PEAS. THE NEW DIET PILL.

Want all the nutrition without the need for supplements? Just eat your vegetables.

Recipeas

Oh Beans

Excellent for a Sunday batch cooking session. Bag and freeze in one cup portions. These thaw quickly and are more flavourful than canned beans.

Oh Beans

Beautiful, made from scratch, beans. Hearty, healthy, tasty. Great in salads, chilis, soups or as a side dish.

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Author Oh Peas / Lori Church

Ingredients

  • 4 cups dried beans (romano, white, pinto or any other long-cooking dried bean)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
  • 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 3 or 4 bay leaves (dried or fresh)
  • 1 whole large jalapeño pepper (or dried chili or chili flakes) OPTIONAL
  • 1 tsp sea salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Check beans, removing any that have split or that have holes and rinse thoroughly.

    Put beans into large pot – porcelain coated, cast iron pot is excellent if you have it.

    Add remaining ingredients except the salt. Top up with water to about 3 inches above level of the beans.

    On medium high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and add lid.

    Set timer for 35 minutes. Check beans. If water is low, add more hot water (cold water will slow cooking).

    Set timer for 25 minutes. Check beans. Check water level and test the beans for doneness (test by eating 5 or 6 beans checking for toothiness). Repeat this process, reducing each time interval as you go. Beans may take 1.25 hours to 2 hours to cook.

    When beans are nearly done (soft with little resistance), remove lid, add sea salt to taste and allow the liquid to reduce – again, don’t forget to set the timer (~10 minutes). 

    When beans are done, remove bay leaves and simply enjoy – or use in your favorite recipe. The cooking liquid is really tasty so it is not necessary to drain unless you desire.

NOTE ABOUT DRIED BEANS

  1. Do not pre-soak beans. This recipe makes approximately 12 delicious cups of cooked beans. Half or quarter recipe if desired.

STORING YOUR DELICIOUS BEANS

  1. Fridge: Put cooled beans into glass jars and refrigerate up to 7 days. 


    Freezer: Beans freeze very well – use within 3 to 4 months. Pre-measure cooled beans (use 1 or 2 cups) into freezer bags and mark with date.

Recipe Notes

SERVING IDEAS

Serve with brown rice + steamed vegetables or a green salad. 

Add to cooked pastas and chilis for extra deliciousness + fibre. Excellent for tortilla wraps, just mash, add fresh tomatoes, cucumber + avocado slices and season. 

Mash into a dip adding water/stock if necessary adding a squeeze of fresh citrus + seasoning (fresh herbs such as cilantro and/or dried herbs such as oregano). Serve with raw vegetables.