Beans and Greens

This is a simple recipe but a powerhouse of nutrients for the body. The longest part of the cooking process is soaking and cooking the beans.

Bean Cookin' 101

Cooking dried beans takes more time than opening a can, but you'll be richly rewarded with superior flavor and texture. They're a superb value too! Here's how:

  1. Rinse the sorted beans well in cold, running water.
  2. Soaking beans before cooking helps to remove some of those indigestible sugars that cause flatulence. There are two simple ways to get the job done: 
    1. Regular soak: Put beans into a large bowl and cover with 2 to 3 inches of cool, clean water. Set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight; drain well. (If it's really warm in your kitchen, soak the beans in the refrigerator instead to avoid fermentation.
    2. Quick soak: Put beans into a large pot and cover with 2 to 3 inches of cool, clean water. Bring to a boil then boil briskly for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover and set aside off of the heat for 1 hour; drain well.
  3. Cook: Put beans into a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water or stock. (Don't add salt at this point since that slows the beans' softening.)
  4. Slowly bring to a boil, skimming off any foam on the surface.
  5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid if necessary, until beans are tender when mashed or pierced with a fork.
  6. Cooking times vary with the variety, age and size of beans; generally you're looking at about 1 to 2 hours.

Secret Ingredient for Cooking Beans: Kombu 

Kombu is a seaweed which can be used in cooking water of beans to reduce flatulence and make it easier to digest.

kombu

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Mix
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 strand of kombu seaweed
  • Himalayan salt
  • Olive oil
  • Greens of choice
oliveoil

Preparation

  1. Place the water, kombu and beans in a medium stock pan and bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours.
  3. Add any spices or salt.
  4. Drain liquid from beans.
  5. Let cool and serve over lightly steamed or raw greens.
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