or just PM me.

This is really worth a read, lots of bean explanations on here: Common bean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and good photos of different beans on here: Cook's Thesaurus: Dry Beans

[Two_Sheds]

we use loads of kidney beans and I'd like to grow them if I can. What kind of bean plantare they from and where do I get it from? O

Canadian Wonder (dwarf) is a good, proper red kidney bean.
yes, you can try and grow the ones in your cupboard, by all means.

[Scottishnewbie]

yee-hah! many thanks. I'll go on the T&M site shortly and see if i can get some. Been a bit boring and only done broad beans, peas and french beans last year so am needing to 'branch out' a bit this year....that's if it ever stops raining of ocurse!

many thanks as ever

laura

Canadian Wonder (dwarf) is a good, proper red kidney bean.
yes, you can try and grow the ones in your cupboard, by all means.

[Two_Sheds]

only done broad beans, peas and french beans last year

Kidney beans are from French beans. Have a read through the posts above, and some specific varieties are mentioned.

[RobintheBobin]

Thanks for these...most of my beans swelled whilst we were on hols and won't be great for freezing so I was at a loss at what to do with them but the recipes all look delicious. Now quite happy to leave the larger beans on the plants

[womble]

This is probably a silly question, but I want to make the tomato and bean soup using fresh shelly beans.
Do I have to boil the beans separately and then throw away the water, then add them to the soup, or can I just throw them in fresh?

[Flummery]

I put fresh shelly beans into casseroles as they are Womble. Still here, as you can see!