Beans, beans, beans give me you favorite recipes

[2mama]

I picked 6 # of green, yellow, purple beans today and want to make some good eats.  What are your favorite way to serve 'em.  We usually just eat them raw, but I'd like to get crazy and cook them up.

I also would love recipes for other kinds of beans.  Kidney, black, pinto, and garbonzo are our favorites and I have gotten a bit bored with how I made them, so send recipes my way!! 

Thanks 

[seaheroine]

YUM.  We've got tons in the garden now, and my favorite way to cook the fresh beans is to do a quick steam, then sautee with olive oil, slivered almonds and shallots.  So delicious!  I blanch and freeze them, too, for use later. 

We make most of our pinto/black beans in the slow cooker, Mexican style.  Lots of onion, cilantro, cumin, a little chile.  I prefer mine vegetarian, though I'll occasionally use some chicken broth.  Epazote is a unique tasting herb, too...sometimes I'll put that in my black beans.  For dinner today I made a black-eyed pea salad to serve cold --- soaked and cooked the beans, then tossed with diced bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, parsley, rice vinegar, olive oil, a little sugar, salt and pepper. 

Sometimes I'll throw in some corn, too. 
 

[seaheroine]

Oh, and lately I've been throwing garbanzo beans in my pasta salad -- delicious, warm or cold.  I usually use all of those in minestrone, but it's so hot...I want them all cold these day.  A bonus for being easy to prepare ahead of time!