Oh yes, you know the song. And believe me it’s a favorite tune in our house, cause this mama cooks with beans all-the-time.
Beans are actually one of my favorite places to save on the grocery bill and to channel my need to control the quality of ingredients. A can of beans is great in a hurry, but cooking dry beans is so satisfying and makes the house smell fabulous! They tend to hold together better and have a brighter color too. In fact, I cook them so often that my friend Elizabeth and I started going in on a humongous bag of pinto beans every so often. Then we get to have a girls trip to Costco, it’s much more fun Costco shopping with her than on my own. This week I cooked 2 pounds of black beans while we were at the house watching play off football. Football season gives me lots of time to cook. Super easy recipe, you got this. 
Toss the beans into a colander and rinse
I have yet to find a rock in my beans, but always look anyhow. Toss the beans into the biggest stock pot you have, fill it with water to cover the beans by a few inches. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 min, then cover and let sit for an hour. Yes you can soak them overnight, but I rarely remember. Drain the beans in the colander, toss back in the pot, cover with water and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to a slow simmer for about 2 hours. The time varies on the type of bean, the age of the beans so taste one periodically to see if they are done. Smashing one with the back of a spoon will let you know how soft they are too if you don’t want to eat a zillion unseasoned beans. Once they are finished, I let them cool. Then scoop 2 cups into a freezer bag. Then I have a stock pile of beans in my freezer. 
Cost savings?
15 oz can of black beans at Raleys is $1.49 1 pound of dry black beans at Raleys is $1.99 1 pound of dry cooked = 53 ounces of cooked beans or 3.5 cans Savings on 3.5 cans vs a pound dry = $2.48 That’s less than half price for a better product. Typically I find dry beans for even less in the bulk section, on sale or at Costco since they have a long shelf life.
Tonight I’m using a crockpot burrito bowl recipe with the black beans. Stay tuned to find out how that turns out. Recipe. http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-slow-cooker-chicken-burrito-bowls-207333
Love to hear your favorite bean and how you use them. Keep moving mama! 
2 Comments
Christina
1/21/2016 04:19:18 pm
Love the tips! I cook beans, but not in bulk...Thanks for the idea of freezing for later. Wanna make the house smell even better?? Throw a couple cloves of garlic in the pot...even helps reduce the gas effects :) Leave a Reply. |
Wendy Hoag
Combining a love of real food, commitment to exercise, a home based business and a family without going over the edge is the balance I seek daily. There is a confidence that comes from combining these things into life. Archives
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