Foodie Friday

Okay - so I get asked this question all the time.

BEANS.

Yes, we still eat them. Yes, we prefer them to a lot of things. The fact that they are cheap and easy only adds to their flavor for us. :) I am in love with the bulk food section at WinCo.

Here is my tutorial on how to cook beans. Or lentils which are another staple at our house. note: lentils don't have to be soaked overnight.

Do you have a crockpot? That is BY FAR the easiest way under the sun to cook any and all legumes I have found. I used a pressure cooker for a long time (boy is that fast!) but I need to replace a seal in the thing and switched to the crockpot vs. buying a part.

Rinse dried beans and put to soak in the crockpot.
Go to sleep.
In the morning, rinse again and cover with water.
Add one chopped onion, at least one jalapeno, a heaping spoonful of bullion (I use chicken but have been known to use whatever was available and we're still alive), and about 6-10 cloves of chopped/minced garlic.

Don't pass out. Garlic is your friend. BELIEVE ME. If you cook them without any seasoning - you'll never get the flavor up.

Turn on high for 6-8 hours and there you go. The longer they cook - the softer they get.

NEVER add tomatoes to beans before they're cooked. They won't get soft. Also, if your water level gets too low, don't add COLD water. Your beans will shrivel. I always cover with at least a couple of inches to start with and that's usually plenty to last through the whole cooking process.

I cook at least 2 kilos of beans a week. They freeze great (although ours never last that long) and are used in 90% of our meals.

You can use this method for any and all kinds of beans. Garbanzos are another really great one!

Buen Provecha....

Faith