25 Pounds of Beans...

[chely7425]

I have 25 pounds of beans in my pantry... 16 bags of black beans, 8 of red kidney beans and 1 of pinto beans. What on earth do I do with them? We get them from WIC and obviously I fail at using them...

[CherryBomb]

Pinto beans, make refried beans. There's so much you can do with beans, I don't really know where to start. Maybe you can check allrecipes.com and get some ideas?

[annethcz]

Heh heh heh. I have similar amounts of beans in my pantry, and we rarely eat beans.

Soup is good. And I use the beans to make burritos or bean enchiladas.

[Arduinna]

Well red beans and rice of course with the kidneys. Chili with any of them. I also love making veggie sloppy joes with kidney beans, and I love them on salads.

[Mosaic]

Send them to me!

Seriously, black beans are the bomb. Cook 'em in a pressure cooker and they are fast and easy. Black bean soup, black beans and rice, black bean and corn tacos (this recipe is especially good, imo), black bean quesadillas, black bean burgers, black beans and couscous or quinoa, southwestern salad...

When I make my black beans, I add garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and ground oregano, plus sometimes just a hint of curry and a teensy bit of sugar to bring out the flavor. And if you eat pork, I have to say that my beans always turn out best if I add a little bitty bit of ham, bacon, etc. in there as well. They also freeze well and get more yummy after thawing, imo, so you might as well do a whole bag or two and then freeze them so that they're ready-to-eat!

[stephienoodle]

Cook a variety of the dry beans and throw in some green beans/snap beans/wax beans, onion, bell pepper, and some sugar/vinegar/oil dressing and you'll have a yummy bean salad.

[chely7425]

How do you cook them in the crock pot? I have found recipes for complicated stuff, but if I just want to season and throw in the crock post how do I do that? Do I need to soak them first?

[cristeen]

You can refry any bean. I don't do pintos at home, I do white beans, and growing up my SM always did black beans refried.

I also do the honey-baked lentil recipe with (cooked) beans - just leave out the water. They make an excellent baked bean.

[EFmom]

Originally Posted by chely7425

How do you cook them in the crock pot? I have found recipes for complicated stuff, but if I just want to season and throw in the crock post how do I do that? Do I need to soak them first?

Dump them in the crockpot. Fill the crockpot with water. Most folks say to season when they are mostly cooked, but others say it doesn't matter. The amount of time depends on the age and type of bean--I usually let them cook overnight.

It's great to do a bunch at once and freeze in serving sized portions. I have a big crock and cook 2 lbs at once.

[JessicaS]

If you add acid (tomatoes, lemon juice, vinegars all good in beans) to the beans too early it can slow their cooking so you should add acid after they are done. I think you can add salt at any time though

Black beans and rice with plantains is one of my favorites.

Dh and dd are not very enthusiastic about beans but ds loves them

[Rosehip]

Cook the black beans according to directions. Use some of them to make chili (I use about 1:1:1 beans/meat/other veg - carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, peppers, etc.) which freezes very well and is great served with the brown rice & sharp cheddar cheese you can also get from WIC

I also make a cold black bean salad with finely chopped sweet peppers, scallions or red onions, sliced grape tomato & then some sort of vinegar/oil dressing. My current dressing staple is white balsamic vinegar/minced shallots/olive oil/dijon.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by stephienoodle

Cook a variety of the dry beans and throw in some green beans/snap beans/wax beans, onion, bell pepper, and some sugar/vinegar/oil dressing and you'll have a yummy bean salad.

That is a yummy way to eat them. I love adding artichoke hearts to bean salad too.

[chely7425]

Thank you for all the ideas!! I will be making beans soon DH isn't a huge fan of beans but as long as they are soft and not at all crunchy still he will eat them..

[BetsyS]

We like beans, too. A summer staple for us is bean salad.

Drain and rinse the beans. Mix with corn. You're going for a 3:1 ratio of beans to corn. Add chopped onion, jalapeno, sweet pepper, cilantro (all to taste). Mix with a vinagrette flavored with cumin and lime. (I sometimes just use Good Seasons Italian, then add the juice of a lime, plus a hearty shake of cumin). Chill, then eat. I make this with black beans, black eyed peas, pintos, and kidney beans, as well as fresh peas. It's very versatile.

[mamadelbosque]

I cook beans almost exclusively in the crockpot. Its *SO* easy. Just sort & rinse, then drop in the crockpot and cover with water. Turn on high for 4-6 hours. Then on low for another 4-6 hours or untill you get around to eating them. SOO easy. I usually throw in an onion (just peeld and cut in half or maybe quarters if its huge) for a bit of extra flavor I usually do 3-5 cups at a time, and then we eat beans for a couple days or some get frozen or whatever (mostly I eat them... I just love beans!! much more than dh, so I eat them for lunch lots so he doesn't have to... more for me anyhow!! )

Then they become bean dip, or in baked bean enchilada style caserole (beans, then salsa, then broken up corn chips then cheese - cook at 350 or so till heated through - 30-60 mins depending on whether your beans were warm or cold to start wtih ), or just refried along side tacos/enchiladas/burritos, or beans & rice (esp black beans!!) - just cook a pot of rice up and serve w/ all the normal taco fixings, or into nachos (just pile corn chips on a plate, top w/ beans & cheese & onions & jalapenos and bake till warm and melty!), or... endless.

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by BetsyS

We like beans, too. A summer staple for us is bean salad.

Drain and rinse the beans. Mix with corn. You're going for a 3:1 ratio of beans to corn. Add chopped onion, jalapeno, sweet pepper, cilantro (all to taste). Mix with a vinagrette flavored with cumin and lime. (I sometimes just use Good Seasons Italian, then add the juice of a lime, plus a hearty shake of cumin). Chill, then eat. I make this with black beans, black eyed peas, pintos, and kidney beans, as well as fresh peas. It's very versatile.

We make this, too, and love it!

I also do black beans and rice at least once a month. We love it! Here's how I make it:

1) Cook the black beans until soft with a whole onion (just washed and scored through with a knife - you don't have to peel it, since you'll be taking it out later). If using a slow cooker, I'd do this overnight.

2) In a separate pot on your stove, cook enough rice for your family.

3) Drain the beans and remove the onion.

4) While the rice is cooking, put a large pot on med-high heat. Add oil and saute a diced onion.

5) When ithe onion is soft and brown, add a minced clove of garlic, a palm full of cumin, a pinch of oregano, 1/4-1 chipotle pepper (dried and chopped, or from a can in adobo sauce - your choice), and salt and pepper. Saute until it starts smelling really yummy.

6) Add 3-4 cups of the beans and 1/2 c -1 cup of water, depending on the texture you want. Allow to cook for 15 minutes or so, then taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

7) Stir the rice into the beans, and optionally add a little lime juice or fresh, chopped cilantro. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

[elmh23]

I use them to stretch any meal involving ground beef. Tacos, hamburgers, burritos. We make chili with a lot of beans (like one whole bag) and 1lb beef.

[EFmom]

Originally Posted by abimommy

If you add acid (tomatoes, lemon juice, vinegars all good in beans) to the beans too early it can slow their cooking so you should add acid after they are done. I think you can add salt at any time though

While I've seen this stated in many cookbooks, I also read an article by Mark Bittman where he conducted experiments with many pots of cooking beans, adding acid or salt to some cooking some plain. The end result yielded no differences.

Some day I'll have to do my own experiments when I have too many beans on hand.

[sagewinna]

My kids love bean dip... Black beans with salsa, white beans with garlic and basil, hummus, etc. I use beans on my salad every day.

[amcal]

I make a breakfast bar that's full of protein, fiber and healthy fat so they keep you satisfied for hours. They have pureed beans in them but, you can't even tell they're in there. I promise! I make a pan of them on the weekend, cut them into bars and freeze for a grab and go breakfast.

Breakfast Bean Bars:
2 cups oats (I used old fashioned)
1 cup whole wheat flour (I've subbed coconut flour but you have to add 2 additional eggs)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)
¼ tsp salt
one can (or equivalent dried beans that have been soaked/cooked) white beans, rinsed and drained (I've even used black beans with no problem)
¼ cup butter, softened (can sub coconut oil)
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1 C coconut palm sugar and 2 T molasses and I've also added a bunch of dates in place of the sweetener)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 - 1 1/2 cup any combo of mix ins you like:
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries (I did golden raisins)
¼–½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I did raw sunflower seeds since my kids class is nut free)
2–4 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional) (I sometimes forget to add this and they're fine)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse flour. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.

Put the beans into the food processor and pulse until roughly puréed. Add the butter and process until well blended. Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the bean mixture into the oat mixture and stir by hand until almost combined; add the chocolate chips, cranberries, nuts and flaxseed and stir just until blended. Spread dough onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, and flatten with your hand (you may need to grease your hands for this).

Bake for 14–16 minutes, until pale golden. Cut into bars. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.