My husband is from Texas, and we now live in South Carolina. Before we were vegan, I fell in love with The Homesick Texan. I have two of her cookbooks, and while we don’t eat the animal products anymore, her bean recipes and salsa recipes, and rice recipes are wonderful! It also turns out that pinto beans and corn bread are a typical meal in SC. The Carolinas also specialize in field peas and butter/lima beans.. so good!
I have gone back & forth from can to dried beans over the decades. Currently in canned phase, prepping things is really hard for me sometimes but I always have dried beans around for the apocalypse. I do have an instant pot & when I am up to it will start using that to cook dried beans.
I love making beans. Here in Costa Rica the easiest beans to find are black or red beans. We can also get garbanzo and white beans dried. I pressure cook mine the old fashioned way. It’s amazing: less than and hour to fresh delicious beans. I’ve never used an instapot. So far I haven’t felt the need to upgrade.
I've got an import store near me that is, as far as I can tell, is kinda like a Costco but run by immigrants for immigrants. There are 2 full aisles, probably 50+ feet long, that are nothing but dried beans. Red lentils, brown lentils, chickpeas (white, brown, split and whole), pintos, kidney, white, mung (split and whole), fava, butter, something called "gram" and probably a few more with non-English names that I can't remember. They come in packages in a variety of sizes, from a variety of places (India, the Middle East, Africa). We go two or three times a year to stock up on the things we can only buy there (this is where I must tell you that ajvar is an Eastern European pepper spread that will elevate nearly any sandwich or pasta sauce), and despite there being plenty of dried beans in my pantry, I STILL take a slow wander down the Beans Aisles, just to see if there is some other bean I haven't met yet. This most recent time, I bought a small bag of large dried lima beans... Gonna cook those up with onions, garlic, bell pepper and a cheezy sauce for a vegan version of Pizza Beans. 😁
We make a few pots on rotation; pinto, black, using a lot of olive oil, salt, and fresh bay leaves. My niece Torre has this great recipe for butter beans with shallot, capers, lemon juice, veganaise, and fresh dill: https://aboutbeans.substack.com/p/nsfw-beans
(When my son was 6, he threw himself on the floor one night at dinnertime and screamed “Why does it always have to be FUCKING BEANS?!!”)
Last year I started cooking dried beans in my instant pot and it changed my life. I get great results without soaking so it’s like a 5 minute chore to get them cooked!
Here in southern Arizona, I live on Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui indigenous lands. Under the scorching heat here, they have cultivated the beautiful Tepary Bean, in several forms. You can get them through RamonaFarms.com or NativeSeeds.org. In addition, if you change up the chilis you add, you can get a different flavor profile. And I learned about avocado leaves! I loved the flavor they added.
I must confess I was in the "beans are a colossal pain in the ass to make". And then I made some, and felt sort of foolish. I'm now in the beans 4eva camp!
I learned about adding them to the pot from Masienda. I found a small pack of dried leaves at a Mexican food store. It's my understanding that food from Oaxaca & Puebla often uses them, both dried and fresh. It leaves a slight, very slight, anise flavor. I used them with a lighter pinto type bean, and I think that I would prefer the flavor with a heartier black bean. I purchased a bag of black tepary beans and will try the avocado leaves with them.
One of my favorite beans is the Maya Coba. It's an heirloom yellow bean from Mexico. All of my dried beans come from Alvarez Organic Farms in Mabton WA. They are all amazing and grown by one of the finest farming families in the state.
I grew up in the southern Appalachians where beans are or were a staple for meals. Beans grown and dried in hull strung on thread and hung across a spare bedroom to dry. Or store bought pintos in 10 lb bags.
Since I procrastinate a lot, I use a fast soak to save an hour. Boil for 3-4 mins, cover and stand off heat for an hour. I only add the onion with the cooking beans and a little bit of oregano. Salt and pepper after like you said. For beans being served directly after cooking, I mash a small amount of beans against the bottom of the pot and stir when the beans are almost done to make a creamy broth aka soup beans. This method is primarily with pintos. I love this back to earth basics that you are featuring.!!
Thanks for the fast soak tip. When I've forgotten to pre soak, I've tried the bicarb they NG a couple of times and found it a bit vile. So this is cool to learn about.
My husband is from Texas, and we now live in South Carolina. Before we were vegan, I fell in love with The Homesick Texan. I have two of her cookbooks, and while we don’t eat the animal products anymore, her bean recipes and salsa recipes, and rice recipes are wonderful! It also turns out that pinto beans and corn bread are a typical meal in SC. The Carolinas also specialize in field peas and butter/lima beans.. so good!
Yesss! I love The Homesick Texan
I have gone back & forth from can to dried beans over the decades. Currently in canned phase, prepping things is really hard for me sometimes but I always have dried beans around for the apocalypse. I do have an instant pot & when I am up to it will start using that to cook dried beans.
I love making beans. Here in Costa Rica the easiest beans to find are black or red beans. We can also get garbanzo and white beans dried. I pressure cook mine the old fashioned way. It’s amazing: less than and hour to fresh delicious beans. I’ve never used an instapot. So far I haven’t felt the need to upgrade.
I love the research you put into these articles. I feel like I learn so much from you.
Awww thank you!!!
Agree! The articles are just as nourishing as the recipes!
I've got an import store near me that is, as far as I can tell, is kinda like a Costco but run by immigrants for immigrants. There are 2 full aisles, probably 50+ feet long, that are nothing but dried beans. Red lentils, brown lentils, chickpeas (white, brown, split and whole), pintos, kidney, white, mung (split and whole), fava, butter, something called "gram" and probably a few more with non-English names that I can't remember. They come in packages in a variety of sizes, from a variety of places (India, the Middle East, Africa). We go two or three times a year to stock up on the things we can only buy there (this is where I must tell you that ajvar is an Eastern European pepper spread that will elevate nearly any sandwich or pasta sauce), and despite there being plenty of dried beans in my pantry, I STILL take a slow wander down the Beans Aisles, just to see if there is some other bean I haven't met yet. This most recent time, I bought a small bag of large dried lima beans... Gonna cook those up with onions, garlic, bell pepper and a cheezy sauce for a vegan version of Pizza Beans. 😁
Ummm this sounds like heaven. I’m very jealous. Let us know how the pizza beans turn out!
I am so jealous, but mainly happy for you, that you have such an amazing grocery store near you!
Im very jealous lol
Thanks for the reminder, the inspiration.
🫘❤️🫘
Great article. Shared!
Thank you Michael!
i love this post 🫘
We make a few pots on rotation; pinto, black, using a lot of olive oil, salt, and fresh bay leaves. My niece Torre has this great recipe for butter beans with shallot, capers, lemon juice, veganaise, and fresh dill: https://aboutbeans.substack.com/p/nsfw-beans
(When my son was 6, he threw himself on the floor one night at dinnertime and screamed “Why does it always have to be FUCKING BEANS?!!”)
Last year I started cooking dried beans in my instant pot and it changed my life. I get great results without soaking so it’s like a 5 minute chore to get them cooked!
Exactly! Beans are life changing. People need to get onboard
beans r the best!
Rice, lentils, veggies and loads of spices for one of my fave winter foods. Kichidi. https://youtu.be/Os7kYPYvo50?si=uaU-nQjD36ZvzMkD
🫘🫘🫘
Putting my beans to soak right now!
Here in southern Arizona, I live on Tohono O'odham and Pascua Yaqui indigenous lands. Under the scorching heat here, they have cultivated the beautiful Tepary Bean, in several forms. You can get them through RamonaFarms.com or NativeSeeds.org. In addition, if you change up the chilis you add, you can get a different flavor profile. And I learned about avocado leaves! I loved the flavor they added.
I must confess I was in the "beans are a colossal pain in the ass to make". And then I made some, and felt sort of foolish. I'm now in the beans 4eva camp!
What is this about avocado leaves?
I learned about adding them to the pot from Masienda. I found a small pack of dried leaves at a Mexican food store. It's my understanding that food from Oaxaca & Puebla often uses them, both dried and fresh. It leaves a slight, very slight, anise flavor. I used them with a lighter pinto type bean, and I think that I would prefer the flavor with a heartier black bean. I purchased a bag of black tepary beans and will try the avocado leaves with them.
Yeah it’s very similar to adding bay leaves to your pot. So delicious!
I have avocado trees and even different varieties in my yard. I will definitely try this! Thank you ♥️
Ohhhh I can’t wait to check these out! The more beans the better. I’m so glad you’ve joined us in the bean revolution 🫘
One of my favorite beans is the Maya Coba. It's an heirloom yellow bean from Mexico. All of my dried beans come from Alvarez Organic Farms in Mabton WA. They are all amazing and grown by one of the finest farming families in the state.
I grew up in the southern Appalachians where beans are or were a staple for meals. Beans grown and dried in hull strung on thread and hung across a spare bedroom to dry. Or store bought pintos in 10 lb bags.
Since I procrastinate a lot, I use a fast soak to save an hour. Boil for 3-4 mins, cover and stand off heat for an hour. I only add the onion with the cooking beans and a little bit of oregano. Salt and pepper after like you said. For beans being served directly after cooking, I mash a small amount of beans against the bottom of the pot and stir when the beans are almost done to make a creamy broth aka soup beans. This method is primarily with pintos. I love this back to earth basics that you are featuring.!!
Thanks for the fast soak tip. When I've forgotten to pre soak, I've tried the bicarb they NG a couple of times and found it a bit vile. So this is cool to learn about.
Thank you! That’s a great tip for an extra creamy bean broth. *runs off to cook another pot of beans*
I tried the fast soak method on my last pot of beans and it worked great!